Well, funny you should ask, but my grandfather daily carry weapon as the country sheriff during his 8 year term was in 32 S&W. He carried that sidearm for protection and had it in his home until he passed at the age of 84.
I now have his revolver and received it in his will.
What do I carry today? Well over the last 30ish years I have carried concealed the: 22LR, 380,38 spl, 9mm, 40 S&W, 44 Spl, and 45ACP. Sometimes while you want a larger caliber, the situation does not allow for a big hog leg strapped to your hip.
There is a reason I practice headshots...
Now back to the question at hand.
I would choose a brace of 1861 Navies. Why? Cause they are fast in my hands (much faster than the larger 1860 Army,and of the Larger Colt horse pistols, the Remington grip, or the Lemat which is so large I can't cock it with one hand).
My Navies have always been more accurate than my bigger bore Colts than I've owned (maybe because of the gripping issue).
Regardless of the distorted modern opinions of others here, the 36 laid a number of people in the grave in period, was carried by a number of famous soldiers and gunfighters (yes, including Wild Bill who kept his C&B Navies after more powerful CARTRIDGE firearms came out).
I've put my money where my mouth is as I've owned and shot 61 and 51 Navies since I was 16 (52 now) and used to shoot in a Cowboy Action club here in Anchorage with my brace of 36's against shooters with CARTRIDGE 44s and 45s and I'd kick their butts until a cap would lock my action in one on one speed shoot offs.
Those little 36's were faster on target and for the follow up shots. I've always shot these style revolvers one handed and I was beating shooters using the weaver stance.
Now as a former ACW reenactor I own all the Union gear and I'm not quite sure what 2 cold wet horse blankets have to do with a winter undershirt, shirt, vest, sack coat, and overcoat. You first claimed that the 36 Navy wouldn't shoot through a Union coat, now the claim has morphed into wet winter gear at 25 yards (and no documentation yet on this claim). Solders had a special tool at their command for longer range shooting. A primary weapon such as a musket or carbine.
You seem to have more of a modern outlook on this issue so I'll share a quote from a solicitation e-mail from Frontsight " Understand this: Handguns are woefully inadequate in their stopping power as compared to a shotgun or rifle. So why do we carry handguns? Because we can! They are small enough to always have on our person for an emergency and they allow us to immediately respond in a defensive manner. (If you know you are going to a gunfight don't be an idiot with a handgun -- take a shotgun or rifle.)
Which is why I own both a modern defensive rifle and shotgun...
So I'm closing with a famous Civil War Quote "getting there firest with the mostest" can mean a 36 to the heart and a second to the head before the other guy was able to come to bear on you. Worked for Wild Bill 5 times that we know of.
David
