Best Concealed handgun round --caliber, firepower, how much accuracy, penetration??

I am not as concerned with caliber as with capacity and reliablity and all of my carry guns have proved to be reliable. My carry rotation has .380 ACP, 9mm Luger, .40 S&W, and .45 ACP guns in it. The .40 and .45 are 10+1, the 9mm is 12+1, and the .380 is 6+1. (wish the .380 was at least 10+1). All are loaded with Golden Sabers.

All are as reliable as the day is long, no problems of any kind. I do polish my feedramps smooth as glass to help them feed before I shoot them. Has always worked for me.

I don't think caliber makes much difference until you get to animals that bite and then I want at least a .357 and perferably something bigger.
Dallas Jack
 
Capacity is probably the very bottom of my priority list. I'm from the old school. If I can hit and accomplish my objective with 7 shots; then I have absolutely no business with a gun in my hand.

As for the question of BEST caliber, firepower, accuracy, penetration, etc... I don't believe that there is an "All In One" gun that meets the criteria as to being the BEST in all of those categories. I don't believe that the gun exists. Shot placement, IMHO, is everything. Concealed carry and Home Defense are definitely 2 different things. Concealed is for self defense and will almost guaranteed be within 10 yards. (30 feet). Home defense can be many different scenarios. But for concealed carry, where you are generally in public, where the BG is about as nervous as you are because a street scenario is pretty much impromptu. You pulling a gun out on the BG, Doesn't matter WHAT IT IS, is a scenario that he didn't even consider. If he considered you having a gun, he NEVER would have chosen you as his target. The overwhelming majority of people DON'T carry a gun, and the BG is playing those odds. Pull out anything and you have, I would SAFELY BET a paycheck, a better than 85% chance that the BG is going to turn and run. Which bring be back to "Shot Placement". I feel probably 95%+ just as confident carrying a 32 auto as I do my 45acp. And the only reason for the 5% difference has nothing to do with the caliber. It has to do with the 45acp being a SigSauer P220. Other than a revolver, I probably couldn't find a more reliable and accurate gun. If the 32acp guns I have were a SigSauer also, I'd put my confidence at 99% of the 45acp. And the only reason for the 1% difference is because the 45acp is a bigger bullet, therefor I have a greater chance of hitting the vital organs/tissue I am aiming at.

So; I put all my faith totally in shot placement. That only comes with practice. Both physical and mental. I don't care if I have a 32, 380, 9mm, 38+p/357mag, 40sw, 44sp/mag, or 45acp. I feel equally confident in my ability to shoot where I aim and want. So, as long as the gun is accurate and reliable, I am happy. You can take the firepower, penetration, caliber, etc.... out of the equation. If you can hit what you aim at, and know what/how to aim for success; the rest doesn't matter at all.
 
I'm gonna give my nod to the .40S&W. It's available in numerous platforms, but I like the Glock 27 best. If you aren't a fan of Glock, another double stack can be had from SA or S&W for about the same price.

Why the .40? I like the data I've seen on it from various reports. It isn't as load dependent as some of the others out there, either. Plus, given the current state of the ammo market, you can actually FIND ammo for it. I can find Rem UMC and CCI Blazer at every WalMart in a 50 mile radius. Almost any good gun store will have some sort of HD/SD round available. May not be cheap, but none are right now. :(

As for the Glock 27, recoil is minimal (to me) with hot rounds. I carry Double Tap with 180gr. Speer GDHPs. The recoil spring is two-stage, and much beefier than the full size offering. The trigger is also better IMHO. Not as long of a pull as the G22. Plus, you have 9+1 rounds to deal with whatever you need. Accuracy is top notch.

Aftermarket accessories are readily available. Nights sights, holsters, mags extensions, etc. The only thing it doesn't do well is fit in a pocket holster. I have a Desantis Nemesis for mine, but you won't find normal pants/shorts that have pockets big enough.
 
What really matters to me the most is compactness/conceal-ability. I am kind of a lazy guy, and don't like to carry more weight than I have to, so I prefer something where I can't even feel that it's there. At the same time, it's not that I laugh off ammo capacity, accuracy, and all that; I certainly would never depend on a .22LR derringer, for example. I guess to answer the question, what I would consider the most ideal concealed carry piece, in regards to those criteria, would be something like the P3AT. I know, it's been said before that a .380 round isn't all that powerful, but I certainly wouldn't wanna be on the receiving end of one, or seven, of them.
 
I don't have my permit yet but I do have the handgun that I fell in love with and PLAN to carry. So I am not an expert even by experience, but here is my opinion: Carry what you feel comfortable with.

You should like the gun, you should trust it's reliability, you should be comfortable shooting it, and you should feel comfortable with it's safety options.

Every caliber round available to us has the ability to stop and/or kill someone who is threatening your life. Where you place that round and how you place it will be of the utmost importance. You have to remember that in a real world situation you're talking about possibly taking the life of a human being. You're not shooting bean bags at some gang banger. So a .22 or two to someones throat might be just as effective as 45 to their lung.

I personally chose a sub-compact Beretta PX4 storm because it seems to get overall high applause for reliability, accuracy, weight, comfort, and capacity. I got it in 9mm so that I can affordably get comfortable firing it. I feel that 9mm is perfectly acceptable for personal defense.

I believe that any sensible person taking the most probable situations to heart would agree that a well placed 9mm would be just fine in preventing my own death by the hands of another.

If you offered me a single .22 for a handgun that I've fired thousands of times or a single .45 for a handgun that I've never fired before, I would take the .22. Familiarity, in my opinion, trumps firepower.
 
What caliber/# Rounds?

45 acp Corbon DPX single stacked 7 +1 Hammer down, safety off lLong Double Action trigger on first round giving me the same effect as I would have with a revolver but with a higher energy transferance("Stopping Power"). Why carry a 9 or 40 when you can get a 45 in the same concealed space? You still got to put the individual rounds in the right place. Practice, practice, practice.

Bill
 
Full size Colt 1911, .45 200grn Hornandy HP/XTP

OR for deeper concealment

Compact Para PDA / 9mm 115grn Hornandy FTX Critical Defense
 
My personal EDC

I personaly carry a S&W M&P 45. It is best suited to me. I have been shooting from what I am told since the day the diapers came off. I have the most experience with 357 mag and 45 acp. I have been a ccw holder for the past 11 years. I have carried 3 different pistols in that time.
First was a full size 1911 45 acp. Used a shoulder rig. wore an undershirt and button up. Next was a Bersa thunder 45 acp 4 inch barrel. It is quite acuarate, and very concealable on my 6ft 1in 175 pound frame in an IWB holster and I did not have to wear a second shirt in the summer, nor a shirt that hung like a dress.(LOL). With a capaicity of 7plus1 and being double action it could be easily deployed quicly. Draw back was it was heavy as brick for such a small pistol. I carried it for 5 years, and still have it if I should decide to carry it again.
I cary only one pistol, and use one holster. It works for me. I carry a full sized M&P 45. 4 and half inch barrel. 10+1. Acompanied by a 14 round mag. 10 rounds of 45 is fine for me, having 14 more for the freak event it is needed is just a small precation. "no one ever survived a gunfight and said I wish I would not have had so much extra ammo with me." (Clint Smith). It is acuarate in my hands, I can get follow up shots quickly if needed.
As far as ammo I now have 34 rounds of corbon loaded into my 3 mags and one in the chamber.
I am a firm beliver in you get good with what you have.
BTW I am woriking on gettin a 357 snub to carry on those just hot and miserable days that are so common here in Central Texas. Also to have as the hope I never ever have to use it BUG.
 
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