Best self defense round for concealed carry?

Question

I'm trying to decide between four different rounds for self defense use: 9mm, .40 S&W, .45 or .357 Magnum. Right now, I'm leaning towards the .40 S&W because it has nearly the stopping power of a .45 and isn't as big, which means a smaller, more easily carried weapon. My criteria for judging the calibers is this: price (lower price, more training rounds fired), stopping power, size, and overall reliability (for example, the .40 S&W is known to sometimes misfire and ruin the gun that's firing it).

As for what gun I'll use, I'll figure that out after I'm finished deciding on the caliber. In any event, it most likely will be an autoloader, so any suggestions there will be helpful too.

Thanks for your input in advance.

"This has to do with military because?"

Because there's no section dedicated to firearms. Don't ever answer my questions again.

"The 9mm was determined to be inferior during tests on cattle carcasses a century ago."

I know about the test you're referring to, and the only thing that test proved is what handgun rounds aren't effective on cattle.

"Id love to know A. What your concealed weapons permit is for, and B. more importantly why it requires a .40 caliber S&W"

Why waste my time with this answer?

Answer 1

Before you decide on the ammunition SIZE, you need to think about the ammunition TYPE: ball, hollow points or frangible. Ball is the standard full metal jacketed stuff used by military personnel. It is cheep, great for practice and a bad choice for personal protection. With hollow points, you start to run into money. After all, you should run a couple of hundred rounds of your favorite ammo through the gun before carrying it and .357Mag, .40S&W and .45ACP are all expensive. The 9mm hollow points are the cheepest by far. Frangile is awefully expensive--$2.00 per shot! Almost nobody puts 200 rounds of that stuff through their gun, and they really should--especially with an automatic, since the recoil of the super light, super fast rounds can cause failures to feed.

All these rounds, in all these calibers, have good stopping power--for a handgun. All of them can fail miserably. None of them will work if you miss.

So, to me, it comes down to what kind of ammunition you can afford and will enjoy shooting. The .40 has snappy recoil and is very loud--it actually shoots very much like a .357 magnum. The 9mm is fairly mild but snappier than you might think. I find the .45 to have the most pleasant recoil--it feels slower. At the same time, it took me several years to get used to the twist or torque of the .45.

I can carry any gun I want, and have carried most of them. Now, I carry a S&W J-frame with full size rubber grips and .38 special hollow points from Wal Mart. Why? I find that I shoot the gun as well, or better, than my custom magnums or any of my .45s. I'm willing to take a hit in stopping power for an increase in real world accuracy and everyday comfort.

Answer 2

You seem to have several different concerns:
caliber
stopping power
reliability
size.

Caliber:
Truth be told, this debate has raged on forever (well, since the creation of the 9mm anyway).

There are those that will tell you fast and small (9mm) works great, and others that say big and slow (.45) is better.

My opinion is, use what you shoot best. If you shoot a .45 well, and feel comfortable with it, go for it. If you feel more comfortable with the 9mm, use it. If you think the .40 is the marriage of convenience that works best for you, use it.

Stopping power:
There is very little stopping power in a handgun round, comparative to a rifle round. It's a compromise of concealability and portability. As such, you give up more effective stopping power for the previously mentioned concerns. Again, some will tell you it's big and slow, others small and fast. I think it's all in shot placement, and repeat business, so to speak.

Reliability:
The rounds themselves are all reliable. It's the platform (the firearm) that delivers them that determines the reliability. Choose a reliable firearm from a reliable company.

Size:
This is totally dependant upon the firearm. I can find you a large 9mm or a small .45. Size (and capacity of rounds) is a feature of the firearm more than the round itself. True, with two similarly sized firearms, a small round will allow for a higher capacity, but does that really help if the rounds are less effective or you can't shoot it as well?

As for the idea that the .40 'causes misfires,' that usually is related to a firearm that doesn't have a fully supported chamber (GLOCK for example) in that caliber. Don't get me wrong, GLOCKs are fine weapons, but there are known issues, and that is one in that caliber.

All in all, I think if you stick to the calibers you've listed, you can't go wrong. And if you're like most concealed carry permit holders, you'll go through several before you decide on one that you like the most.

Stick with major brands for the handguns, and be prepared to give them a 'breaking in' period.

Check out http://www.packing.org for more help on this issue.

Answer 3

1

Answer 4

All firearms made for the .40S&W and the .357 Magnum are designed to handle higher pressure cartridges than you can get from the factory for either the .45ACP or the 9x19mm Parabellum cartridges, so single shots from the .40S&W and the .357 are inherently more effective, if you are permitted to use hollow point bullets.

The century-old .45ACP is still a fine cartridge and there are plenty of modern weapons made for it. For military use, where full metal jacket bullets are required by the Geneva convention, the .45 is still the best of the bunch. For police work and civilian personal defense, the .40S&W with hollow points is better.

The 9mm was determined to be inferior during tests on cattle carcasses a century ago.

The .357 is a rimmed cartridge meant for revolvers. The Desert Eagle will fire the .357 Magnum, but you probably don't want to carry or pay for a Desert Eagle.

Answer 5

The caliber of the round is only one factor. The particular round used in that caliber is much more important.

Based on the criteria you listed, I'd recommend 9mm +P (94% first shot take down) for carry and 9mm FMJ (60% first shot take down) for target practice. You get the best of both worlds.

On the other hand you expressed concern for .40 rounds that malfunction. This is also a function of buying substandard rounds rather than indicative of .40 cal size itself.

Most malfunctions (other than substandard ammo) are caused by the operator. Poor maintenance of weapon or magazine.

Talk to your weapons instructor. He can help finish your decision much better than those of us who have never met you.

Answer 6

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Answer 7

Id love to know A. What your concealed weapons permit is for, and B. more importantly why it requires a .40 caliber S&W

Answer 8

Kimber 1911 Compact .45acp. ~$720
Kahr MK40, .40S&W ~$550
Kel-Tec P32, .32ACP ~$230
Ruger SP101 357 ~$550

Answer 9

40 sw for a novice, 45 for a vet.
Sig is tough to beat.

Answer 10

well its not like your going to war so you dont need any thing whith high capcety so i would say .357 if you hit them it would put them on the ground and if u miss the sound would broubly scare them off