The round you count on to save your life fails. This is the punctuation mark assessment made by experienced trainers and ballistics experts, and not surprisingly, one of the most important considerations in home protection is the caliber choice for the handgun. A defensive round is far more than just a numbers game, where the designation appears on the brass casing. Your defensive round is the connection between desire and survival. For gun enthusiasts, concealed carry permit holders, and self-defense practitioners, however, the debate is not merely a question of pure strength. It involves a set of factors related to penetration, trustworthiness, and usability in stressful situations.
Many years of ballistic gel tests, reviews of shooting histories, and reports from law enforcement agencies have already revealed a series of calibers with a disturbing track record of letdowns when it comes tolife-or-death situations. Eight Handgun Calibers to Stay Away From: Experts’ Recommendations and Why They Don’t Measure Up to Reality in Self-Defense Situations Here are eight handgun calibers that professionals recommend not carrying with them, along with reasons why these call.
1. .22 Long Rifle – Popularity Doesn’t Equal Reliability
The .22 LR still leads the most produced cartridge globally because of its properties of low recoil, quiet report, and relatively inexpensive price. However, due to the rimfire system, contributors to the limitations of the cartridge include the potential misfire rate of 8-10% when using bulk loads. The light brass cartridges result in low muzzle energies with values below 200 ft-lbs. Gel tests indicate it often fails the FBI standard of 12-18 inches of penetration, even hindered by clothing. As the USCCA points out, the .22 LR may not get the job done in a determined assailant. While perfect for range time practice or small game hunting purposes, the .22 has a lot riding on luck when it comes to self-defense.
2. .25 ACP – Outclassed by Modern Standards
Introduced with the .25 ACP in 1905, the cartridges have long since been eclipsed by more modern .22 LR ammunition. Muzzle forces for the .25 ACP trail the .22 LR, with energies dipping below the required 70 ft. lbs. Low velocity is problematic for hollow points, with the typical .25 ACP pistol offering subpar sights on low-budget, compact frames. Having few ammunition alternatives and substandard ballistic properties, the .25 ACP handgun caliber is described by the USCCA as by far the worst for self-defense out of the conventional handgun calibers available. In the modern age of advanced self-defense ammunition, the obsolescence of the .25 ACP caliber cannot be questioned.
3. .32 ACP – A Relic from a Bygone Era
John Browning’s design of 1899 remained in service for many years among police and military groups, though recent testing reveals inconsistent pressure and lack of penetration against heavy materials. Muzzle velocity averages 125–170 ft‑lbs of muzzle energy, which is considered insufficient for swift threat neutralization. It has a soft recoil and can be concealed, but the cartridge selection is limited, and the guns available are quite outdated. Ballistically, the .22 Magnum is in the middle of the .22 Long Rifle and .380 Automatic, but leans more toward the .22 Long Rifle, so it is ineffective for self-defense.
4. .410 Shotshell in Revolvers – Gimmick Over Guardian
Guns such as the Taurus Judge advertise the spread capabilities of a shotgun in the compactness of a hand gun. Truthfully, the speed is reduced with the length of the barrel, and the penetration into vital areas with birdshot is highly unlikely. Even buckshot and slugs have a reduced ability for transferring energy when measured against handgun bullets. Range tests have proven that both .410 Foster slugs fired out of short barrels have a penetration of only 7½ inches in gelatin, which is far below FBI standards, while Brenneke slugs are somewhat better but need accurate shooting. The large spread will thus dissipate the energy and is a poor substitution for effective defense rounds.
5. .380 ACP with Low-Performance Loads -Marginal Without Careful Selection
The .380 ACP may be adequate, but most popular bullets don’t meet the FBI requirement of 12 inches of penetration with a semi-wadcutter from a short-barreled pistol. Borderline ballistic performance, with sharp recoil from compact carry pieces, may affect accuracy. Modern defense cartridges, such as Hornady Critical Defense, are far better, but carrying ineffective .380 ammo is, as Gun Week advises, rolling the dice. .380 ACP carry practitioners have little choice but to choose their ammo wisely and train diligently to compensate for it.
6. 10mm Auto – Too Much Power for Most Guns
Initially created for the FBI, this 10mm Auto pistol has a bore that generates a momentum force of over 600ft-lbs in its rounds. Though very potent, this caliber has a downside that comes with it due to its high recoil, a loud muzzle blast, as well as a high possibility of over-p Real-world experience has taught that passing shooters have difficulty with immediate follow-up shots. The 10mm is effective in the wilderness with big predators, but when it comes to concealed carry weapons, it’s often too much firearm.
7. .38 Special with Ultra-Short Barrels: Velocity Loss Affects Performance
The classic .38 Special loses effectiveness with barrels smaller than two inches. The lower velocities damage the expansion of hollow-point ammunition, and +P ammunition only increases recoil without improving ranges and accuracy to the same extent. Testing reveals an average velocity loss of 12% from the barrels of the snubnoses, and velocities can be reduced as much as 200fps on some loads. While quality + P short barrels loads are available, such as Speer’s 135-grain Gold Dot, it becomes important to select the proper ammunition in order to meet FBI penetration standards.
8. .44 Magnum – Wilderness Power, Urban Liability
Ever populated the silver screen through a Hollywood movie, the .44 Magnum has a muzzle energy level of more than 1,000 ft-lb and rugged penetration, characteristics rendering it unsuitable for use in self-defense, particularly in urbanized areas. It has a very high recoil and large cartridge size. Over-penetration is a serious concern, with the potential to penetrate several walls inside. As with the rear defense against dangerous game in the backcountry, the disadvantages outweigh the issues in this scenario for carry. A defensive caliber is one in which you’ve got to strike a balance among power, shootability, and reliability.
The eight rounds listed below aren’t effective not because they will not be deadly, but because they require compromises that most gunners cannot realistically afford in a self-defense situation. The established defensive rounds in today’s military-issue calibers such as 9mm, 40S&W, and 45 ACP are far superior in controllability and stopping power. The end use of self-defense is accuracy and effectiveness, not energy.
