While I am sure all of us know the importance of shot placement, I think this month's issue of SOF has an interesting reminder of how important this is ("Fight For Life", pages 62-65).
In short, a "Good Samaritan" was attacked by the hitchhikers he had brought home. He was able to draw a Ruger Blackhawk chambered for the .44 Magnum and shoot one of the attackers.
The attacker was hit with a 240gr hollowpoint, and the bullet passed through his lung, diaphram and liver before the attacker:
"...[ran] out of the house and along my porch with the [other attackers who were fleeing the armed Samaritan]. He ran around behind the house and tried to jump a barbedwire fence and got tangled up and fell on the otherside into a dry irrigation ditch. The paramedics found him setting [sic] there in a pool of his own blood some 30 minutes later."
The attacker lived and is now facing charges.
While some key details are missing I will presume:
-Based on the picture of where the bullet entered a short bookcase after passing through the attacker, and the description of the wound, the attacker was probably "gut-shot", i.e. no bones were hit, thus no secondary fragmentation.
-medical attention to the attacker was minimal for the 30 minute period
Please do not take this as an attempt to start a "light/fast" vs. "heavy/slow" thread or an attempt to bash any caliber, just a real-life reminder of the need for COM hits, regardless of caliber.
I think everyone would view the .44 Magnum as a ample self-defense round, yet here is a documented case of someone surviving a serious wound to the thorax, even with the complication of am fairly lengthy time away from professional medical attention.