Big bores can't shoot straight (caliber wars)

[KaceCoyote]

This is turning into a 9mm vrs .45 fight I can smell it so I'll say this.

A firearm, in any form is a dangerous weapon. If the biggest firearm you are comfortable with is a .25 Auto..then carry it and be comfortable. If you personally, feel insecure with anything less than a magnum load then by all means carry a Magnum. I've always thought that -COMFORT- was the single most important human factor coming to accuracy. You should carry, what you are most comfortable with at all times. If you have a thing for .380s but are terrified of it not doing the job, so you strap a .45 that scares you what good is that.

I would rather have a .380 I was comfortable and accurate with, than a .25 or a 10mm that I wasnt. Irreguardless of stopping power or followup speed. I know, that I am most likely to do MY job when I'm comfortable. A firearm, during the moments before and during the critical moments should be more than just a tool made's steel. it should be an extension of flesh and bone. To me, A .22LR Ruger in the hands of a competent and accurate shooter who under pressure can make the gold is effective. A person with a Colt Delta Elite in 10mm that'll knock the wind out've a buck at fifty paces or a .44 magnum, who can use his firearm while under pressure to make the gold is effective. Stopping power is important, its -VERY- important. However you cant STOP anything, unless you HIT something first. Two in the chest from pretty much any modern CCW will at the very least stop the attack or slow the opponent down(I hope) to allow the shooter to either make a safe escape, go for empty, or choose for -WHATEVER- reason to close and move to a blade. Hefting a bigger sword does NOT mean you can win swordfights. Hefting a sword which you can use comfortably and swiftly however, DOES win swordfights.

Should somone who can only shoot a .25 auto eventually try and work themselves to a larger caliber? of course. I believe there are 4 ideal calibers for CCW, barring hot weather carry. 9mm, .40S&W, .45 and .357(.44 scares me personally) If you cant shoot those four or five or whatever...then dont. I'd rather land a small blow..than no blow wouldnt you?


Fight back or die trying.

 

[Eskimo Jim]

without getting into the caliber war of which is better, small caliber vs large caliber and platform I'd like to make the following comments for consideration:

1) Skill with any firearm is the most important requirement for successful concealed carry. The mitigation of problems such as fumbling with safety controls, equipment failures, reloading quickly etc is paramount. The ability to consistantly shoot the handgun accurately is imperative. Since skill isn't the issue here, I'll move on.

2) There are a variety of firearm platforms to meet a variety of needs. There are 'full' size autos and revolvers that handle large cartridges (45acp, 40S&W, 9mm, 38 special, 357 magnum, 44 special, 44magnum etc) The advantages of a large sized handgun shooting a large caliber round is that typically the firearm is easier to shoot since its mass helps resist recoil, thus making follow up shots easier/quicker. The advantages of the larger caliber is that these cartridges gernally cause more dammage to the goblin trying to hurt you. Disadvantage: the large size can make concealment harder for some people

3) Small/light firearm shooting large caliber -this typically is a J frame sized revolver, SP101 sized, small Glock, some Kel Tecs(not completely familar with their product line). Advantages a) these firearms are easier to conceal or are more pleasant to carry due to weight b) these still fire a large caliber cartridge which will do quite a bit of damage to a goblin. Disadvantages: these firearms are typically less enjoyable to shoot and do take a bit more practice than a full sized firearm.

4) small/light firearm shooting a smaller caliber (22lr, 22mag, 25acp, 32acp, 380acp, 9mm?, 38 special) The advantages to these firearms is that they are easier to conceal due to their generally smaller size and lighter weight. Disadvantages these cartridges are smaller thus generally speaking must rely on bullet design and shot placement to be more affective than their larger sized cousin cartridges.

There are advantages and disadvantages to each and every firearm for purposes of concealed carry. The bottom line is that in order to make a good or acceptable decision on which firearm to carry concealed, the advanatages of each firearm must be carefully weighed against the firearm's disadvantages. Sure the new S&W X frame in .500 S&W would have tremendous stopping power to take the fight out of an assailant however, I don't think that I could successfully conceal one without a large coat of some type which doesn't fit my lifestyle also, it would take me quite while to become proficient with this large cartridge. On the other hand, a small 22lr sure is handy to conceal, however, it is likely that multiple wounds caused by a 22lr will not stop an assailent.

Ask yourself this, would you rather take one 45acp round to the arm or take 3 22lr shots to the center of mass? I wouldn't want to take either but forced to take a choice, I'd rather the 45 to the arm because I'm more likely to survive. Now, train and become truly proficient with a 45acp, that would certainly be a formidable weapon system. Combine your proficiency with the 22 and the heavy hitting 45acp, change your wardrobe to some degree to conceal a 1911, Sig 220 etc, and you'll have a fantastic self defense platform in place.

Each person must make the decision for themselves on what trade offs they are willing to make. Will a person alter their dress to carry a larger sized firearm? When there are situations when this is not possible, will they choose a smaller sized firearm that they are proficient with? Most people could successfully conceal a full sized revolver (probably the most difficult item to conceal) when wearing a suit or a jacket over their clothes. Not everyone wears a suit or jacket to work each day. Thankfully firearm manufacturers have given us options to choose when the ideal situation isn't available to us.

The wisest comment that I have heard about choosing a concealed carry firearm is to carry the largest caliber and largest sized firearm that you are proficient with and can comfortably conceal.

I welcome comments and questions. I hope this helps someone.

-Jim

 

[Sean Smith]

What I disagree with is their assumption that big bores will magically always produce poorer shot placement.

The real problem is in people assuming something. As you can see you are just as guilty. You read their responces and assumed your own interpetation.

No, you are assuming that he has never heard that sort of argument. How do you know that? People DO make statements like that with a fair amount of regularity. Well, dumb people do anyway.. Heck, I had a friend (a bullseye shooter at the time) get told by some maroon that the .44 Magnum my friend was shooting couldn't hit the broad side of a barn because it was too powerful. This as he was whacking things with it 100 yards away...

 

[Majic]

People DO make statements like that with a fair amount of regularity.

People say that big bores always make poorer shot placement, not they assume they do. The assumption is printed in his post.