My Personal Handgun Caliber Dogma

The ammo shortage during COVID19 put me irreversibly in the 45 ACP camp.

Why?

Because while Gold Dot Hydra Shock 9mm Fancy Cor Bon whatever may expand to .70 and penetrate 18+ inches, if you can't find any, you're likely stuck with 115 grain FMJ.

If, due to an ammo shortage, I had to choose between crappy 9mm ammo and crappy 45 ACP ammo, I'd choose the latter...in a Glock 21 of course.

-Stan

Old_Grouch said:

Seems to me this is an argument in favor of "spray and pray" vs "marksmanship" theory of gun fighting, but, okay.
.

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My favorite 9mm is a 8 shot.
A old Star BM.
Enuf heft to be stable.
Just enuf capacity to make you take your shot instead of triggering the mag dry in hopes you nicked something.
The BM 8 shot mag is loads more fun to load than a 12 round mag.

Revolver training seems to reduce magazine diarrhea.
Also BYOA.
Bring your own ammo.
You earnd it, you spend it as your wallet allows.
Your not as apt at mag dumps if its coming out of your own pocket.
Also pick a better class of shooting buddys.
There are some out there that have more dollars than sense.

I think it's platform dependent.
.45 makes the most sense in a 1911 for the capacity and recoil.
9mm makes the most sense in say a P365 and also in some full size guns where the grip is just wide enough to have great capacity in 9mm but not .40 (hi power, 92).
.40 makes sense in S&W 3rd generation to me.
.357 is the best balance of power and capacity in a K or L frame to me.
Generally the designers chose an original chambering that matches the gun well.
The point is it's not worth comparing cartridges without considering the platform. I pick a gun I like and shoot well first, then consider its optimal caliber. This however leaves you with many calibers. 9mm really is the king because all the guns mentioned or that I would carry come in 9mm and then you'd only have that caliber to stock and I couldn't fault that logic either.

If you can cc it, .45acp is never a bad choice.

Sticking to the calibers listed in OP:
9mm - my minimum for SD (Glock 17/19 as a primary, Sig 365/Kahr PM9 as a "backup"/2nd gun)
40 - Gen 5 Glock 22 recoils on par with 17.5 thanks to the thicker (heavier) slide - excellent to shoot & carry.
380 - I do not have to carry 380 and I don't. (9mm minimum)
357 - I'm not a revolver guy, I'd rather have a Glock 19/17/22 than a revolver for SD.
38 - I'm not a revolver guy, a 38 snub is not a primary and a Sig 365 or Kahr PM9 is preferred as a 2nd gun/ "backup".
45 - A 1911 is okay as a carry gun as is Glock 30, either of these are top choices if under a 10 round limit (which I'm not).

LookAtYou said:

If you had to choose, which Glock would you carry though? Daily.

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That's a lengthy process for me, but I can tell you it would be something in 9mm.

Some random thoughts.
.380-I don't own one, prefer 9mm I did get a .380 for a female family member that is averse to recoil. It is a Shield EZ. It is large enough to be easy to shoot well. I have shot .380 out of a P3AT. Nasty little bugger.
9mm-Seems to be enough. I like it for micro or mid-sized guns.
.40-my usual carry. I believe it is an effective round. It is best used in guns originally designed for the round (not shoehorned into 9mm guns).
.45 ACP-I believe it works. Usually chambered in larger, harder to conceal guns with less magazine capacity.
.357- I've never owned or shot a .357 Sig. If you watch Paul Harrell's service pistol caliber comparison videos on YouTube he seems to think it is the best. I'd like to have a .357 Sig barrel for my M&P 2.0 40 Compact. .357 Magnum-When I was deer hunting on a friends place & I ran across a hog while walking out it got my attention so to speak. When I went back & hunted there afterwards instead of carrying the .40 I usually do I carried a 4" barreled .357 Magnum revolver. When the hog & I encountered each other I had my rifle in my hands. It put a tree in between us & took off before I could get on it with my rifle. My thoughts were I could get on something quicker with an iron sighted handgun than a scoped rifle. They are quick.

The thing is ammunition selection is just as important as caliber & which firearm you choose.

during the fjb ammo drought i noticed that 40 was always in stock. it’s not for me though, too much sharp recoil and i’m mostly a revolver guy. if i were younger and fitter, needing one caliber for deadly-serious woods and street work, i would pick a 40.

as i age out i’m moving inexorably towards 38sp and 22lr. 38sp can be wild (+p) to mild (wadcutters) and revolvers are mostly k.i.s.s. 22lr is easy and cheap for lots and lots of fun practice.

380acp is ok too in a s&w shield ez, which works as easily as advertised, but ammo is relatively pricey. i am kinda tempted to try a 9mm ez only because 9mm ammo is ubiquitous and relatively inexpensive but i’m more into downsizing these days. otherwise 9mm, and 45lc/acp, is why i like my two ruger blackhawk convertible single action revolvers.

Every caliber has a reason why it was invented. My take (Glock biased due to my experience, but you get the idea, other striker pistol brands may match up):

.380. Great for mouse guns. Low recoil. But low performance. Best examples Kahr p380, Glock 42.

9mm. Popular because it's cheap and easy. Great for subcompacts. Sadly, its light recoil......is still recoil. Best examples in ccw's: Glock 43x, Glock 48. Best fullsize: Glock 45, 17, 19. CZ Shadow2. CZ Ts2. Largo Arms Alien. Atlas 2011.

40. The goldilocks round for me. More power, more reliability, and more consistent ammo shape. 40 can still be further improved, for a cost. Anyone tried expensive slow powder and 200gn bullets yet? In my hands, .40 has more felt recoil than 9mm, but exactly the same muzzle flip (fullsize pistols). So my splits are about identical. Best examples: Glock 23.4. Glock 22.4. Glock 35. CZ Ts2. Atlas 2011. Cheely 2011.

.357 Sig. Same as 40, but great for car doors and such. More blast, more cost. Falling out of style.

.45. Best by far, for unarmored targets. Light recoil. Low blast. Old school musket that gets it done. Best examples: Dan Wesson Valor, Dan Wesson Specialist Commander. Guncrafter Industries. Glock 41.

The 40 s&w is the best ccw option out there??? Why are most of the used auto loaders at gun shops in 40 s&w? Why are there no new 40 s&w in those shops?

I think the public opinion is that the 9mm has secured the spot as the ccw popular choice. Many of us gun nuts have our personal choices. In auto loaders I prefer the 45acp for IWB and OWB and the 380 for my pocket carry. The 10mm is a great for wondering in the wilderness with good capacity and reasonable power. Human threats are still your biggest threat in the wilderness....
The 40 s&w tries to to be the compromise, but really doesn't do anything better than other cartridges!
If you like the 40 Please carry it. I will carry something else.

I've always found the .40 a curiosity. First there was the 10mm. It was adopted by the FBI then Federal and S&W said "Hey, this is a great cartridge. Lets see if we can develop a shorter, less powerful version".
Oh, I know. There's a bit more to the story than that.

I have 10mm auto (one hi-cap @15+1) and 40 S&W pistols, and one .45 ACP (nightstand duty). This is good enough for me.

I loaded a friends 40 S&W magazine a few times, and just based on how impossibly difficult it was I would never own one, just for that.

WisBorn said:

The 40 s&w is the best ccw option out there???

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Not the best, but a good compromise.

My Glock 22 gen 5 has a thicker (heavier) slide than 22 gen 3; I finally have a 40 that subjectively recoils like a 9mm - my 17.5
Yes, the 17 holds two more bullets; but, considering I carry a spare mag I don't feel that 16 rounds in the 22 before slidelock is lacking.

Manufactures data, heavy clothing:
http://www.le.vistaoutdoor.com/wound_ballistics/load_comparison/load_comparison.aspx
9mm 124 HST +P - 13''/.61
9mm 147 HST - 12.5''/.69
40 S&W 180 HST - 12.5''/.80
45 acp 230 HST - 13.5''/.87

I've got a 21SF (gen 3) and like it, but the grip is bigger than the 17/22 grip and I prefer the gen 5 grip.
I think 9mm is sufficient, I like the 17 and have carried it; but, the 22.5 is a nice compromise (and not much of one).

Given that every bullet potentially has a lawsuit attached to it, I favor the concept that the best self-defense firearm is the one that's never actually fired and, if fired, is shot the minimum number of times. That means marksmanship is king, .40 is superior to 9mm, and one or two holes from a controllable Big Bore like .45 and .44 special are persuasive. Personally, I just don't get the concept of the need for a "high capacity" handgun with extra magazines for the typical civilian whose objective is to break contact and not close with the threat. Hence, Glock 23 or Kahr CW45 for me.

Capacity is overrated IMO and adds enough weight for a gun to be set aside as a carry piece in favor of a lighter rig. I carry a revolver. I do like my bigger guns but don't carry them. My bedroom gun is a G22. My range buddies are magnum revolvers. 9mm is too near the top of the list for loudness, so I don't carry or shoot that often.

Everyone has their opinion on caliber, and what they think they'll do if used on a perp.
Been in the gun and ammo game a very long time. The one thing that has helped many calibers is the modernization of ammunition and powder used.
I am a revolver caliber fan. I carry a gun chambered in 44 Special and one in 357 for ccw. I have as my backup a 38 Special.
Now flip that coin and I do enjoy my pistols also,just not as much as the Wheelie.
I have a 9mm I rotate in for ccw and I have a 380 I pocket carry as my backup when I am in the pistol mode.
I have 100% confidence that any of the guns I carry will work without fail, will be enough gun and caliber to stop a threat if it arises.
Do your homework on a gun and caliber you want. Shoot it, test it. Then buy and carry what you want.
America, you're still free to choose.

357smallbore said:

Do your homework on a gun and caliber you want. Shoot it, test it. Then buy and carry what you want.

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That right there is the key! What you want. Not what somebody else wants or, even less sensible, what somebody else thinks you should want.
In my [not so] humble opinion the only wrong decision a person can make regarding what to carry is to choose to carry nothing. (assuming carry is legal, of course)