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Concealed carry- caliber or capacity?

6K views 34 replies 32 participants last post by  Dintin9 
#1 ·
When you are thinking of a conceald carry gun, what's the most important criteria for the gun- caliber, capacity, or both?
 
#2 ·
I would say a caliber you shoot well, in a gun you shoot that caliber well in, and comfort of carrying. If it is not comfortable to carry you will leave it at home. It is all personal choice though. I like 9mm, I like to stick with it so I only need to buy 1 type of ammo. I like a weapon with the highest capacity that is also comfortable to carry.

For cc I mostly carry a Kel-Tec P11 in 9mm it is 12+1 capacity and is comforable enough that I don't notice it is there.
 
#4 ·
The first thing I look for is reliability!!!!!!!
After that is shot placement.
 
#7 ·
reliability and 'comfort'. Calibre and capacity be damned. A handgun is better then a knife because it gives you distance and a chance. It gives the aggressor a choice, that is all. And in the 'great calibre war' 9mm, 357sig, 38, 357, 40, 41, 44, 45, 10mm pretty much do the same thing, some do it easier, but all have loads that meet the same FBI minimum performance requirements.......

I have no worries packing a 32ACP, 32NAA, 9x18MAK....I don't do any 380s.
 
#10 ·
my most important things I look at for a carry gun are 1. that it will be small enough that I will be able to carry it with minimal printing and be comfortable that I will carry it everyday all day. 2. That is a reliable firearm that has a very very small chance of malfunctioning. The above two are most important to me (not necessarily in that order). Next would be caliber and capacity. My two carry guns are both 45 just bc I like the round but would not have a problem carrying a 9mm, or 40. As far as capacity goes I have a glock 36 and an xdm 45 compact. so thats 7 rounds of 45 and 10 rounds of 45 respectively. I personally feel fine with what some would consider "low capacity" of the glock, however I do not believe I have carried my glock since I got my xdm 45c about 8 months ago.
 
#14 ·
caliber and comfortable to shoot.
 
#15 ·
Reliability is 1st .. comfort 2nd (size) caliber ... irrelevant
 
#17 ·
I don't ever want any gun that is not reliable, none, so that's out of the picture to me.


After that shot placement is first with me.

Think about this, look around you we are carrying WHERE??? Inside Wal-Mart, downtown, in the Mall, inside out workplace, etc. You want and NEED your first shot to count and not miss. A miss in any of those places CAN hit and kill an innocent bystander, ever your co-worker in your office.

As for capacity, go back to shot placement. I'm not about to want to shoot up Wal-Mart with 15 rounds. It will not be like the movies or the OK Corrol.
 
#19 ·
I don't ever want any gun that is not reliable, none, so that's out of the picture to me.


After that shot placement is first with me.

Think about this, look around you we are carrying WHERE??? Inside Wal-Mart, downtown, in the Mall, inside out workplace, etc. You want and NEED your first shot to count and not miss. A miss in any of those places CAN hit and kill an innocent bystander, ever your co-worker in your office.

As for capacity, go back to shot placement. I'm not about to want to shoot up Wal-Mart with 15 rounds. It will not be like the movies or the OK Corrol.
Great points. Chances of your first shot hitting your intended target are slim though given the adrenaline factor. Even range time can't overcome this. Seasoned officers and soldiers even have trouble with this factor. It's a tad bit different when that paper target is moving and shooting back.

IMHO any weapon that fits your hand nicely(read can be operated from the ready position without removing a hand) and is reliable will be effective. 90% of the time after your first or second shot the bad guy generally isn't sticking around to find out what caliber you just missed or hit him with. Most encounters if you research stats are over with less than 5 rds coming from the good guy.

Now there are plenty of arguments for more rounds and a larger caliber. Truth is unless you plan to be in an all out firefight (unlikely) 7 rds should be enough. Personally I carry an extra magazine just in case he/she decides to come back. I don't want to be sitting there with an empty weapon. I like the .45 round for it's stopping power but only in the hands of someone that can handle it. If you aren't consistent with a .45 the 9mm or .40 can be just as effective in a SD situation. I would rather hit once with a 9mm than miss 4 times with a .45. Someone else mentioned being easy to conceal and comfortable to carry and I have to agree. If it is uncomfortable in it's holster you will not carry it and then what good is it? There are some great compact 9mm's out there and now even compact .45's. Whatever you choose there isn't a weapon out there that will help you if you don't know how to use it. Shoot it....allot!! Once a week if you can. Know how to operate it in every aspect. Dry fire it, get some snap caps and practice loading magazines and firing...even in total darkness (don't do this unless you are absolutely sure you have no live ammunition in the same room). Part of my qualification process was the ability to load and make ready as well as field strip in total darkness by feel alone. Operating your EDC should be instinct in every way. I'm sure some will disagree with my opinion...but that's what is great about this country. Find what works for you and go with it.
 
#21 ·
Carry what you shoot well, and in the platform you will carry every day. There aren't enough differences in 9, .40, and .45 to matter. It's about rounds on target.
 
#25 ·
Originally Posted by silvabaQ
Neither...speed and accuracy trumps caliber and capacity..thread over

WINNER, WINNER CHICKEN DINNER LOL - best answer!!
What else would we expect from silvabaQ?;)

Speed and accuracy come from holster and movement drills, once straight target proficiency happens at different distances.

Still, I love it that my XD9SC has NY-scary 13- or 16-rd. magazines, both still concealable.

Every bullet fired has a lawyer attached to it (know what's behind your target!). I intend to walk away with 15 rounds and a full spare mag, but I'll do what the situation requires.
 
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