Carry Preference

cabezaverde

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Given the same approx weight and size, would you prefer to carry a gun with 8 rounds of 45 acp or 13 rounds of 9mm?
 
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I think for a civilian self-defense situation, if you can't get the job done with 8 rounds, you are probably in deep doo-doo. Law enforcement needs are of course totally different.

As a civilian, I have no problem carrying a J-Frame with 5 rounds of .38 special. That is my "always" gun. Other times I carry a Glock 19 with 15+1 rounds, not because I think I need that many rounds, but because I like the gun.

There is an endless debate on 9mm vs. 45ACP. Either will do the job with the right ammo, so long as you practice and hit effectively.
 
Well since I can't have more than 10 rounds anyway :mad: I would use the .45.
 
I usually carry a Colt Combat Commander. So far for ccw 8 rounds has always been enough - I do carry a spare magazine with me at all times.
 
As this is the "concealed carry" section. I would carry what conceals best. Practically, that will be the .45.

Whilst still employed as a LEO I was issued two 9mm pistols. One with a 13 round magazine; the other with an 8. Carried the larger when on duty...the smaller when off duty. Again, the concealability factor was paramount.

Be safe.
 
Most confrontations on the average citizen (non law-enforcement) who is carrying a weapon for self-defenfse result in actual shots fired of three shots or less. I myself usually practice by drawing and firing two rapidly successive shots. So I'd rather fire off two .45s, which have a greater potential to ceasing the threat in a single volley than fire off two 9mm, check him, fire a couple more, check him again, fire a couple more, etc.
 
Well, interesting question that has been asked over and over and over, but is still a good question. My daily carry most days holds nine rounds of 9x23, and my two spare mags each contain nine more. And then, I carry a spare gun. The idea that, "If it takes more than (fill in the blank) shots, I'm not going to make it anyway," amounts to preparation to die, not to survive, and since the magazine is the part most likely to fail in a semiauto, you should carry at least one spare mag, regardless of how many rounds are in the gun.

Sure, statistics say you're not likely to need more than three rounds to solve Problem One. However, statistics also say you're not likely to have to shoot anyone anyway, and it's not going to be a statistic that is trying to kill you.

Eight .45s vs. 13 9x19s is less important than how well you shoot one or the other, and which you're most likely to ALWAYS carry. I find that I shoot single-stack guns a little better, since I have small hands. Also, with a single-stack, both the gun butt and spare mag are easier to conceal, so those factors make it more likely that I'll be carrying a single-stack. In terms of the warm, fuzzy feeling that goes with being adequately armed, I'm happy with either choice.

And, I like blondes, brunettes AND redheads...
 
If I find myself in a situation where I have to pull my gun to defend myself, I'd want to throw the biggest, heaviest metal ball at the bad guy that I can find. That would be a .45 acp. Need more ammo? Carry a reload.

Age-old debate, with no right or wrong answers. It is a matter of personal preference that we each have to live with. Some prefer Chevy, some prefer Ford.
 

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