Bullet Construction Matters

For Personal Protection Too...

The call was a suicidal man with a 12 gauge. Ya, he actually was a postal worker, so “going postal” may apply here. Arriving officers surrounded the residential home, and eventually the suicidal fellow came outside onto the porch, holding a 12 gauge shotgun. There’s a very fine line between suicidal and homicidal…

Nearby officers took cover and held back from using both less-lethal and lethal weaponry.

One responding officer from roughly 70 yards away ascertained that there was an immediate threat to his fellow officers. This skilled officer, a highly proficient marksman, employed his duty AR-15 and fired a single shot.

You would think that a 223/5.56 round fired from 70 yards into the head of a violent suspect would result in instant death. Not this time. The police department involved had chosen ammunition with a lightly constructed “varmint” bullet. That bullet impacted the front teeth of the subject and fragmented into tiny particles. Ideal on a prairie dog, but not so much on an armed man confronting the police.

He fell instantly, dropping the shotgun. This is good. And it worked. This time.

He did not die. The bullet broke up, fragmented on his teeth. He was severely wounded, his face ruined, but he was not killed. This can be seen as either a good thing or a bad thing. As a former SWAT operator and sniper I don’t like this result at all. When it’s time to take “the shot” it’s time for everything to end for the bad guy.

The suspect lived, and was immediately taken to the local emergency room. His life was saved. Surgeries repaired his face.

Did that 223 bullet stop the threat? Yes. But… he was still capable of action if he’d conquered the pain and shock of that shot. So there’s a lot to digest here. Did the officers’ shot stop the threat? Yes it did. And that’s exactly what we intend to do. However I like to use bullets that will not break apart on contact with something hard, so that they penetrate, expand and destroy important parts of the anatomy, assuring quick death and an immediate and lasting end to the violence.

I was in charge of equipping our officers and SWAT officers with ammo and training them. I’d selected a bonded bullet from Federal for our AR-15’s. It wouldn’t have broken up so easily and would have solved the problem permanently. The officer who made the shot was from a nearby supporting agency using their chosen ammunition. Which choice is better? Interesting question and years later I still wonder about that.

Worth a thought or some time contemplating.

I’m a USMC veteran and a retired cop. Had 12 years on the local SWAT team as the sniper team leader and also breached a lot of doors with a ram. Seems like I was either up close or out a bit far with the long rifle. Follow my posts here, on GunTales.net and on Ultimate Reloader.

Regards, Guy