Originally Posted by
Cubdriver
The USP Compact 9mm/.40S&W is too big a gun for pocket or purse carry. Cops wear them as open-carry duty weapons. .38 ACP (James Bond gun) is not a manstopper, which is why nobody uses them in law enforcement or military as their primary duty arm. 9mm/.38/.357 is the smallest truly deadly caliber, and you need to be in close range. The .40 S&W was invented because 9mm was not deadly enough to save a group of FBI agents responding with 9mm/.38/.357 calibers to a bank heist in the late 1980s that went wrong. Kahr makes some very good pocket guns, and .38 revolvers work fine as well. I would feel exposed with anything smaller.
1986 Miami Bank Shootout
Well, .380 is a little weak, but it can work just fine. It's all about "how you use it" right? Realistically we aren't talking about shooting across a street, as at those distances you can get cover and out of the line of fire without having to be forced into a "shoot over long distances" situation. Realistically these are close engagements, not arms-length, but pretty close.
But I digress, it's the minimum caliber for self defense. .357 magnum on the other hand is questionable, that much power is risking it going right through the guy. Good if you want to be sure you stop them, but I'd say better in the hands of someone who will train/is trained to a high level and can shoot center-mass reliably over greater distances. Some cops and some security guards use .357 for sure, but I don't hear about many actual shootings with it. .40, as you said above, is a pretty good compromise that has gotten very popular.
Good ole 9mm is relatively cheap though and a great caliber.