If you had only one shot to defend yourself and had to choose between these calibers,

[Krag]

I choose a 9mm because that's the only caliber pistol I ever use for CCW or home defense. It is also the caliber pistol I can shoot faster and more accurately than any any and THAT'S WHAT COUNTS!!!

My preferred ammo is W-W 127 gr.+P+ and Cor-Bon 115 gr.+P DPX. If you can't solve the problem with these you don't need a pistol - you need a SWAT team!

 

[GaryM]

For a single shot I would want the highest power round available, in this poll it would be the .357 mag.

 

[Velocity229]

45 ACP 230 gr. Federal Hydra-Shock JHP.

 

[MrChicken]

IMHO, you should consider your gun a single shot weapon.
That one shot has to count, whether it's your first shot, last shot, or every shot in between. You dont have any to waste.
17 in the mag means nothing if the gun breaks after the first shot. Every shot you dont place properly gives him/them that much more time to kill you. Every miss is liability for you going downrange.

This shot is the shot that matters, not the next one and not the one before it.

 

[Super Trucker]

Another vote for .357Mag, I am accurate with that round.

 

[The Drew]

.500S&W MAG because I can only afford one round....

 

[kevin387]

.45 because it is proven and even if their is no expansion it is a pretty big hole.

 

[mattw]

Why would anyone choose 9mm if they could have .45ACP?

 

[williegee]

.357 Magnum

 

[TwoGun]

Based on Evan Marshall's data collection of real live police shooting, the 125 grain .357 from a four in revolver is has the highest percentage of one shot stops. However, I'm a lousy revolver shooter so I'd have to go with my 230 grain Federal Hydra Shok. Shot placement is far more important that the caliber and load. But the percentage difference between the two rounds is pretty minimal.

But anybody worth shooting once, is worht shooting twice. There is no such thing as a magic bullet. In fact, you shoot them until they stop doing what ever it was that made you shoot them in the first place.

 

[Stevie-Ray]

.45 ACP, 230 gr HydraShok

 

[katonk]

45ACP....2nd choice..41mag

 

[Hardtarget]

I voted .45acp. I'm partial...thats what I carry.I like big and slow and heavy. I want it to go all the way through. If the BG is leaking hydraulics on both sides he'll slow down faster. Besides, everybody KNOWS that .45 will just flat knock him down! had to say that.
Mark.

 

[Black Majik]

MrChicken,

very well said.

My single shot caliber would have to go to the .357 magnum, next the .45 ACP.

 

[C-grunt]

Ole .45- big, heavy, bone shattering piece of metal flying around!

 

[71Commander]

.45- 230 gr. FMJ. Nuff said.

 

[only1asterisk]

Why post a poll with only 1 right answer?

David

 

[MR.G]

.357 Magnum.

 

[cortez kid]

From all that I've read about calibers and energy levels, It comes down to whatever hurts on one end, hurts on the other. It hurts to shoot .357 out of my little mod 60.
kid

 

[albanian]

"But anybody worth shooting once, is worht shooting twice. "

I like that!

I left out certain calibers on purpose because I tried to stick with calibers that were most often carried. I know a .500 Mag will be everyones first choice but how many people carry one concealed? 10mm, .44 mag and .41 Mag are carried by a few people but not enough to put in the poll.

Certain things come to light in this poll, .45acp and .357 are the choices if we can choose. This was not intended to be about guns, follow up shots or anything other than what ONE bullet would you want to toss at someone if you only had ONE. It was basically a question of trust, do you trust the .380 or .38spl that you carry? Looks like nobody trusts their Mak. Anyway, looks like .357 and .45acp are the clear winners.

 

[Freeze N]

10mm 180 gr Gold Dot from Doubletap.
45 ACP 230 gr Gold Dot or Hydrashoks.

 

[stevelyn]

Well, preferably if I have only one shot, I would prefer that one shot be the option of calling in an airstrike to napalm the badguy, his house, the block he lives on, his family and all his buds.
However, there's never an F-16 nearby when you need one, so make my one shot a .357.

 

[Medusa]

Yeah, I voted .45ACP as this is a stopper round. But I didn't see the 5.7mm SS190 on the list as this is a definite stopper - 31 grains @ 2133 fps - no overpenetration and a tumbler - almost all energy into the BG

BUT my personal favourite if to absolutely stop a BG with one round - 40mm HE grenade out of AG36 KA-BOOM and the BG is literally all over the place

 

[115grfmj]

.357

125 gr jhp trumps ALL other rounds. Not even .45 does better, and I like
.45's

 

[Brasso]

The heavier jhp's, by and large, do better at expanding than the lighter ones. At least in ballistic jello.

Yeah, 125gr 357mag bullets trump everything......except the 145's, 158's, and 180's.

I trust the 9mm to keep me safe, but if I had a choice of only one bullet, it would be a 158gr SJHP in .357mag and loaded right.