I currently carry a Sig P238. It, in my opinion, is the best .380 on the market. But at the end of the day, it's still a .380, with limited capacity. I am thinking about stepping up in caliber, which means an increase in size and weight. So a couple questions:

1. Is a 9mm a 9mm is a 9mm? I.e. a 9mm Sig P239 just as good as a Springfield XDm 9mm (that is to say is a compact 9mm as effective as a more full size 9mm, obvious short fall of capacity is fully understood).

2. Legitimately, is a .40 really THAT much better than a 9mm?

3. Thoughts from any owners of the Springfield XDs, I like how thin they are.

9mm is a 9mm out of compact or full size. Only difference is made by the 9mm ammo. You can get +P or +P+ 9mm to get close to a 40cal regular load. If you can get the 40 in same size and weight as the 9mm why not? It's the best of both worlds between the 45ACP and 9mm. Good penetration and good energy on target. It's what I carry. I made a holster once got a XDs in 45 and it didn't fit my hand well. My buddies shield fit my hand better, but I carry a Glock 27.

1. Yes and no. Compact have shorter barrels and shorter sight radius. Shorter barrel produces less velocity. Dose it matter? Not really. Full size is normally easier to shoot but harder to conceal.

2. Somewhat. Its ballistics are a little better but not awhile lot. Its what I normally carry because I think it is.

3. I have both xd's and an xdm. I prefer the xdm. It fits my hand better, has a better trigger and holds a few more rounds.

Your probably going to get alot of opinions on this. The .380. Ideal? Nope, yet invariably I have a S & W M&P Bodyguard on me. Bottom line. I don't wanna get shot by any caliber.

I've shot the XDS in both 9mm and .45ACP. I could not hit the broadside of a barn with one. You may pick one up and shoot it with bullseye accuracy.

If you like your Sig, might wanna take a look at the P938. Not much bigger, and it bumps you up to the 9mm.

the Sig 938 is the most logical step up for you, all the controls will be the same, and it's almost the same size.

The difference between .380 and 9mm (regular) is a difference of 100% (+/-) of the .380's energy.

The difference between 9mm and .40 is more like 20% of a 9mm +P.

Shoot 9mm, the added cost of the .40 is not worth it to me.

But when you factor in the cost of 9mm +p ammo compared to regular 40cal the 9mm is more expensive.

I carry a g23 and alternate that with my sigm11. Sig is 9mm and g23 is 40. 40 cal is a way better caliber in my opinion. Chad I'm sure will get in on this on break down why it is superior as far as stopping power.

It's an endless debate that will always be around. A 40 will have about 30-40% more energy than a 9 will, depending on which bullet and how fast it's going. Cost is never a factor for me when it comes to handgun ammo. If I am going to have the same size pistol in 9mm or 40, I'm going 40 no question. But, I carry a G29 in 10mm Auto. That's what works for me.

What pistol is best for you? Only you can answer that. Get something that fits your hands and you can shoot well. Get one based on how you plan to carry it. The XD's are a nice pistol. I personally am all Glock.

The 9mm is getting better all the time, but so are the larger calibers. The XDs is probably my favorite of the small pistols.

The cost difference I'm referring to is not the SD ammo but training ammo. There's a huge difference, and you're probably going to shoot 300+:1 training to SD.

I don't care what SD ammo costs, to a point. I'm not buying/loading it by the K either.

I buy my plinking ammo by the thousands and my SD ammo normally in 500 round lots. It is also good to train with what you carry. That is the last thing you want is to shoot a bunch of plinking ammo (FMJ) and everything work fine and feed fine, then all of the sudden you get into a situation you need to use your gun and your fancy HP SD ammo won't feed through your gun. You probably just got maimed or killed because you never trained with your carry ammo because it was too expensive.

PPK/S. With good ammo and confidence in its handling, NO problem.

First three rounds in mag are Hornady Critical Defense (youtube that !), followed by FMJ's.

Small and easily concealed. Chances are, I won't need it anyway. JMO.

Why do you only carry 3 rounds of SD ammo and the rest FMJ?

Glock 22 .40 for me.

Agreed, this is a bad idea.

I honestly don't think there's a big difference between 380 and 9mm. 9x17 vs 9x19 in measurement. Same bullet width, slight speed/weight difference. If I were to go 9mm, I'd only shoot 140 grain and up. That's just me though

I love my XDs in 45. If you have large hands, it'll fit right in the sweet spot of your hand be very accurate. If you have small hands it might feel alright, but you may be better off with something else. It hides well in my pocket. I can hit a 12ga shotgun shell at 10 yards with 230gr hollow points roughly half the time. The trigger is good enough for not being a 1911.


I'd probably keep the 238 if I were in your shoes. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

No one has said a revolver yet? I carry either a XDs45 or a Sp101 357

Single stack .45. Light weight VERRY comfortable IWB with a holster by dm Bullard at the 4-5 o clock position.

Glock 36.

Shane

If went to .45 this is exactly what I'd be carrying. Really hope Glock gets on the ball with a single stack 9/40 option. They have a .45 and .380 option what's the hold up Glock.

Many opinions on the subject, so I'l toss in my $0.02 worth.

• The .22 with you is better than the .44 at home.
• Pistol bullets are exceedingly sensitive to velocity.
• Make sure the load you select will expand out of the shorter barrel.

Bigger is always better, but be honest with yourself about what you're willing to carry.

IMO, the .40 outclasses the 9mm by enough to matter. Then again, the .45 outclasses the .40 by about the same margin. So...the question becomes "how much cartridge do YOU think is enough?"

The 9mm is a much better round than it was in the middle 80s when it failed so spectacularly (and inspired the development of the 10mm, and eventually the .40). Still, the improvements have translated into the .40, the 10mm, and the .45 ACP because it has all been bullet technology that improved.

I agree with Chad, I think the 10mm is awesome, but I don't think factory ammo takes full advantage of the 10's potential these days. I like the .40 S&W.

Everybody is different, but you have to balance how powerful a round you shoot in your concealed carry with speed and accuracy of followup shots. Some people can handle a tiny gun with a big kick and shoot it well, others need to carry a slightly bigger or heavier gun in the same caliber for reduced recoil, or pick a round with less kick.

Since I have made the choice to carry, I try to carry with me all the time unless in a place where it is prohibited. If a gun is big and heavy or uncomfortable and hard to conceal, you will probably be less likely to carry it all the time.

If you love the P238 then as others mentioned, I'd go with the P938.

In a 380, FMJ bullets provide the best penetration. The CD rounds open up and provide the shock of a hollow point. If after three rounds the threat is still there, I prefer deep penetration for termination. My other handguns are loaded similarly. 9mm, 45, 10mm. I also carry them on the ranch and FMJ is a good option.

Again, JMO.

Agree, If you like the P238 and just want to move up in caliber, the P938 makes sense.

1. No caliber is better in a smaller gun vs in a bigger gun. Sure, ballistically, it might do almost exactly as well, but I bet it won't be as easy for you to manage accuracy... unless you're Hickock45. With that being said, you do have to consider that if you are going to carry this gun, you don't have too much luxury of space, so carry something you can actually conceal upon your person.

2. Yes, .40 is really that much better. It's physics 101 that something bigger, faster, and heavier should do more damage than 9mm, but again, you have to consider size and whether you can handle the caliber or not. Also, this added power does nothing to fix bad shot placement, so a bad shot is a bad shot no matter the caliber. speaking of that, I know nobody that wants to get shot anywhere with anything.

3.Personal opinion, I don't like the XD series because I suck with them. Maybe it's the gun, maybe it's me. I've shot 3 of them so far and not one liked me.

Bottom line is that unless you're going to find a way to carry the exact gun you would go to war with, you're going to have to assess your priorities and find a suitable compromise, but only you can decide what that is, and perhaps you'll only find out by trial and error,but it's also true that anything is better than nothing, so don't be discouraged in your ever-ongoing search for your perfect carry gun.