Contrary to many, I don't think the world of today is any 'stranger' than it was 30, 300, or 3,000 years ago. People are people, which is to say very little removed from animals, and act violently to one another regularly. Violent crime in the US has actually been on the decline for decades, you just won't see that broadcasted much on the news.
I choose to only carry a semi-auto with at least 15+ on tap just based on the premise of encountering at least
2 armed and
motivated assailants. I already was car-jacked by 3 armed men once, so I've seen how the "one in a million" odds of needing a gun in the first place can play out... You often hear guys say things like, "5 rounds is plenty. Once you shoot one badguy with your snub the others will run." My thinking is, ''what if they don't?" That's what, 2.5 rounds for each guy?
With as much information as we have nowadays about how much damage people can take in real life shootings, and how people actually shoot under life and death pressure, to me, taking on even just
2 bad guys who
will not back down is a complete 'no-win' situation for a snubby unless you are Jason Bourne.
When I say 2, or more, "motivated" assailants, I mean motivated either by religious/political motivation, psychological makeup, drug stimulation, or just being plain tough and mean. This spectrum of people can be found anywhere, at any time in history. In our modern age we have access to a huge assortment of quality, high-capacity handguns with which to defend ourselves with that at least give you better odds than a 5, or even 6 shot, revolver when facing multiple motivated bad men.