home and hand gun safety

Question
QUESTION: Hi,
I would like to know about penetration depth of various caliber bullets (regular over the counter type bullets) ie 38, 357, 45 auto, and 44 magnum. What do you recommend for home protection? Is there a type of bullet I can buy that would protect inside the house but not go through walls and shoot the neighbors? I realize that is a difficult question but if there was a standard sheetrock wall behind a person and not a window (which would have no stopping ability), what would you recommend?
Thanks!

ANSWER: Your question is an interesting one with a lot of variables.

The question really is, how much penetration do you need? The FBI, for example, will not consider a round that does not have at least 12" of penetration in ballistic gelatin. Many cartridge companies, however, are making rounds that penetrate less but expand more for the concealed carry market.

Likewise, some police department require bonded bullets to that the projectile will maintain its integrity through auto glass or body panels. Does the average person carrying a gun for self-defense need this?

You've mentioned cartridges that are for auto pistol, and that are for revolvers. That would be the first place to start. What kind of gun do you want? A revolver has limitations but is simpler to learn and use. And autopistol has more advantages, but requires dedication to the initial learning curve to learn.

For home defense, if I were to have revolver, it would be one with a 3 to 4 inch barrel, and would be chambered in .357 Magnum, but loaded with .38 Special +P rounds, 125 grain projectiles. This would give you the best combination of penetration, expansion, and recoil control allowing fast follow-up shots (it is a bad idea to think one round from any handgun will stop anyone). .44 Magnum would be out of the question - it's really a hunting handgun, but one chambered in .44 Special would be a very good choice for home defense.

In auto cartridges, you do not mention the 9mm or .40 S&W, the two most popular cartridges. Either of these (or the .45 ACP) would be a good choice with proper ammunition. Without going through the litany of reasons, my choices would be: for the 9mm - Speer Gold Dot SB 124 grain; for .40 - Federal Hydrashock, 155 grain; For .45 ACP - Remington Golden Saber, 230 grain.

There are companies that make frangible ammunition, which will break up when hitting hard objects and penetrate less (though it will all penetrate sheet rock). The two most well-known are Glasser Safety Slugs and MagSafe. These can help lessen collateral damage, but you should not count on them to eliminate it.

Both of these, because of rapid expansion will not penetrate deeply, but will break up quickly and cause an extensive if shallow (e.g. 4-8 inches) wound cavity. Frangible ammunition, however, can be defeated or at least impeded with heavy or layered clothing, and criminals know this, so it is a trade-off.

I would pick your gun first (though not a short barreled revolver). Once you pick the gun, you've narrowed the field down to which ammunition to choose. .38 Special (non +P) is a poor stopper (poorer than most handguns), but bullet technology has come so far that caliber in auto pistols hardly matters any more. Pick the gun first. You'll be able to find ammunition to do what you want it to do within reason.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi,

What is ACP? Also, after I choose my gun, what should I look for in qualifications for an instructor? Is there a registry that lists instructors with the qualifications you recommend?

ANSWER: Linda,

ACP stands for "Automatic Colt Pistol," and denotes cartridges that were first developed for use in those pistols. So, for example the .45 ACP has been around since 1911. The .45 GAP (Glock Automatic Pistol) is a newer (and different) cartridge that has only been around for a few years.

There are different levels of instruction. If you're new to guns, I'd recommend starting with the NRA Basic Pistol course (NRA website is kind of hard to navigate, but if you poke around for a while they'll have a list of instructors in your area).

However, you shouldn't think you are prepared to defend yourself with a handgun after taking this course. After you have a familiarity with the gun, you'll want to take a self-defense course.

Your best bet would be to send me your nearest big city and I'll send you the nearest school I can recommend. It may not be "close," and that doesn't mean there are not other good instructors, it just means that I don't have personal knowledge of them.

But this is what I would look for in a particular Instructor

* NRA Certification (Pistol, Range Safety Officer [not necessary)
* IDPA (International Defensive Pistol Association)Ranking of Expert or Master
* Martial arts experience (Black belt in something a plus)
* Real world experience a plus (e.g. law enforcement, or someone who's been in a gunfight. This is not necessary, but it's a plus)
* Someone with a humble attitude. People who talk trash generally teach trash.

The self-defense firearms field is a matter of caveat-emptor so do as much research as you can.



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi,
I live in Fort Worth TX.

Answer
I'm afraid I don't know of any schools right in you area. However, I did a quick google search for "forth worth firearms training" and came up with a number of hits. If you do your research, see what things look like to you (comfort level is important, and look for some of the criteria mentioned, I think you'll have a good experience. Best to you.