Ramblings about self-defense calibers

What caliber carry pistol should I get?Do you want to start a fight? Because this is how you start a fight. This is like asking a random group of strangers who their favorite college football/hockey team is; someone's about to die.9mm, always.9mm might seem like an obvious choice, and for good reason. The FBI switched to it, the US Military is switching to it, and many local LE departments are following suit. You get fantastic magazine capacity, low gun weight, and relatively soft recoil. There are some notable exceptions to 9mm, however. California has a blanket ban on the sale of magazines with anything over 10 rounds, as do a few other states. If someone in California is an experienced shooter and desires to carry a larger pistol due to barrel length, sight radius, and grip comfort, 9mm slowly loses attraction. If you can only carry 10 rounds, which would you pick?There is no appreciable difference between the wounding tracks of 9mm, .40 SW, and .45 ACP of the same model ammunition. So why would you want to carry a heavier gun?Valid point. But in certain comparisons, there's very little difference. The G30S (10+1 .45 ACP) and the G19 (15+1 9mm) are very similar in overall size and weight. They both weigh ~30 oz loaded (+- 5%, depending on grain weight), and have very similar overall dimensions. But when California gets thrown into the equation, it becomes an even tougher choice. California will limit you to 10 rounds, so which do you want? You'll shave an ounce or two in weight with the G19 by castrating the magazine, but not much.I get free .40 ammo from my department.Stop reading and go buy a .40 caliber. The money you will save in free ammo can pay for a very nice pistol and some advanced training. Ammo isn't cheap. Cheap range ammo, even when bought in bulk, is still $0.23/rd as of October 2016 (Remington UMC). If you're shooting 1000 rounds per year, which I feel to be a "minimum requirement" if you're going to be carrying a firearm every day of your life, the cost of ammo starts to quickly grow with time. The negatives regarding .40, such as snappy recoil, can be mitigated with lots of training. And if you have access to free ammo, take advantage of it.So, which should I choose?People do find advantages to 9mm. But if you have magazine restrictions or access to free ammo, there are equally good arguments to be made with .40 or .45.Should I even consider .380?Yes, but rarely and probably only after trying something else. Right now, very few manufacturers are making mouse guns in 9mm and none of them are any kind of pleasant to shoot. If you have extreme concealability concerns, these little 10-15oz .380's might be your best choice. I would certainly advise trying to carry something with reasonable size and capacity first, but there are some people whose lives do necessitate hiding an LCP where sunlight never reaches.Should I get a single-stack .40 or .45 backup gun if my...Maybe... if you get free .40 ammo, certainly consider getting a single-stack .40 as a backup gun. If you buy your .45 ammo in bulk because your primary , run the numbers, first. It might not make economical sense to buy 9mm ammo just to shoot and train with your backup gun once in a blue moon. You would probably be buying 9mm in small quantities, and the price goes up. via /r/CCW http://ift.tt/2ewob8S