personal security

[Brian]

Placement is the key to all ballistics as a graze from .50 M82 Barrett round is no more effective at stopping a person than that from a plinking .22 pistol.
For centre of mass hits in the larger the bore the better but velocity of the round also comes into play (as Einstein defined in E=mc2). The stopping power of a round is a very complex subject involving the factors of weight and velocity of the round at impact, position and direction of travel through the body, vital organs in the path of the round, penetration though outer clothing or body protection, shock of the impact (ie. hydrostatic shock), physical characteristics of the round (full jacketed, soft-point, hollow point, wad-cutter etc.), temporary and permanent cavities caused but the round, but generally the larger the round and higher the velocity the better. For reliable stopping forget Wyatt Earp gun-slinging or Dirty Harry antics, nothing beats a 12 bore at close range and nothing beats a rifle at longer ranges although a handgun is better than nothing and is more concealable.
Brian