Is caliber really all that important for ccw

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The odds of having to shoot go up in a high crime area. The ballistics don't change, though.
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That's exactly what fiddletown said - the likelihood of an encounter is independent of the severity of the encounter, should it occur. I'm much less likely to fall off a bridge that has a guardrail compared to a bridge of the same height that doesn't have a guardrail, but if it happens, the outcome will be the same in either case.
 
Yes, it is exactly what fiddletown said. It's the point that I had been getting at in an earlier post, but which I failed to articulate very well.
 
Oh crap - I missed the line in your post where you plainly said that you were agreeing with him. That's what I get for reading posts on my phone. Sorry about the misunderstanding - that's completely on me.
 
Sure, caliber is important. There is a reason why police don't carry .22 LR pistols.

Caliber isn't the most important thing but don't fool yourself into thinking it isn't important at all.

The most important thing is to make sure that you have "A Gun" when you need it. The type, caliber, brand and color of your gun can be considered after that.
 
most likely "NO". how many instances where most of us on here had to shoot someone and find out? hardly ever happens but if all I had was a 22 I believe it would work fine even though Id rather have my 40 cal.
 
farmerboy said:
most likely "NO". how many instances where most of us on here had to shoot someone and find out?...
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True enough. If you don't have to shoot, caliber won't matter. What if you do need to shoot?

farmerboy said:
... if all I had was a 22 I believe it would work fine even though Id rather have my 40 cal.
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Well it looks like caliber matters to you if you do need to shoot. Sure, if all you have is a .22, you'd have no choice but to use it. But if you have a choice, you'd rather have something bigger.

Making do with what you have is one thing. Getting to choose what you'd rather have is another. As long as I can choose, it won't be a .22.
 
In my opinion, yes, caliber counts. Of course, to be fair, so does marksmanship and tactics. Anyhow, when I look at a round of .45 ACP next to a .40 S&W and 9mm round, the size disparity always stands out. Try to chamber either a .40 or 9mm round in a .45, and they'll fall right down the barrel and out of the muzzle. Handguns aren't all that powerful anyway [compared to rifles or shotguns], so to me, it makes sense to go with the larger of the aforementioned trio. My philosophy about handguns follows the same logic that I apply to paychecks, steaks, hamburgers, locomotives, and women: Bigger is better!:D
 
really, you hear of someone that gets shot with a 45 five times and still runs off and other get shot with a 22 and die almost instantly. Sometimes when your times up its up. I wouldnt want to get shot with a 45 or a 22. I think 99% of the time an indiv. gets shot with whatever will be out of the fight, most BG's hear a gunshot will be leaving the other direction. Still theres those on pcp that may get shot 5-6 times with a cannon and still have to bleed out before theyre no longer a threat. But for 99.9% of us on here a 22 would be fine. But yes my duty gun is a glock 22 gen 4 and Id rather not wound someone with a 22 in a shooting, if I have to shoot someone Id rather put a end to the BG then and there and not have to pay taxes to so many who play the system. Just my opinion!
 
farmerboy said:
really, you hear of someone that gets shot with a 45 five times and still runs off and other get shot with a 22 and die almost instantly....
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One hears all kinds of things. Whether what he hears is true is another question. What it means is yet another.

But we do know some of the physiological mechanisms by which getting shot can impair someone's ability to continue fighting, and for those mechanisms caliber matters.
 
So while he might never need his gun, it's still possible that if he does he will need to deal with a strong, determined adversary who is under the influence of drugs and who will be difficult to stop.
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Darn, I knew I should have kept my scoped Encore in 300 Win Mag. After all there was this guy on a clock tower with a scoped rifle in Texas once, so it is "possible" that I would need to carry it to offer effective return fire. After all at that range I would be totally screwed with a mere .45.

Ok, let the hysterical wailings over .380 vs. 9mm vs. 45 continue.
 
If you have a gun, you will probably be ok. If you have a bigger gun with higher capacity, then you will probably be more ok.
 
Caliber counts

I look at it this way: If given no choice on carry weapon, for whatever reason, you shoots what you gets. If given a choice of what to carry, caliber counts. There's a "window" of viable choices in carry calibers. Where most posters seem to disagree (in my observation) is how large that window is, and what fits inside it. Personally, I prefer a .45, given a choice. However, if I could only carry a 9mm, I'd be comfortable with that. If I could only carry a .22LR, I wouldn't be particularly comfortable, but I'd take what I got.

Edited to add: Someone (fiddletown, I think) posted some "rules of thumb" recently that sum up my belief on SD calibers pretty well. While I was unable to locate the particular post, they went something like this:
  • Hits beat misses, regardless of caliber.
  • Big holes work better than small holes.
  • Many holes work better than few holes.
 
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For all the cases of someone taking a half-dozens .45s and living, or someone taking .22s and dying, it's important to remember that's the exception, and not the rule.

Driven by a skilled driver, I'm sure a Kia could beat a BMW in a race, if the BMW was driven by a rank amateur. That doesn't make the Kia a better race car.
 
While I won't go as far as saying caliber should have no bearing on your desision I will say there are plenty of other issues that should be thought of first. When/if the time comes that I have to pull the trigger I'd generally like to have all the benifits I can get. But the difference between carrying a .22lr or a .45acp, let alone the difference between carrying a .380 vs. 9mm vs. 45acp, aren't nearly as great as some would lead you to believe.

LK
 
when I say a 22 would do just as good as a 45 I mean to stop the threat, most will haul butt when hit with a 22 or fall to ground and flounce like a fish but the threat is still over. Maybe not dead but over. Yes everyone knows a 45 or close to it most of the times will knock someone down or end life then and there (most of the time) but in reality the 22 did just as good, it ended the threat! Even though Im like most others Id rather finish the threat not just end it!
 
when I say a 22 would do just as good as a 45 I mean to stop the threat, most will haul butt when hit with a 22 or fall to ground and flounce like a fish but the threat is still over. Maybe not dead but over. Yes everyone knows a 45 or close to it most of the times will knock someone down or end life then and there (most of the time) but in reality the 22 did just as good, it ended the threat! Even though Im like most others Id rather finish the threat not just end it!
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I've been preaching the same thing for years. Bad guys generally don't like to get shot at. They fall and cry for mommy or they run like the wind whether it be a .22lr or a .50AE that's chuckin lead at em. But I looked at worst case scenario for me, gas station hold up. Say I'm in back getting a pop, beer or ice and someone walks in and shoots the cashier. At that point I'm cowering in the back of the store, pissin myself and trying to be invisible. But if I have a gun it's gonna be out and how confident am I gonna be in my .22? Personally, I'd be wishing I'd hired a couple dudes with MP5's to protect me (after all, how much is my life worth is an arguement some make around here:rolleyes:) but since that's not an option if things go bad I'd like something a little bigger.

That being said more than likely I won't have any gun let alone a great one in the million to one chance things go that sideways.

LK
 
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