The Annoyed Man wrote:I think that the psychology of getting hit is a HUGE factor. There are plenty of stories of people who were hit hard, perhaps even hit fatally if absent medical intervention, who continued to fight and to fight well until they are either relieved or expire. That is the danger when the shoot involves someone who is amped up on some kind of drug and is existing in a mind-altered state. They might not even know they've been shot; or they might be even further enraged by being shot. Police and military experience abounds with stories of people who absorb multiple bullet hits—even from rifles—and they keep coming. THAT is why shot placement is so important. If your shot doesn't puncture an aorta or the brain or spinal cord, or some other organ which is likely to cause immediate incapacitation, you may require multiple hits before you incapacitate your foe. Also, hits to some areas may produce gradual incapacitation. For instance, hits to the lung fields might not immediately disable someone, but a sucking chest wound will ultimately be fatal, even if the blood loss isn't too severe and no other organ has been hit.
However, the psychological factor is not to be ignored. If the GSW recipient is even moderately sentient, they may likely incapacitate themselves over the idea of having been shot. It's the insentient ones you really have to worry about.
TAM is right here and the intent is to STOP the threat. Assuming most encounters will be in a close distance, another method is "Pocket Shots" that is shoot the hips in the jean pockets. A shattered hip will not support a person to advance. A drugged person who can ignore being shot will still drop if the hip is gone. Problem is this will probably be a fatal wound as you will probably hit the femoral artery and no way to stop that bleeding will help here. But you have to protect yourself first. Just a note on placement shots and their purpose.