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.

 

I carry inside waste band holster by crossbreed love it

CrossBreed® Holsters

 

I own several, all in .40. It's the only handgun that's ever blown up in my hand. Failure to return to battery, failed to lock, blew back and discharged out the side of the frame and down into the mag well. If I hadn't been wearing eye protection, I wouldn't be able to hold a medical now.

 

Hot loads?

 

Dam that's scary

 

Nope. I recovered the brass. No signs of overpressure: no bulged case, no flattened primers. The pistol didn't fully return to battery; its a common, well-known problem with Kahrs. I had just received the pistol back from Kahr, where it had been sent for repairs (every one I own, save for one steel-frame K40 has been back multiple times for failure to return to battery, peening of the barrel hood, and other issues...lots of feed issues). Second round out of a fresh magazine, I was focused on the front sight and when I pressed the trigger, it didn't sound right.

My first thought was that I'd had a bore obstruction or something like that, and I realized my hand hurt, and my face hurt. As I took my focus off the front sight I noticed that the side of the pistol was blown out, and that the magazine was gone. The plastic plate over the trigger drawbar blew out, discharging over the web of my hand and back into my face.

Typically if the pistol fails to return to battery, it can't be fired; the striker can't be tripped. In this case, it was just barely out: just enough it didn't lock up, but just enough in that the striker was tripped and the weapon discharged. Ordinarily if it doesn't return to battery, there's no feel in the trigger, and it's immediately apparent. In this case, the trigger and pull felt solid and normal, and I was focused on the front sight and then the target.

Kahr claimed it was normal and that the weapon was designed to do that (blow out the side to prevent serious injury). They took it back, did nothing, and sent it back to me, with the damaged side plate still in place. They did give me a fresh magazine. They also lost the pistol for six months, claiming they hadn't received it, then claiming that they couldn't find it. That wasn't the fist time.

I have a cross breed that I like for comfort, but it's squirted out of the waistband too many times, and once fell out onto a snow bank. I do like the MTAC minitaur, and often carry a HK45C in one. Very comfortable and secure, especially for extended carry.

 

Why keep buying these?

 

Beats me. I don't.

I have several, polymer and steel, all in .40. I've had them for some time. I bought them all about the same time, but never had any success with them. They're all low round count pistols; the highest one is only about three thousand rounds, but that includes a lot of failures to feed and multiple trips back to Kahr.

One of these days I'll ship them off to Cylinder and Slide and pay to get them running right, but for now they sit in the safe.

 

The Sig P938 has had a history of issues as well, hopefully they are all solved now but "subcompact" and "1911" don't mix real well, a lot to ask from a machine that small. Definitely take whatever slide-gun you get to the range and try a lot of rounds first, and use the grain the most people say works with the particular gun. There are plenty of YouTube videos on every gun on the market where a gun person runs boxes of varying ammo through the gun and gives honest info on what works. The spring rates for small 1911s are critical, not a lot of leeway in bullet weight.

 

Thanks everyone for the responses re: my query a few posts above.

I did look at the sig, and it does seem pretty sturdy, but is above the price range we are looking to spend.

And I am familiar with the tendency for compact 1911s to have issues, however is the Sig truly a 1911 mechanically? I notice that it doesn't have a grip safety, for starters, like a real 1911 would. If it just mimics the aesthetics of a 1911, the problems of the Sig shouldn't be attributed to it being a small 1911, as it isn't a small 1911.

But if it is....just sayin'.

My next window shopping day at the local fun store I intend to look at the S&W Shield. I've read lots of good things about it.