Which Caliber Handgun To Carry?

Many new gun owners or future  gun owners face a serious problem, which handgun to choose. I'm going to give a brief description of different handgun types, calibers, & effectiveness. These basic guidelines should assist with this wonderful dilema. These are not rules, just guidelines.



Handgun Types


Semi-Automatic
Pros  - They generally hold more rounds & have multiple safeties. They also can accomodate large   numbers of accessories. They are also easier to take apart & repair.
Cons - They have more parts that can go bad. They can suffer from malfunctions due to ammo quality such as stove pipes & double feeds.

Revolver
Pros  - They generally are quicker to fire due to lack of safeties & malfunctions are rare.
Cons - They carry less rounds & are useless if you want to use a sound suppressor.


Receiver Materials


Steel
Pros  - They handle recoil masterfully & are durable.
Cons - They are heavy & they are prone to rust.

Stainless Steel
Pros  - They handle recoil masterfully & are durable. They also do well against rust.
Cons - They are heavy & their shine can give away your location.

Polymer
Pros  - They are light weight & are durable.
Cons - They handle recoil poorly which can cause loss of target when shooting higher grain rounds.


Handgun Size


Full Size - .45acp Iver Johnson 1911A1 & .45 Springfield Armory XDS

Pros  - They handle recoil well & some carry 20+ rounds with regular magazine. Great to show off.
Cons - They are basically hand cannons, so there is no comfortable way to conceal them. Even carrying them in the open could be uncomfortable.

Compact Size - 9mm Glock 19 & .45acp Rock River 1911 Commander

Pros  - They handle recoil ok & some carry 16+ rounds with a regular magazine. They also conceal well.
Cons - They may be to large to conceal on certain body types or in certain locations such as a pocket.

Sub-Compact Size - 9mm Glock 26 & .38 Special S&W Bodyguard Revolver

Pros  - They conceal well, even in pockets & some carry 11+ rounds with a regular magazine.
Cons - They generally don't handle recoil very well.

Big Ol' Guns - .50AE Desert Eagle & 500 S&W Magnum Revolver

Pros  - They blow things away very well. They also will bring lots of oohs & ahhhs.
Cons - The recoil can break fingers & noses & they are also very expensive.


Ammo Caliber
I am not going to compare speed or ballistics because they differ too much between manufacturers & models. This is just a very basic introduction to some of the more popular calibers.

.22lr
Pros  - It is extremely cheap literally costing as low as 2¢ a round. It can also stop an attacker.
Cons - It is very dirty, which will require frequent cleanings. It also carries very few grains so the penetration may not occur if/when it is used for hunting or self defense.

.380
Pros  - It is the smallest caliber recommended for self defense due to a higher grain count.
Cons - It has very few grains like the .22lr so the penetration may not be optimal if/when it is used.

.38 Special
Pros  - It is fairly inexpensive & is used mainly in sub-compact revolvers.
Cons - It is lacking in its penetration power, often being stopped by heavy clothing.

.357 Magnum
Pros  - It is used mainly for compact & larger revolvers.
Cons - It is expensive & has noticeable recoil causing acquisition loss.

9mm Luger
Pros  - It is a common round for concealed carry due to its size & that many rounds can be loaded.
Cons - It has a higher velocity than the .40 but a smaller diameter.

.40 S&W
Pros  - It has a larger diameter than the 9mm & many can still  loaded into the weapon.
Cons - It is expensive & has noticeable recoil causing acquisition loss.

.45 ACP
Pros  - It is the preferred round for concealed carry due to its large diameter & slow speed.
Cons - It is very expensive & has acquisition loss due to recoil. Generally few rounds are loaded.

.50AE
Pros  - It will stop vehicles & make an attacker crap his pants.
Cons - It is crazy expensive & has violent recoil.

Disclaimer:

I did not take this picture. I found it on a Google image search and thought it might be useful for educational purposes. Image used under copyright fair usage provisions.

Ammo Type

High Velocity
Pros  - It is great for combat & indoor range time because the round will go long distances.
Cons - It is bad for self defense because the round can go through the attacker, or through a wall into an innocent bystander. Always know what is behind where the bullet is going.

Full Metal Jacket (FMJ)
Pros  - It is great for combat & indoor range time because the round will go long distances.
Cons - It is bad for self defense because the round can go through the attacker, or through a wall into an innocent bystander.

Hollow Point (HP)
Pros  - It is great for self defense because it will expand inside the attacker. This will cause more instant damage which is known as stopping power. It will also not continue through walls & injuring others.
Cons - It is more expensive & has more recoil.

Subsonic

Pros  - It is designed for suppressed use. 

Cons - It has low power so the handgun may have problems cycling the ammo.

What I Carry


I have a Texas concealed carry licence (CHL) & my everyday carry is a sub-compact .40 Glock 27. I carry it in my pocket holster or in a belly band holster everywhere except work & that pesky list of unapproved locations. When I shoot it, its nowhere as comfortable as my full size .45 acp 1911A1 but its still very manageable. I also carry a .38 Special S&W Airweight revolver in my car between the seats. Although the S&W is a lot more comfortable to carry, it only holds 5 rounds. My Glock 27 holds at minimum 11 rounds. In a car jacking I would only need a couple quick shots to pull away so a revolver is ideal.



Other Craziness 


Both Taurus & S&W have come out with revolvers that shoot .410 shotgun rounds & .45 colt ammo. They can use birdshot, buckshot, or the PDX1's that have 2 slugs followed by 3 buckshots.

Taurus Judge Ultra Lite- Its a full size revolver that holds 7 rounds of 2.5"or 3" .410 ammo & .45 colt.
Taurus Public Defender - Its a compact size revolver that holds 5 rounds of 2.5" .410 ammo & .45 colt.
S&W Governor - Its a compact size revolver that holds 6 rounds 2.5" .410 ammo, .45 colt, & .45acp.