The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post - If all else fails and you have to fire, does the size of the BG matter?

BillCA · June 18, 2009, 09:51 AM

Kudos to Mello2u for giving a good answer to the original post. I think that's a fair assessment.

I'll add that a 6'5" 300-some pound assailant will have more body mass to penetrate just due to his sheer size. But it is also the content of that body mass that can make a big difference in performance.

If that big man is Fat Albert with rolls of jell-o like fat around his middle and torso, it will react differently than if the guy is training to be a 320-lb tackle in the NFL. Muscle tissue is denser with less liquid per cm³.

A coroner tells me that he sees the damage JHP ammo does and that on fat/obese people, they tend to open earlier because the hydrostatic forces from the soft liquid-like fat tissue - like shooting into water. That and the fat layer is usually over their smaller muscle tissues. He says abdominal shots on fat people are generally recovered at or in front of the midline of the body's depth. Bullets in thinner people tend to stop towards the rear parts of the body.

One should keep in mind that the sternum (breastbone) rarely has much to cover it -- muscle or fat -- in your average person. So those COM shots on even a big guy should work just as well as on a skinny one.

Study a little anatomy and you should see that the top 2-3 inches of the sternum is almost an ideal spot to hit as there are half a dozen critical structures just behind it.

June 18, 2009, 09:51 AM	#47
BillCA Senior Member Join Date: November 28, 2004 Location: Silicon Valley, Ca Posts: 7,117	Kudos to Mello2u for giving a good answer to the original post. I think that's a fair assessment. I'll add that a 6'5" 300-some pound assailant will have more body mass to penetrate just due to his sheer size. But it is also the content of that body mass that can make a big difference in performance. If that big man is Fat Albert with rolls of jell-o like fat around his middle and torso, it will react differently than if the guy is training to be a 320-lb tackle in the NFL. Muscle tissue is denser with less liquid per cm³. A coroner tells me that he sees the damage JHP ammo does and that on fat/obese people, they tend to open earlier because the hydrostatic forces from the soft liquid-like fat tissue - like shooting into water. That and the fat layer is usually over their smaller muscle tissues. He says abdominal shots on fat people are generally recovered at or in front of the midline of the body's depth. Bullets in thinner people tend to stop towards the rear parts of the body. One should keep in mind that the sternum (breastbone) rarely has much to cover it -- muscle or fat -- in your average person. So those COM shots on even a big guy should work just as well as on a skinny one. Study a little anatomy and you should see that the top 2-3 inches of the sternum is almost an ideal spot to hit as there are half a dozen critical structures just behind it. __________________ BillCA in CA (Unfortunately)