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

[HAWKFISH]

How small is too small?......... It depends on so many factors. What you are shooting at, where you hit whatever your are shooting at, how close you are to what you are shooting at, what kinda of ammo you were using, etc. etc. If you were close enough to shoot " a bad guy trying to kill you", in the eye for example..a .22lr would work. However, if the "bad guy" was hocked up on meth.. or some of these other more modern/ potent drugs.. that .22 or anything small isn't going to work right away.. and maybe you have to shooting him/her (political correctness..sorry i forgot above lol) in the chest etc.. even some people (that's generic enough) will keep coming after you ..after being hit with a .45acp. How is this possible.. DRUGS.. Ask some veterns from their war experience about enemies charges there after being shot several times.. and they keep coming...  Therefore, I would not.. consider anything below a 9mm worthy of a decent chance at saving my life in "kill or be killed" situation. I know it could happen with a .22 for example.. I'm just saying ..day in and day out.. the way the world is now.. I wouldn't rely on anything small than a 9mm on being ideal for a legitimate self defense situation. 9mm/.38 special is the smallest I will ever carry for a defense gun.

[Galeth005]

so the votes are in .380 is minimum that most people will trust to cary, i however prefer the time old legend of the 9mm... but when i am unable to cary it.. (currently it has been recalled) i cary a taurus .38 special.  however when that is un available i refer to my rossi .357 mag... each of these 3 caliburs are proven to stop most targets, however an individual cracked up on pcp or another adrenalin enhancing narcotic will more than likely continue going until blood loss is to great or until massive system failure... so to go along with michael... to many factors determine what you should cary, it comes down to personel prefense and what you feel safe with

[m25operator]

No caliber is too small, if it is the only thing available, or it is the only thing you can reasonably carry or hide. On your person or off your person. I do have and carry a North American Arms 5 shot mini-revolver, 1st choice NO, something I can put on a string and hang around my neck, YES! Put in a watch pocket of my jeans, YES. As the old saying go's, " Better than a sharp stick in the eye, but barely ". The man I bought it from, carried it in a vinyl eyeglass case, in his front shirt pocket. He glued the lower part of the case together and just left room for the little pistol. Pretty clever.

[Jkwas]

I'll go along with Hazcat.   In Florida it's not always practical to carry concealed unless it's something you can pocket.  I carry the P3AT as my primary with a PMC Starfire in the tube and FMJ in the mag. If I can wear a cover garment I'll move up to a 9mm or 38 special. 

[CZShooter]

No caliber is too small, if it is the only thing available, or it is the only thing you can reasonably carry or hide. On your person or off your person. I do have and carry a North American Arms 5 shot mini-revolver, 1st choice NO, something I can put on a string and hang around my neck, YES! Put in a watch pocket of my jeans, YES. As the old saying go's, " Better than a sharp stick in the eye, but barely ". The man I bought it from, carried it in a vinyl eyeglass case, in his front shirt pocket. He glued the lower part of the case together and just left room for the little pistol. Pretty clever.

I'll have to agree with m25operator...check out the following. From the video, it looks like a NAA mini revolver in .22 short. I carry one chambered in .22 Magnum when I can't conceal my CZ 75B.

http://www.wfaa.com/sharedcontent/dws/wfaa/latestnews/stories/wfaa080214_lj_hawes.bfc57dff.html

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[GuyFawkes2008]

No caliber is too small, if it is the only thing available, or it is the only thing you can reasonably carry or hide. On your person or off your person. I do have and carry a North American Arms 5 shot mini-revolver, 1st choice NO, something I can put on a string and hang around my neck, YES! Put in a watch pocket of my jeans, YES. As the old saying go's, " Better than a sharp stick in the eye, but barely ". The man I bought it from, carried it in a vinyl eyeglass case, in his front shirt pocket. He glued the lower part of the case together and just left room for the little pistol. Pretty clever.

+10  & Like the man said, the best gun is the one you will have on you.

Life demands tradeoffs: maybe you have to live in a less than ideal neighborhood for now, maybe you have business that takes you through some nasty areas, or maybe you live on 100 acres of mountain with a nice field of vision and ready made killzones and hardly ever need go beyond a quiet little town.. you make adjustments (as has already been said) to suit your situation.

I mean if we all knew when we would be attacked, we'd all opt to carry enough armament to scare the shorts off of Rambo that day or just not be there when it was supposed to happen. We don't, so we make judgement calls and assess things as we go along as to what to pack, what to keep near, what to leave in the safe that day.

The worst thing would be to get in a habit of just carrying one gun one way; with the awareness here, I'd say nobody on this board is likely to succumb to that, but people do get comfy with their habits. When in Rome, have something that should stop a Roman, and some basic plans.

While the .380 isn't what I'd prefer to have between me and eternity (I want a Seal Team between harm's way and my valuable hide!) it IS what I find I can carry everywhere in all weather, in the launching tube of a P3AT tucked into a pants or shorts pocket. 

The .380 is my most basic loadout, but if I am likely to be in a bad area, or if my attire and the weather is friendly, you can bet there's a little something nice and comforting in a .40 S&W near abouts.

[Burt Gummer]

I voted for 9mm or .38 being minimum.
Days past I carried a Kel Tec P32 and was very happy with it. When I began to realize I could carry my G26 in 99 percent of the same situations I realized I was settling for less caliber than I was able to carry.
For my body style, clothing, activities and training the .40 and .45 are the minimum I now carry.

Through many a crime scene and through observed field results I think I am well armed with a .40 but I can get by with the 9mm +p in a pinch.
Sorry mousegun fans,I was once lost but now I am a believer in the "full strength" only carry gun principle.

[Dougdubya]

By itself, the .380 is minimum.

Were the communist government of my state to allow its subjects to defend themselves, I'd be carrying a P-32 in a pocket as a fast reload for something 9mm.

[Sgt Z Squad]

My duty gun is a P229 40 S&W. So to keep it simple for me, I carry a P239 in 40 S&W. I did and still do have my Sig P220 in 45 ACP, but it is a little more difficult to conceal.

[stevejal]

I personally use 9mm as my cut-off for personal defense.  That said, any of the choices would be better than nothing.