Conceal carry caliber

[CAMPMEAT]

I had a guy attack me years ago in Hoodsport. I knocked him down and I stuck my 6inch Colt Python between his eyes and he said, with eyes as big as saucers," you gonna hurt me if you pull that trigger ". I said, " yes, yes I will. End of story. The cops came and arrested him for fighting 2 other guys in the bar across the street from my motel.     

[DoubleJ]

9mm for me. 

I like the "big hole" a .45 does but the weight of carrying it sucks the fun out of my days and as mentioned, lower capacity. 

I like the blend of performance/weight/carying capacity of a .40 but I've always found that caliber, no matter the gun I use, very "snappy" in my hands and hard to re-acquire the target for a follow up shot.  While I blame my girly wrists for this, it is still a factor for me.  If you've never shot a .40cal, I HIGHLY suggest you do so, in a few different models if possible to make sure it's comfortable in your hands when you shoot.

9mm seems about right to me.  My Glock 19 holds 15+1, isn't very heavy, is a breeze to shoot, ammo is cheap so I can practice, and with the performance of today's defense ammo, a 124+p round penetrating 14+" and expanding to almost 3/4" is good enough for me, especially when I can throw 16 of them at the bad guys instead of 7.

[C-Money]

Sig 238, .380 ACP. Its as comfortable as carrying a Motorola Minitor pager on your belt. Get the extended magazine for your pinkie finger. Make sure a holster with a thumb break does not disengage your safety throughout the day. Dependable and very accurate.

[whitey]

Springfield XD40 subcompact. With the 38 Ruger LCR as my back up.

[Duckwacker]

I've been carrying for 15 year's and always a full-size i stared with a breatta 92 went to a Kimber custom for a couple year's and been carrying a Glock 22 since 05 then got the Glock 22 gen4 3 year's ago . I like capacity and 165gr .40 cal will make anyone have a bad day..

[Jonathan_S]

I'll get flamed but I carry .22 LR and .22 mags.

I can shoot them faster and far more accurately and practice with them more.  How many people are going to take 3+ rounds of .22 and get up for more   

It's mainly because they're good dual purpose pistols and if I was to get a strictly CC, I'd probably go with a .357 or .40

[KFhunter]

Not going to flame you, but hopefully educate you.

Wish I could show you a video I seen of a guy who was shot by police in some south American country,  took 2 or 3 rounds to the chest cavity like a champ.  He started fist pumping the crowd while you could see blood draining from the holes in his chest.  He started smacking his chest in a gesture resembling "IS THAT ALL YOU GOT?"  to police,  he danced around a while then after what seemed a long loooong time sat down, fell over then died.

with a .22 anything it's unlikely that you'll penetrate the sternum and knock out the spine,  so you may kill someone but they don't always know they've been killed and can go on to create harm - especially if they're armed too. 

On the other hand some guys will be shot with what seems a non-life threatening shot and just fall over ending the fight right away. 


Also keep in mind there's been quite a lot of instances where a person took a 22LR to the brain pan and continued as nothing happened.

[Jonathan_S]

Yeah I understand that they're not an immediate put-down round. 

I do plan to get a ruger in .357 sometime this year but until then, I feel plenty confident in what I've got.

I know that with knockdown power in the forefront, I wouldn't carry a lot of the more popular carry cartridges.   

[pianoman9701]

Ruger LC9 w/hollow points. Light and easy to stick in your pocket. Crimson Trace laser means the bullets go right where you want 'em to. Use to carry an XD .45. Too big. Maybe an XD-S would be OK with the single stack and lower profile.

[cookingdaily]

I like to carry my 357, or my 45 just depends on where i'm going

[300rum]

9mm is cheaper and easier to buy (easier to find) then anything else.  Right now, 9mm is cheaper then .22LR if you reload!

It is much more important to hit what you are aiming at.  Practice and lot's of it, both live fire and dry fire, will make you competent, not caliber. 

[Alchase]

The term "Stopping Power" is a myth.

The only things that matters is penetration and wound channel, which causes tissue damage.

Bullet types being the same, a larger caliber will let you shoot a heavier bullet, at the same speeds a smaller caliber will shoot a lighter bullet.

Bullet types being the same, a heavier bullet, going the same speed as a lighter bullet, will penetrate similarly but cause a larger wound channel, thus more tissue damage.

Bullet types being the same, and the same weight, a faster moving bullet will penetrate further then the same type and weight bullet moving slower, thus more tissue damage.

For concealment, I have found that I can conceal anything from a full sized 5 in. Kimber, a subcompact, to a J-frame. Some are easier to conceal and more comfortable then others, but it can be done.

I have carried 10mm, .45., .40., .357, 9mm, .380 and .38.

Currently my carry weapon is an XD, 4 in., .40 cal.
I carry IWB and OWB, mostly IWB. I have ten or more holsters types, just for the XD.
The ones I use most are the King Tuk, Summer comfort II, Versa MaxII, for IWB. The Black Hawk Serpa II, (one for each backpack, and one with paddle) and the Speed Paddle for OWB.

Each Holster type has it's benefits depending on what I am wearing at a given time.

I love the 10mm and the .45, and have owned both.
I shoot the .40 because it is nice,
"not too expensive to shoot, and readily available caliber"
I can conceal the XD 4in Service, very well.
It shoots extremely well.

Subjective questions to you:
Which caliber do you like to shoot?
Which caliber do you shoot well?
How do you plan to carry the majority of the time?
Which gun can you afford?

If you shoot allot, a 10mm may be cost prohibitive. It can get expensive at a couple hundred rounds a week. 

[Mongo Hunter]

M&P series are great guns, I would also recommend looking at Glocks and the XD's. buy what fits your hand best, also go with 9mm or .45.

I personally in a polymer gun for CCW would go with 9mm. more bullets, cheaper and easier to find plus I can practice more, which in a sub compact CCW gun you will need to practice.

In the end pistols suck and are weak but carrying around an AR/AK all day would not only be a pain but would cause all kinds of panic problems, so pistols are what we are stuck with. First rule of a gun fight is HAVE A GUN and nobody wants to get shot by ANYTHING. That being said .38spl or bigger I would say you are good to go not a fan of anything smaller.

[300rum]

I don't know about that.  I think it is kinda like Real Estate....Location, Location, Location.

The only things that matters is penetration and wound channel, which causes tissue damage.

[KFhunter]

I don't know about that.  I think it is kinda like Real Estate....Location, Location, Location.

The only things that matters is penetration and wound channel, which causes tissue damage.

location doesn't matter so much if you buy a big enough chunk of land