Please Vote How small is too small? .380ACP .32ACP 25 ACP 22LR 22 Short

[Mojave Desert]

I voted .38 +P.  I'm assuming you are talking about the snubbie since most of the other calibers are primarily pocket gun chamberings.  In my experience, it's harder to get bullet expansion from a 2" .38 +p than a 3" standard pressure 9mm and rate the 9mm higher than the .38 snub.   I do feel fairly comfortable a snub .38+P or a small 9mm will have some "terminal effect".

.22s, .22lr, .25acp, .32acp, .380acp?  I've carried most of them comfortably without feeling comforted.  The Beretta 950bs in .25acp is a great pistol, for a .25.  It's an 8+1 capacity gun, used to carry it with FMJ.  9 rounds is nice, but how many times would I have to fire to stop the threat?  Double tap, triple tap, tap, tap tap tap?  Shoot it dry then throw the gun at his head?   I do admit it is one of the easiest guns in the world to conceal well.

I see some more milk jugs being ventilated in the future...with mouseguns!

[Mojave Desert]

.22 LR :  CCI's Stinger and Velocitor fired from 4" M-63 into water filled plastic milk jugs.

Approx. H2O penetrations:  Stinger 9", Velocitor 13".

Looks like the Velocitor is designed to expand at rifle velocities. 

The smaller the gun and caliber, the more careful you have to be about ammo selection.

[tombogan03884]

In my opinion, carrying a .25, or .22 LR or .22 Short is worse than not carrying at all, because you FALSELY think you have the means to protect yourself when you are in fact defenseless. .25 and .22 short bullets have been known to bounce off CLOTHES. Yes, I know, The CIA and Mossad use .22's so what. Are you planning to put your popgun against an assailants head and execute him ? Why not just carry a pellet pistol, the ammo is ALOT cheaper, you get just as much protection and they are quiet. .32 or .22 Magnum MIGHT do the job, but it's your LIFE you're protecting, is MIGHT good enough? Use something that will actually give you a chance to survive for crying out loud, never trust your life to anything smaller than a .380, if THAT bounces off an attackers thick skull at least it will give him a concussion.

[Outlaw]

I sometimes carry a Sig 232 with +p personal protection rounds with two extra mags. When reasonably concealable I carry an XD9 with similiar ammo and an extra hi cap mag

[Hazcat]

I sometimes carry a Sig 232 with +p personal protection rounds with two extra mags. When reasonably concealable I carry an XD9 with similiar ammo and an extra hi cap mag

Yeah, but you're an OUTLAW!

[Sponsor]

[hodman]

.22s, .22lr, .25acp, .32acp, .380acp?  I've carried most of them comfortably without feeling comforted. 

I think this is how I feel with a smaller cal. gun.

Jon

[tommy tornado]

One of my brother-in-laws shot a guy breaking into his car with a .22 LR pistol.  He fired one time (at about 25 to 30 yards from a balcony) , hit the guy in the stomach, and the gentle-crook breaking into the car stopped what he was doing.  Then, the thief looked at my brother-in-law and asked him not to fire any more and ran away.  I guess anything is better than nothing.  Needless to say, I don't mess with him at family get togethers.  Myself, I won't carry anything under a .32 acp.  I know many famous and not so famous officers in WWII carried Colt .32 acp pocket pistols. 

[Outlaw]

Hazcat! I resemble that remark

[tombogan03884]

I know many famous and not so famous officers in WWII carried Colt .32 acp pocket pistols. 

How many of them actually needed to USE them ? The thinking behind issuing smaller calibers to Generals etc. was that there was no point wasting real pistol ammo on someones who's assigned weapon was several thousand troops. A .32 may be fine for putting against your head to atone for the loss of a battle but it's not something to trust your life to. Years ago I worked in a sheet metal shop and we used to take disks 2-4 inches in diameter from the Punch press scrap bin for targets, 9mm, .38/.357, .45 would go through  1/16 inch steel, .32 and .30 carbine would not, thats about the thickness of the metal on your car door. By the way, 9mm,.357 Mag, went through 1/4 aluminum plates as well, did not try .38's or .45's that day

[Hazcat]

What do ya all think about the 7.62 x 25 round?

Seems good to me and is available as a C&R gun and ammo as cheap as .13 per round.