Conceal carry caliber

[270Shooter]

I recently got my Cwp and am looking for a concealable pistol. I can not decide between the 40 s&w or the 45 acp. I like that the 45 shoots a bigger bullet but in a smaller capacity magazine. The gun I am leaning towards is the s&w m&p compact. What do you all carry and why?

[deaner]

for the last couple months ive been carrying a kimber solo (9mm) and so far i really like it.  so small, lightweight and comfortable that you really dont notice it at all, in fact ive been home for 5 hours and still have it on my belt, just because, as i said you dont notice it. no reason to take it off     and it feels great to shoot too.  love the hand feel, the trigger, everything.  really have nothing negative i can think of to say about it.

[kenzmad]

I personally carry a glock 26 in 9mm. It fits my hand great, hides well and goes Bang everytime I pull the trigger. I hold 13+1 in the gun and a spare 10rd mag. To each their own as far as caliber. Pick one that fits and you will carry every day. A proper holster is critical as is a good gun belt. This chart helps with the 9mm,40cal, and 45 guys.

[CAMPMEAT]

Glock 29sf 10mm. It's a compact 10+1.

[papisjeep]

Ruger L.C.R. .38 +p because its easily concealable in almost any situation
(or glock 19 otherwise)

[hillbilli]

as long as it is 9mm/.38spec+p or better.. and you have decent hollowpoints, it will do the job- if you can shoot it decent. In a little compact gun the size of my Kahr or the subcompact plastic frame guns- a 9mm is definitely easier to handle and shoot well. the other argument for 9mm is cost of ammo- .40 cal ammo is about 50% more expensive than 9mm.. which can really affect how much you practice. That said I end up carrying the .40 more than anything else.. ( but I do reload, which means my .40 practice loads only cost me about 7$ a box to load..)

[Bean Counter]

Here we go again...

Velocity matters far more in so far as determining kinetic energy. That's why a .40S&W hits harder than a .45acp. Anything .38 and above are just fine for self defense. Test out then Pick a comfortable gun that YOU can shoot consistently. Many police departments around the country have ditched the .40S&W and gone back to the 9mm because of the ability to get back on target and follow up shots faster. Not to mention better qualification scores.

[DBHAWTHORNE]

 

[CementFinisher]

Not going to get into a caliber debate. I've been carrying everyday for 7 years give or take some odd months. I've found that comfort and concealability are much more important than caliber. You will only carry a full size around for so long. I now carry serveral different full sizes if I'm going to be going to Seattle or other large cities or areas with high crime rates. I mostly carry ultra compact single stacks in a cross breed holster. for running up to the store or going to a friends house i throw my itty bitty 380 in my pocket holster and can carry it in about any pocket. You need to be truthful with your self and determine your skill level, i.e. accuracy understress, speed, and recoil sensitivity. Realize that in the very small guns its far better to go with smaller rounds as to land more rounds on target in a stressful situation. I personaly go 45acp or 357sig in my full size's, 9mm in sigle stack ultra compact's, and 9mm or 380 in the pocket gun area. do lots of reasearch on rcws read up on court cases and realise just how big of a responsibility your taking on. good luck, have fun picking out your piece. As far as brand and model, get them in your hand  and shoot them if you can to see what you like, then reaseach and then purchase

[hillbilli]

oh yes.. the "stopping power" debate.. of which, here is my take- in pistol calibers energy numbers dont matter much. (if they did would people shot in their kevlar vests with pistol calibers shoot back with great regularity?) what matters is permanent cavity- what you actually cut or break. If I use full metal jackets like the military the 9mm only has 60% of the surface area of the .45, but with hollowpoints that expand to 1.5 to 2x diameter- the variation in diameter means that a 9.. that opens to x2 is .72, and a .45 that only opens to 1.5 is .675... (see the overlap here? ) the averages will of course favor the larger bore diameter. to understand the "power" of one cartridge to the next make sure you are comparing apples to apples. the 9mm and .40 are almost identical velocities (950fps for heavy bullets, 1200 for light bullets), but the .40 has bigger bullets. the .40 and .45- with the same weight bullets (180-185), are almost identical velocities- and thus identical in "power".. the difference being in actual diameter.. 

[Biggerhammer]

Whatever your comfortable, quick and accurate with.

[snowpack]

I like the .45 acp, but would also recommend the 10 mm.  But when I'm in small towns I favor a revolver with a lot of power.  In the city I like semi auto with lots of capacity---never know when the mob is going to get unruly.

[PNW_Hunter]

I conceal carry my glock 21 gen 4 and glock 23 gen 4. Both .40 and .45 are great self defense rounds. .45 is a tad bit easier to shoot, but for myself, it's negligible. I'd lean towards the .40 because the frames tend to be slimmer

[ghosthunter]

No one is going to like my

I have carried every day for over 20 years. I carry three items every single day.
S&w Sigma 9 mm in holster.
Ruger 380 LCP in pocket.
And a kimber pepper blaster on my weak side pocket.
The best gun is the one you can shoot the best and the one you will carry every day.

Folks can rattle off bullet weight and impact yada,yada, yada.
Most of  us are never going to have to draw, even less will have to shoot. And it most likely will not be some rhino encased person.

If you put any rounds on a bad gun they will not like it and they will either run or die.

Pick what you can shoot and practice  with it. Have a talk with yourself on what would make you shoot. Than prepare and hope it never happens.

 

[lostbackpacker]

Most comfortable I carried was sign p238
Least comfortable full frame kimber 45
One I settled on to carry all the time mp 9c.