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I know a man that killed deer with a .22 after shooting it in the eye. On the other hand, I have shot a barn cat with an entire clip of .22 and watched the kitty actually sit down and shake it's head before it finally layed down for the long nap.

If you can be sure of a spinal hit or one to the cortex, be my guest. If, however, you expect a lot of shaking and darkness and emotion to cloud an event like a B&E, then go with something that does your homework for you.

The lessons are there if you want to see them. Despite what the crack monkeys rap about, 9mm ain't the baddest mutha in the hood. Knocking the scumbags down by shattering their spines and exploding their internal organs is, was and always will be the best approach. It is my belief that the US military selected the 9mm small arms only because of the logistic considerations of being in NATO and little else. As result, your average street thug thinks a the M&M and peanuts is the baddest mo'fo' ever made.

Wrong-O.

Get a solid round that transmits a ton of energy into the target - that usually means a high cross sectional profile. In turn, that usually means a large mass projectile. Make sure that the round goes fast enough to penetrate heavy clothing and winter jackets. Don't go too fast though, because you don't want your magic bullet to exit the perp and decorate the walls. Every caliber has it's strengths and weaknesses, but in the end I believe the .40 caliber class offers the best compromise in all these considerations.

If you imagine the best possible option as a concrete block hitting the bad guy in the chest at 11-1500 feet per second, then you've have got the proper kind of 'best choice' in mind. After that for an appetizer, you only need select the next best ballistic choices.

Think 1950. A handgun in .45 and a .308 in a longarm is awfully hard to beat.

Just my $0.02 worth.