What Caliber is Best for Concealed Carry?

The best caliber for concealed carry is determined by the size of the handgun that must be carried and the amount of recoil that the shooter can effectively control.  Special conditions and circumstances might require the use of very small handguns and/or light calibers such as the .22 Long Rifle, .25 ACP, and .32 ACP, but they are generally regarded as poor defensive cartridges due to poor penetration, small wound

What is the Best Handgun for Concealed Carry?

What is the best handgun for concealed carry?  This question is queried on the Web, asked in gun shops, posed on the range, and presented during concealed handgun classes. It seems to be a rather simple question but it produces responses that are as diverse as the needs, expertise, preferences, and financial resources of those who answer it.  This yields radically different recommendations that can include  diminutive, modestly priced, polymer framed pistols like the Kel Tec P-32 and Ruger LCP; small framed revolvers like the Smith & Wesson Chief's Special (Model 36) and Taurus Model 85 that have become concealed carry classics; pistols reflecting a police or military heritage like the Glock 19 and  various 1911s (some of which cost a king's ransom), and just about everything in between.  This leads one to wonder if there really is a "best" handgun for concealed carry and if so, what is it?

Thoughts on Accuracy, Stopping Power, and "Marginal" Cartridges

For years, debates regarding handgun stopping power have raged and many have their favorite cartridges that are hoped to be panacea for a deadly force encounter. My favorite is the .357 Magnum but that does not mean that I would feel under gunned with a .38 Special, 9mm Luger, or other cartridge that has been relegated by experts and gun shop commandos alike as "marginal". The fact is, nothing is one hundred percent. Sometimes, the best cartridges fail to stop and conversely, those that are looked down upon as inadequate or marginal sometimes do an admirable job.

I firmly believe that you should carry the most powerful handgun possible but I do not believe that accuracy and the ability to deliver rapid, well placed shots should be compromised for the sake of power. Shot placement is critical to stopping an assailant and neither misses nor peripheral hits with a handgun and cartridge combination that you do not shoot well will guarantee an end to an attack. Thus, a pistol chambered for the 9mm Luger cartridge that can be effectively used is far superior to a .40 S&W or.45 ACP that one does not shoot well.

Gun shops and periodicals are filled with advice and the misapplication of good advice can prove fatal for the stubborn and the ignorant. Back in the 1990s, I was conducting a concealed carry class and one participant, who was fairly well off, was determined to have the "best" defensive handgun and ammunition available, in accordance to the advice that he had received. Thus, he had acquired a beautiful, Colt Gold Cup and several boxes of then new, Remington Golden Saber ammunition which had been well reviewed.

Sadly, his Colt would not reliably feed the ammunition that he had chosen. When he was advised to change ammunition, he adamantly stated "this is the best ammunition available and it is what I want to carry." He was unable to explain how ammunition that rendered his pistol a single shot could be considered the "best" and he grudgingly bought ammunition that fed reliably. He then demonstrated that he was sensitive to recoil and that he was not a good shot. Although such deficiencies can be overcome, the fact of the matter was that the pistol and the cartridge for which it was chambered, contrary to reasonable advice, were unsuited to the level of skill and knowledge of the user which rendered them ineffective and far from "best" under the circumstances.

Firearms enthusiasts sometimes make the mistake of assuming that everyone who purchases a firearm will ultimately share their zeal for shooting and for knowledge. This is just not the case and many who carry firearms on a daily basis (even in professional capacities) never develop more than very basic skills and knowledge. For such shooters, control of the firearm (and simplicity of operation) will ensure greater success than optimum stopping power and "marginal" cartridges with low recoil such as the .38 Special and 9mm Luger may well prove more effective for them than more powerful cartridges that are more difficult to master.

Defensive Firearms for Tight Budgets

Opinions vary in regard to the types of defensive firearms that are ideal for worst case scenarios but contemporary semi-automatic pistols and rifles designed for military and law enforcement purposes (e.g. pistols such as the many derivatives of the the Colt 1911-A1 in .45 ACP and the Beretta Model 92-F in 9mm Luger and rifles such as the AR-10 in 7.62x51 NATO or the AR-15 in 5.56x45 NATO as now produced by many manufacturers) are frequently recommended. This is sensible since these firearms were designed to function under adverse conditions and offer reasonable accuracy and stopping power at combat ranges. Sadly, the most basic arsenal, consisting of a pistol and a rifle from this category, can easily exceed $1,500.

What should you do if you have a limited budget and cannot afford such princely sums? I have seen more than one gun shop commando sneer at a gun of lower cost before condescending to state "I would not stake my life on that." Certainly it is prudent to buy the best defensive weapons that you can afford as they are tools that you may literally stake your life upon. However, there is no guarantee that the bad guys will wait to act until after you have sacrificed, scrimped, and saved for months to acquire your optimum defensive firearm. Hence, a working gun in the hand is far more effective than one perched on a gun shop rack, safely protected by its high price tag. Here are a few options:

Pump Shotguns: Providing impressive short range defensive capabilities, 12 gauge pump shotguns such as the Mossberg Model 500 are inexpensive (often under $300 new and less than $200 used). Originally used by the U.S. military during World War I and still in service today, 12 gauge pump shotguns have long been successfully employed by law enforcement. For defense, buckshot is typically effective to twenty-five yards; rifled slugs, shot from a smoothbore barrel with a bead site, can be reliable to around forty yards with practice. It is untrue that shotguns can simply be pointed in the general direction of an assailant to be effective. As with any firearm, a shotgun requires familiarity and practice if it is to be expected to serve you well.

Semi-automatic .22 Rifles: Semi-automatic rifles in .22 Long Rifle caliber are light, handy, and can provide impressive firepower while their mild report and lack of perceptible recoil lead to exceptional accuracy. Yet, the .22 Long Rifle cartridge is not typically recommended for defense, even though it has killed many people over the years. Effectively, it is not very powerful and it can provide a lethal wound that does not generate an immediate stop. On the plus side, their mild manner makes them easily mastered, even by children, and ammunition is cheap, providing the means for regular practice. Many good semi-automatic rifles in .22 Long Rifle caliber are available, new and used, for under $200 and finding a good one for less than $100 is not unheard of. One of my favorites is the Ruger 10/22 which can be found new for under $240.

.22 Caliber Pistols and Revolvers: Semi-automatic pistols and revolvers in .22 Long Rifle caliber provide many of the advantages and disadvantages of the.22 rifle in a more compact package that can be more easily transported (carried) unobtrusively. For many years, I carried some sort of a .22 caliber handgun in my vehicle to take advantage of opportunities for impromptu plinking sessions and to dispatch vermin when the opportunity arose. Though it is far from being an ideal defensive weapon, it can be pressed into service in the event of an emergency. The excellent Ruger .22/45, which has a ten round magazine capacity, was recently on sale at a major sporting goods chain for $239.

Former Military and Police Weapons: Former military and police weapons are sometimes available at bargain basement prices. Chinese SKS rifles (a semi-automatic in 7.62x39 caliber), the excellent Makarov pistol, and its kinsmen, the CZ 82 and Radom P-64 (all in 9mm Makarov) can be found for less than $300. Tokarev TT-33s and CZ 52s (in 7.62x25) are also available in the same price range but the Mickey Mouse safety on imported Tokarevs (and the lack of a safety beyond half cock on unmodified ones) and the firing pin design of the CZ-52 do not make them suitable for all users. Another excellent pistol, sometimes seen in the $300 price range and occasionally for less, is the Argentine FM Hi-Power, a licensed copy of the Browning Hi-Power.

Lever action carbines in pistol calibers have become rather pricey, probably due in part to the popularity of Cowboy Action Shooting and many possessing Winchester Model 94s came to believe that they were instantaneous collector items after production was initially stopped in 2006 (it has resumed but currently produced Winchester 94s are expensive imports made by Miroku of Japan). However, the venerable (and better, in my opinion) Marlin 336 and its variants are plentiful. Some sell new for around $350 and used ones frequently sell for under $300 in .30-30 Winchester and .35 Remington. Offering the same level of power as the Russian 7.62x39 military cartridge made famous by the AK-47, Marlin's old lever action provides capable defense in a politically correct package that looks just like what it is: an old deer rifle.

While some of these suggestions will provide for more effective defense than others, all will serve the purpose at hand far better than a $1000 firearm that is not in your possession. Furthermore, neither is an imprudent waste of money as all serve a viable purpose even after more expensive, cutting edge firearms can be purchased. Shotguns, in addition to providing effective close range defense, are quite versatile for a variety of game. Rifles and handguns chambered for the .22 Long Rifle cartridge provide such economical utility and practice, they are common on farms across the country. The SKS has proven itself to be a viable, three hundred yard combat rifle in field conditions, the Makarov is a popular concealed carry pistol, the CZ 52 is a powerful pistol with a cult following, and the Hi-Power is one of the most prolific military pistols of the Twentieth Century. The old Marlin .30-30 is as popular now as it ever was and it remains a favorite, handy to carry, easy to use deer rifle where ranges rarely exceed two hundred yards.