What Caliber Should I Carry?

What Caliber Should I Carry?
What’s the Best Caliber for Self Defense?

 

A common topic of discussion among gun owners is “what’s the best caliber of gun for self-defense?” The choice of caliber of a gun is also linked with the choice of the gun size itself. As usual, opinions will vary on this topic…but let’s unpack that question a little bit and take a look at some of the factors to consider; by the end of the article, we’ll express an opinion, but ultimately, that choice is yours.

First, we’re going to restrict the discussion to handgun calibers, with the notion that the question is really aimed at concealed carry. For home defense, the answer could well be different. We tackled that question in an earlier post titled “What’s the Best Weapon for Home Defense”. If you missed that, you can go check it out on our website at www.selectfiretrainingcenter.com/posts, along with all of our other articles/posts.

Having limited the topic down to handguns, what are the “main” caliber options? While there are lots of calibers to consider, let’s consider the 5 most common semi-automatic calibers …. we will consider (in largest to smallest order) 0.45 ACP. 0.40 S&W, 10mm, 9mm, and 0.380 ACP. But how can you say, “this caliber is ‘better’ than that caliber’? Each of these rounds presents ‘pros & cons’, i.e., positive, and negative characteristics in a handful of categories. The choice really comes down to how the individual prioritizes those pros & cons. So, what are those categories?

Some of the main considerations in the choice of a concealed carry caliber & gun include concealability (along with magazine capacity), ‘stopping power’ , recoil, and the cost (and common availability) of ammunition. Often, the optimal choice for one of these considerations can have a negative effect on some of the others. Some of the conflicting tradeoffs may be pretty obvious, but others are not. All of this can be confusing for new shooters who are looking to choose what caliber to carry. Let’s talk about each individually, so that you can make an informed choice.

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‘Stopping power’ is a much discussed, but often misunderstood topic. For this discussion, we will define it in terms of muzzle energy, a quantity that can easily be measured.

 

While the ability to conceal the weapon may not be an important factor in home defense, it is a crucial factor if you’re going to carry the weapon….in a general sense, larger calibers require a larger frame. Larger calibers clearly need more magazine space to carry rounds; sometimes a tradeoff here is made by lowering magazine capacity to keep size down. While the caliber is certainly not the ONLY driver in size of the gun (and therefore, concealability), it plays a role. All of the calibers under consideration will generate a meaningful amount of recoil, which leads to barrel rise (‘snappiness’) when shot from short barrels. This will be further accentuated with larger calibers. Strictly from the ‘concealability’ standpoint (largely meaning practicality of using a short barrel), then the calibers under consideration would probably rank in reverse order, i.e., smallest to largest. That would suggest 0.380 ACP, then 9mm, 10mm, 0.40 S&W, and 0.45 ACP. Magazine capacity, insofar as it relates to concealability, would be ranked the same …except that it’s more common to have higher capacity magazines in 9mm caliber weapons than in 0.380 ACP; 0.380’s are often completely optimized for small size, and have smaller magazines. With that notion factored in, then 9mm may be the best choice for concealability & (generally) magazine capacity. Of course, this is only one factor.

Stopping power is always a ‘hot button’ topic when talking about defensive handgun applications. While we won’t get into a detailed discussion of what that means here (we’ll save that for a future article), stopping power can be quantified, to a degree, by looking at the muzzle energy that each caliber delivers . Comparing muzzle energy values is convenient, since it is a measurable quantity, though it doesn’t tell the entire story in “stopping power”; bullet design plays a big role in that as well. However, using proper defensive ammo (for any caliber) will maximize the stopping power of that caliber, so muzzle energy is still a good comparison between the calibers. One thing to keep in mind, though; while ‘stopping power’ looks (on the surface) to be unrelated to the previously discussed ‘concealability’, there is a relationship between them as well, since muzzle energy (for any caliber) will partially be a function of barrel length; the longer the barrel, the greater distance the expanding gas of the cartridge can “push” on the bullet, making it have greater velocity. However, for simplicity in this article, we’ll present muzzle energy as an average value across a range of barrel lengths. That comparison is shown in Table 1 (note that this is only a cross section of different combinations of ammunition type and barrel length, though the general trends are correct). As expected, larger calibers deliver greater muzzle energy, and will generally have greater ‘stopping power’. Strictly from a stopping power consideration, the rankings will generally follow this. However, the flip side of ‘stopping power’ is generally recoil. Larger, more powerful rounds will generate greater recoil, making the gun harder to control for the shooter.

 

A final factor to consider when choosing what caliber to pick is the cost and availability of ammunition. This is a factor that isn’t always thought about when considering calibers…. but it should be, as it is the major factor in the ongoing cost of ownership. Also, when the ammunition is more expensive, the shooter is less likely to practice with it. Availability of the ammunition is a secondary consideration but should still be thought about. 9mm is the most commonly shot caliber in the U.S. (and in the rest of the world); its common usage means it is sold in virtually every retail location that sells ammunition, though some shops may or may not carry 10mm or 0.40 S&W. The fact that 9mm is so commonly produced also leads to it being (generally) the least expensive caliber, even less expensive than the smaller 0.380 ACP. Since there are many, many manufactures making it; this leads to more competitive prices for the shooter. This all means that from the standpoint of cost and availability of ammunition, 9mm is the clear winner.

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Muzzle energy can vary with ammunition; representative values are used here.

 

So, in summary, where does this leave us? What is the best caliber to choose for carry and defensive purposes?

In many people’s opinion (including this author), 9mm represents the overall best choice in caliber for the concealed carry mission. When used with high quality defensive ammunition, it delivers good (though admittedly not the highest) ‘stopping power’, with recoil levels that most any shooter can handle. This caliber allows for small to midsize firearms to be comfortably used and controlled and is available from many (virtually all) manufacturers, with a wide range of magazine capacities to fit personal choice. The ammunition in this caliber is comparatively inexpensive (relative to the others on the list) and readily available almost anywhere; the low cost helps make practicing affordable. While it may not have the highest stopping power on the list, it is still adequate in that department, and its shortcomings in that area are well offset by its advantages in other ways.

We hope you have enjoyed this article; if you’ve missed any of our other articles, you can find them at www.selectfiretrainingcenter.com/posts/. Come out and train with us at Select Fire Training Center, and let our knowledgeable staff help you as you choose what caliber to pick!

 

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