Best Calibers for Concealed Carry

There are a number of handgun calibers out there, but some are better for concealed carry, some are best for open carry or outdoor applications and some can practically do it all. Guns are tools and as such, it's best to pick the right tool for the job. Each caliber has specific benefits and drawbacks, so it behooves the person looking to start carrying a firearm to choose a pistol and chambering that will meet the specific needs that they have. Let's get started.

.22LR, or .22 Long Rifle, is a very small rimfire round that is not really recommended for defensive purposes, though with proper shot placement (and some would say a lot of luck) it can be effective, even lethal as plenty of people have been killed by a .22-caliber bullet. It's a very small bullet (less than a quarter-inch in diameter) but does travel fast. Most applications for .22 LR are for plinking or small game hunting, as one will do very well for a rabbit or grouse, but for man-size targets...you are better off with a larger round. That said, if it's the only thing you can carry it is better than nothing.

The .380 ACP is one of the smaller rounds on the market,

and is a serviceable concealed carry round. Since it is smaller than the rest of the rounds on this list, it is often the dominant chambering of very small pistols though some larger guns are chambered for this bullet as well. As a result, pistols chambered in .380 are usually very to carry concealed. However, it has some drawbacks in terms of ballistics. The round is slow and doesn't penetrate or expand as well as other rounds, though there are some good loadings out there. Overall, .380 is best for backup guns or deep concealment guns when carrying a larger gun is out of the question. In other words, .380 is an "it'll do" round.

The 9x19mm Parabellum, aka 9mm Para, 9mm Luger and usually just referred to as 9mm, is the dominant handgun chambering worldwide. It's a medium round, with medium velocity but is quite accurate and produces moderate recoil. It's chambered in subcompact to service-size pistols.

With good ammunition - of which there is ample selection on the market - the 9mm round penetrates well, expands well and is a very good defensive round. However, the overpressure (+P) loadings tend to perform better than standard pressure rounds in many cases, which not all pistols are compatible with.

Load selection is important, however, so make sure you choose a 9mm round best-suited to the firearm you intend to carry. The best performance is from service pistols with longer barrels, but with well-suited loads, short-barreled 9mm pistols are among the best-concealed carry pistols out there. Overall, 9mm is one of the most versatile handgun rounds available as it's adept at nearly every function of a handgun short of hunting.

The .38 Special, also called .38 S&W Special, is a medium, moderate-power revolver round. While it has some limitations compared to some other revolver rounds, it was the dominant self-defense and police issue round for most of the 20th century. In many loadings, .38 Special is relatively slow but the hotter loadings (including overpressure or "+P" loads) are capable of decent velocity along with good penetration and expansion. This round is offered in both compact "snubnose" revolvers and service-size revolvers. That said, .38 Special is still a versatile and very serviceable defensive round.

Snubnose revolvers are very popular for concealed carry, as they are easy to conceal and carry all day. Load selection is crucial as many revolver rounds don't reach their full potential out of a short barrel. Some carry loads are merely adequate and some are very good. Choose wisely.

The .40 Smith and Wesson, or .40 S&W, was devised by trimming the 10mm Auto case down to fit the frame of a pistol chambered for 9mm. The .40 S&W, then, sits halfway between those two calibers in terms of performance and recoil. It excels in full-size pistols and is a very serviceable round in compact and some subcompact handguns though the recoil can be a bit "snappier" than some people are able to cope with.

The .40 S&W, however, is a very capable defensive round, hitting harder and expanding better than many 9mm loadings for those that enjoy shooting it.

The .45 ACP (short for Automatic Colt Pistol) is the most

popular carry round besides 9mm. It's too large for pocket-size pistols but is often employed in subcompacts. It is, without doubt, the most popular round in large-bore pistols though the sheer number of compact and subcompact pistols chambered in .45 ACP are a testament to this cartridge's popularity as a defensive round, as well the 1911 pistol that it is so heavily associated with.

.45 ACP is a slow-moving heavy bullet, and quality hollowpoints will expand dramatically upon impact which makes it an ideal defensive round in many ways. Recoil is ample but not as sharp as rounds such as the .357 Magnum, .357 Sig or 10mm so shooters with smaller hands are able to shoot .45 ACP with fewer problems. Since so many firearms are made for this round, concealed carry with a .45 ACP handgun is very easy though the recoil in a smaller pistol will be more acute than in a full-size pistol.

.357 Magnum

The .357 Magnum is considered one of the best handgun rounds in existence, good for defense and even hunting medium game such as whitetail deer at close distances. It's a medium magnum revolver round, traveling at fast velocities and capable of deep penetration and great expansion in many hollowpoint and semi-wadcutter hollowpoint rounds. It was (and still is, in some capacities) a well-regarded chambering for law enforcement and also personal defense.

However, as with most revolver rounds, the best performance comes from larger handguns chambered for it; a barrel length of 4 inches is considered the minimum for the .357 to perform up to its capacity. There are, however, a number of short-barrel loadings for use in snubnose revolvers that perform just as well. Not everyone, though, will be able to cope with the recoil and report of a compact magnum, as it is much harder to shoot from smaller firearms.

357 Sig

The .357 Sig round is increasingly rare, but the occasional firearm chambered for this cartridge does find its way into gun stores. The round was developed by Sig Sauer to replicate the performance of a 124-grain .357 Magnum round in a bullet designed for use in a semi-auto pistol, which in the stouter loadings, it does.

The .357 Sig is a very good defensive round, and a number of federal agencies and police departments have and/or currently do issue it. For the civilian carrier, there aren't too many compact pistols chambered for this round, so concealed carry options are few. However, the recoil is more than some shooters can tolerate, as it is a stout round among the medium calibers.

10mm Auto

The 10mm Auto round occupies a space between large-bore rounds and medium-bore rounds. It's actually quite versatile, as it can be loaded anywhere from mild to high power levels rivaling if not exceeding the .357 Magnum. It is almost exclusively employed in full-size handguns and even then is more than some shooters care to put up with. However, some compact 10mm guns are available though - just like .357 Sig - they are few and far between in stores.

The 10mm is a fantastic defensive round and a very capable handgun hunting round. That said, it reaches the upper limit of what many shooters find tolerable in terms of recoil.

If you are interested in learning more about ammo and caliber take a look at the Alien Gear Holsters Ammunition Guide.