Seasonal caliber swap?

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Playboypenguin

Moderator
Feel free to point out my stupidity if anyone thinks I am a wackjob for doing this, but does anyone else adjust their caliber choice to coincide with the seasons?

I am not a ballistics expert by any means but when cooler weather rolls around I like to up my caliber choice. I do this because I would rather have 6 rounds of .40S&W or .357sig in the winter time than I would 7 rounds of 9mm. The main reason being the fact that in the winter months badguys are more likely to be wearing heavier clothes.

In my own non-scientific tests at home (Using my PM9, MK40, and P2000SK) I have noticed that .40S&W and .357sig do a better job through denim and fleece than similar 9mm rounds. So I am heading out today to pick up a Kahr PM40 (similar to the size gun I did my testing with) to replace my Kahr PM9 for the winter months. When summer rolls around again, and people are wearing lighter clothes, I will go back to the higher capacity PM9.

Thoughts?
 
Makes sense to me... At least it's a good justification to buy another toy:D
I'd carry the higher power/lower capacity gun year round though.
 
I feel like a lot of people start to carry bigger guns during the winter, as they are easily concealed due to jackets, coats, etc. Upping caliber wouldn't suprise me either.
 
I feel like a lot of people start to carry bigger guns during the winter, as they are easily concealed due to jackets, coats, etc. Upping caliber wouldn't suprise me either.
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I cannot really up the size of my firearm since I need to be able to easily conceal at work. My only option is to choose between the higher capacity of the lower caliber and the higher level of performance of the larger caliber in the same platform. :)
 
My .38 J frame spends lots of time IWB in warmer weather months. When the weather gets colder my snubbie ruger security six .357 or .45 SIG P220 see more use. Actually the Six see's lots of summer use, just not around town...its my main hiking/camping/canoeing gun!
 
For myself I believe that bigger bores are better, and am a little biased on the 45 ACP. Although, were I in a situation where I felt I needed a higher capacity I'd choose a 9mm or 40 S&W. I feel that 6 or 7+1 of any caliber from 9mm up is a great SD caliber with enough. I just happen to feel that the increase in diameter only helps the case of creating a bigger wound and faster bloodloss. Just my opinion.
 
I don't - but personally, I think 7 rounds of .40S&W are always better than 12 rounds of 9mm .....anyway.

90% of the time, I carry a 1911 in .45 acp with 8 + 1 anyway / but I'm pretty comfortable with a Sig 239 in .40 with 7 + 1 as well. To me, the 9mm is a perfect "range" or "practice" caliber.....
 
I know that a lot of people do exactly that, but I'm not sure if it's because of the well-dressed opponent they might face or if it's simply because the more clothes they are wearing, the easier it is to conceal.

When I began carrying, it was very late summer, moving toward fall and staring down winter, so I was "eased" in to getting comfortable concealing a handgun. Through most of the winter I had myself convinced that I was in the market for a single stack 9mm because when spring gets here, "I'll never be able to conceal this fat thing!" I kept telling myself.

Much ado about nothing. I started dressing around the gun and as we all know... simple time and practice in carry made me more comfortable every day.

When I spent a week in Florida in June and carried my EDC daily, that's when I knew that I could go year 'round with my EDC and be comfortable.

So I'm a one-gun guy and by default, one caliber.
 
PBP brings up a good point in regards to caliber vs additional clothing and I do switch caliber when the season changes.

Typically my summer gun is a either a .380 or a .38 spl and my winter gun is usually a .45. While I don't switch due people wearing additional clothing in the winter, I do switch because I feel that the .45 is a better SD choice than either a .380 or a .38 and my additional clothing allows me to conceal a full size .45.
 
Summer months its my j-frame Smith`s. Winter its usually a .45 acp Para Carry Comp. With heavier clothing for the myself and BG, IMO the extra penetration and heavier bullet =`s a better outcome for me. I pray I never find out.
 
I carry the same thing year round Sig226 357Sig and S&W 340PD BUG.

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I carry the Sig 226 in .40 year round (Well...not been a full year yet, but through the summer!!!).

Also plan on carrying a 1911 .45 now that it is fixed. Again, plan on year-round with it.

Although I AM thinking of getting some Gold Dot's and carrying my S&W .41 magnum......I mean as long as I'm wearing a coat I should take advantage of it.

*Humor* Hay, I might even take the scope off of my folder Mini-14 and CC that sucker :D
 
I started the switch awhile back. Summer carry is mostly a .380 in the pocket and sometimes a SW 3913 in 9mm IWB. Now I'm carrying mostly my Baer Stinger and Sig C3, both 1911 .45s. BUG when I carry one is my 3913 or a J-frame in .38 spl.
 
Up until last year about this time, it was Kahr PM9 in the summer, Kahr P45 or Kimber Ultra Carry in the winter.

I usually "experiment" with larger handguns during the winter, and last winter I rotated among the P45, the Kimber, an S&W 586 and an S&W M25 (.45LC). When Spring rolled around, I never went back to the PM9--been carrying the P45 all summer with only minor adaptation required. Since Fall seems to be visiting us early this year, I have already carried an N-frame on several occasions and look forward to doing so with increasing regularity.

So for me, it's not so much an upgrade in caliber as in pistol size. Lot more flexibility when you can wear a jacket, sweatshirt, etc.
 
if i lived somewhere where people wore more than verry light jackets in winter i might switch back to my xd40sc from my kel tec p32. i wouldn't want to try the 32acp on a verry heavily clothed target.
 
Winters here aren't too bad. It rarely snows except in the mountains (though we did have a nasty snowstorm last year), average lows in the winter still stay above freezing. Most of the year, I'm pretty comfortable with my Kel-Tec P32. I have a Makarov for when I'm not, it's the double stack version so capacity is pretty decent and the caliber seems perfectly adequate.
 
Same here I go from my 9mm XD sub to a 40cal. My only issue is which gun do I want to carry? This year I am most likely going to carry my FNP 40, came with 3 magazines and shoots as good as any 40 I've ever owned. I have been shooting it the most out of my 40's throughout the summer so I am very familiar with it. Living in the northeast heavy clothing is the seasonal attire.
 
I used to worry about stuff like that, but I feel as long as it's a .38spl +p or bigger, more powerful, it will work. A lot of winter cloth's aren't as dense as they used to be to keep it light. Now if they were wearing heavy wool of old? That, might be different!

Playboy lives in a multi layer state in winter (F-N Cold), so I can't shun him for that, but I still think 9mm will be just fine, "if" he ever needed to shoot somebody in self defense.
 
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