what gun what caliber for conceled carry personal protection

This has been debated several times here. You just started a thread that will give you so many different answers you might not know what to think. You'll get everything from "carry what feels best", "carry what you shoot best", "revolvers are best", "semi's are best"....

Then you'll get the caliber debate. Everything from a 22lr-45ACP will be mentioned and there will be valid arguments for every one of them.

You'll also get a make/model debate going. When it's all said and done you still won't have the answer.

So I'll tell you what I carry. And let the debate begin
XD45, with 13 rounds of Winchester 230 Gr. PDX1. I have complete faith in that combo.

9mm and lower semi auto single stack lightweight frame

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Kahr

Such gun chats usually result in a caliber war.

All handguns are relatively poor "stoppers" regardless of caliber or bullet used. Shot placement and sufficient penetration are paramount, all else is secondary.
Based on that I wouldn't go any lower than a good .380 loaded w/FMJ or 9mm w/a quality JHP.
Personally, I carry a SIG P290RS in 9mm. It's small & light enough to afford different carry options (ankle, pocket, AIWB, etc) depending upon the magazine used, has a long but very smooth DAO trigger which obviates the need to worry about manipulating a manual safety under stress (think semi-auto revolver) and I shoot it more accurately than I should be able to shoot such a small pistol.
As mentioned earlier, it still boils down to using whatever caliber/bullet/action combo that you shoot best.
Tomac

I like a .380 and good hollowpoint ammo. I prefer the Colt Mustang but a Ruger or S&W would do just as well. Another favorite of mine is the old S&W Model 37 in .38 Special.

I would say whatever caliber is most available for the area/region you are in. Since you are talking about being in Europe that would be some form of the 9 mm round, either 9mm Kurtz or 9mm Luger. My personal preference would be the 9mm Luger.

Jim

You have to pick what works for you, based on many factors including, but not limited to, legality, ammunition availability, carryability and how well you can shoot it.

Kahr of course.

My criteria:

1.) As large a pistol as I can comfortably carry concealed for the specific situation/location.

2.) As high a caliber as I can handle in that size.

If deep concealment isn't necessary, then I'll carry either the Glock 20 (10mm) or Glock 21 (45acp). These are full-sized pistols in just about as large a pistol caliber as you can reasonably get and carry.

As concealment becomes more necessary, then I start to move downward in size. This goes all the way down to numerous .380s that completely disappear in just about any pant pocket. From my experience, if all I can carry is a .380 in the pocket, then it's probably a place that strictly forbids firearms; and therefore I shouldn't be there!

The firearm I carry the most often is a Kahr CW40. It doesn't fit in a pocket, but completely disappears in my waistband with ease. I'd probably prefer the CW45, but the .40 is where the deal was at. I shoot it just fine, but for some, the CW9 would be a better bet for more recoil control.

The firearm options available in the U.S. is amazing! I personally go as big as reasonably possible. The other reason for that is that, in my experience, the smaller the pistol, the more unreliable it can be; or the more upkeep is needed to keep it reliable (ie, weekly or monthly cleanings--at least for me, it's hard to keep up with this).

Rohrbaugh R9 in 9mm

I think 9mm is a good caliber for carry. Lower recoil which makes it easier to shoot in compact pistols. It is also inexpensive to shoot which allows for more practice making you a better shooter. There are a ton of choices for pistols but I will give you a few to check out that have a good reputation.

Kahr- Small, subcompact, slim. The CW series is good for the budget conscience or you could go with the P (polymer frame) or K (steel frame)series.

Walther PPS- Subcompact and slim. Rivals the Kahr in size but the trigger pull is much shorter as it is striker fired.

Glock G19. Compact, easy to shoot, reliable, may take some thinking to carry because of the thickness.

S&W M&Pc- Compact. Good all-around package that although is thick like the Glock, most of the corners have been rounded off giving you a smoother profile which makes it easier to conceal.

H&K P30- Compact size, excellent ergonomics, very reliable and well built. Available in several different trigger styles.

I always recommend taking some quality defensive pistol classes to learn how to use your gun in the most efficient manner possible.

Glock 9mm

I think there is a point where a pistol is "small enough" and "light enough" for pocket carry and the 9mm achieved that with the Kahr PM9, Rohrbaugh R9, and some other pistols.

I don't think the .40 S&W has been able to get as small as the Rohrbaugh R9 or as light as the DB9 - around 5.2 inches overall in length, 4.0 inches high, less than a inch wide and between 11 and 15 ounces, but some people have said the PM40 is a comfortable pocket pistol, its a little bigger and a little heavier than the PM9.

Because of the odd situation we have in Illinois, I carry an unloaded R9 in a the 5.11 Select Carry Pistol Pouch, and having a light pistol is nice...

Going down to 380 is a whole new situation that requires ammo evaluation, going up to larger or higher powered calibers require heavier pistols.

What ever you can shoot well. For me that is a 44 or 45 for my wife it is a 38.

I like the 38 SP in a +P+ 125 JHP or 158 in +P . SWC. For a larger gun 40 MM With SWC 165 GR. I shoot both good at 25 YD.

What I'd like to carry: Compact/Officers 1911.
Shoot it best, nice caliber, easier to conceal than a full size...but heavy.

What I generally carry: Ruger LCP as it's so easy to carry even if the caliber is marginal and the magazine size on the low side.

What I tend to carry when I think about the pros and cons: Glock 26.
Reasonable caliber, light weight, shoot it well, 10 rounds over 7.

The platonic ideal of the defensive handgun is a 1911 or Glock 21, in .45 ACP. they have drawbacks, of course. The G21 is the size of a cinder block, and the 1911 weighs rather a lot. Thus most people begin to compromise.

How much to compromise is a matter of taste. Some get down to pocket pistols, or even tiny little mini-revolvers in .22 Short. One assumes that they plan to aim for the tear ducts, rather than the more conventional center of mass.

Sig226 in 357Sig primary and S&W 340 PD .357Mag airlight backup

More people have been killed by 22lr than I think all others (believe that excludes war). But like what another poster said, threads like this with minimum requirements usually start caliber / brand / mechanism / design arguments. Jim Crillo was in 20+ shootouts and only saw two one-shot stops in his career; one with a 12ga and one with a .30-30 carbine. So no pistol caliber can claim to have 1-shot-all-the-time stopping power; it simply doesn't happen. You must be prepared for the fact that you will likely need multiple shots.

I am not a revolver guy, so I will not debate that; they have their own unique merits.

But in the category of semi's, I think the minimum caliber for defense that *I* will use is 9mm. I believe the Barnes Tac-XP bullet in 9mm or other modern hollowpoint design is enough to do significant damage quickly to achieve your goal; stopping the attacker. The 9mm is also a good balance of capacity, power, and relatively light recoil. Well-placed shots are more important than grazing ones of a larger caliber.

Whatever you get, be legal, be safe, and PRACTICE. You can't enough of the latter.

Most people can't own just one carry pistol and it works all the time. I have several pistols for concealed carry. I have pocket pistols for times when it is impractical or I am to lazy to get the proper holster and shirt to carry a full size firearm. I am a big guy so I can carry a lot of guns that a person with a smaller frame wouldn't try to carry. I have no problems concealing a 1911 or a SA revolver with a 6" barrel. When I say concealed I mean concealed, no printing or running around with the butt of the pistol visible from behind.

Jasonmackuk said:

what gun what caliber for conceled carry personal protection

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I carry a Glock 19, 9mm, 15+1 rounds, sometimes with a spare magazine. Have done so for years.

The full size 1911 .45 ACP in an OWB Milt Sparks Axiom holster
with 1 8 rd spare mag/MX IWB mag holder.

I'm looking for a Commander sized 1911 w/Bobtail
for something a bit smaller and lighter

I've also got a S&W Model 60 3" bbl. .357 Mag.
but no holster

R-