What Are the Board's Thoughts Regarding .38, .380, and 9mm for Carry?

The object of carrying a gun for defense is to have the ability to shoot, hit and stop a bad guy. By doing so you want to have lots of shots at your disposal. Each shot can make a hole in the attacker. The bigger the hole the better.

Pick a caliber that finds the perfect balance of high capacity and can bore large holes.
All the while it is reliable and you can shoot it well.

40+/- /= 9mm>38+p>38>380 for defense IMHO

Bersa are cheap guns well known for slide bite especially on larger hands.

The revolvers are wider and harder to conceal due to this but if I was going to CC a revolver I would use 357 mag.

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like the S&W compact revolvers and Bersa Thunder semi. Most seem to want to discount anything other than the 9mm for a primary carry, though.

How much more do .38 and .380 ammo run than 9mm during non-panic times?

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There are just so many more options in 9mm (and .40 S&W now), in both platforms and cartridge offerings by the major manufacturers. I'm not even a 9mm guy, really, but I would choose 9mm over .38 special or .380. Even if a revolver is selected, I believe that, only under rare circumstances will you not be able to find one chambered in .357, and then carry either a .38 +P or light .357 round.

It's about carrying a platform with the most effective round as practicable.

As an example, I would not feel undergunned with a Glock 26 or M&P Shield. Although it remains my favorite gun to shoot, I would feel undergunned with a .380 Walther PPK.

If you cannot handle/are not comfortable with full power 9mm (or .40 S&W), by all means carry a .380 (or even better, a Seecamp LW in .32 ACP, sweet, sweet gun), but do so consciously and out of necessity.

I carry a S&W 642 as often as I do my .40. It's conveinant and will do the job if you practice and can shoot accurate.

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I think the small 9's are pretty sweet for carry.

A small frame .38 doesn't take u much space, until you add the grip you need for it (it's a significant difference).

.380 is probably the thinnest you can get. It's definitely a compromise.

.357 doesn't belong in this conversation. The size of a .357 revolver puts it against regular 9's, .40's, and .45's.

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.357 doesn't belong in this conversation. The size of a .357 revolver puts it against regular 9's, .40's, and .45's.

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Ruger makes 2 different .357s - LCR and SP101 that are comparably sized (a little thick, but not significantly different than J-frames, they're 5-shot small frame revolvers) to .380 and CCW-oriented 9mm pistols.

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I will say this, .357 out of anything shorter than 4" is wasting a lot of propellent which turns into flash temporarily blinding the shooter. 6" is optimum.

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I find that true of .38 cartridges as well. Corbon makes a nice 110-grain, full power .357 that, while no means pleasant, is much more manageable out of a snub nose - although my garrison commander's choice of sidearm is somewhat unique - a CQB 627 with 8 shots, and 2 3/4" bbl - the biggest g-ddamn snubby you ever saw.