Micro Carry Revolver?

[Glocker23]

I plan on using a carry compact 1911 for EDC and M&P shield for when I want smaller and lighter.

I was wondering if the micro carry experts can recommend revolvers or possibly Semi autos that would be smaller than the Shield.

I've been recommended North American Arms .22 Magnum, Ruger LCR-22 but I know next to nothing about revolvers / micro semi's so some advice would be appreciated.

1 - How much better is .22 Magnum vs .22LR if you were going to shoot .22s for SD? Also how is ammo availability?

2 - How is the size trade off for bigger caliber and do they exist for the micro revolvers and semis?

3 - Which ones would be hard to get negligent/accidental discharges off of since revolvers usually don't have safeties?

4 - Are micro guns usually carried in a pocket? If so, do they go in a holster that goes into the pocket?

Thanks in advance for your help!

[joefrank64k]

Micro Carry Revolver?

I carry a NAA .22 mag revolver, stoked with Hornady Critical Defense, in a Concealment Solutions pocket holster:





ETA: This combo is incredibly small and light. A big difference in size & weight from an LCP or even an NAA Guardian in .32ACP.

[71MUSTY]

Check out the KAHR PM9

Not much bigger~fits in pocket
9mm beats 22
6 or 7 shots.

[Untamed1972]

Check out the KAHR PM9

Not much bigger~fits in pocket
9mm beats 22
6 or 7 shots.

That P380 is pretty darn small too

[71MUSTY]

9 beats 380 IMHO

Plus 380 are scarce right now PM 9 is on roster and in shops

[ojisan]

The Ruger LCR-22 is the same size as a .38 Special snubby so there is no space savings going with the .22 round in such a gun.

1. .22LR out of a mini revolver is around 800 FPS with hotter loads.
The .22 Mag will be up at 1,000 FPS...much better.
The Mag will get deeper penetration, almost like a .38 Special, but of course the hole is smaller.

2. The .22 Mag mini revolver is plenty small, but it is a size up from the .22LR size.
The larger grip size of the .22Mag frame is much easier to hold on to and
better for follow up shots.
For a semi, small guns are the Ruger LCP, Keltec P32 / 380, etcetera.
These have to be SSE to purchase.
Kahr has a .380 that is CA legal / no SSE needed, but it is expensive and may need some tuning to work.

3. The NAA Mini revolvers have a safety notch in between the chambers.
It can be safely carried fully loaded with the hammer down resting in the safety notch. If you are comfortable with a Glock, you won't have any worries with the Minis.

4. The Minis fit in a pocket so nice that it is where you usually find them.
A pocket holster is always a good idea for additional safety and quicker draw.

The Kahr PM9 is popular and available, I do question a gun that requires several hundred rounds to break in before you can decide if it is reliable or not. My Ruger LCP goes bang every time starting from the very first shot.

The PM9 is the same size as the Ruger LC9, both are closer to the .38 snubby revolvers in size.
Again going to SSE, the Kel-Tec P11 is the same size as both of these guns but holds a full CA legal 10+1 in the same size package.

[ojisan]

Just a couple more thoughts...
- .22 anything may not be allowed on a CCW permit...check your local caliber restrictions
- 9mm out of a short barrel is not much faster than a .380, but it does have a slightly heavier bullet.
Look at some of the utube vids on .380 vs 9mm gel tests from short barrels to make up your own mind if there is really much practical difference between .380 and 9mm in these small guns.

[hermosabeach]

Look for the story from yesterday where the home owner shot a bad guy once with a micro... And shot himself three times in the process....

[hermosabeach]

http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/showthread.php?t=948425

Shooting with micro .22 story above.

[joefrank64k]

Look for the story from yesterday where the home owner shot a bad guy once with a micro... And shot himself three times in the process....

http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/s...d.php?t=948425

Shooting with micro .22 story above.

No, the homeowner DID NOT shoot himself. He was shot by the bad guys. There are commas in the story you're not paying attention to:

Gegelman, wounded himself with two shots to the arm and one to the chest, followed the attempted robbers outside, taking down their license plate number on a scrap of paper. Then he calmly got in his car and drove 17 miles towards the nearest hospital before he came across a law enforcement officer. Airlifted to medical care, Gegelman recovered.

It's not, "Gegelman wounded himself..." it's, "Gegelman (comma) wounded himself with two shots to the arm and one to the chest (comma)..."

The bad guys shot first, homeowner returned fire, they ran. Homeowner was hit by the bad guys and sought medical attention.

[Glocker23]

Thanks for the feedback everyone.

The Sigs are pretty close to the Shield in size so they would be direct competition.

Good mention on caliber restriction. As far as I know, Orange County doesn't say no to .22's?

Thinking about it now, it probably makes sense to go with pocket fit for CCW micro carry since anything requiring a IWB brings your choices to practically unlimited.

How hard is it to find ammo for the Seecamps?

Any thoughts on Ruger LCP or LC9's ? LC9's seem a lot more versatile but I am wondering if that extra size is just enough to not make it fit a pocket?

JoeFrank - that is a nice setup. Do you have any comments for drawbacks for that carry choice?

[Untamed1972]

9 beats 380 IMHO

Plus 380 are scarce right now PM 9 is on roster and in shops

But we are in thread discussing .22's. So .380 would still be a step or 2 up from that.

[Glocker23]

Great article with the bad *** old guy and his .22. Of course we don't know the whole story but seems like he had time to pull out something bigger like a 12 Gauge unless this was his only weapon.

Remember these little guns are a backup to our bigger carry weapons or carried when we can't have anything else. Better than a Mom's Demand Action T-shirt for self defense.

[pilote]

No, the homeowner DID NOT shoot himself. He was shot by the bad guys. There are commas in the story you're not paying attention to:

It's not, "Gegelman wounded himself..." it's, "Gegelman (comma) wounded himself with two shots to the arm and one to the chest (comma)..."

LOLOLOL...touche

...it's " what is this thing called love?" not "what is this thing called, Love?

[Tiberius]

The NAA Mini-Revolvers are really really small - they're almost cigarette-lighter sized. Basically, if you have a pocket, you can carry one. There are tradeoffs of course - single action, re-loading one is a bit of process (tho I think I read that NAA is either making, or about to make, one with a swing-out cylinder).