Mission Drives Whose Gear?

The concept of mission drives the gear has been beaten to death but for some reason there are aspects of it that are still ignored. The phrase might seem generic, but it is rather specific.

Whose mission? The individual.

What gear/guns? The individual’s.

We aren’t talking about large swaths of people here- we are talking about an individual as an individual -independent of others.

The end user is a very specific person, with their own values, expectations, budget, strengths, weaknesses, levels of skill, dexterity, training, body size/type, etc. It’s easy to throw out generalities to assign people, but in reality, the individual is going to be rather unique. We aren’t dealing with mass issued items, or clones of certain people here- everyone has their own set of values.

For decades the Glock 19 has been the easy answer – it’s easy because it can apply to a lot of people but it is far from universal. Personally I find the G19’s grip is too short for its diameter for my hand. The G19 also isn’t applicable in many circumstances where a much smaller option should be carried. Who determines this? The individual. So, if mission truly drives the gear, that means mission trumps even the caliber.

When we discuss sub and duty caliber pistol performance, we know the projectiles are just poking holes for the most part. Some solids and structures might crack or break, and some other organs might be more susceptible to disruption. FBI ballistic gel testing has established a window of penetration of 12″-18″ which has been deemed optimal to reach vital organs in humans but not to endanger people beyond the target. This standard has become a generic answer. Many shootings we are familiar with have proven shot placement is paramount. There are documented instances of every duty and sub caliber pistol round failing to incapacitate due to less than optimal placement. Conversely, there are examples of the same sub and duty calibers successfully incapacitating a threat due to needed shot placement. Then we have those instances where everything is set up right, penetration and placement are there but the stars aligned and rounds on target are still ineffective. Many modern expanding duty caliber jhp are purposely designed to be less dangerous on the other side of the target – most recovered rounds meeting the 12-18″ of gel penetration standard are being found inside the skin opposite of the entry point or caught in the clothing. Some subcaliber options need solid or fmj to reliably reach the desired penetration window.

Shot placement > penetration > expansion (is a nice bonus if possible)

How many people have died due to shotplacement of a solid or fmj duty or sub caliber handgun round? Enough that they should not be dismissed. 32 acp of all things, a tiny little round -was a popular police and military handgun round across the world and killed a lot of people. Human physiology hasn’t changed but technology has.

If a round with needed penetration has needed shot placement it has the potential to be effective- moreso than a missed placement or shallow hit. I am 6’5″ 260lbs with above average training and skillsets with firearms. I carry a 9mm with HST on duty as a police officer. My off duty carry is subject to many different variables to include how I am dressed, where I am going, what I am doing and many more – my actions are also dictated by a similar set of parameters. If I am alone, my actions would be different compared to being with my four year old. I’m not going hunting for bad guys if I have the four year old with me- he is my priority. These are the values for me personally – they do not apply to you or grandma.

Immediately dismissing someone’s personal decisions due to your values is rather short sighted. Is there a time and place for 44 Magnum defensively? Yes. Is there a time and place for 22LR defensively? Yes.

Mission drives the gear and that mission and gear are not universal. Optimal for the individual is not universal. Who knows the parameters and values of their own life? The individual. Who’s decision is all of this ultimately? The individual. A few years ago I went down the rabbit hole of subcaliber guns and performance and it has been a fascinating journey. It has helped me understand their niche far better and appreciate them to the point that I have several I am rather confident with for carry depending on…. mission.