"It is a common misperception among novice gunowners that a higher caliber weapon will penetrate and pass through its target with greater ease than a smaller caliber weapon.
It all depends on the ballistics of the round involved. The .45 auto, for example, has relatively slow ballistics, but a very large slug, typically 240 grains or more. The slow ballistics and heavy slug actually make it less likely to penetrate through a target and cause collateral damage than a 9mm, which fires a small round at a much higher velocity. I tell my men to think of it this way: the slug that leaves the bigger hole is less likely to penetrate through the target, because it transfers its shock (energy) with greater rapidity. A 55 grain NATO .223 caliber round is about 200 times as likely to pass through a target as a round of .45 ACP.
As for the specifics of "self-defense" you will have to consult with a lawyer competent to practice in your local jurisdiction. I do not believe that altering the scene post mortem would deceive a trained investigator, since the blood, viscera, bone and tissue will leave forensic clues as to the location which the Tango is rendered KIA.
In my own opinion, the pre-requisites for "self-defense" are met when I sight my target from a tactically advantageous position, with the means to terminate his life function. I am led to believe that civilian authorities are more restrictive in the practice they allow. The only interactions I have with lawyers occur when the lawyer in question has been found by executive order to constitute a threat to national security.
Hope this helps,
Lt. R. Cusper, USN "
