post #23 is worth reading twice or thrice
If feel better w/ bigger, go bigger; if 380acp is too girly for you, don't carry one, nobody ever said different
All "threats" are not created equal and gun forum folk will never agree on what defensive vs. offensive mindset is
As for some of us who are confident enough to be comfortable with 380acp, be happy it's me/we, not you. But I never could fully relate to those who are hardcore about bigger is better, and tout such as compact 9s over 380s for CCW. "Everybody" agrees that where you throw those rounds far outweighs everything else, and when it comes to that, nothing beats justified confidence in how well you can shoot what you carry.
Always makes me wonder a little bit why the anti-380 folks who go with 9s don't go with 40s, why the 40s folks don't go with 45s, why the 45 guys don't go with 454 Casul or 480 or 500... if bigger is what counts, and your life threatening threat assessment is that high, why NOT go bigger ? Carry comfort too important to go go big ?
Betting on one shot out of any handgun to instantly kill is a fool's bet, including Dirty Harry 44 mag (special). Those stop "studies" just really don't mean all that much real world. Real world civilian SD shootings result in a one shot "stop" reasonably often, no matter the caliber (not nearly so often as no shot "stops"), but very infrequently result in QUICK one shot kills or adeqate physical incapacitation, even if BG stumbles off and bleeds out elsewhere. You don't ever want to go up against drug crazed 300# machete man at 7 yards and closing fast with any handgun caliber; easy 90%+ odds they will put your head in a small plastic bag after, even if they need a full size body bag for him. True CNS hits that quick are as much a matter of luck as skill in that wild eyed scenario.
"Shootability" counts more than caliber... or as someone here might say, practice, practice, practice... and do it with something you are prone to shoot naturally well to begin with. Don't anger Mafia bosses and leave ol' Grizz alone.
I also suspect too many think 380s come only in LCP sizes, and/or "full size" 380s are big-n-bulky; not so, but they sure can be highly shootable. YSMV
Having said all that, sure they do make "bigger", but....
it's tuff to beat 357 in a revolver or 45 acp in an autoloader
(preferably full size ones)
always was, still is, no big mystery about it