I'm trying to figure out how it would ever get to the caliber. If you meet all the qualifications for self-defense, it's irrelevant; if you don't, you're cooked.

It's like that old, silly, "never dust a bad guy with a hot handload" thing. I know of one attorney -- who is also a very experienced handloader -- who carries his .380 with rounds he's loaded himself.

Oh, overpenetration is a serious concern, if you don't pick your ammo properly. But there's rounds of all sorts -- .44 Magnum, even -- for which that's not an issue. Depends on the loading and bullet design. I'd be much more concerned of overpenetration from a hot 9mm hardball that I would, say, about .44 Glasers. (That's not an endorsement of Glasers, particularly; it's just an easy demonstration that overpenetration is a solved technical problem.)

As to the ears, good point. I'm not as dependent on my ears as you are, but my own take is that if

a: a self-defense shooting isn't worth some minor damage to my hearing, I'm not going to be doing it in the first place.

b: I'm not sure that the report from a 9mm is going to do more or less damage than that from, say, a .45 or .44 special.

Joel, .380 acp is the round our instructor carries. I noticed your lawyer friend isn't handloading .44 magnum rounds for carry. I've been handloading for about 30 years now. Mostly shotgun and magnum handgun loads. I didn't find it cost-effective handloading the smaller acp's until recently when I paid $25 for a box of 50 9X18 makarov.

IANAD (I am not a doctor), but I'd imagine the sharper crack of a 9mm might be just as detrimental to hearing as the boom of a .45. However...

If you do not survive the fight, it matters little what the damage to your hearing might be. Use the most powerful round that you can control well. The short-lived ringing in your ears is preferred to some alternatives.

I know an instructor I respect who carries a .44 Mag on occasion. It's just not for me. Knowing quite a few instructors on this board, I'd say they have a LOT of the calibers covered. That doesn't make any one of them the ultimate round.

I noticed Joel didn't say his lawyer friend doesn't carry handloaded .44 Magnum either. He just confirmed one caliber

Each caliber only comes in so many guns. Of those guns, some have criteria that make them more or less ideal for your concealment and shooting needs. Sometimes that's met with a .380 p3AT in a wallet holster. Sometimes it's a pocket revolver. Sometimes it's a .50GI. It's what you can comfortably carry and conceal while being able to confidently shoot without risk to uninvolved parties.

Please don't take this as criticism, It's one of those subjects and nuances that sticks around and causes misunderstandings. Incomplete information is worse than missing information in my opinion.

Whoa guys, I sure didn't mean to rattle anyone. I guess I just learned from my carry class that it's ok to carry some of the acp calibers vs magnum rounds.

As far as noise, I've shot 44 magnums and 9mm within minutes of each other at a outdoor range and no one can tell me that a 9mm will damage ears like a 44 magnum. Indoors, I wouldn't even consider firing a magnum without hearing protection. Anybody remember Dirty Harry shooting his 44 magnum (the most powerful handgun in the world) indoors? I'll believe it when I see it in person.

I didn't say he was, or wasn't. I will note, though, that if you're going to be out and about, carrying, all day, that a big honking .44 Magnum doesn't get any lighter.

I stand corrected, Joel. I guess I'll go into lurker mode here. Can't get into trouble lurking. I still like your forum and will continue to read it when time permits.

That's certainly true. That said, those are hardly the only choices. I'm pretty fond of the .44 Special, myself.Seems unlikely. On the other hand, are you sure that a 9mm won't damage hearing more than a .44 Special? A .45 Colt? A .45 ACP? If so, could you tell me on what basis? Actually, if you watch the second movie, it's clear that the scriptwriter had some very good advice; Harry admits that he downloads his .44 Magnum to, implicitly, .44 Special pressures, as he wants to be able to repeatedly hit what he aims at.

Mikie,

I see you have inadvertently discovered one of the subjects that inspires some generally good natured but near religious fanaticism. I have a serious hearing loss and protect what’s left diligently, and always wear protection when shooting target or trap but don’t consider it relevant while hunting or if in a defense scenario.

Sheesh. You're not in trouble.

You're just being disagreed with. Feel free to just lurk, if you'd like, but getting disagreed with -- sometimes kind of forcefully -- is going to happen.

On this, please: trust me.

Please don't. None of us learns if we all think the same. New ideas and people willing to question old ones are good things.

Truthfully, the idea wasn't yours and it's the idea, not you the poster, that's getting some attention.

I've sat through a few carry classes, read a lot about the issue, and regularly talk to people about carry. Through all that, I've heard some doosies that you wouldn't believe. Instead of just letting them go by, everyone learns more if you question that which doesn't make sense.

Lurk or post, whatever is comfortable to you but welcome aboard and stick around. We need all the help we can get

It's possible that you're not talking about me, I guess; but it's not a secret that, upon occasion, I do carry a .44 Magnum.