What is the best compact pistol cartrige?

[MSPHUNTER]

Do you think that a 9mm is good enough for CCW use? I
currently own a HKUSP40 and I think that it is to big for
concealed carry, but the reason that I bought a 40 S&W was
because I belived it to be the best self defence cartrige,
and because of the miami incident, but I want to buy a sig 228 and it only comes in 9mm, is it sufficent?

[Ben]

The 9mm is sufficient if you're a good shot... just like with any cartridge. Plus practice ammo is cheaper and you can carry more rounds.

Ben

[M16]

I like the 9mm for a carry gun. If I had to use my gun I would prefer to be armed with a .45. The main thing is to be armed at all times. Even my North American Arms .22 magnum is better than nothing. You might look at the Kahrs as the Sig 228 is a bit big for a carry gun.

[glockten]

.45ACP from my P12-45 or 10mm from my Glock 29.

[PigPen]

A .22 caliber is big enough if you can remain calm while staring what ever they bring to the event in the face, focus on the front sight, squeeze off two rounds hitting them in the cerebellar hemisphere of your choice (or preferably in the brainstem).

If you have reservations about that, carry the biggest caliber that you are willing to tote. Pistol calibers do not to my knowledge fragment. That means big and slow is better than littler and slow.


.45 better than .40 is better than .30 (and 9MM) is better than...etc.

But like some one has already said, any caliber is better than none.....have it with you at all times (to quote Jeff Cooper)

PigPen

[DAKODAKID]

My wife has a .45 USP compact that works very
well, if I need something smaller I use my
German PPK in .22lr.
Shot placement....

[krept]

I would look at the Sig P239 if you are coming from a USP .40c. Could keep the .40, go with the SIG round or use 9mm... all should be good.

At this point, I prefer the .40 for compacts and .45s for the fulls but the new Gun World gave the SIG round a slightly higher OSS (1%) than the .40, if that matters to you.

FWIW, I was looking at the USP .40c as a CCW, but went for the Glock due to it being slightly smaller (especially w/o the safety/decock lever) and having a double recoil spring. Was going to go for the P239, but liked the attributes of the G27 (and I'm a BIG HK fan so the Glock was a hard pill to swallow at first).


And to answer your original question - the 9mm should be absolutely powerful enough for a CCW gun providing you select good defensive ammo and do your part. I really doubt that the cracked-out guys in the Miami shootout would have fallen to a bullet that is 1mm or 2mms larger...

[Bull1189]

You are the most important part of the equation. Hit the target and 9mm is fine. Miss, and .44 magnum is no good. I use a P239 on occasion, the 9mm version. I am a dihard .45 guy otherwise, but I think 9mm is fine for concealed carry. You should, however, hedge your bets and buy a quality +p ammo. Corbon 115 or 125 grain gets my vote. Don't read too much into the Miami FBI incident, bullet technology has grown by leaps and bounds since then. And the bonus about 9mm - you can practice a LOT for CHEAP - which takes me back to the beginning: you are the most important part of the equation.

[Runner]

Of the commonly available cartridges I would have to vote for 9mm Speer 124 Gr Gold Dot +P :)

[Mike Irwin]

Define compact...

In my mind, an HK .40 Compact isn't a compact pistol. It's a chopped down full-size. Same with the Officer's Model 1911.

To me, compact means roughly the size of the Walther PPK.

But that's just me...

[WESHOOT2]

The 9mm is fine. Please do not delude yourself with caliber.

Correct ammo, shot placement, and brains........

[cocojo]

The 9mm for it's size it is the most compact for the power given.

[George Helser]

msphunter,

I think Cocojoe is right about power in a compact cartridge.

9x19 does have a checkered reputation for effectiveness because a lot of 9mm ammo is lightly loaded or used with non-expanding bullets.

Shooting 115gr HP bullets at over 1300 fps gives good expansion and over 430 ft-lbs of energy. Using heavier bullets compromises both the energy and expansion of this
cartridge.

Good luck!

Regards,
George
In sunny Arizona

[No4Mk1*]

The secret to surviving a gunfight:

Have Skill
Have a Rifle

With both your odds are good. With neither you're dead. If you don't have a rifle (CCW), you better have skill.

So get your 9mm and practice a lot.

[BrokenArrow]

Carrying a SIG P239 or G33 isn't much (any? less?) harder than toting a Walther PPK, SIG 230/232 and ya can get em in 9/40/357 too.

The nine is fine if ya can shoot. If ya can't, bigger probably won't be any better for ya, might even be worse.
If ya can shoot a little 40/45/357 well, go for it.

[Onslaught]

This is a very debated, never to be resolved subject, BUT...

As some have mentioned, you don't have to choose. 9mm is good enough, but I prefer .40. Why? I just do. My carry gun is a Kahr P9... EXTREMELY concealable, lightweight, great trigger, dependable, accurate, etc... Why is my carry gun a 9mm? Because the Kahr P40 wasn't available when I bought it :D

Think about it this way... the USP9C is the same size as the USP40C... Most every compact 9mm pistol on the market has an identical .40 offering, and frequently, a slightly larger .45 as well.

If I were you, I'd want one of the many .40 carry pistols, because it's COOL to have one caliber, multiple guns...

[Redlg155]

I personally carry a Glock Mod 36 .45 auto here in Florida as a concealed carry weapon. Prior to that in the last 4 years were the Sig P239, Sig P245, HK USPC .40, Glock 26 and finally a Glock 27. For one reason or the other I decided on giving them up after a period of time.

1. Sig P239. Caliber was good, but for the size of the pistol it didn't hold as many rounds as I wanted, and still it was a bit big.

2. Sig P25..I loved that silly thing, but it would drag your pants off when loaded with 6+1 rds of 45. It also had rather brisk recoil.

3. HK USP .40C..compact ..ya gotta be kidding. I know guys who swear they can hide one, but I'm not one of them.

4. G26- I was never comfy with 9mm. Especially with reduced velocity in the 3.5 inch barrel.

5. G27, yep..its nice but hard to control when you don't have a peirce grip extension for your pinkie. Ok..I got one, but now its a larger pistol. Anyone who carries knows that the hardest part to conceal is the pistol butt, not the slide.

so finally I have my G36..I love the .45, recoil and weight is manageable, and the size is comfortable to conceal.

So to make a long story short, I gave all my reasons to point out that only you can make that decision through trial and error and carry something that gives you peace of mind. If a .22 gives that to you- tell the mockers to kiss your uplifted posterior, because you have what you need until something changes your mind.

Good Shooting
Red

[Big Al]

I like the 9mm - I've been carrying the 9mm Speer 124gr.+P Gold Dot HP for a good while now in my Glock 19. Im my opinion, matching bullet weight to barrel length in a good idea in this caliber. Shorter barrels (Glock 26) would probably benefit from lighter bullet weights (90-115gr+P) in order to build more velocity. Full size barrels (Glock 17, etc) could probably make use of the 147gr, but I don't like them. I think the 124gr is the best all around, and loaded to +P pressures makes the most of it.

AL