PISTOL SHOOTING: One Shot, One Kill ?

Some will argue that for self defense you should get the gun with biggest bullet that you can shoot accurately.   I tend to argree but I also think that shot placement takes precedense over caliber. Most CCW holders that I have encountered at the range seem to have no basics of non-shooting self defense techniques that will help them stop a threat quicker.   Things like your physical strength and basic self defense training ( hand to hand combat ) will help you survive a potentially lethal attack when using your pistol in close quarters.   Another area most seem to lack knowledge on is the physical anatomy of the human body and how shot placement can stop a threat quicker.   The average shooter trains to put shots in the thoracic cavity ( center mass ) of their assailant but don't factor in things like bullet weight, heavy clothing or if the assailant is using body armour.   I see head shots every now and then at the range but there is not real emphasis on where in the cranial cavity one should shoot to produce that " One Shot, One Stop " effect.   One such place you want to place a shot is the Medulla oblongata. The Medulla oblongata is the part of the brain that controls autonomic funtions and will stop an assailant cold in his tracks if destroyed by a bullet.   Your would be assailant will stopped cold to the point where they won't be able to perform any muscle function like flinch or pull a trigger.   The Medulla can be reached via lead, by shooting in the area below the eye brows and the start of the nose which on the average persons face you will have about a 3" ( from eye brow to end of nose ) x 5" ( from one corner of the eye to the next ) area to place your shot in.   This 3" x 5" area is not as big as the thoracic cavity (upper chest ) so to hit it you must practice, practice and pratice again. Hitting the Medulla is way more effective at producing what some coin as the " One Shot, One Kill " than a shot to thoracic cavity as paralasis is instant where as with the thoracic shot your your assailant may have 15 - 30 seconds more to get to you before they are stopped, typically called A.I.T or average incapacitation time. A.I.T may vary based on bullet weight and type.   Try getting your hands on a pack of Vital Area targets for practice. DCGP (www.dirtcheapgunparts.com ) sells the one the law enforcement officers use for training. Try hiting the medulla from different angles performing most your drills from the 7 - 15 yards range.   Practice doing rapid but accurate toracic cavity shots 1 or 2 followed by a slower timed shot the Medulla. Shots to the thoracic cavity will help to slow down your target and a shot to Medulla will just finish the Job. This technique is called the Mozambique Drill.