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VA Ken, I am looking for more of an opinion on Capacity vs. Caliber, than size or type of pistol. I have watched Personal Defense TV for the last few seasons and there is a guy, he works at "Gunsite" training facility, Clint Black I think is his name. He has stated that in talking to people who have been in tactical situation they all say they wish they had a bigger gun, and more ammo.
Those two things are mutually exclusive if you are talking about the same frame size.
Thus the question at hand, all things being equal what would you chose, stopping power or a few more rounds. For this reason I want at least a 40 S&W as a minimum. I am a paramedic firefighter. I know that both of the rounds will kill the assailant DRT. I've seen both work like a champ. So which would you choose in a pistol that you shoot, and carry equally well, increased ammo capacity or raw stopping power?
I hope this helps explain exactly what info/opinions I am looking for
Thanks RKR
Since you addressed me, then I will give you some background and thoughts. First, can you carry at work? Most likely not... then you need to consider what situation you may find yourself in that could put you at potential harm and adjust your carry piece to fit the need. I am LE and have carried daily for a very long time. Lots of times, you will not carry due to the inconvenience of the weapon size if you select some high capacity large frame handgun. At work, I carried an issued HK USP compact in .45acp. Not a bad gun for work, but it still gets in the way at times. When not working, I carry either a HK P7M8 (9mm), a S&W 642 (38)with crimson trace grips and recently obtained a compact S&W M&P in .40 that I am trying out and really like. Call it the modern Glock. Bottom line is - as a non LE, you take on a great liability when you carry. Self defense is the purpose. You need to select a weapon that fits you and your particular need - known when you can use it and you must be able to shoot it well because the liability for a stray round can be very high. I encourage you to go to a range that may rent different weapons or talk to some buddies. Lots of good stuff out there, but as said in another post, something you can hit with is much better than something you cant hit with. Under stress of an actual situation, a 100% shooter will only hit maybe 60- 70%. Been there, seen it and done it.