TexasCHLforum.com

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You want big holes in your opponent and you want him bleeding through and through. That means you want large, heavy bullets that penetrate.
Pretty simple, wouldn’t you say?
Yes, it is pretty simple and that’s the point.
No need to overthink it.
Focus on your ability, not the equipment, because it is YOUR ABILITY to place the rounds you choose to carry in your gun that will determine whether you live or die in a gun fight.
OK, I know you still want recommendations. Here they are. Don’t get too hung up on them. A gun in any caliber is better than no gun at all.
.45 ACP. Our grandfathers knew it in World War II and our grandfathers’ grandsons are figuring it out again in Iraq. A .45 stops ‘em best.
.40 S&W is the next best choice and in most handguns allows more magazine capacity compared to the .45ACP.
.44 Special, .357 Magnum, .357 Sig, and 9mm Plus P all run near third place.
.38 Special and 9mm are in distant fourth place. You can plan on delivering a cranio-ocular shot after two to the chest to end the fight with these calibers.
.380, .32, .25, and .22 -- Don’t even bother shooting your opponent in the chest with these. Your standard response with these pocket pistol rounds is two to three rounds to between the mustache and eyebrows (cranio-ocular cavity).
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So why not a .44 Magnum, .50AE, 10mm. etc? Because these guns require bigger frames due to greater chamber pressure generated and larger cartridge size, they tend to be very hard to conceal. These big guns, although they have slightly better stopping power than the .45 and .40, do so at the expense of portability, recoil control and practical use.
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