The question debated here is similar to ones like "What is the best or safest car to drive?" There is almost 0 chance of agreement, because there are many experiences and many opinions. Here is mine:

I'm not current or ex- LEO or military, but have moderate firearms experience. And like most people today, I have a lot of other stuff to carry around (keys, smartphone, company phone, etc). The last thing I need is another big thing to keep on my person all the time, especially since I don't live my life in dangerous situations.

I have a nice small Kahr 9mm that I keep with me at times, but even it is a burden, so it gets left at home more and more. And despite a fair amount of practice, I am not that accurate with it. However, I *am* quite accurate with any of the several .22s that I have.

In fact, I am confident that I could place my first .22 shot - and several follow-ups - pretty much where I want them to be, while with any of my small larger-caliber guns I am not so sure. Those with more experience might feel differently.

Thus I am thinking the best option for me is a small .22 that I can carry with me much more often than any of the big chunks I have now, and this would be the best option - for me - because of my confidence with .22s in general, and because the best gun is the one that I can have with me as much of the time as possible.

I am also mindful the the likelihood of my *ever* having to use my carry piece is close to the likelihood of winning the lottery, so I don't want to let carrying a large weapon govern my everyday life.

Your situation might be different.