I like Deaf's comment ...
I also like the observations & comments by other folks, like Pax & kraigwy, about how it's more the shooter's skillset & experience than the actual gun/caliber that matters, overall.
As a young cop (and gun enthusiast, reloader, etc) I carried an assortment of .357 Magnum, .44 Magnum, .44 Special & .45 ACP handguns on my own time. That was also a time when it was common to hear the recommendation to "carry a full-size fighting handgun".
Time passed. I became a firearms instructor & armorer and had the opportunity to gain increasingly more experience, attend more training, run a lot more practice/drills, teach LE and private citizens, etc. My off-duty weapons became smaller.
Sure, if I were still actively working and constantly being sent to intervene in people's lives where known or suspected trouble existed, I'd be carrying a larger handgun all the time. Since I'm retired, though, and have a lot more control over my daily activities and where I choose to engage in them, I'm usually satisfied carrying one or another of my 5-shot snubs or a LCP.
There are still times when I feel it may be prudent to belt on one of my 9's, .40's or .45's ... but it's often one of the compact/subcompact models versus one of the full-size models. Just depends.
They all get range time for training, practice & quals, though. I still include ringing steel out to 40-50 yds with my 5-shot snubs, just to make sure my foundation skillset basics don't rust away when I'm not looking.
I have long pondered the dilemma of clout .vs. control .vs. concealment.
I also like the observations & comments by other folks, like Pax & kraigwy, about how it's more the shooter's skillset & experience than the actual gun/caliber that matters, overall.
As a young cop (and gun enthusiast, reloader, etc) I carried an assortment of .357 Magnum, .44 Magnum, .44 Special & .45 ACP handguns on my own time. That was also a time when it was common to hear the recommendation to "carry a full-size fighting handgun".
Time passed. I became a firearms instructor & armorer and had the opportunity to gain increasingly more experience, attend more training, run a lot more practice/drills, teach LE and private citizens, etc. My off-duty weapons became smaller.
Sure, if I were still actively working and constantly being sent to intervene in people's lives where known or suspected trouble existed, I'd be carrying a larger handgun all the time. Since I'm retired, though, and have a lot more control over my daily activities and where I choose to engage in them, I'm usually satisfied carrying one or another of my 5-shot snubs or a LCP.
There are still times when I feel it may be prudent to belt on one of my 9's, .40's or .45's ... but it's often one of the compact/subcompact models versus one of the full-size models. Just depends.
They all get range time for training, practice & quals, though. I still include ringing steel out to 40-50 yds with my 5-shot snubs, just to make sure my foundation skillset basics don't rust away when I'm not looking.