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Between 9mm and 10mm, there is no need for anything else.

9MM for the reasons stated above, my favorite gun is still a 1911 but i don't carry them anymore.

9mm. Light weight and more capacity.

I carry 9mm.
I personally don't think any magical bullet/caliber exists.

My way of thinking is that you just fill the aggressor full of holes, let the blood seep out, and the air seep in.....

.45, but often carry a 9mm and a .32,
i switch out so much, and i shoot all well, but the .45 i was weened on and shoot it best of all. carry a micro .45 , five shot, if i do my part, then all is well in the target hitting world
Rj

As I’ve acquired more age and experience, these questions interest me less. I’ve become a committed “define the job, then pick the tool” guy in almost all aspects of life, be it 9 vs 45, Harley vs Sport bike, Jeep vs Truck, etc etc...

That said, for carry I evolved to 9mm since the development of trustworthy ammo. I can shoot 124gr JHPs accurately and easily from giant capacity service pistols all the way down to the DB9 that’s in my back pocket “when I’m not carrying a gun”.

For four legged critters that make their living killing stuff, I love 44mag or 10mm-again, depends on the job situation.

For both two and four legged threats I still like a 357.

For around town, I still love to carry a 1911 either in 45 or 10mm as I love the ergos and soul of a 1911 but if I’m honest, my old XD9 fills the bill well and gets 2x the rounds down range before popping the reload button.

Only caliber I’m no fan of is 40. But that’s from shooting steel days and not liking the narrow margin between soft shooting loads and squibs that blew me three barrels. Anything I need a hot 40 load for I can do better with a hotter 10mm load, and anything a mid range 40 load can do the 9 covers just as well.

Terminal ballistics data of late holds that it’s a tossup between the big three for actual stopping power mano y mano, so pick your poison.

i grew up shooting 1911's so 45acp feels right to me. Besides I prefer the bigger hole at the end of the barrel....something about it that's comforting

I enjoy 45acp the most but use 9mm the most.....cost and availability are the influencing factors

To paraphrase the Most Interesting Man In The World, I don’t always shoot handgun calibers, but when I do, I shoot 9MM.

Are there more effective rounds? I’m sure there are. But for my particular circumstances as a private citizen with a CCW, 9MM appears to meet my requirements. It’s easy to find (at least for now), relatively cheap when buying practice rounds, and advances in bullet technology seem to make it more effective compared to the past.

Would have been nice to split the poll into preferred carry and range or other.

9mm for carry. Size of weapon, capacity, shot placement, caliber I shoot the most , so most practiced and effective.

.45 ACP is next in line for me. Enjoy shooting this caliber over the 9mm.

If one gets good shot placement, all the major calibers will do the job. These are not military ball ammo, but modern JHP rounds that do much more than any ball ammo. That being said, whatever gun you shoot the best, use it. I do prefer 9mm for the increased capacity and cheaper practice ammo. There was a local police agency that did an informal study on police related shootings when they switched to 40S&W from 9mm and found no statistical difference in shots fired, hits on target, or lethality. Not a definitive "whats better" just an analysis of data. Your mileage may vary...

40 Cal. It is my EDC and Duty pistol for 8yrs. Can handle the recoil and follow up shots very well. Price of ammo is middle of the road depends were purchased.

9mm less recoil and higher cap.

I prefer 9mm for my carry options and I practice with it the most. I enjoy shooting .357 mag revolvers when I'm just recreating at the range.

9mm for me as well. shoot good with it and with the hi cap mags, I sometimes don't bring a spare mag with me . Just depends on what part of town I'm going.