I know there have been many discussions about the best caliber to use for your concealed carry weapon, and I just want to mention some of the reasoning for my choice. This is not an attempt to convince anyone that my choice is the right one for them, just a listing of the thought process involved.
First off, I truly think that bigger is better, but I currently have decided on a Walther P22 for the following reasons.
I have a 9mm that I think is too big for comfortable concealment on my person.
I have a .357 that is small (Taurus) and is the right size but the barn door better be pretty close if I intend to score a hit.
I have a Makarov 9x18 that generally fits the bill but has significant recoil to the point where an effective second shot would be iffy.
And I have the Walther P22 that I can shoot accurately in rapid fire and that I am very comfortable with.
Is it the best choice; probably not, but I firmly believe that you must be comfortable with all the elements of your carry gun. For me, I can't shoot the snub nose .357 with any accuracy, so the bad guy will have to be scared off by the roar. I can only conceal the 9mm with comfort in the colder weather. The Makarov recoil probably means I will only get one good shot off in the time available. With the Walther I am confident that I can score multiple hits in the time available, and in a self-defense situation multiple hits with this gun would be my plan.
So if I have a question I guess it would be this; when folks talk about the stopping power necessary that can only be provided by a large caliber, are they talking about one shot or multiple shots? Given the right set of circumstances (PCP for instance) I suspect that a single hit even with a heavy caliber will have to make contact with a vital organ to be effective.
JR
First off, I truly think that bigger is better, but I currently have decided on a Walther P22 for the following reasons.
I have a 9mm that I think is too big for comfortable concealment on my person.
I have a .357 that is small (Taurus) and is the right size but the barn door better be pretty close if I intend to score a hit.
I have a Makarov 9x18 that generally fits the bill but has significant recoil to the point where an effective second shot would be iffy.
And I have the Walther P22 that I can shoot accurately in rapid fire and that I am very comfortable with.
Is it the best choice; probably not, but I firmly believe that you must be comfortable with all the elements of your carry gun. For me, I can't shoot the snub nose .357 with any accuracy, so the bad guy will have to be scared off by the roar. I can only conceal the 9mm with comfort in the colder weather. The Makarov recoil probably means I will only get one good shot off in the time available. With the Walther I am confident that I can score multiple hits in the time available, and in a self-defense situation multiple hits with this gun would be my plan.
So if I have a question I guess it would be this; when folks talk about the stopping power necessary that can only be provided by a large caliber, are they talking about one shot or multiple shots? Given the right set of circumstances (PCP for instance) I suspect that a single hit even with a heavy caliber will have to make contact with a vital organ to be effective.
JR