You've got a lot of interesting points there, David. I'd like to respond to some of them.
With respect to your assessment that proper training more than a Wunderbullet is the right answer for dealing with an armored bad guy, I couldn't agree more.
Roger on "suppressive fire" from a pistol, too. The very concept frightens me, as a civilian who may just end up as a bystander to the events in question, or whose kids may be bystanders. Cops have no business firing anything but well-aimed rounds (as well-aimed as possible under the circumstances); neither do civilians who are defending themselves. You want suppressive fire, get yourself an M249 or similar SAW---but I don't believe cops need such gear. Not yet, anyway.
I have a few questions about the numbers you quote for what'll penetrate various armor levels. How'd you get these numbers? Reason I ask is that there are some rounds that'll penetrate one manufacturer's vest, but won't penetrate another. A particular 9mm round that's manufactured by one of the major manufcturers comes to mind in this regard. I know of IIA vests it'll do, and IIA vests it won't do. So it's sort of hard to be as precise about this topic as you're suggesting. Also, you don't mention commercial .45 rounds that'll perf IIIA, and I know for a fact that such exist, because I've penetrated IIIA with .45 ACP. In fact, if I recall correctly we may have perfed a DOUBLE thickness of IIIA with one particular .45 ACP round--I won't swear to that, though.
Also, you refer to Level 3 soft armor. I assume you mean Level IIIA? Unless the state of the art has advanced considerably without my knowledge, there's no such thing as a Level 3 "soft" vest. All Level III and IV vests I am aware of use hard trauma plates--steel, ceramic, composites, etc. Without those, they won't perform at Level III standards. If there's "soft" Level III out there, please tell me where to find it. I know some folks who'd be very interested in buying a few hundred sets.
Finally, your observations about the SS109 are borne out by what I've read about its performance in Somalia. It's just too goddamned long and stable, and drills a nice, neat, .22 caliber hole in targets. However, don't throw the baby out with the bath water--FMJ is seldom ideal for stopping people. Some of the reports I've read of .223 HP/SP being used by SWAT officers and the like indicate that it hits HARD. And I KNOW that any standard .223 round will perf soft armor, because, again, I've shot the living shit out of some IIIA vests with .223 commercial SPs and HPs, and every single round cut them like butter.
<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Matt1911 on 2001-07-03 10:09 ]</font>