As often noted, most handguns suck as fight stoppers. Why it may take more than 5-6 against just a singke attacker. Now toss in 2-3, nomsuch thing as too much ammo. A Shield, g26 p365, all easily carried iwb under a T. A p365 can even do pocket carry, but never been a fan of a gun in my pants pocket, just too slow.
This is one of those decisions where if the answer is still going to be a handgun, it's still going to be a compromise, because it's still going to be a handgun.
Yes, there have been situations where cops needed more rounds than 5 or 6. On the other hand, there have been plenty of situations where cops have stopped armed suspects with less than 5 or 6 rounds, and even stopped 2 or 3 when only using a revolver. Decisively, too.
If someone wants to make the effort to constantly carry a larger gun than a snub .38/.357 or one of the newer diminutive .380's, that's absolutely their choice to make.
Yep, the difference between being able to fire 5 or 6 rounds before having to reload, versus being able to fire 7-10 rounds before reloading, might become critical. Or it might not.
Being able to utilize the best tactics available at the moment might be pretty damned critical, too. (Like using a post, column or veh as cover.)
Being able to get the
best anatomical hits against the threat you're facing is obviously desirable, too.
Knowing
when to start making that first shot, or shots, might make all the difference, too.
I think it was Mas who once did some timed drills where he compared drawing from a pocket holster, when his hand had already accessed the grip. It was fast. If I remember right, it even offered him a slight advantage to a belt holstered gun ... because he could already surreptitiously have his hand on the gun butt without it being noticeable to bystanders, compared to trying to do it with a belt gun.
In the world of compromise that is using a handgun as a personal defensive weapons or off-duty/retirement weapon, there are lots of choices that can be made, and lots of reasons why they might be advantages or disadvantages for different folks, under different conditions.
There have been times when someone asked me why my groups during some drill have been located a bit high on the target, thinking I was missing hitting the COM. I explained to them about the aortic arch being at the top of the heart, and being the
high pressure side of the pump. And that the upper T-spine is pretty much behind it (but only if the threat is directly facing you.) Threat targets with various types of anatomical markings may give a different perspective about where "hits" go.
