OPFOR

Two hits, two wound channels, two chances to hit the CNS, twice as many holes to bleed from, and (perhaps more importantly) two chances to score a hit, period - if you miss with that first .357 round, it will take twice as long to try again! All this, and the .357 is NOT twice as incapacitating as the 9mm when both are using good defensive ammo. So, in short, the 9mm seems to be the way to go in your situation.

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"It makes no difference what men think of war, said the judge. War endures. As well ask men what they think of stone. War was always here. Before man was, war waited for him. The ultimate trade awaiting its ultimate practitioner. That is the way it was and will be. That way and not some other way."

airworthy

With the modern ballistic hollow point 9 MM ammo we have today I would choose the 9MM over the .357. Plus you have a bigger mag for the 9MM which is always a good thing.

Rob72

You live in Vegas- I would view the .357 as a SHTF high-penetrator or hunting arm.

Janq

If I had a choice to carry it would be 9mm x2 rather than 1 round of .357 and for the exact same reasons as stated by OPFOR.
Even if you hit and stop with the one round of 357, what if there is a second attacker on hand to deal with?

- Janq

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"Killers who are not deterred by laws against murder are not going to be deterred by laws against guns. " - Robert A. Levy
Monday, March 12, 2007 -- Op Ed -- The Washington Post

Tangle

Now there are some wise words worth repeating.

I recently spoke to a guy that works medical emergencies and over the years he has seen lots and lots of gunshot wound victims. His conclusion: caliber doesn't make a lot of difference. After seeing what he's seen over the years, he carries a G-19; don't know what load, but I'll ask him.

I think the lesson is, quit worrying about caliber, a miss with one caliber is as bad as a miss with another, focus on getting shots in the right places.

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"Plans fail, things fail, people fail; but, fear never fails - it must be defeated." - by Tangle, a long time ago.

crzy4guns

You are absolutely right Tangle. As a firefighter and emt for 25+ years hits is what counts. I seen some strange shootings in my time and suicides too. The most important rule is to HAVE a gun. I have ran a lot of crime victims who wished they had a gun so that they wouldn't have become victims in the first place.

tns0038

9mm all the way. Just traded my 357 in on a G26.

Who says you have to stop at a double tap.

Sure, it’s the way I train, but unless I have multi threats, once I start firing, I’ll keep firing until the threat is on the ground.

The 9mm light recoil allows you the ability to draw and fire multi rounds very quickly. Use it to you advantage.

SammyIamToday

The difference in energy levels between pistol rounds is very very slight when you look at numbers of all firearm cartridges.

Sure, that extra 50 foot pounds might be some kind of slight edge, but you're more likely to end a threat to your person with a handgun you can shoot well. Which would include follow-up shots because a high stress situation will mostly likely have misses.

Whether that handgun is a 9mm or a .454 Casull is a very individual thing. With that said, you probably need to at least have a round that can penetrate to the vital areas of a human attacker. Which will preclude some smaller pistol rounds.

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...He suggested that "every American citizen" should own a rifle and train with it on firing ranges "at every courthouse." -Chesty Puller

dukalmighty

A hit with a 9 is better than a miss with a 357,carry what you shoot well if you shoot a 45 well then carry a 45,but if you are all over the target and slow with followup shots try a 9mm,if you can put a 9mm com and rapid followup shots carry it.one more thing a gun in a drawer at home will not help you in a driveway 100ft away.I carry 24/7

CENTURION1945

You said you are faster with the 9 wich with top JHP has good stopping power, maybe you also should think in the tactical side, what if you confront several attackants?