smallest caliber for carry

[jjperl]

What is the smallest caliber semi-auto handgun you would feel comfortable carrying? Comfortable meaning you feel it'll do the job adequately if necessary.

[Richard]

All I carry now is a 45 .....para LDA carry. 6+1
Opinions vary but if you want the job right go with 45 cal but if not 40 cal. is the lowest I will go.
I'm done with the 9mm.

[xenophobe]

The minimum for carry? .380 Cor-bon... it's nearly identical to 9mm.

Although a .32 in a small package like the Seecamp 32 when you have no real place to hide a larger pistol would be sufficient.

[jjperl]

I think the smallest caliber I would ever feel comfortable going with is .380 acp. My reasoning is based on the fact that most confrontations occur within a few feet and I'm pretty sure .380 would get the job done in that range.

[VeryCoolCat]

I've heard gangbangers have been using 22 revolvers because they don't have to worry about police tracing the casings. They are easy to hide and very low recoil for follow up shots, plus they can get em really cheap off the streets so they can just toss the gun after they whack someone.

Or just get a 50 AE desert chicken..... if you miss... you can just throw it at em and that'd either knock em out or bust open their skull

[jjperl]

imo 22 revolvers are to small and to slow to be adequately effective.

[Cpl_Peters]

would prefer .40 but for something that you really need to hide a small .380 I think would work fine. Everyone talks about stopping power, and act like the 9mm and 380 wont do anything, like they are the metaphorical flys on the windshield when it comes to firepower but i wonder how many of these detractors have been shot by either round....let alone at a close (>15 feet) range. I dont own a 9mm or a 380 so I am not saying this because I have to justify my guns.

I dated a girl once and she was interested in buying a gun that would fit her and I suggested a XD9 compact or a g19. She asked what caliber they were and I said 9mm. She said kind of snotty, "yea but that will take like 5 shots to take someone down" as if she had any idea of what she was talking about.

With all that said....I vote for 380, but have a compact 40 that will be used for carry.

[sthornwall]

Looking at getting a SIG P-226. Nice 9mm, perfect for carry IMO.

[Diablo]

9 mm should be the smallest caliber, but I would hate to get shot with any caliber...

[luvtolean]

Jeez, a 226 is a big gun. I like shooting them, but I wouldn't want to try and carry it concealed much. As a duty weapon, or glovebox gun (with CCW of course), great.

A .22LR is hardly powerful, but if confronted with a gunfight, it still meets the minimal definition of the first rule of a gunfight, "bring a gun".

I think training/mindset have more to do with "winning" a gunfight (which I personally consider getting out of alive, not necessarily killing the other guy) than the caliber of your weapon.

[PIRATE14]

Well when u put a 22LR nxt to someones lid and pull, they are pretty effective...........

Any gun is better than none.............

U guys sure like these silly threads...........

[CalNRA]

I consider a small 32 ACP to be the minimal caliber, reason being it's the smallest caliber in center fire that beats 22LR out of a short(2.5-3 inch) barrel, and there are a few hot loads you can buy for it. 32s can be made extremely small and renders the 25 ACP inadequate. I have reservation about carrying a 22LR due to the number of duds I have seen, usually one per 500 or so, enough to cause me to be concerned of its reliability to fire.

the problem we face of course is that the choices of 32s are pretty limited by the DOJ. currently the only ones we can get are the Beretta Tomcat and the Seecamp CA edition, don't quote me on that though, haven't read the roster in a few days so no telling what I missed. I'm sure Iggy has a few off-list ones for back up though, he is the only one professional enough to handle an unsafe handgun..

[Directshot]

My preference has always been for the .45 since your shooting up close and the .45 has ( I feel ) better take-down force.

[Quiet]

Since, I've got my Kel-Tec P-32 on my NV CCW permit, I voted .32 ACP.


.32 ACP is just enough to get the job done.

But, I perfer a .40 S&W or .45 ACP for primary defensive carry.

[PistolPete75]

.380 or .38 special