Is (blank) better than (blank)? Well, .40 is more powerful than 9mm, does that make it better? Categorically, yes. That's it. More is better.

Done.

What else is more than 9mm? How about .50 BMG, huh, why not carry that? Duh, nobody makes a handgun for it! No. Actually, there is. Look it up. Its called the BFR and those letters mean what you think. So more is better, and .50 BMG handguns exist, and your /pansy @55/ isn't carrying one.

Are we crystal clear so far?

I know why you don't carry the big one, and everyone else does too. The guns are too big to conceal or comfortably carry. Then, it's also a terrible experience to practice with one, costly, and durned hard to master.

But that's about it really. More IS better. We'd all be better served by slinging a shotgun on our backs than messin with these silly little 'hand' guns. Is it even a "gun" if its not mounted to a gas powered vehicle? Toys, hrrmph.

But you want to carry it. To the grocery store. With the kids. While shopping. No air support, no trench building, no recon. No fun at all! Just this nuisance real world daily life stuff.

So you've got to shrink a gun to a tolerable size and weight, and shrink its behavior and eating habits until you are able to practice to proficiency. Shrink it no more than necessary, lest you end up with a CO2 pellet gun or cap gun!

But! My 320 Lbs 6.5' tall bouncer friend that grew up the son of a redneck gunsmith carries a .44 magnum and shoots the teeth out of hens with it with one hand behind his back! Doesn't that mean that if I carry a 9mm I'm a weak loser that can't defend myself and my bullets will bounce off the hardened faces of my attackers?

Uh... next question?

BUT I WANT!!!....!!?.!!

Yeah. A big hairy chested magnum. In a titanium helium sponge metal gun so light it floats away when unloaded.

Got it.

Unfortunately, they MAKE THOSE. So do it. I dare you to man up and DO IT.

Are you back yet?

Sold it after three rounds fired, at a loss, did you? Hmmm.

Shrink a gun to a tolerable size and weight, and shrink its behavior and eating habits until you are able to practice to proficiency. Shrink it no more than necessary.

Remember that part? Somewhere between the unshootable monsters and the little toy popguns that can be played with indoors by children, pretty much everything is a viable choice. More IS better... but only after adhering to the shrink-to-fit rule.

Here endeth y'all's lesson.

And your point is.....?

Okay... so what's your question?

What caliber is enough? Enough for what?

A properly placed .22 can mess up an attackers day.

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Not enough space

What time do the bars close in Illinois?

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M&P Shield 9MM

Too much caffeine this evening?

We've beaten the hell out of this VS that caliber here many times. Do we have to do it again!

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Life Is A Gift. Defend it!

50 cal. BMG? I couldn't find the 50 caliber BMG pistol referred to by ILTim but I did find two different 600 Nitro Express handguns and I'll go out on a limb and say they are too big?

John
Scoundrel and Ne'er-Do-Well in Training

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yzI0AIpUUA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_X5nyGu5LQ

That's what I was thinking. Maybe he's drinking espresso by the pint?

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Freedom isn't free.

The forum is 'concealed carry'. You can carry an X frame if you can conceal it. Now as to what a person can handle effectively is a different matter.

Ok , I read the OP . I still can't decide if it was supposed to be serious , or a parody. I hope it wasn't serious , but not far enough over the top to actually chuckle.

Not sure of the point or the "lesson", but I'll give Tim credit for a creative and somewhat entertaining writing style!

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Brad

I was in an LGS and a young kid came in to see the owner. He was maybe 5' 6" tall and 120 pounds. He was wearing jeans, tennis shoes, and a hoody sweat shirt. He told the owner he had an S&W 500 magnum he wanted to sell. The owner told him to bring it so he could look at it. The kid unzipped his hoodie and took out an 8 3/8" S&W 500 from a vertical shoulder holster. I went from his armpit to past his hip. You have to dress around the gun. It shocked the LGS owner and me when he took it out.

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U.S. Navy - U.S. Army, ret

Espresso after 9pm...with a Mountain Dew back!

Hey, the question is in the title of the post fellows....

For me in handguns? 22-45, they all have their merits.

What would I want in "time of neeed"? M&P FS 9, because I rapid fire it the best at 7 yards.

But I wouldn't be hesitant to grab any of the others and feel comfortable defending with them...

(I own 22,38,9,40,357,45)

PS- Hasn't this been brought up before?

Edit: just realized what forum this was posted in, I'd personally carry a 22, 38 or shield in 9.

Someone has been mixing red bull and vodka again!?

Back in my early 20s there was a short time frame where I used to carry a desert eagle .50 in a shoulder holster. To of set the weight I had a 6 in barrel 629 on the other side!

There is a 50bmg pistol. It's a revolver and the size of a VW.


You wanna see concealed? I'll show you concealed!

A demonstration made by a school board.
Watch "kid hiding guns into school" on YouTube
kid hiding guns into school: http://youtu.be/Ade7dO8dmd4

I guess I'll have to buy a hoodie or two to conceal this.

20 GA Howdah double barrel black powder pistol.

Attached Images

Howdah Pistol_sm.jpg (34.3 KB, 22 views)

I was all set to buy a pair of nice Howdah double-barreled pistols.
But- the city wouldn't let me keep the Elephant that came with them.

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NRA LIFE MEMBER

The point was that, if I am not mistaken.

We keep making guns smaller and less manageable than the original design.

1911 was 5 inches and now 3 inches. Plus shorter grips.

The 9mm service autos of the past are smaller than .380s now.

The recoil absorbing grips of the 500 with a 3 inch barrel which are used once and sold are to me, just silly.

Seems like the manufacturer has sales in mind more than usefulness.
Similar to fishing lures made for fishermen, not fish.

Oh look another shiny thing it is a 1 inch 454 titanium snub.
Time for more caffeine.

Re: OP. Yep! You got it. Won't sell pistols... ammo, etc. Not good for business or getting people to buy/read magazines touting the newest, loudest, smallest, powerfulest, bestest, whatever. But that's o.k. Some folks have been around the block enough to know that there's not a devalued dime's worth of difference between most common and even uncommon calibers. Use quality ammunition, get hits and get results whether the situation is simple shooting of paper/plates in practice of hitting in a SD/HD situation.

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<><

The scary part is how they're allowing rounds to ricochet off the ground so far from the berm. Yikes.
Shooting the .50 BMG Pistol THUNDER - YouTube

No need to downsize here. I like 45 and steel frames.

A 4" N frame and 5" 1911 are regular carry pieces.

I'll take a gallon of the OP's Kool-Aid:

11-oz J-frame? Works well with .22 Magnum
20-oz J-frame? .38 Special
35-oz K-frame? Still using .38 Special
42-oz L-frame? OK, break out the .357.

Seriously considering a Kel Tec PMR30. 30 rounds of 22 magnum in your fist? Less than 20 ounces fully loaded? What's not to like?

I'm going to invent a 5 shot J frame designed to shoot one of each .380, 9mm, 38 super, .40 and .45 with a moon clip.

But which cylinder would you index to fire first?

Good question, Tim.

I'm gong to include this with the operating manual to help the owner to decide.

An Alternate Look at Handgun Stopping Power | Buckeye Firearms Association

Am I the only person who saw this and was jealous? There is no way I could carry that much firepower at once time even open carry.

Lol. I stumbled onto that video years ago looking for ideas on concealment holsters. I think everything but the shotgun is plausible. With that double barrel there is no way he can walk and bend his knee

Put two in the ten ring in an expeditious manner and nobody cares what caliber those rounds are . . .

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Wisdom comes thru fear . . .

It's supposed to rain today.

Neither is worth a poop if u can't properly place shots. A .22lr in the eye is better than a 9mm in the arm.

I went to a high school that was notorious for fights on the days they played a "home" football game - especially if they lost! There was a kid by the nickname of "buster" who hid a shotgun in his pant leg on game days. As you said, he could not bend his knee, so he would "swing" that stiff leg forward with every step. Everyone knew what was going on.

Non-game days?....he walked the same as everyone else. I never did go to a football game at that school.

This is the most important thing to remember.

In my self-defense class we teach the acronym A.S.P. It's easy to remember because an Asp is a nasty little snake. Not instantly deadly, but if applied properly will certainly run the bad guy off. It goes like this:

1. Accuracy
2. Speed
3. Power

You can have all the power in the world, but if you're slow, the bad guy can get out of the way. You can be as fast as a snake, but if you can't hit the target it's wasted. This is why accuracy is most important. So, first be accurate, then be fast, power will take care of itself. Accuracy and speed can be practiced and improved. Power is just what you brought.

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Freedom isn't free.

I carry a 637 loaded with 38 spl. No on any rimfire. Too finicky. Yiogo

I still don't know what the OP was trying (if he was trying) to say.

And, I've spend too much time thinking about it.

Bye.