Well let's just hope your crystal ball is right about the type of defensive encounter that may await you. I will continue to carry something that is more appropriate for a wider array of situations, since I've yet to find a fortune cookie that mentions whether it's my day to need more than the bare minimum. A S&W Shield Plus holds double to almost triple the number of more effective rounds, has real sights, carries as easily and is far easier to hit with than any snubby.
Because we all know that inncoent people that aren't directly involved in criminal activity never get caught in bad situations, right? Good luck with your 3 shots/3 feet/3 seconds BS. In fact, if we are talking "outliers" when choosing defensive equipment, why don't we talk about how much of an outlier it is to even need a handgun in public? Maybe you should trade the LCR for a rape whistle, since the average number of shots needed by an American citizen in public each day must be approaching zero. As a bonus, I think you can even take the whistle onto the plane and don't need to visit an airport restroom.
Good discussion!And I'm not telling you to carry an LCR or disputing that the Shield is better for *you*. But you aren't everyone.
If you want to talk outliers and stats, look at the entire picture.
Guess how many people in Marion County shot a bad guy in self defense this year. Now guess how many people shot themselves or others accidentally with a self loading pistol due to improper clearing. Would you care to guess how many people lost when presenting a non-functioning handgun? Safety on, round not chambered, or just didn't go bang? So do you just ignore that when giving advice to someone who will be a gun owner but not a 'gun person'?
Nothing to do with a crystal ball, just a lot of exposure to reality and paying attention. I find that revolvers lose a lot of hypothetical fights on the Internet but do much better in the real world. And people seldom shoot themselves with them and the go bang on that most important first shot more reliably.
Context matters.
I appreciate both viewpoints presented.
It reflects my own journey in figuring out what is adequate & reasonable.
I'm a revolver fan & started out with J frames in my pocket decades ago before I even knew you should always put it in a pocket holster.
4-5 yrs ago I still carried in an ankle holster (or in a pocket holster) for years but with arthritis spreading insidiously over the years I had to stop that practice.
It began one day when Areoflyer asked me while over at his house why I was doing that.
He mentioned his Glock 19 in his IWB holster that I couldn't even tell he was wearing.
That opened my eyes to other possibilities.
Yes, I was that uninformed.
My SW Shield Plus PC is everything I've searched for in the past 5 yrs.
I still have a little Kahr CM9 for when I need minimalist printing even though it's half the capacity.
I even have an "inbetween" size of the Taurus G4, which has turned out to be my workhorse in semi-auto CC.
I also have 5 & 6 round revolvers b/c of the benefits.
Ultimate CC for me is Shield Plus in IWB & J frame in pocket holster.