I've spoken extensively with a friend who I had the fortune of attending gunsmith college with at overlapping times (featured in the Current American Handgunner).

He's keen on handgun hunting bears including grizzled ones and large bore revolvers in general and makes and uses exquisite examples of them. More often than not you'll find him with a .44 magnum shooting 330gr hard casts when hunting if not one of his .41s. He's found the Garrett loads for .44 the best compromise and he handgun hunts more than anybody I know.

Bigger may or may not be better depending on the shooter and the target. I've seen police officers miss DPS targets entirely at 5 yards with issue .40S&Ws...

330-GR SUPER-HARD-CAST GC LONG-HAMMERHEAD AT 1400-FPS THIS 44 MAGNUM AMMO IS RECOMMENDED FOR USE IN RUGER AND DAN WESSON DOUBLE-ACTION REVOLVERS, AS WELL AS THE TAURUS RAGING BULL. IT IS ALSO RECOMMENDED FOR THE GARY REEDER 5-SHOT ULTIMATE 44 MAGNUM, AND THE JOHN GALLAGHER CUSTOM LONG-CYLINDER RUGER SINGLE-ACTIONS. THIS +P AMMO SHOULD BE FIRED ONLY IN THOSE RECOMMENDED REVOLVERS! THIS AMMO IS BOTH TOO LONG AND GENERATES TOO MUCH CHAMBER PRESSURE FOR SAFE USE IN S&W AND RUGER SUPER BLACKHAWK REVOLVERS. IT IS ALSO TOO LONG FOR USE IN THE FREEDOM ARMS REVOLVER. ENERGY: 1440 FT/LBS; TAYLOR KNOCKOUT VALUE: 28; MEPLAT: .320"; CHAMBER PRESSURE: 43,500-CUP; SECTIONAL DENSITY: .255; TRAJECTORY: +2" @ 50-YDS; ZERO @ 100-YDS; -7" @ 150-YDS

You might guess the smith's name by the above...

Personally I like 45 Colt, 250 grain SWC, 9.5 grains of Unique, S&W mod 25, a handful of speed loaders. Should handle most problems.
My house gun is a Winchester 92, 45 Colt loaded with 300 grain SWC, 20 grains of H110, 11 or 12 shots is pretty effective also.
45 auto is good for going out in public, doesn't upset the sensitive types.

Jim

I used to be pretty interested in the "Stopping Power" arguments, now I mostly worry about being able to shoot something if I need to do it, and I try to concentrate on that. The statistics in chapter 29 of Stopping Power, Marshall/Sanow are in fact a contradiction, it seems to me, of their predictive modelling techniques which are so criticized. No caliber bullet combination, in their own statistics, comes off better than a .45 ACP with a 230 grain Hydra-Shok or a 185 grain Golden Saber.

So, you can opt for heavy recoiling, high muzzle blast, excessive flash, hard to control for second shot .357 Magnum and get the same statistical result, in a lower capacity handgun. Seems to me the .45 ACP comes out ahead. This is of course in contradiction with their own modelling theory which favors higher speed lesser weight bullets. Hence the controversy.

Wink
I do all of my training with either of the 45s, 45 acp amd 45 Colt doing the twice in the chest and once in the head program.
The 45s make nice big holes no matter what bullet. I plan to keep shooting as long as the bad guy keeps moving, making more big holes.

Jim

When it comes to Personal Protection feelings run very high.

There are several factory to consider.

Power, accuracy, penetration, size and weight of the gun, over penetration, revolver or semi-auto, etc.

Also common sense, and an individual persons dedication to his protection need to be figured in.

Also for some people "rules and regulations" may dictate what gun and what ammo you can use.

I "had a job" for over 30 years where all of the above was pretty important to me.

Here are a few "random thoughts", in no particular order.

BIGGER, MORE POWERFUL IS ALWAYS BETTER.

If you have shot "stuff" with a small gun and a BIG gun, you know thois to be true.

Over penetration. Over 80% of all shots fired in self defense MISS the "target".
THAT is the bigest concern, but, those of us here on AR should be better shots than the average, so over penetration is a consideration in your ammo selection.

BUT, in the history of self defense shootings, under penetration has caused more problems for the good guy than overpenetration.

Ammo selection. The MORE damage your bullet does, the better off you are.

Your intention is to IMMEDIATELY STOP the bad guy from doing what he is doing or what he is about to do.

The only way to do that is to control the brain, whether you kill him out right, shoot him in the finger and cause him to give up, or more commonly cut off the blood/oxygen to the brain causing him to pass out.

A big part of this is the gun you choose. This is baised on, what you will carry all of the time or what you are told to carry all of the time, and what ammo you choose or is chosen for you.

Assuming you have total control on your choices....


Revolver or Semi-Auto.

I have carried and used both in harmes way. In latter years in my job I used the Semi-Auto. I was in a position, almost daily, where I might be called upon to gunfight multiple armed suspects.

I prefered the "automatic" for this work.

However, now that I am retired I lean toward the revolver. Here is why. Most of the time at work I had backup, retired, I am ALONE. I will probabnly not face MULTIPLE attackers, probably only one to three.

If I shoot somebody now, it will most likely be at CCQB. [Most of you have heard of CQB, [Close Quarter Battle], CCQB is CONTACT Close Quarter Battle. ie. the person[s] I shoot will be touching me or nearly so.

This makes the Revolver, which is much more reliable in a grappling/shooting incident a much better choice.

I am a very experienced 1911 shooter, but now I carry a 4" 44 Mag S&W 100% of the time, as a Primary, with extra ammo.

If I find myself going into what I consider a hazadrous environment I carry a second 44 Mag, or a 44 Mag and 1911 45 ACP with a lot of extra ammo.

I care about MY safety and carry the 'mostest, and the bestest, to ensure my survival.

As I carried a lot of "stuff" on my person at work, what I carry now is not a burden, but for most others it is to much Hardware.

So, what about most of you "normal" people.

Well ANY gun is usually better than no gun.

However I would recommend the following for the "citizen".

First get a Concealed Carry Permit for the state you live in. If your state does not have a CC, then get 2 or 3 from other states that allow out of state residents to get their permit.

Here is why, any time you are stopped by the "Police", and you show them your CC Permit[s], They know that you have passed a background check and that you are not a BAD GUY. Makes a BIG difference.

What you carry.

I would recommend that the smallest you carry is a S&W 5 shot revolver.

They are much easier to carry and more reliable than most 380 autos, especially in CCQB situtations.

Unless you are highly trained, and shoot a LOT, a semi-auto is probably not your best choice for a Primary 100% daily carry.

ALWAYS carry on your person extra ammo.
Carry extra ammo in your vehicle.

Practice with the gun[s] you carry.

Learn conflict, BAD location avoidance.

Be prepared to KILL EVERY BODY YOU SEE.
If you do not have to kill them fine, but understand ANYONE YOU DO NOT KNOW, THAT APPROACHES YOU, MAY MEAN YOU HARM.

Read and STUDY Jeff Coopers "Principles of Perasonal Defense".

You should live daily in Yellow, if you do not know what that means, even if you carry a gun, you are probably already dead.

Have the phone number of good Lawers in your wallet.

Many years ago, while waiting my turn in the barbers, I read an article by Geoffrey Boothroyd, the gun writer for the British magazin: Shooting Times.

The article was on big bore revolvers carried by the British Army during the nineteenth century colonial wars against fanatical tribesmen in the Sudan, the North West Frontier Province / Khyber Pass of then British India.

Bigger was most definitely better, with the development of man stopper bullets: basically dum - dum and hollow points etc. Non Hague Protocol back then!

Cartridges like the .476 Webley Green, the .455 were popular. there was a huge Charles Lancaster revolver chambered for some 0.500 cartridge. Then there were the 20 bore / gauge Howdah pistols.

These must really have 'stung'!

.36 Navy Colts were 'nice' for target shooting but poor for fighting. Battle field testimoiny from the Crimea and the Indian Mutiny showed the failings of these relatively small bore early Colt pistols.

Really, the criteria for a handgun in a SD/HD situation is no diff. to me than a rifle in a DG situation. You want to deliver the heaviest blow you can as quickly as you can to end the fight. If you can only shoot a 9mm then shoo that. If you can hadnle a 45acp, 357mag or larger, then shoot that w/ appropriate bullets to stay in the target if possible.