Preferred every day carry cartridge?

[BabaBlueJay]

I am curious as to what people on the forums carry and why?

Mainly I am interested to see what went into you deciding cartridge X was right for you, after weighing the pros and cons. Almost every round has strengths and weaknesses.

I carry a 22LR NAA mini revolver most days, which many people caution against, and I get the downsides to be sure. Especially being single action.

Weaknesses:
1. Failures to fire

2. Lack of stopping power

3. Lack of penetration

Strengths
1. Low Recoil/Easy to shoot

2. Affordable/abundant

3. Lightweight

 

[Krogen]

9mm in a Sig P365. Reason? To my thinking, it's enough. Lots of people would disagree, but 11 9mm's in a small pistol ticks most of the boxes for me. Enough firepower and easy to carry. Everything is a compromise, but a P365 with me is far more useful than a 1911 that isn't.

 

[SnidelyWhiplash]

I prefer a single-action auto...always have. Depending on weather...mode of dress...it's one of three...A Colt Lightweight Commander or Defender...both in .45 ACP...or just as likely a S&W CSX 9mm these days.

I carried a revolver off duty for years when restricted to revolvers and never felt underarmed. A self-loader is simply easier to carry and more concealable.

 

[WR Moore]

Frankly, I don't see a significant difference between 9 mm and .38 Spl +P. This time of year the one handgun I don't go out of the house without is an old/ancient High Standard derringer loaded with .22 Mag snake shot. Others many also be along for the ride out here in rural America.

 

[Rustyt1953]

I want it to be a surprise.

 

[BabaBlueJay]

I want it to be a surprise.

I imagine yours being a flag that says ¨Bang¨ like the joker for some reason

 

[45Smashemflat]

The poll specifically says “preferred”, so that is how I voted. I prefer to carry one of my 1911’s in 45ACP and often do.

However, sometimes weather, location, or mode of dress dictates otherwise.

I prefer the 45 due to the known capability of the round, and my ability with the platform. It’s been my carry for decades. I have confidence in the pairing and carry either a 5” or 3” as the situation warrants.

That said, in the summer, in the south, sometimes you just can’t dress around the larger heavier automatic. In those cases I go with a 380 automatic, or a J frame in 38. (I don’t see the advantages of 357 in a J frame, so I just went with a 38.). Both of these are very lightweight pieces and can be concealed multiple ways. Often it will be the 380 in pocket mode and the 337 38 on my ankle.

 

[somorris]

S&W 642 the majority of the time. The ballistics are okay and it is just so convenient. I think most of the calibers we carry would not stop a threat by knocking it down with one punch (pun intended, ) but would cause a ner’do’well to think again and maybe decide to vacate. If it wasn’t so inconvenient to carry a 12 gauge, that would be the ticket!

 

[pasound]

J frame model 38 if in the pocket, model 637 if in a IWB or sometimes an OWB holster. Old school Winchester 110gr Silvertips in either. Not +P but proven expansion from a short barrel.

 

[Bald1]

Sig 365 9mm. Pocket carry and easy to conceal. If you have a problem that 11 rounds of 9mm won’t solve, your choice of carry probably doesn’t matter.

 

[Echo40]

I prefer to carry .40 S&W. Why? Because where I live, there are more than just two-legged predators to worry about so I carry a cartridge powerful enough to deal with anything I might encounter.

STRENGTHS:

• Starts with a four, need I say more?
  It's generally agreed upon that when dealing with four-legged predators, you want cartridge that's at least .40 caliber.
• Straight-line hard barrier penetration.
  .40 S&W has a reputation for being able to pass through solid objects without deviation, thus ensuring that your shots stay on-target. Shot placement is king, after all.
• An excellent balance between power, concealability, and control.
  .40 S&W delivers more muzzle energy than 9mm Parabellum or even .45 ACP, in a frame size equal to 9mm, yet target acquisition between shots isn't adversely affected.

WEAKNESSES:

• "Snappy Recoil"
  A common complaint about .40 S&W is that it has greater felt recoil than 9mm Parabellem or even .45 ACP. For many it can be unpleasant to shoot, potentially causing them to develop a flinch.
• Lower Magazine Capacity than 9mm Parabellum.
  You lose between 2 to 3 rounds of capacity with .40 S&W compared to 9mm Parabellum, due to the larger diameter of the bullet.
• "It's a dead cartridge!"
  As of 2016, Law Enforcement agencies at large have switched to 9mm Parabellum, which flooded the market with cheap police trade-ins, thus lowering demand, so a number of manufacturers have stopped producing firearms chambered in .40 S&W. According to some, this means that the cartridge is "dead" that its decrease in popularity is permanent, it will never make a comeback, and soon nobody will guns of ammo for the cartridge ever again.

 

[Old cop]

Thirty-eight: (1) Available in a very light J Frame; (2) Easy to pocket carry; & (3) It worked when I had to use it during my LE career. Second choice is the LCP .380 when I cannot adequately conceal a J Frame.

 

[TheTinMan]

Other: 9x23 Winchester is my preferred cartridge for EDC. .357 Magnum ballistics. A 4” 1911 with an Officers frame holds 8+1 is is 2 ounces heavier than my Sig P365 XL.

 

[SteveJewels]

9mm Kahr PM9, IWB left

Small, light, easy to carry, sufficient (I believe) firepower, not worried about wear, safe to carry without a safety.

 

[StrawHat]

The caption very much says it all.

https://smith-wessonforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=682440&d=1716327250

Kevin

 

[ladder13]

P365 in 9 …….or a 380 Seecamp when wearing my speedo.

 

[Bill In Texas]

There are three guns that I usually carry depending upon dress and situations. All three are chambered for different calibers.

I voted for .357 mag because the gun I prefer to carry is my 640. It fits in my pocket with a Mika holster and is loaded with Speer Short Barrel 135 grain rounds. The 640 has a little heft to it so it requires a good belt.

On days like today when working outside the 640 is to heavy for basketball shorts, so I opt for my 642 with the same Speer Short Barrel load, just in .38 Special.

Usually in the winter with some sort of cover garment, I'll be packing my .40 caliber Shield loaded with 165 grain HST's.

I feel pretty comfortable and confident with any of the three and practice with them regularly. Oh, and at any given moment, I may have 2 of the 3 on me. It was tough answering the poll.

 

[ISCS Yoda]

I pocket carry a Model 649 every day. .38 Special. It's one to ride the river with. The gun itself is not heavy, easily hidden, and .38 Special FMJ semi-wadcutters will git-r-dun!!! Recoil is unimportant. That's why I carry a steel gun.

On rare occasion, and depending on a number of factors, clothing being a factor, I might fall back to a .25 ACP but you want to know EDC and it's .38 Special.

I switch to a 9mm in my pocket when I head to places that I consider to have too much temptation and targets of opportunity for goblins. Still, not EDC.

 

[mikerjf]

I understand that no one wants to be shot with anything, and we can afford to practice more with 22LR, and psychological stops are a thing; but I can’t see less than a 38/9 minimum because what if it’s dark and he can’t see I have a gun? What if it’s a dog/other critter and doesn’t know he doesn’t want me to shoot him? I still have to stop them with what I have.

More recently I’m thinking big bore. Low-pressure rounds will be a lot easier on *me*. 45ACP and 44 Special have plenty of bite, without the bark of a 357 or 9mm. I’d like to keep the minimal hearing I have left.

 

[CH4]

I like 9, 45, 40, 10mm, 44 spl and 38/357, but the guns I most often carry are chambered for the 38/357.