What caliber do you prefer when you carry?
#11
03-07-2008, 03:43 PM
Get whatever caliber you can shoot effectively. There will be a bunch of guys that say you HAVE to carry a .45 because of the dropping power of the gun. To those guys I say this. Let me shoot you with a 9mm and see how if feels. Then I'll shoot you with a .22 and let me know how that gets ya.
A bullet in any caliber is going to hurt somebody. If you are carrying as a police man or in a combat situation, I think that the bigger the caliber the better. For a daily carry, in a guy that you will most likely never use, get something small, easy to shoot, and reliable.
A bullet in any caliber is going to hurt somebody. If you are carrying as a police man or in a combat situation, I think that the bigger the caliber the better. For a daily carry, in a guy that you will most likely never use, get something small, easy to shoot, and reliable.
The rest is just logistics and coordination.
#12
03-14-2008, 12:30 PM
I carry a .45 every day and my wife carries a .380. As all others have posted, carry what is comfortable and what you are accurate with.
Another issue that I used in picking my carry piece was the likely hood of never seeing it again should I ever have to use it.
My favorite pistol is my P229 and my close second is my new P250c, both of which are within reach at all times at home. However, I shoot just as accurate with my carry...a lowly Taurus PT145. At $350 it's not going to sting as bad losing it to evidence versus the $$ I have put into customizing my Sigs.
With 10+1 capacity and a spare magazine, I feel I have enough ammo for a given situation.
My wife feels the same way (with some convincing). Her carry is a Bersa .380. She is VERY accurate with it and it fits well in her "tote" (don't ever call it a purse
). At $250, it's easily replaced. Her bedside companion (that doesn't sound right
) is a G19.
Another issue that I used in picking my carry piece was the likely hood of never seeing it again should I ever have to use it.
My favorite pistol is my P229 and my close second is my new P250c, both of which are within reach at all times at home. However, I shoot just as accurate with my carry...a lowly Taurus PT145. At $350 it's not going to sting as bad losing it to evidence versus the $$ I have put into customizing my Sigs.
With 10+1 capacity and a spare magazine, I feel I have enough ammo for a given situation.
My wife feels the same way (with some convincing). Her carry is a Bersa .380. She is VERY accurate with it and it fits well in her "tote" (don't ever call it a purse
). At $250, it's easily replaced. Her bedside companion (that doesn't sound right) is a G19.
#13
03-14-2008, 05:14 PM
My CCW carry is a S&W 342. .38 calibur and very light. I use +P rounds because of the small bullet. The reason I chose this one is because of the size and weight, I know I will carry it because it can fit easily in my front pocket with a pocket holster. I am probably going to buy a Kahr PM9 and see if it fits as easily in my pocket.
#14
01-02-2009, 03:49 PM
I have an idea that might be helpful in deciding a cal for you weapon... get a couple gallon milk jugs an fill them with red food coloring and water. stand 3 feet away from them and test different guns/ cals on them this should give you some idea of what will happen since the human body is something like 75% water.... BTW ALWAYS USE EYE AND EAR PROTECTION... for this especially eye protection. (oh, and wear clothes you dont care about)
#16
01-02-2009, 04:50 PM
Although I carry all three major calibers (including a Glock 23 in .40, and an H&K P30 in 9mm), the gun I most frequently carry is a .45: The H&K USP Compact Tactical.
The other two have significantly more capacity, but my guns rarely make it out of the car, I always have a spare magazine, and the Compact Tactical is the first .45 I have found that has that elusive combination of concealable size and great ergonomics with acceptable barrel length, to make it a truly useful weapon in a variety of settings.
Plus I have to say that, as someone who has had to point a gun at someone else before on more than one occassion, although the additional caliber size is really only a big plus when firing into vehicles, the intimidation factor when someone else is looking down the barrel of a .45 is an added deterrent to escalation . . .
The other two have significantly more capacity, but my guns rarely make it out of the car, I always have a spare magazine, and the Compact Tactical is the first .45 I have found that has that elusive combination of concealable size and great ergonomics with acceptable barrel length, to make it a truly useful weapon in a variety of settings.
Plus I have to say that, as someone who has had to point a gun at someone else before on more than one occassion, although the additional caliber size is really only a big plus when firing into vehicles, the intimidation factor when someone else is looking down the barrel of a .45 is an added deterrent to escalation . . .
#17
01-02-2009, 05:12 PM
.45 or 9mm depending on the situation... .45 is first choice, 9mm is second. A Glock 26 is TINY - no need for a smaller caliber than 9mm.
#18
01-02-2009, 07:03 PM
I dunno guys, .45 or 9mm why choose... carry both Glock 26 on your ankle and .45 on your hip. Its perfectly acceptable to carry two pistols; one as your sidearm and the other as a backup to your sidearm. Many Law Enforcement Personnel do this and this practice has been recommended to me on numerous occasions by many instructors and firearm professionals. and there are other options... for instance a S&W J-frame... those things will fit anywhere; pants pocket, coat pocket, ankle, purse. the J-fame is .357 mag so it packs a punch too.
