Best Cartridge for Self-Defense: Protecting Yourself and Your Loved Ones

The debate over which pistol caliber is best for self-defense has been raging for decades (and by “caliber,” we really mean “cartridge”). Gun owners are typically passionate about their choices, and the argument often turns ugly. I don’t have much of a dog in the fight, since I choose to carry a 9mm or 45 ACP depending on the situation.

This article probably won’t put a stop to the “best cartridge for self-defense” bickering. However, by sharing the stats and data for the most popular defensive calibers currently in production, I can help you make an informed decision about what will work best for you.

This article will also offer some sound science to help you determine how to choose the best caliber for self-defense.

Choosing the Best Caliber for Self-Defense

The self-defense cartridge you should prefer is a personal decision. There is no perfect one-size-fits-all best self-defense caliber. What works well for one shooter might be an absolute nightmare for another.

To gain advantages in one area (like striking energy), you’re going to need to make concessions in others (like recoil). Finding the right cartridge for your defensive needs is all about finding a balance between what you can shoot, what you can comfortably carry, and what has enough power to make short order of a threat.

Here is a list of the most popular options modern shooters use for defensive carry. Each has its pros and cons.

Based on the data and our personal experiences, we’re convinced that the 9mm Luger is the best all-around handgun cartridge for self-defense.

However, smaller shooters often find 9mm pistols difficult to fire – and even harder to conceal. I chose the 9mm because it works well for the vast majority of shooters in most defensive applications.

9mm Luger – Our Top Pick

The 9mm Luger (also called “9x19mm Parabellum,” or simply “9mm”) was once considered a subpar option for personal defense. Times have changed. Today, the 9mm is the most popular cartridge for both law enforcement and civilian concealed carry, and it earned that popularity fair and square.

Recoil

Compared to larger defense rounds, the 9mm produces relatively mild recoil. Because the 9mm’s recoil is easier to tame, shooters can make faster, more accurate follow-up shots. Since your life depends on good shot placement during a defensive shooting scenario, this is a major selling point for 9mm. A 115-grain bullet traveling 1,150 fps from the barrel of a 1.5-pound 9mm pistol produces 5.2 foot-pounds of recoil energy.

Power and Penetration

Modern advancements in ammo technology have brought the terminal performance of the 9mm up to par with much larger cartridges. Today’s 9mm bullet shoots faster, hits harder, and expands wider than the ones we were firing just a decade ago.

When it comes to personal protection, some 9mm loads work better than others. For best results, choose expanding hollow points for your self-defense handgun.

Capacity

Although actual capacity varies by model, 9mm offers greater capacity than many other popular concealed carry calibers. Because 9mm rounds are narrower than .40 S&W or .45 ACP, they don’t take up as much space in a magazine, which allows for greater capacity.

Cost and Availability

9mm Luger ammo is pretty affordable compared to other popular pistol cartridges. Because practice loads are relatively cheap, you can hone your skills without hurting your bank account too much. Since weapon proficiency is a necessary component of defensive shooting, this is another major perk for the 9mm.

The 9mm is one of the most popular cartridges on the market today. There is no shortage of 9mm pistols or ammo to choose from. Every major American handgun manufacturer offers multiple models spanning everything from autoloaders to revolvers, subcompact to full-size. There are also hundreds of defense-specific loads for shooters to choose from.

.380 ACP – Best for Recoil Sensitive Shooters

The .380 Automatic Colt Pistol  (also called “.380 Auto” and “.380 ACP”) was introduced in 1908. It was designed for the blowback pistols of the time. Compared to more modern pistol cartridges, the .380 ACP lacks power, speed, and terminal performance.

So why is it included on this list?

When you need it, a small gun chambered for .380 ACP is better than no gun at all.

I believe .380 Auto works better for a backup gun than it does as a primary concealed carry firearm.

Backup guns chambered for .380 are available in ultra-compact sizes, which are a breeze to conceal.

Get a quality pocket or ankle holster, and a .380 ACP will make a great EDC pistol.

Recoil

Although .380 ACP and 9mm Luger are loaded with projectiles of the same caliber, the .380 pushes lighter bullets at slower speeds. The .380 ACP’s lower velocities come with a welcome advantage: less recoil.

A 95-grain projectile leaving the muzzle of a 0.6-pound .380 Auto pistol at 900 fps generates about 5.4 foot-pounds of recoil energy.

Power and Penetration

The Federal Bureau of Investigation uses a specific test protocol to determine the effectiveness of defensive loads. According to FBI performance standards, a bullet should penetrate at least 12 inches into ballistics gel after having traveled a distance of 10 feet, but no more than 18 inches under the same conditions.

Satisfying that standard is difficult for .380 ACP when it is loaded with an expanding bullet, because a good portion of the energy needed for penetration is expended on terminal expansion instead. Penetration can also be much shallower if those bullets pass through heavy clothing or another barrier first.

While non-expanding FMJs have an easier time reaching the magic 12 inch depth, the wounds they carve out aren’t as wide. Fractions of an inch matter when it comes to organ and artery damage, which means a non-expanding bullet sacrifices potential stopping power.

Capacity

Tiny backup pistols don’t carry very much ammo. The subcompact Glock G42, which is chambered in .380 Auto, has a standard magazine capacity of only six rounds.

Although you can purchase a 15-round magazine for it, it makes carrying and concealing the pistol much less practical.

Cost and Availability

Micro pistols designed for James Bond-style deep concealment are all the rage right now. That means there is a wide variety of .380 ACP pistols on the market.

Unfortunately, there isn’t nearly as much variety in the ammo department. Although most major manufacturers have several .380 ACP loads in their lineups, there isn’t nearly the selection that you’ll find for more popular loads like 9mm or .45 ACP.

The ammo you do find will cost you. Most .380 ACP loads are significantly more expensive than 9mm. Cost wise, they are more on par with hefty hitters like .45 ACP.

.38 Special – Honorable Mention

If you’re a fan of wheel guns for self-defense, then the .38 Smith & Wesson Special (more commonly known simply as “.38 Special”) is a great option. A revolver chambered in this mild-recoiling cartridge is capable of stopping bad guys. However, it does have its drawbacks.

Recoil

The .38 Special’s recoil is gentle, which is why the cartridge is often recommended to women and other recoil-sensitive shooters. Load a snub nose revolver with .38 Special, and the recoil gets a bit snappy.

Although snubbies are easier to conceal, a medium-frame wheel gun is much easier to fire.

Power and Penetration

The 9mm and .38 Special fire the same caliber bullets; however, the .38 Special is a lower-velocity cartridge. As such, it puts a lot less oomph into its projectiles.

The .38 Special performs well in the FBI test protocol. Although it doesn’t penetrate as deeply into ballistic gel as 9mm, that isn’t always a bad thing. Even when loaded with FMJs, .38 Special rarely overpenetrates (except at the closest distances).

In scenarios where an innocent bystander could be behind the bad guy (which, to be sure, could theoretically be any scenario), a bullet that expands in soft tissue and stays there is a good thing.

Capacity

Most revolvers chambered in .38 special only hold five to six rounds, and wheel guns aren’t as easy to reload as semi-automatics.

Six rounds of .38 Special simply haven’t got the same potential stopping power as the same quantity of .45 ACP. Smaller-caliber projectiles create smaller wound channels, meaning round count becomes that much more important.

Cost and Availability

Americans have a love affair with semi-automatic polymer-framed pistols. That’s why companies like Glock, SIG Sauer, and Smith & Wesson design and manufacture many such firearms each year.

Unfortunately, that means fewer revolvers are hitting gun stores. Even fewer revolvers chambered in .38 Special are rolling off assembly lines these days, so your options for a carry gun chambered in this mild-recoiling cartridge may be limited.

As fewer and fewer wheel guns chambered in .38 Special began hitting the market, so too did ammo options. Even cheap .38 Special ammo tends to run on the expensive side, especially compared to more popular options like 9mm. However, .38 Special is still more affordable than .45 ACP.

Buying in bulk is always a smart choice. That’s why you should check out our stock of bulk 45 ACP ammo, or visit our bulk 38 Special Ammo page!

.357 Magnum – Best Primary Revolver

The .357 Magnum was easily the most popular handgun cartridge of the twentieth century. Introduced in the 1930s, the .357 Mag was designed as a high-velocity round to help law enforcement punch through the car doors and auto glass used as cover by Prohibition-era gangsters.

Although modern defensive shooters have embraced newer cartridges designed for semi-automatic pistols, the .357 Magnum still has plenty to offer. While .357 Magnum revolvers are generally too bulky and heavy for concealed carry, they make great sidearms.

Recoil

It’s safe to expect any centerfire cartridge with the word “Magnum” in its name to be a heavy kicker.

However, on the spectrum of handgun recoil, the .357 Magnum sits near the middle.

Power and Penetration

The .357 Magnum has more velocity and delivers more energy than the 9mm.

The .357 Magnum is loaded with a *slightly* wider bullet than the 9mm (0.357″ vs. 0.355″). A wider bullet hitting with more force leads to more tissue damage and blood loss, both of which help to effectively neutralize a threat.

Capacity

Because the .357 Mag is typically loaded into revolvers, shooters are usually limited to five or six shots.

Cost and Availability

All .357 Magnum revolvers can also safely fire .38 Special cartridges, which adds to their versatility.

However, the selection of guns chambered for this cartridge is generally limited to revolvers. (You can carry a .357 Mag Desert Eagle pistol if you want, but it is unwieldy!)

When it comes to price, both .357 Mag practice and defensive ammo cost significantly more than 9mm.

There are plenty of different options available to modern shooters, and you can always save a few bucks by buying in bulk.

.40 Smith & Wesson – Honorable Mention

Sitting between the popular 9mm and .45 ACP in terms of bullet diameter, the .40 Smith & Wesson (aka “.40 S&W” or “.40 cal”) is often called a “compromise cartridge.”

Introduced in 1990, the .40 S&W was specifically developed to match the FBI’s reduced-velocity 10mm Auto. Designers essentially matched the light 10mm load’s reduced powder charge and shortened its case to produce the new and more compact .40 S&W.

Recoil

The .40 S&W has a reputation for producing snappy recoil and significant muzzle rise, both of which can be difficult for inexperienced shooters to tame.

Because the .40 S&W fires a smaller projectile, it is easy to believe it should have less recoil than the larger .45 ACP. However, the numbers tell a different story.

A 155-grain bullet fired from the muzzle of a 1.5-pound .40 S&W pistol kicks with 10.6 foot-pounds of recoil energy. In comparison, a 2.5-pound .45 ACP pistol throwing a 185-grain projectile produces only 6.8 foot-pounds of recoil.

The heavier weight of the .45 ACP pistol certainly helps mitigate recoil. However, many shooters claim the .40 S&W’s recoil is harsh, snappy, and more difficult to control. The numbers certainly support that claim.

Power and Penetration

The .40 S&W fires the same projectiles as the 10mm Auto. Because its case holds 4.8 grains less H2O than the 10mm, the .40 S&W fires projectiles at lower velocities and with less energy.

The faster, beefier 10mm sends 175-grain pills downrange at 1,160 fps and with 523 foot-pounds of muzzle energy. The .40 S&W fires the same projectiles 150 fps slower, with “only” 396 foot-pounds of energy (which is still more than adequate for defense).

When we compare it to our favorite 9mm, the .40 cal has a clear energy advantage.

The widths of the average wound channels inflicted by the 9mm and .40 S&W are pretty similar. However, the .40 S&W’s extra energy tends to drive its bullet deeper, as well as transfer more concussive force to soft tissue.

Capacity

While most .40 S&W handguns have magazine capacities comparable to 9mm models, the .40 S&W models are typically heavier, bulkier, and more difficult to conceal.

Cost and Availability

In the not-so-distant past, the .40 S&W was extremelyly popular with both law enforcement and civilian shooters. However, as the 9mm’s popularity has surged, the .40’s has waned. As a result, handgun and ammo options are both dwindling.

The waning popularity of .40 S&W has led to increased prices. Investing in bulk .40 S&W purchases can be a cost-effective strategy to maintain your shooting regimen.

Read the full guide https://ammo.com/best/caliber-for-self-defense

Source: https://freedombunker.com/2026/01/13/caliber-for-self-defense/