The "Best" Revolver Caliber for Self Defense

This is one of those questions that is often answered by single choice or opinion of whoever is tasked or volunteers to answer the question. Unfortunately, as stated, the question is far too lacking in details to give a proper answer. Here are some needed details:

• Who is asking?
• What is their height and weight?
• What is their general physical condition?
• What is their strength level?
• What is their prior level of experience with handguns?

For the 6'2" guy who can bench press his own weight ten times in a row, the answer might be a hot .44 special out of a custom revolver built on a Ruger Speed Six with magnaporting. For the 6' tall guy who quits at 50 pushups a mild .357 magnum out of a K or L frame size revolver might be a better choice. Of course size and weight of the revolver can make some difference in caliber choice.

• Is it going to be carried openly or is concealment a requirement?
• Concealed carry restrains choices;
• Open carry creates new caliber opportunities.

The larger and heavier the gun, the larger the caliber can be in terms of recoil control. The only caveat is the gun cannot be too large or too heavy for the shooter. While the N frame size can easily tame even hot .357 magnums and very hot .44 specials for many people over 5'10" tall and over 175 pounds with reasonable muscle tone, for the 5'2" tall, 105 pound person, that N frame is going to be both too large and too heavily to handle well. That person might be better served with hot .38 specials out of a K frame sized revolver.

The problem for those who desire or must carry concealed on their body, most revolvers are hard to conceal except in winter, or, in the case of men, when they are wearing a suit or sport coat. Granted the size of the individual makes a difference with larger people being more able to conceal larger revolvers than people of lesser height and bulk.

For those persons of slighter build who need to carry concealed, a hot .38 special in something like a Ruger SP 101 Model 5737 might be the best they can do in caliber and still carry concealed in the late Spring, Summer, and early Fall. Experience has shown that J frame sized revolvers, although only slightly smaller and lighter, (Ruger 26 ounces - S&W Model 60 22 ounces) are not the right self defense revolvers for those of slight build because of the strong recoil. The J frame belongs in the hands of experienced shooters who have the physical size and strength to handle that recoil.

The other option for women and some men is an "off body carry" which generally means a purse or briefcase or message bag. While this is not a carry that the true gun fighters favor, it is one often used, especially by women. (See upcoming article on purses and bags for concealed carry.) This does open up real possibilities to carry large revolvers and more potent calibers much the same as open carry.

A brief discussion of concealed carry of single action revolvers is appropriate. Single action revolvers are normally easier to conceal than double action revolvers of the same caliber and barrel length, if the butts are rounded. That might open up the use of .45 Long Colt or the .44 special to some that could not do so with a double action. The problem is, a single action revolver is a terrible choice for self defense for all but a very few highly practiced and highly trained individuals, so it should never be considered by any but those few.

General Conclusions:

1. Select and carry the largest caliber you can control and shoot effectively.
2. The larger and heavier gun you can carry and handle, the larger the caliber you will be able to control and shoot effectively.
3. Revolvers are generally harder to conceal than semi automatics in similar calibers.

For the record, the only revolver caliber I like for self defense purposes is the .44 special. Bear in mind I can control and shoot the caliber effectively even out of my ASP conversion to a 5 shot .44 special from a Ruger  6 shot .357 magnum Speed Six.  My other choice is a Ruger Super Blackhawk Hunter cut to a 5" barrel and Mag na Ported. It is important to realize that is great choice for me, but isn't the best choice for others.