The new poll and results of last week’s poll are now up at The Zelman Partisans.
Let your opinions fly on the question of what’s your favorite caliber for everyday carry.
The new poll and results of last week’s poll are now up at The Zelman Partisans.
Let your opinions fly on the question of what’s your favorite caliber for everyday carry.
You mean there’s a pistol caliber other than .44 Special? Why knew/
Sigh. Proofread, then post.
LOL I hear it’s even more fun if you have “autocorrect.” I trip often enough all by my myself. 🙂
I admit I put that one into the poll just for you, Joel. I’m not expecting to get a whole lot of v*tes for it. I already see that one person must really not have been even expecting to see it. Somebody chose “other” then put .44 Special in the comment box.
As long as the gun you carry is a defensive gun, and not one of those murder guns, you will be fine.:)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFcUOwnfAsE
Actually…um…that was me, Claire.
“Actually…um…that was me, Claire.”
Oh ye of little faith. Of course I’d put .44 special in there. Otherwise I just knew I’d hear … words from you. 🙂
Well, I admit I don’t EDC. If I did, it’d likely be 9mm loaded up with something 147gr. Much as I cherish my 1911, it’s too big – for me anyways. At least, it feels less comfortable on my hip IWB. I suppose I should investigate various possibilities, but I would be leaning towards something more compact than anything I now own anyways. I should try a “Commander” size .45.
I was pondering why the poll lumps .380ACP and .38 Special together. Check out http://www.ballistics101.com/ for muzzle energy figures.
* .38 Special, Speer Gold Dot 125gr +P – 248 lb-ft.
* .380 ACP, Speer Gold Dot 90gr +P – 196 lb-ft.
* 9mm, Speer Gold Dot 124gr +P – 410 lb-ft.
Yes, I know, muzzle energy isn’t the whole story. Just a very quick set of data points. Having never looked at data, I just figured .38 Special = larger case = more powder = higher velocity. Yes, I know, pressure limits.
Just for grins:
* .45 ACP, Speer Gold Dot 230gr – 404 lb-ft.
* .44 Special, Speer Gold Dot 200gr – 340 lb-ft.
* .357 Mag., Speer Gold Dot 125gr – 584 lb-ft.
I suspect that I’m not the only one for whom there is a difference between “favorite EDC caliber” and “what I actually wear every day”. I answered the “favorite” question since that’s what was asked, but there are a lot of days when a full-sized 1911 .45 is just a hair too big, or (more commonly) too heavy, and a Kahr CW40 .40 Smith is not.
Yes, the .45 is my favorite. Sure, part of that is that I trust the ammo–specifically, that nearly any .45ACP I can get my hands on should suffice to do what I need–but part of that “favorite” is the gun as well. That 1911 and I have been through a lot together, and I know quite precisely what I can do with it. Confidence counts!
I fully trust the .40 as well, and really, for the same reasons: the basic ballistics are forgiving, even if premium ammo is unavailable, or if hollowpoints plug up, etc. The gun, too: every time I test myself, the hits are there, quickly. And I have to admit that Kahr “scoops” out of the leather faster than the 1911.
I used to sweat the caliber wars a lot more as a younger man, but somewhere along the way, two things happened that made most of all that moot: 1) I actually got competent enough that it was no longer about shooting well enough but rather about using the gun to do things, and 2) I actually started to put the “ED” in “EDC”. Man, that taught me a lot!
Now, because of that, I could probably take any number of basic guns, pair them with good leather, and be happy and confident with EDC. A good week of hard initial testing, a modicum of skills maintenance, and I’d be good to shift focus back to my primary interest: avoiding fights. 🙂
Avoiding fights.
I’m tempted to stop right there, but I have a little more to say.
Always the caliber wars. The best caliber for EDC is the one you have on you, every day, the one with which you’ve practiced until you can reliably make quick center-of-mass shots under pressure. The one that makes you confident enough to… avoid fights.
Thank you Kevin Wilmeth for that reminder.
The poll isn’t trying to start fights or continue the ridiculous caliber wars. Or even to establish any mythical “best” caliber. It’s just about individual favorites.
Muzzle velocity vs. barrel length can be found here: http://practicaleschatology.blogspot.com/2015/08/muzzle-velocity-vs-barrel-length.html
These energy figures must be for kinetic energy, or 1/2 x mass x velocity squared. Momentum is mass x velocity. Kinetic energy is considered an indicator of damage caused. Jeff Cooper believed that stopping power was directly related to momentum (it’s the only major contention of his, as far as I know, that has been seriously questioned). Kinetic energy figures favor a lighter faster bullet, while momentum figures favor a slower heavier bullet. As we all know, tissue is complex and only results can prove anything.
On their kinetic energy figures, the .357 Sig and .380 do surprisingly well. The larger revolver cartridges, also do well, of course, but do particularly well from longer barrels, which obviously means lever action rifles in those calibers ought to be quite effective.
“…means lever action rifles in those calibers ought to be quite effective.”
🙂 Probably, but my Marlin 30-30 would be difficult to carry in a holster, let alone conceal. 🙂 But I remember (vaguely) “Josh Randal” on TV many years ago, with his short barreled rifle in a hip holster. That was awesome.
Life is a constant battle with compromise, one way or another.
The best gun/caliber/carry option is the one you can reliably control. A solid hit with a .22 beats the miss with a .45 every day. The gun you need is the one in your hand… when you need it. No guarantee on the outcome, unfortunately, no matter what you choose.
A discussion of handgun stopping power in general: http://www.buckeyefirearms.org/handgun-stopping-power
Another, on the .22LR specifically: http://www.buckeyefirearms.org/using-22-self-defense
Anyone interested in these or similar subjects should consider signing up for the free emails from http://www.buckeyefirearms.org/
To me, anything other than 9mm with a good bullet seems pointless. As I get older I can tolerate weight less and less, so my Walther PPQ is about as heavy as I want to get any more. And who can argue against the price and availability of 9mm? It’s enough, and it works.
I have a soft spot for 1911s and used to carry one for a while. However 9mm 1911s are rare to nonexistent so I am no longer interested. 😉
My primary EDC piece is a Springfield Armory XD in 9mm. I Load it with the available-at-walmart Remington hollow points.
But, I reload, and gets me all choked up and misty like talking about my favorite loads in .44Mag and .44Spl.
As a result, by BACKUP piece (that I ALSO carry every day) is a cute little Charter Arms Bulldog in .44Spl…..loaded with my special secret recipe.
Nothing is quite as special as .44 special.
OT funny, “The gunfighter”:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYP-2UCS5nY#t=519
I’ve seen that video. Yep, it’s hilarious. NSFW for sure, but hilarious.