CCW caliber?

[A2 Buckeye]

Hi All,

I'm in the process of getting my Michigan CDL (I should be carrying by Thanksgiving) and currently own a S&W Sigma 9mm. I want to buy a new weapon when the license comes through.

This is my first post here on USACarry, and I am pretty sure of two things:
1) This topic has already been covered somewhere on these forums.
2) It will generate a bunch of differing opinions.

I know #2 is true from discussions I've already had with gun shop personnel, firearms instructors, LEOs and friends who already carry.

So the question: what caliber to carry--9mm, .40 S&W, or .45 ACP?

I am comfortable with the 9mm and have thought about loading with +P ammo for defensive purposes. An instructor in a recent course recommended .45 ACP (I'm a pretty big guy), but a cop acquaintance claims the .40 has the same stopping power as the .45 because of its higher muzzle velocity.

Thoughts? Opinion? Comparisons of muzzle energy?

Thanks in advance for any info!

[cia1984]

Carried on a super tuck IWB, very comfortable.

[Firefighterchen]

Use the search tool to find the answer. It has come up quite a few times.

To sum it up, whatever you can use the best is what you should be carrying.

A miss with a .45 has no "stopping power" while a well placed rock can stop a threat immediately.

[TheSp8]

My primary carry is a Taurus 24/7 in .45 acp. I'm a fan of heavy bullets. That said, the best one for you is the one you can shoot the best. My backup is a 9mm. I have faith in both calibers.

[jtg452]

It doesn't matter what I think. It doesn't matter what the LEO, the gun shop guy or your buddies think. 'Cause we aren't the ones that are going to be shooting the gun- you are. So, what do YOU think is best?

Carry as much gun as you can:

1. Conceal comfortably.

2. Shoot accurately.

Any one of the 3 choices will do the job IF YOU DO YOUR PART. Go with what you shoot best.

[gkeil961]

Its not the caliber that makes a difference, if you can not proper place your target, then it is useless for higher caliber...... What ever caliber you choose, go with the highest grain, maybe even consider a +P round.

Like stated above, my carry ammo is that the local PD uses..... Winchester PDX1...... Whatever you choose, put a box of your carry ammo through it, to ensure out will cycle through the weapon.

I have course a 9mm, less money for practice, and proven caliber

How this helps

[cougaram]

It doesn't matter what I think. It doesn't matter what the LEO, the gun shop guy or your buddies think. 'Cause we aren't the ones that are going to be shooting the gun- you are. So, what do YOU think is best?

Carry as much gun as you can:

1. Conceal comfortably.

2. Shoot accurately.

Any one of the 3 choices will do the job IF YOU DO YOUR PART. Go with what you shoot best.

Absolutely, and that applies to what brand of handgun too.

[Phillip Gain]

My recommendation for a firearm for ANYONE:

"Purchase the largest caliber handgun with the biggest capacity, that you will feel comfortable carrying on a daily basis."

One thing that I would add to this: If you're thinking about pocket carry, the only firearm I recommend is a hammerless revolver. (Not one with a "bobbed" hammer but one where the hammer mechanism is contained internally.) The biggest advantage of pocket carry is to actually be able to point and shoot from inside the pocket; semi-autos fail to eject and "stovepipe" (jam), while pocket fabric tends to tangle up in the hammers of conventional revolvers. Either situation renders your firearm useless after one shot. And in pocket-carry calibers, you WILL need more than one shot.

Also - DON'T BOTHER with a +P or +P+ round unless your firearm has a barrel length of at least 4 inches. The powder charges in these rounds will not fully burn in a shorter barrel...which means a larger part of the charge burns OUTSIDE the barrel...which means increased noise and muzzle flash with NEGLIGIBLE increase in velocity to the bullet.

Some links for your further research:

Brass Fetcher Ballistic Testing
Handgun Wounding Factors and Effectiveness - FBI Academy (requires Adobe Reader)

[Iam2Taz]

What JTG and Phillip says!

[golddigger14s]

9mm, Hornady Critical Defence. Also remember MI is an open carry state, but you will need the CPL for when you get in your car.