Clothes are everything, big pockets. I mostly wear carpenter's jeans. I don't do "slacks" and other pansy stuff city boys do. I'm retired and work for myself in my own shop now.
I do have a part time job delivering papers to machines, 2 times a week, and wear what I want. I have multi hundreds of dollars on me on Tuesdays, collection day, so I carry, but I have to bend over at the machines to load 'em, so I don't like IWB and a T shirt.
American Rifleman Aug 09 posted test of Ruger LCR These numbers aren't very impressive
BlackHills 125gr +P 916FPS and 233 ftlbs
Hornady 110gr JHP 903FPS and 199 ftlbs
Federal 130gr FMJ 763FPS and 168ftlbs
Just for kicks
Corbon 90grHP from a 380KelTec did 950FPS and 181ftlbs
I would take the 9mm It will do better than any of the above.
I long ago parked my J frame
I get 270 ft lbs from a +P 158 grain .38 from a 2" barrel. It's a handload, but it matches other decent +P factory loads. I get 410 ft lbs from a +P 9x19 out of my P11.. Yeah, I like that. BUT, the .38 is packin' 158 grains of lead. It WILL expand and it WILL drill a deep hole, penetrate well and the good ol' FBI load has a great street record. That's the part I don't trust in a .380. Most .380 jello tests I've seen are unimpressive. I might rethink that for the Hornady personal defense stuff, but in general. I'm perfectly happy, though, carrying .38 Special or 9x19.
My P11 is nearly 14 years old now, best guestimate considering how much I used to shoot it on range trips when I was shooting lots of 9 in IDPA, I have over 11,000 rounds fired through it and it's still 3.5" accurate at 25 yards and never bobbles, 100 percent reliable. I'd fire 50 to 100 rounds every range trip through the P11 along with shooting my Ruger that I used for IDPA. Yeah, I have LOTS of confidence in it.
I had to shoot an attacking dog with it a few years back. I drew and fired so instinctively with it, so fast, I amazed myself. All that shooting has gotten a zen thing going with me and that gun. It almost pointed and fired itself in that situation. Now, that's about as close to fighting for my life as I wanna get, man on big, mad dog, but my reactions in that incident told me more than all my IDPA shooting about how I would perform if forced into a fight. I haven't got that sort of confidence in my .38. I think I would do well with it, it points as naturally for me, but nothing like actual experience to get your confidence up. Sorta like a new hunting rifle before you actually bloody it. Once you've made some good shots with it, you know it, you have confidence in it. Makes some difference IMHO.