Best carry self-defense caliber for you?

i enjoy scanning through the comments. Most CCL instructors will tell you it doesn't matter what you carry, JUST CARRY! If you get into a shoot/don't shoot scenario, the receiver of your decision is not likely really measuring the diameter if your barrel. Most folks don't want to be shot by anything. Statistics will show that most situations are mitigated by the draw alone, if it gets that far.....size does matter however if you get yourself into a gun on gun situation, and that's when operator ability is most critical. A 12 year old driving a Ferarri will lose a race to Jimmy Johnson in Pontiac everyday of the week!

I carry a TCP 380 or a S&W .40. It all depends on what I'm wearing and where I'm going. The wife carries an LC9 and always her 800,000 volt taser!

You said weapon, not handgun. I'm going to say belt. Easily unobtrusive, you can take it on a plane, good for defense against a knife, can add distance and power to your attacks and it can be deadly. It's a very capable weapon.

I'm a huge fan of the Taurus "Judge". Chambered for either .410(shot gun) or .45 Colt.

I went with 9mm. The reasons I stated in another thread, but I'll repost it here.

1. Good self defense ammo available closes the gap with .45 ACP
2. Cheaper to shoot meaning I can afford to practice more often
3. Higher capacity
4. Easy for my wife and kids to shoot

While shot placement is key, in a stressed situation my accuracy will likely suffer. I prefer to have more rounds to send down range. One .45 in the torso versus three 9mm. I’ll go with three. More organ damage, more blood loss.

That said, while I most often carry a 9mm I also own other calibers and from time to time carry them. If in a rush and wearing just a pair of gym shorts I'll sometimes just slip my Ruger LCP .380 in my pocket. Any caliber on you is better than the hand cannon left at home.

Depends on circumstances, .357 can also make for an excellent ccw/cw. The .22 is very much a lethal round with good shot placement. 9mm is readily available, has adequate knock down power with good shot placement and is inexpensive for practicing. .45 is almost as cheap to practice with, and has the most knock down power for the above mentioned common semi auto rounds. Ultimately whatever you have on you when you need it, along with enough experience, and the right kind of practice to make sure you can put rounds on target under stress makes for the best ccw/cw.

Oh, and yes I said practice, and not just punching holes in paper, but proper draw/shoot/move drills, dry fire drills and practice, and more live fire drills and practice. I augment live fire with "realistic" air soft pistols. You can shoot tens of thousands of "rounds" (cheaply), building muscle memory, practicing with left, right, and both hands, drawing and re-holstering, etc., and in most cases, you can do all of that in your own back yard, even in the city.

.40 But I'm partial to that now. I couldn't afford the .45 I wanted

Depending on the day, time, place . . . I carry either a SIG 2022 .40 or .357sig and/or a P9R 9mm. (Depends on which barrel and mag I have in at the time.) On rare occasions, I will care a PA63 or R61, both in 9x18MAK.

I am a .45 guy, but what you carry is dictated by what you are doing and wearing. I usually carry a .32 Tomcat in the summer and will move to a Para 1911 in the winter.

I prefer my .45 ACP when I carry, because I like the stopping power. There are times when I do carry my 9mm because situation dictates.