A variation on the concept of stopping power, with the added myth that powerful calibers have the kinetic potency to throw people off their feet.
This is a good place to address the inaccurate portrayal in film and television of people being knocked off their feet when struck by a bullet. While this is fine in farcical comedies like “Sledge Hammer!” and “Shoot ‘Em Up“, reality is nothing like this. In keeping with Newton’s laws of motion, the forward kinetic energy imparted to a human target can be no more than the recoil imparted to the shooter (and is less, if the bullet exits with some remaining kinetic energy, or has lost velocity in flight before reaching the target). The terminal ballistic power of a gunshot manifests as destruction inside the target. Yes, someone teetering on the edge of balance could be tipped over, and a magnum shotgun blast to the abdomen might cause someone to double over. However, the idea that a powerful gunshot will send someone flying like a Chuck Norris kick to the chest is completely unrealistic. Action films tend to get away with these portrayals, even as audiences generally understand to varying degrees that it isn’t realistic, for the same reason that all the other hyperbole of action films is appreciated by their audiences. However, anyone seeking realism should avoid such portrayals.