re: Spinoff Thread -- Handgun Stopping Power

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Stopping power is a very real thing

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The problem is the usage of the word "stopping." Does it mean the capacity to physically stop a human being and push him/her back? Or does it mean the ability to incapacitate ("stop") a human being after one shot? The average person would believe it is the former due to Hollywood.

And "stop" in my mind does not rely on the perception of pain, like shooting a threat only once in an area that doesn't guarantee instant incapacitation (brain stem or pelvic girdle). This, to me, is a psychological stop since the person is still capable of fighting, hence, not "stopped." If the person is physically incapable of continuing the fight, meaning they have physically been "stopped", this is more of a "stop" in my mind.

This is why "stopping power" is a confusing and loaded term.

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My wife has one of these. I could not believe how small the cartridge is on those. Seems almost worthless. It is actually worthless for her since she cannot rack the slide.

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She's probably doing it the wrong way or the gun is way too small. The recoil spring on a 25 ACP, even with a very short recoil spring, is pretty easy to rack for anyone. If it's a hammer-fired gun (like a Beretta Jetfire), it will have some extra resistance from the hammer. If that's the case, manually retract the hammer before racking the slide and it will be easier since you're only pushing against one single spring.