carefully choosing the right bullet design & cartridge makes sense considering the advancements in the last couple of decades.

and having read untold number of articles/books written by both sides on the subject of "stopping power", i tend to agree with the "morgue-monsters"* (street shooting data collection crowd like marshall/sanow) vs the "jello-junkies"* (ballistic gelatin measurement fans like fackler & IWBA).

but that aside, when discussing self-defense with firearms, i believe there are a few things even more important than what a firearm is loaded with (in descending order):

1) situational awareness
2) knowledge of your legal and moral obligations in the situation
3) the ability to react instantly and decisively
4) having the tool with you
5) being able to place rounds precisely and quickly
6) reliablity of tool
7) bullet design & stopping power of cartridge
8) everything else (type of tool, capacity, reloading speed, court proofing, cost, etc)


*names used by Massad Ayoob in 2002 for the two sides