PoliceLink

I know we talk alot about carrying off duty on this site. Which I think may be a good thing, may be a bad thing. I dont like "charlie" knowing what Im doing ever. I see alot of people, maybe LEO maybe non, always talk about carrying a big ass Pistol for a CCDW? My neighbor, in KY, just got his CCDW License, and the first day he was over my house to show me the 800 dollar .50 cal desert eagle he bought for his CCDW. haha We had a talk and I hopefully got into his head about this crazy thought process.

Im wondering what everyones fixation is with bigger guns for off duty? or ccdw?

Any thoughts?

The main thing is to have a gun, but past that the caliber is a matter of personal preference.  I like .45's because I believe in the caliber.  First because when the bad guy looks down the barrel, it is very intimidating, which means you may get compliance through intimidation rather than gunfire. Second, If I have to shoot, I know the caliber can do the job of stopping the threat.  There is a reason we don't carry S&W Model 10 Military & Police revolvers anymore, even though I have one and love it.  I am a big enough guy to conceal just about any normal duty pistol, so I my choice is the largest gun I can carry.  That being said, I have no problem with carrying a S&W model 36 (I used to) because I know I can shoot well with it, and of course while size matters, shot placement is what it is all about.  If I had a Kimber .45 I would carry it because it is a gun I can really believe in.  There is a reason that HRT's etc. quite often opt for 1911-style pistols, and why should I not carry one for off duty?

I bought an easily concealable, .380 when I got on the job.  That was 22 years ago and I can't find a valid reason to get rid of it.  It's small enough that I can conceal it no matter what I'm wearing.  All I'm looking for in an off-duty weapon is something that will get me and my family out of a given situation.  I do agree that the large caliber weapons have their obvious advantages, but my experience has been that if it's too cumbersome or hard to conceal, I'm tempted not to carry it with me.  For me, round selection and shot placement remains important, but if I select something that I end up leaving at home because it's a pain to carry, it won't do me any good. 

el_federale says ...

I could never figure it out. Some guys have this thing about BIG GUNS. I knew a guy who always carried a Kimber .45, I just wonder to myself WHY? I just like my .38 snub S&W. The most practical, safe pistola I know of. My two cents..........

WHY NOT? I carry a full size Kimber off duty. It rides IWB and doesn't print.

Guess I could ask WHY would someone carry a 2" 5-shot? Once the weapon is presented, concealability is out the window. You better be able to actively employ your weapon in a fight. I'll take a 1911 over a snub any day of the week, and twice on Sunday.