It has to be concealable (yay, WI!), it has to have "one shot - one kill" stopping power, it has to be completely reliable (no jams), and it can't be overly expensive ($350 to $600 range).
There has got to be one weapon "at the top of the heap" so to speak. What is it?
My thanks....
Years ago the army did research on pistol rounds and found that shot placement was more important than caliber and the only places to reliably stop someone was with a shot to the head, the spine or the long bones of the leg. A .45 to the chest would kill the perp eventually but they would still have time to do some damage to you, while a .22 in the brain had the same effect as blowing the head off with a shotgun. So instead of looking for a killer round get something you can afford to practice, practice practice with.
As someone else posted, what really matters is round placement. I absolutely love my Baretta 92 in 9mm because I can accurately shoot it all day long (without hurting my hand) and the gun never jams. Plus it's so cool looking and fun to shoot (did I say that already...?)
Check out the Taurus Judge. Amazing ability to carry a myriad of rounds.
If a semi-auto, check out the Kimber Ultra-carry line. They are .45 caliber. May be out of your price range, though. I carry 9mm with hollow points. But I'm in an urban area so background is a concern, hence the hollow points.
If .45 is too much $ and 9mm is too small, check out .40 cal.
As for model, you have to physically hold them and shoot them in order to know what will work for you. Go to a gun store. If they don't spend time with you and really help you, then don't buy from them. They should want a customer for life and be willing to help you out by letting you hold whatever you want and even work with you on the price. Cost of ammo is something to think about as well. Especially if you are going to be practicing a lot.
Glock 30 and Glock 36 in .45 ACP would meet your criteria. The Glock 30 has the advantage that it will accept either the 10-round compact mag (for concealment) or the full-size Glock-21 13-round mag. The Glock 36 is slimmer.
The Best Concealed Carry Handguns
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