Interesting opinion on concealed carry handgun calibers.
 

This guy owns/operates a gun training school.

Understand this: Handguns are woefully inadequate in their stopping power as compared to a shotgun or rifle. So why do we carry handguns? Because we can! They are small enough to always have on our person for an emergency and they allow us to immediately respond in a defensive manner. (If you know you are going to a gunfight don’t be an idiot with a handgun -- take a shotgun or rifle.)

Knowing that handguns are inadequate in terms of stopping power as compared to a shotgun or rifle should lead you to want to carry the biggest handgun that you can readily conceal, in the biggest caliber, with the heaviest bullet loaded as hot as you can handle it to deliver a couple of quick shots to the thoracic cavity or a single round to the cranio-ocular cavity of an extremely dedicated opponent.

You want big holes in your opponent and you want him bleeding through and through. That means you want large, heavy bullets that penetrate.

Pretty simple, wouldn’t you say?

Yes, it is pretty simple and that’s the point.

No need to overthink it.

Focus on your ability, not the equipment, because it is YOUR ABILITY to place the rounds you choose to carry in your gun that will determine whether you live or die in a gun fight.

OK, I know you still want recommendations. Here they are. Don’t get too hung up on them. A gun in any caliber is better than no gun at all.

.45 ACP. Our grandfathers knew it in World War II and our grandfathers’ grandsons are figuring it out again in Iraq. A .45 stops ‘em best.

.40 S&W is the next best choice and in most handguns allows more magazine capacity compared to the .45ACP.

.44 Special, .357 Magnum, .357 Sig, and 9mm Plus P all run near third place.

.38 Special and 9mm are in distant fourth place. You can plan on delivering a cranio-ocular shot after two to the chest to end the fight with these calibers.

.380, .32, .25, and .22 -- Don’t even bother shooting your opponent in the chest with these. Your standard response with these pocket pistol rounds is two to three rounds to between the mustache and eyebrows (cranio-ocular cavity).

If your carry gun is one of the smaller lighter calibers that is OK. You just need to understand that you must train that much more with a short sight radius, pocket pistol to be able to deliver fight stopping multiple rounds to your opponent’s head than you would if you were carrying a 1911 in .45 or a Glock in .40 caliber and delivering two shots to the chest.

Please stay away from fragmenting bullets. Those bullets that are designed to prevent over penetration will get you killed. You WANT penetration. Because even the hottest handgun bullet is slow and mediocre compared to a rifle, you need all the penetration you can get. You want the greatest amount of linear tissue damage possible for the best chance of incapacitation (immediately dropping your opponent). You want penetration. Penetration is your friend.

So why not a .44 Magnum, .50AE, 10mm. etc? Because these guns require bigger frames due to greater chamber pressure generated and larger cartridge size, they tend to be very hard to conceal. These big guns, although they have slightly better stopping power than the .45 and .40, do so at the expense of portability, recoil control and practical use.

Very informative

ya thanks thats good info :humm:

This is why my wife CC a .40... If she is going to do it, do it right.

My CC is a .380, but with jacketed hollowpoints. For those occasions I want to scare the college kids and open carry, I have a Taurus PT1911 that I carry in a drop leg holster. Gotten a few looks with that one, but around here most people seem to be resisting the urge to ask if they can see my gun.

We are still fighting for CC up here.....A fight I hope we win someday before I die.

I got my XD-40, guy tried to talk me into a 9mm today because it was smaller, I rather people know I carry a full sized weapon and willing to use it

my cc is the .45Acp SPRINGFIELD ARMORY BLACK STAINLESS™ 1911 PISTOL, COMBAT

Attachment 48817

Unfortunately - thats never going to happen

.45 ACP. Because there is no .46. :yeah:
Kimber stainless ultra carry II for me.

Still want a 10mm! But there is a 45acp at a local shop that I would love to have!

I would like a .50 glock or 1911 to carry.:rocking:

Sig P220ST

Only a 9mm but I like it.. carries 13+1

I think people have the same idea with handguns as they do with most things. Bigger is better. But like the article said( and most big caliber people over look) shot placement is the key.

I would be a lot more scared of the guy with the 9mm who knows how to use it than the guy with the .45 who shoots it every once in a while.

But you better watch out for the guy that runs pistol courses with his .45 :w2:

True. But I always wonder, All these people who have guns and make such a big deal of carrying them around, how many of them can use them well?

I go to the 25 yard shooting range here... Most people shoot at 7 yards and jump up and down putting them on a silhouette target.. But what the heck they have the biggest and baddest guns....

Me I try and practice at 25 yards... Figure if I can hit it at 25 yards then I can hit it closer with just the front sight... Especially since in a stress / rapid situation we only see the front sight anyway...

Thats a good point, 21 feet for a CC course isnt very far.

Don't get me wrong, I have guns and I like to use them. I think the article brings out some pretty good points. But it seems to me that most of the comments of the people posting were about using the biggest guns and not so much the most important aspect of the article. Which would be accuracy.

Well if you cant shoot you want the muzzle blast to set them on fire :pca1:

Who is the author, the information is extremly subjective and feel good-isms from the point of the author. It's not a fact based article and full of lots of 1/2 truths and falsehoods that might get somebody hurt if they actually listened to what he said...

---AutoMerged DoublePost---

For a quick down and dirty watch this then go out and purchase it and learn...

Yeah, I know nothing about guns but I've heard those opinions many times before so they couldn't be too original or insightful.

I carry a .40 S&W

I have a buddy thats a detective in a city close by, was on SWAT befor he got into training. The dept switched to .40 from 9mm because they kept filling people messed up on meth full of 9mm and they would keep shooting back. The whole shoot them in teh head argument is great... If your target is standing still. In the real world you shoot center of mass, while they are moving around and shooting back your only shot at a head shot is by pure luck.

Its not the hole that kills em... Its all the shit the bullet tears up and teh shock wave it send through the body.

my cc is a desert eagle 45, and i know how to shoot it,

True, you use your pistol to fight to your rifle/shotgun if possible & if not possible to end the fight and save your life....

1/2 truth, would you want a hunting pistol/caliber that does not expand and just pokes a hole in the goblin....then hits 3 people 1/2 a block away....

Sure, like hunting a elephant or rhino, use a solid slug that does not expand, does not transfer energy and will just poke a hole in the goblin....leaving him to keep up the fight...

1/2 true, you also want quality gear, not cheap crap or a cheap crappy pistol that might or might not go bang...

Not true

Not true, 1/2 truth in some cases.


False...

False....

Ya might want to screw the muzzle in the goobers ear or eye....

25 is worthless as is the 32, the 380 is marginal as is the 22


Ummmmmm okay, playing puff puff pass again, full of fail and 1/2 truths....

Ever tie a balloon to a branch of a brush and then shoot at it at 7-15 yards...in a wind or a stiff wind as it's bobbing and weaving....

You also want to bullet to expand, take a look at the self defense calibers, are the solid slugs or hollow points made to expand...Take a look at the FBI statistics and what they say about penetration, you really don't want a pistol/bullet combination that will kill a charging lion as a carry weapon....

Full of fail and ignorance...the 44 magnum, 50AE suck at putting down a human while the 10mm with the proper full power load is a superb terrorist stopper....

I have a full frame gun... I hate to carry it, heavy and big. I like my little .40

The vast majority of LEO's can't hit a barn door from inside the barn standing still, let alone on the run....it's easier to blame the pistol/caliber and switch than to fix the problem. You need to put the bullet where it counts to stop a junkie and not in a arm or leg....the difference between the 9mm and the 40 short and weak is minimal when loaded with the proper bullet weight design....

I'll take a Glock 19 9mm any day over a 40 short and weak & will have no problem dealing with meth heads....


That's why a 9mm is just as deadly as the 40 short and weak...:c::c:

i have it in a shoulder harness that leaves it on the left side of my chest so it doesn't bother me that bad, and i'm a big boy

Get a quality holster and belt & dress for the carry. If you use a shitty holster/belt then you will have a shitty carry system and will hate to carry it.

Now if the gun is just to heavy, then you need to go to the gym....

I carry a full sized Springfield TRP 45 in a MTAC holster on a wilderness 5 stitch belt with 2 spare magazines for 12-16+ hours and it's not to heavy....

And my Internet-penis is thiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiis long. :wow:

Then why do you sit to pee......

[/size][/color]
haha

.45 Long Colt/.410 3" Shotgun Taurus Judge...

i have multiple guns i carry. the one i choose depends on my mood, my dress, my destination. but it is between these guns

Glock 30
Glock 21
RIA 1911
and a S&W SW40VGE

all are high capacity non californian issuable guns. i either carry in a Fobus holster or in an IWB holster.

Bobby, check out Kholster he makes some NICE holsters, they might make one for your Bersa..... i love the one i have for my G30.

BTW anyone interested in a Kholster, PM me and i can get you a referral code that will earn you a 10% rebate on any purchase....

So tell us what in the hell is a 40 short and weak, I take my forty and out do the 9 all day long in knock down power, the 40 is pushing the barrel's upper limit's with the power they have, that's why you won't see a hot load for a 40, it's all ready hot, anymore is going to blow up in your hand.


The .40 Caliber Smith & Wesson (S&W) cartridge was developed as a joint venture between Winchester and Smith & Wesson in 1989. It was an effort to to create a cartridge with the same power as the 10mm Norma round that the FBI had just started using, but in a shorter case. The shorter cartridge would facilitate accuracy and allow use of a smaller, more comfortable grip frame. The .40 S&W has become the cartridge of choice for many law enforcement agencies in the United States. Typical bullet weight for this cartridge ranges from 135 to 180 grains with an average muzzle energy that approaches 500 ft-lbs.

The following data set is based on standard factory loaded cartridges fired from a 4" barrel, listed by weight, brand, type and muzzle velocity. This is only a very small sample of what is available.

135 grain Federal JHP : 1,190 Feet Per Second
155 grain Hornady JHP : 1,180 Feet Per Second
165 grain Winchester FMJ: 1,060 Feet Per Second
180 grain CCI-Speer JHP: 1,025 Feet Per Second

I spent a lot a years in the service with 45's and they were a nice caliber handgun that feels good in your hand. The problem I had with them is the recoil. You better make that first shot count or have 6 inches of recoil suppressor hangin off the front of the barrel.

I like my 40's personally. It's comfortable, fun to shoot, relatively cheap to shoot, easy to find ammo with good accuracy.

Now the real kicker in this whole debate. I mention this all the time and everybody wants to think they're man enough that it won't matter. Wait till you have to pull that weapon and make that life or death decision against another human being. Until you have done this, in real life, in real time and lived through it none of the rest of this conversation means anything. All the sudden it's not like in the movies or on the firing line anymore.:c:

Yep, no question about it & then ya have to deal with the mental issues/trauma....

I find .45s pretty manageable. My stainless Sig weighs about 2 pounds though and that helps. 17 rounds in 5" at CC test range shootin fast

:c:

What's knock down power, there is no such animal as "knock down power" it's just simple kindergarten physics......

The 40 Short and weak is a cut down 10mm as the 10mm was to powerful in the original FBI loads & to big for agents hands.

The 40 was born out of a perceived need in that the 45ACP and the 10mm were to big/powerful and the 9mm was not powerful enough......and as such the 40 is a caliber that's designed to have more rounds in a standard mag than the .45 but with a smaller bullet, less rounds than the standard 9mm but a bigger bullet and shorter and weaker than the 10mm...

It does nothing superb, does nothing better that is not done by another caliber only better. The 40 is a compromise caliber plain and simple.

The 5" 45ACP has a better one shot stop ratio (or knock down power if that's what you want to call it) than the 40, the 45 is is more accurate than the 40 while the 10mm is a better stronger/more powerful cartridge than the 40 & the only thing "better" that the 40 has over the 9mm is bullet diameter & that's a moot point with today's bullet designs.

The 9mm is a smaller diameter bullet, but with today's modern designed bullets the 9mm is as good if not better than the 40, it has more cartridges in a magazine, less felt recoil, faster follow up shots that are aimed and is easier to shoot.

Then you have the 357 Sig that is flatter shooting, deeper penetration into cars/doors and other barriers while at the same time having better stopping power or "knock down power" than the 40 & will out preform the 40 any day of the week.

If you put aside your personal feelings/emotions and look at the 40 in a purely logical standpoint it's plain to see it does nothing better than any other caliber, has no pure advantage and as such is a wash...Heck the 45 Gap is a better cartridge than the 40 short and weak....