What is your faviorite Defensive Pistol Caliber

[DannusMaximus]

I don't think there's a big enough difference between modern defensive 9mm, .40S&W, and .45ACP for there to be much of an argument on the matter.

What I do know is that 9mm is generally lighter recoiling than .40 and .45, even in +P loadings, making it more pleasurable to shoot. I also observe that it is much less expensive when shooting bulk FMJ ammunition. And that's totally ignoring the capacity differences between, say, a Glock 17 and a Glock 21 (using flush-fitting magazines.)

Concur. i will also add that since repeated hits center mass seem to be the one thing that those in the know at least sort of agree are necessary to win a gunfight, I can do that much better with a 9mm then any other handgun caliber, so that's what I likey the most.

[Neptune Glory]

9mm CorBon DPX for the win!

[Quartermaster]

.357 & .38 +P for both the six gun and the lever action.

Quartermaster

[SNAFU-M1A]

.45 guy here.

[pir8p3t3]

.45. Mostly because that is what I have the most of.

[charlie fox]

I prefer 9mm; I shoot it faster and more accurately than a bigger caliber, and I get a lot of them!


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[Stercutus]

I guess of the standard calibers 9mm is the cheapest and quite versatile.

300 BO is much better provided you have a proper length AR pistol.

[ZomCon Sargeant]

9mm Corbon JHP 125 gr +P

9mm ASYM BJHP 124 gr. +P is a very close 2nd

[AlphaKilo47]

Anything that starts with .4 I have one .40 and two .45s, one of which is my EDC. I guess either of those calibers would be my favorite since I practice with them all the time. Of course, a .22 in the eye socket would probably work too...

Mike

[AS556]

No logical choice but 9x19 IMO.

[I_Hate_George_Lucas]

The only cartridge that matters....

[silentpoet1]

My preference is for .45acp. But any quality 9mm, or 40 cartridge will do. My next pistol is most likely a 40 caliber sig 229. Then I want to add a 9mm to the collection so I have ammo options. Currently I have a 45.

[eeb]

The cartridge that the FBI just declared obsolete...

According to a recent issue of SHOTGUN NEWS, I fixed it for you.

[hondo]

32 or as known in Europe 7,65 mm killed probably more people in last century than any other caliber. 32 ACP is more lethal than 380 ACP..

,32 ACP 73 Grain ..FMJ.....1043 FPS ...177 FTLBS
.380 ACP 90 Grain FMJ....980 FPS....203 FTLBS

Going have to explain to me how the .32 is more lethal


9mm 115 grain...1,300 FPS...420 FTLBS

Sorry just seen your post, simply lighter round moves faster as you pointed 32 acp 1043 FPS while 380 980 FPS and for that reason fired from same distance 32 ACP is going to pierce car windshield and keep moving while 380 is going to crack windshield and bounce of it. Keep in mind both rounds are fired from same distance into the same windshield.

[I_Hate_George_Lucas]

The cartridge that the FBI just declared obsolete...

According to a recent issue of SHOTGUN NEWS, I fixed it for you.

Ahhh yes, then agency that always declares it is a failure of equipment and not training and mindset for the 1986 Miami Shootout.

The FBI is a agency staffed of Accountants with guns and badges. They don't recruit from Veteran Street Cops anymore.

I own and carry 9mm, . 40 S&W, .45 ACP, and 10mm Auto along with various other cartridges. But on duty I've carried .40 S&W for the majority of my LE career and I can say without a shadow of a doubt. The .40 S&W cartridge does thew job very well. Only thing that is better is a rifle. Hell, rifle beats all handgun cartridges.

But with the advancements applied to the 9mm and .45 ACP. That tech has also been applied to the .40 S&W and it is still a great cartridge for general patrol work due to it's capacity, frame size, and barrier penetration.

[eeb]

Yeah, I don't see the supply of 40 drying up any time soon. Guess I was making fun of the gun rag's dire predictions, more than anything.

[Mikeyboy]

I'm another .40S&W fan. I think the .40 is good all around in terms of capacity, penetration and "stopping power". My go to CCW is a .40. I especially like it for hiking, camping, since even standard .40 FMJ range ammo, is better and had more penetration than the hottest 9mm FMJ / 9mm NATO ammo, which is good for possible bad black bear encounters.

That said, I have shoot pistols a long time and I have shoot a lot of 9mm. My home defense pistol for the longest time was a G19, and you can't beat it for being ultra reliable and to have 15,17 or 33rds of soft shooting (for me) but effective 9mm round in one package.

Also you can't beat a .380 pocket gun for deep, deep concealed carry....todays .380 pocket guns are so much better than the .32 & .25 pocket guns of the past. I also feel that a full size .380 pistol is a great step up from .22lr. So many young, female, an just new shooters are given a .22lr then go right to 9mm and some get spooked and stick with .22lr for self defense. I rather my wife and kids use something like a Bersa Thunder .380 than a .22lr pistol for self defense.

.22lr has lost favor with me. Between the rimfire ammo shortage and the growing popularity of airsoft pistol that replicate the action and feel of a real pistol, I don't think .22lr is a good caliber for training anymore. For defense...in the days when you can easily buy a box of CCI mini-mags...if .22 was all you could handle I would tell people to get a .22 pistol and just stick with CCI. However in the days of scrounging for .22lr ammo, I really am a bit leery about using a .22 pistol for self defense. When your rimfire pistol is being fed with whatever ammo you can find, you can't really be sure about pistols reliability, or the performance/penetration of the round in self defense situations.

[thrillbilly]

It seems whoever made the poll confused the term ''pistol'' with the term ''handgun''

Unless someone makes a .38special or .44special pistol I dont know about. Hell, theres VERY few .357mag or .44mag pistols made....not counting single-shots and mares-legs.


9x19 or .45acp, I have no use for compromise so I have no use for .40s

I tend to prefer 9x19 over .45acp but I have and like both.

[Hollis]

It seems whoever made the poll confused the term ''pistol'' with the term ''handgun''

Unless someone makes a .38special or .44special pistol I dont know about. Hell, theres VERY few .357mag or .44mag pistols made....not counting single-shots and mares-legs.


9x19 or .45acp, I have no use for compromise so I have no use for .40s

I tend to prefer 9x19 over .45acp but I have and like both.

I had to look up the pistol VS handgun. The guy at guns and ammo says they are interchangeable. That was my thought.

There are revolvers made in .38, .357 etc. Smith has a scandium(SP?) framed models. The .357 model is a hand canon. There are also light weigh alloy models for conceal carry. Yes, the automatic popularity has made them out rank revolvers. Same with ammo. At one time .38 special was the "cheap" round and 9mm was a exotic kind. Today it is the opposite.

Currently I carry a light frame revolve in .38 spec. with the new improved nasty PD rounds.

[TheLemonMan]

While I've shot .40 S&W and .45 ACP several times, I still find 9x19mm to be the best for me. The ammo is cheap enough to practice with and stockpile, recoil is manageable for most people, and ballistics are good enough for two-legged predators. Is 9mm the best option for a bear or for one-shot stops on intoxicated individuals? No, but it is the best compromise between power, recoil, capacity, cost, and availability that I have found.

[Waywatcher]

I don't get hung up on handgun/pistol/revolver terminology. Afterall, they are all descendants of a single shot pistol.

I'm torn on this and didn't get to vote. If I had to answer which was my most carried it would be .38 Special so I guess that is my final answer.

[eeb]

The guy at Guns and Ammo appears to be a media type, and is therefore likely wrong.( ) Last time I looked at the ATF definition, a pistol had a single fixed chamber behind a rifled barrel. This would include mare's legs and break action single shots, but not revolvers. Of course, if you use both hands, they consider it an AOW, and you better have it registered as such before you redesign it by operating it in that manner. A lever action mare's leg might require some skill to operate one handed.

[We'reWolf]

favorite would be .40.. what i carry everyday .380 cause its small and light.

[Hollis]

The guy at Guns and Ammo appears to be a media type, and is therefore likely wrong.( ) Last time I looked at the ATF definition, a pistol had a single fixed chamber behind a rifled barrel. This would include mare's legs and break action single shots, but not revolvers. Of course, if you use both hands, they consider it an AOW, and you better have it registered as such before you redesign it by operating it in that manner. A lever action mare's leg might require some skill to operate one handed.

Guns and ammo was pistol VS handgun, not revolver. You are correct the ATF separates the two classes, pistol and revolver. The ATF definitions of pistol and revolver did not use the term handgun. Handgun seems to be a common term for both.

Also for sawed off or shorten rifle/shot guns they are in another definition, such as your lever action mare's leg.

The Remington XP-100 was developed using a new action. They could not convert a current rifle action to a pistol. It was something, that you like you can make a handgun into a rifle but not a rifle into a handgun. If memory is right. Laws may have also changed on this issue. ATF has a pretty good site.