When it comes to personal choices of which pistol or revolver to carry for your own personal protection I always say, "Carry what you are most comfortable with, and which ever one you shoot best with."
That said, I prefer the old tried and true 1911 .45 Auto. This pistol has proven to be one of the best man stoppers since it's conception.
Personally, I carry mine with the 230 grain Cor-Bon hollow points. Reason being, unlike ball ammo which can pass through your intended target and possibly kill or injure another individual, the Cor-Bon hollow point will not.
One of the biggest misconceptions I hear from people is how you need a bullet or caliber that will kill with one shot, but in my opinion this is not necessarily true. In a shooting situation you do need the right caliber or bullet which will stop the perpetrator, but not necessarily kill them.
Yes, with the .45 one shot could very well turn an individual into a corpse, but if you should be off center of mass because of adrenaline coursing through your body, this caliber will still stop them, and please remember, stopping them should be your first goal when it comes to your personal protection.
In the world of hand guns there are a few calibers with more stopping power, or one shot kill power, but to achieve this goal, in general you are carrying a hand cannon which is not necessary. Example, the .357 magnum is probably one of the best at one shot kills, but should you need to use this weapon in an instant of your own protection you won't have time to put in ear plugs.
This weapon does not make the typical boom sound of other calibers, but it makes a very sharp crack! Without ear plugs you won't be able to hear very well for an hour or so.
Personally, that's why I don't care for the .357 magnum, besides the point that it may pass through and hit an innocent individual even with hollow point bullets. In my opinion, if you carry a .357 for self defense, carry it with hollow point .38s, they will do the job and not kill or injure an innocent bystander. But that's just my opinion.
No matter which caliber a person may choose to carry for their own protection they need to spend plenty of time at the range or out in the country to become proficient with it. If you practice enough, pulling and firing the weapon will become muscle memory, which will save you in a bad situation.
For first time shooters, learn gun safety before you even load it for the first time. The biggest mistake first time shooters make is to want to shoot the gun right away. If you were not raised with handguns, please get with an instructor or someone you may know who has a lot of experience with them.
Have them teach you the safety features of the weapon and how to load, unload, clean, and handle the weapon in a safe manner. Once you learn these things you are then, and only then, ready for the shooting experience.
I will close this article with an old saying. Beware of the person who only owns one gun. If they only own one gun, you can dang near bet they are very good with it!
