I have been been shooting for 35 years. In that time, I have had 2 squibs from factory loaded ammo. Both were in autos (2 different firearms, 2 different calibers, 2 different ammo manufacturers). Both resulted in a bullet stuck in the barrel rendering the firearms useless until I could drive the bullets out. Both could have resulted in a tragedy for an inexperienced shooter or in a high stress situation.

That having been said, when I carry, it is a Walther PP. I choose the PP due to weight, size and ease of carry. I'm not a LEO so with situational awareness, avoidance and de-escalation, the chance of me having to shoot is almost zero. Therefore, I consider the risk of an FTF or any other malfunction to be acceptable.

At home is a different story. Although the risk of an encounter is still extremely small, the probability of having to fire in an encounter is almost 100%. That is why I have a single action 44 mag next to my bed. It will function correctly every time without fail.

For personal defense ammo, I only use my handloads. 100% dependable.

Originally posted by DucTape
Ive debated this in my head before and decided just to stick and train exclusively with the Glock 19, Glock 26 combination. Two guns with the same ergo's and trigger press. Both have been %100 reliable thru a few thousand rounds.
With my limited training time and budget it makes sense for me.
YMMV

It's true those Glocks are nice, and reliable, but the drawback is you have to re-acquire your target for each shot, while a heavy pistol stays on target. I carry what could be called a stone age weapon, a .44 Remington cap & ball revolver. One shot, one kill. Deadly accurate at 25 yards, never jams, and a shot from a lead ball does a lot of damage. The ball carries in everything it touches, creating an infected wound, plus, is the ball hits bone, it shatters the bone. Shoot a 9 mm into the water, the bullet shatters. Not a ball. I showed up several cops at a shooting range with my old pistol, they both shot Glocks, and they were visibly impressed. Maybe I will but a modern pistol one day, by the way, home defense is a Browning 12 gauge.

When talking about revolvers and semi auto... its a trade off either way.
I personally go with semi. sure 1 shot one kill is great to strive for... but its not attainable by just any old joe!

Sure in a home setting you wont have more than 5 yards between you and your attacker... so a simpler battery of arms, the revolver, is probably ideal.

The OP makes and excelent point with the "one shot one kill" statement.

People say that is unrealistic, that in a combat situation you have an adrenaline rush and may not be able to aim perfectly.

That is exactly why you should not be firing multiple rounds in a shootout situation.

Don't fire your weapon until you are sure you have a good shot and perrfect aim and will hit your target and kill it. Capping of 16 rounds from a semi auto is useless if none of the bullets hit the target. Better to wait for one solidly placed shot.