Defence shooting: Stopping power

One of the hottest topics in defensive shooting is ‘stopping power’ and how it should be defined. One side of the story that is seldom heard is what happens to people who have actually been shot. SAREL BADENHORST tells from his personal experience on this issue.

 

During my uniformed career of 18 years (with deployments into quite a few African countries), I have been treated four times for gunshot wounds. The first was a 9mm handgun bullet in my left shoulder (only muscles were hit), then two handgun shots into my lower abdomen. These bullets are still there after more than 30 years (see photo). The last was a rifle bullet that ricocheted from a vehicle and ended up in my left pelvic iliac lymph node.

We were able to do a field extraction of the bullet in my left shoulder but, due to operational requirements, I could only get to a doctor a week after the incident. The two bullets in my pelvic area caused septicaemia within the first few weeks after the incidents but the operational doctors administered antibiotics that cleared the infection. The shrapnel in my iliac lymph node started to cause nerve loss in my upper left leg, especially the skin and sub-derma areas around my left knee.

Unfortunately, by the time I was able to report to the hospital after these three incidents, the doctors did not want to surgically intervene as my body had recovered well enough. The shrapnel in my iliac node still cannot be removed as more nerve damage would be caused with such a procedure.

Looking closer at these incidents, the following were observed:

1. Bullet in my left shoulder: Although it was from a 9mm pistol, it only felt like a slap. I am left-handed and shoot left-handed. The bullet impact did not disturb my actions and definitely did not negatively affect my aim. I did not even drop my firearm. Only after the action did my teammate indicate the small amount of blood on my uniform shoulder and, on examination, we saw the entry wound. The bullet went through my webbing straps before entering my shoulder, which limited penetration. However, the close quarters of the confrontation resulted in the bullet being scorching hot when it entered my shoulder, and it cauterised the adjoining muscles and burned into the flesh where it came to a stop. We could extract the bullet and, after applying a bit of antiseptic ointment, we closed the wound with bandages and I carried on with my task.

2. Shrapnel into my iliac node: I was shooting from behind cover and the combination of my own, plus incoming, shots created a lot of noise. After the aggressors were neutralised, my colleague pointed to my left leg. The leg of my pants was full of blood from the belt down to my boot. As the area was safe, I was able to remove my pants and we saw the entry wound in my left groin. Clotting powder stopped most of the bleeding until I could get to the ops doctor. During the fight I did not notice the impact of the hit and there was no influence on my performance. After the bleeding stopped, I carried on with the deployment for the rest of the week. The following week I reported to a hospital for X-rays and an orthopaedic follow-up, but no medical intervention was required.

3. Bullets in my pelvis: Again, during the excitement of the action I did not notice that I had been hit. Bleeding was minimal and I had no discomfort directly after the incidents; I carried on as normal with my tasks.

 

FROM EXPERIENCE

My personal experience clearly indicated that, due to the fact that no central nervous system or any bone had been hit, and given the adrenaline and excitement during the incidents, I hardly felt that I was hit. My physical and cognitive abilities were not compromised and my actions against the perpetrators were successfully executed. In fact, no medical evacuations were even required.

We were armed with military-issued pistols and rifles with the relevant ammunition, and directed our shots correctly against the perpetrators. All ammunition used against us was from military-grade 9mm pistols and 7.62mm rifles.

From our experiences we therefore used the following ammunition for self-defence in undercover and private use:

1. 9mm Parabellum: Loaded with a 115gr Norma HP bullet leaving the pistol barrel at 1 280fps (hot load).
2. .357 Magnum: Loaded with a 125gr Sierra HP bullet leaving the 2¾-inch barrel at 1 330fps.
3. .44 Magnum: Loaded with a 180gr Hornady HP bullet leaving the 5-inch barrel at 1 580fps.
4. .45 ACP: Loaded with a 185gr Hornady HP bullet leaving the 4-inch barrel at 1 000fps.
5. .454 Casull: Loaded with a 250gr Sierra leaving the 5-inch barrel at 1 690fps. (This is my current self-defence revolver, a Taurus Raging Bull with custom 5-inch barrel.)

Note: These loads do not penetrate less than 10 inches or more than 14 inches into a target. During all shootings, the bullets always stayed in the target. All loads are also very hot and must not be used in your own firearms.

 

PREFERRED REVOLVER

During my career I carried a 9mmP pistol as issued (Star, CZ75, Sig P226 or Glock 17), depending on who and where we were operating with. Where I had the choice, I preferred a revolver in .44 Magnum or .357 Magnum with the above loads when entering a room first.

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However, after the double-action .454 Casull revolvers became available, I permanently carried a customised 5-inch revolver. Unfortunately, it is not a practical handgun for most people due to its size (fortunately, I am not small and can effectively conceal this revolver during everyday carry).

I do not carry a different handgun for self-defence – to ensure my survival, I believe in only using a handgun that I am utterly familiar with.

Most of my friends carry 9mmP, .40S&W or .45ACP pistols. I and a few others have been in gunfights where the perpetrator’s shots were fired in such close proximity that we picked up some powder burns on our glasses.

At such distances, you definitely cannot rely on ‘noise’ to frighten the perpetrator. Experience has shown me that you can never carry enough gun to a gunfight.

 

A short note on pepper spray. One of my friends in the Police was dosed with pepper spray until his face was wet (glasses off) and then completed the shooting exercise with all 30 rounds on target, including a magazine change. This was done to many of us during our training and it was expected that we complete the exercises correctly.

(This article was published in the November/December 2021 edition of ManMAGNUM.)

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