This is an interesting article, mostly because it manages to pertain to me and my decision for my carry piece
The prosecution also made hay about Fish carrying a 10mm handgun loaded with hollowpoint ammunition. In an urban area, that may not be your preferred carry gun. But on a hiking trail that is probably the caliber of choice. It's enough bullet to drop most any four-legged predators you may encounter, and the hollowpoint round is a good choice both for stopping power and to prevent overpenetration. As Massad Ayoob has said at length, overpenetration and hitting an innocent on the other side can bring a lot of liability. Let's be honest, 10mm FMJ is a hot round that makes Rule Four (be sure of your target and what lies beyond it) a serious consideration. There's a good faith argument that not using hollowpoints in a 10mm is reckless. But be prepared to make that argument in court.
First, I carry a Glock 29 which technically *is* chambered in 10mm, but let's be honest – the shortened barrel doesn't give you the same oomph as a full sized pistol. With the reduced velocity due to the limited amount of time being accelerated, I think it's manageable from a penetration standpoint. Plus, I only use hollowpoints for the exact reasons as stated above.
However, I do take exception to the concept that you can only use 'just enough' of a cartridge. If you're downtown, a .380 is all you'll need vs. walking through Podunksville where a .44 magnum is called for. I want a round that will drop my assailant as quickly as possible. Notice I didn't say 'kill'. If I wanted to kill, I'd carry around a 30.06 with explosive tipped, fragmenting rounds.
My goal is to hit the attacker(s) so hard that the shock to their body causes them to a) collapse instantly and b) seriously consider another line of work. If that happens due to an immediate shutdown of their life support system, that's their bad luck and has nothing to do with me.
I don't like carrying the .380. The round isn't powerful enough (especially launched from the P3AT) to have that effect. I only carry that as a last ditch effort in the hopes that if the need arises, the simple fact that I have a gun acts as a deterrent. If I must use it, it's going to be at a short range and I'll pretty much hope that it causes them enough pain to allow me to flee.
The 10mm, even through a shortened barrel, is one hell of a round. The damage to tissue is going to be severe enough that most non-drugged people would react to the pain in a beneficial way, hopefully before expiration. It's also good enough that a few more shots, should the be required, will cause enough damage to incapacitate even the most strung out person. That is my goal, as should be anyone with self defense on their mind. Limiting the tools available by saying Round X is too powerful is a scary road to try to go down.
I'm still going to carry the 10mm. I've even though about switching to 10mm for competition so that I can become even more confident in my ability to handle the round. And I'll gladly defend myself in court over my decision to do so if the need ever arises.
Hat tip Uncle