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Home Invader Shot Five Times in the Face/Neck and Lives

Aknazer

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shastadude17

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Yet another reason the .38 is an inferior round. Of course shot placement is important, and if you're using quality +P hollowpoints you're probably good to go, but the performance of .38 is sad...even compared to 9mm.
 

shastadude17

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She shot him 5 times in the face and neck, and missed once...she was empty...god forbid he was still aggressive and continued the attack, that would be a bad day. I'm just saying, there are far better cartridges out there in slimmer and lighter packages, IE Kel-Tec PF9 with 7+1 of 9mm...but this wasn't even a CC situation, it was a home defense so concealment isn't even an issue. Don't even get me started on better home defense weapons than a .38... that being said, the home defense go-to gun in a false picture frame in my house is a S&W .38 loaded with +P ammo, it's my absolute last ditch "I can't get to my Glock 19, Mossberg 500, Sig 9mm, 1911, Kel-Tec, Mosin Nagant, Frying Pan" gun.
 

thebigsd

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She shot him 5 times in the face and neck, and missed once...she was empty...god forbid he was still aggressive and continued the attack, that would be a bad day. I'm just saying, there are far better cartridges out there in slimmer and lighter packages, IE Kel-Tec PF9 with 7+1 of 9mm...but this wasn't even a CC situation, it was a home defense so concealment isn't even an issue. Don't even get me started on better home defense weapons than a .38... that being said, the home defense go-to gun in a false picture frame in my house is a S&W .38 loaded with +P ammo, it's my absolute last ditch "I can't get to my Glock 19, Mossberg 500, Sig 9mm, 1911, Kel-Tec, Mosin Nagant, Frying Pan" gun.

Well she clearly didn't get directs hits. I pretty sure 5 rounds center-mass would have been a better idea and most likely far more effective.And of course there are better home defense guns....but we definitely don't want to get into that lol.
 

MAC702

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She shot him 5 times in the face and neck, and missed once...she was empty...god forbid he was still aggressive and continued the attack, that would be a bad day. I'm just saying, there are far better cartridges out there in slimmer and lighter packages,...

And if she had had a "far better" cartridge, ESPECIALLY in a "slimmer and lighter package," she may not have been nearly as good with it as she was.

Stopping "power" is overrated against human targets, and only part of a total package.

The fact is that she was armed, possessed the strength of will to use it, and did so effectively, even if just barely. Being that it was "just barely" actually gives some evidence that maybe this .38 was actually too much gun for her and her level of training at the time.
 
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MSG Laigaie

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The woman used a .38. The woman successfully stopped the attack.
This is Truth

Bingo, this is my view as well! Who cares what caliber is used so long as the threat is stopped.
This is Truth

She shot him 5 times in the face and neck, and missed once...she was empty...god forbid he was still aggressive and continued the attack, that would be a bad day.

Remember that in the heat of the moment they may have lost count. "You've got to ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel lucky?' Well, do ya, punk?" Dirty Harry
 

motoxmann

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this entire story is pretty good proof that a 10rd mag ban would be rediculous. imagine if it were 2 intruders. it took 6 shots to BARELY stop this 1 intruder.
(yes I know it was a 6-shot revolver that was used)

that being said, no, a .38 round is not inferior. a .38 round is far superior to a broom handle, grenade launcher, squirtgun, or anything else that could be grabbed and attempted to be used to thwart an intruder
 

PistolPackingMomma

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And if she had had a "far better" cartridge, ESPECIALLY in a "slimmer and lighter package," she may not have been nearly as good with it as she was.

Stopping "power" is overrated against human targets, and only part of a total package.

The fact is that she was armed, possessed the strength of will to use it, and did so effectively, even if just barely. Being that it was "just barely" actually gives some evidence that maybe this .38 was actually too much gun for her and her level of training at the time.

Qft.

Someone on another forum claimed that the amount of shots fired were "excessive"; implying as though she should have only needed to fire two or three times. Armchair quarterbacking at its finest...
 

Citizen

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+1 to MAC702's comments.

This is not to slight others. Its just that every time I had something to reply, MAC said it first.
 

shastadude17

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Be advised, I'm not criticizing this woman by any means. It's a phenomenal outcome to a possibly fatal and tragic situation. I understand that often times people don't have an arsenal of their own, sometimes just a passed down family heirloom or hell even a Hi-Point. That's fine, but implying that the .38 Special even in +P loads out of a snub nose or even 4" barrel is a reliable man stopper is just silly...and in all fairness, really most handgun cartridges are unreliable man stoppers, thus inferior defensive weapons. I think we can all agree that the only reason we carry handguns is because of convenience :D

My mom is looking into getting her FL CWP...and my dad keeps suggesting a snub nose .38...ultimately if that's what she's most comfortable with, that's what she should get, however I wouldn't want the people I love to be carrying a less capable weapon firing a less potent cartridge just because it's easy and I don't have to train them as much to be competent with it. If it wouldn't be my first, second, or third choice of a carry option, why would I ever suggest someone I care about carry it? Regardless of how you guys feel about James Yeager, I know a lot of people think he's a tool, he has a great and short video on this exact subject.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmulG3zKfiU
 
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j4l

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Be advised, I'm not criticizing this woman by any means. It's a phenomenal outcome to a possibly fatal and tragic situation. I understand that often times people don't have an arsenal of their own, sometimes just a passed down family heirloom or hell even a Hi-Point. That's fine, but implying that the .38 Special even in +P loads out of a snub nose or even 4" barrel is a reliable man stopper is just silly...and in all fairness, really most handgun cartridges are unreliable man stoppers, thus inferior defensive weapons. I think we can all agree that the only reason we carry handguns is because of convenience :D

My mom is looking into getting her FL CWP...and my dad keeps suggesting a snub nose .38...ultimately if that's what she's most comfortable with, that's what she should get, however I wouldn't want the people I love to be carrying a less capable weapon firing a less potent cartridge just because it's easy and I don't have to train them as much to be competent with it. If it wouldn't be my first, second, or third choice of a carry option, why would I ever suggest someone I care about carry it? Regardless of how you guys feel about James Yeager, I know a lot of people think he's a tool, he has a great and short video on this exact subject.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmulG3zKfiU



Bingo. But-
1) 5 headshots, under duress, on an advancing enemy, while shielding your children. Hell, it seems half the NYPD cant even manage to pull THAT off, without hosing down an entire city block. Sounds to me like she was able to handle her choice of sidearm and caliber just fine.

2) BUT, it also sort of tosses the "shot placement trumps all" philosophy right into the toilet. The round chosen HAS to be counted on to perform the task, or you may as well be throwing accurate rocks. This does give a good example of WHY some rounds/calibers are best left to punching holes in paper @ the range.(.38/9mm/.40 Smith and Useless) while others (.45/10mm/ .357Sig) remain viable, proven, COMBAT rounds.

3) And, .38's in particular seem to be real iffy rounds. sort of 50/50 performers, at best. we have some cases where one shot has done the trick, and dropped the BGs on the spot, and other where it ended up like this.. but, we dont know what loads she used on this so... who knows..

Either way, she did just fine, but Im willing to bet she'll be at the local gun shop soon, eyeballing some 1911s. ;)
 

OC for ME

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And if she had had a "far better" cartridge, ESPECIALLY in a "slimmer and lighter package," she may not have been nearly as good with it as she was.

Stopping "power" is overrated against human targets, and only part of a total package.

The fact is that she was armed, possessed the strength of will to use it, and did so effectively, even if just barely. Being that it was "just barely" actually gives some evidence that maybe this .38 was actually too much gun for her and her level of training at the time.
I would have started with "The fact is that she was armed," and stopped right after "possessed the strength of will to use it," but this is just me.

I commend her on protecting her kids and herself to the best of her ability.
 
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