The Smallest Caliber You Trust To Carry?

[Fourtyfive]

[eRay]

.380 and I'm not real confident in it.

[mikegideon]

What Eray said

[rugerla1]

.380 if I had to have a very small weapon for pocket or ankle carry. Otherwise 9mm would be it. 

[nightrunner]

This was the exact picture I had in my head when I read the thread title. Pure gold.

[RED333]

I carry a 25ACP, laugh if you must, scouff if you want. I can get it out of my pocket, hide it in my hand, shoot it well with eather hand and hit the target. It is my get off me pistol. I do have pistols up to 44mag and 45 Colt. With the work I do I am on the ground on my side and back, not easy to have some thing bigger on my hip or in my pocket.

[Dolomite_supafly]

I carried a 22lr loaded with the 60 grain Aguila SSS rounds as my last resort pistol. Even out of a 2" barrel they will penetrate ~8" in gel and tumble along the way. It was not the best thing to carry but it is way better than a pointy stick or club.

[conn_air7]

Personally, I only own 9mm. However, I think I'd be comfortable with a .380 if it were my only option.


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[peejman]

A hit with a .22 short causes more damage than a miss with a 20mm. 

[Ugly]

I would trust a 22lr if I had to. 

[bersaguy]

I trust a 22lr a lot of the time when I am out and not going to be in a hood but just someplace like Grocery store and I trust my 380's a lot when I am going to be other places. People can say what they want about 380's but I have full faith in them. If a person with a 380 puts the first 1 or 2 rounds where they need to be it will do it's job just fine IMHO.

[felinesNfreedom]

9mm and 16-21 rounds of it in the gun. 

[2.ooohhh]

There's an rifle in the truck for a reason, if I'm planning to enter a gunfight I'm bringing it. If not I'll likely have my 380 in my pocket as a last defense.

[Lumber_Jack]

.380 Like Dolomite says it beats a sharp stick.  I'd carry a full-size 10mm with 3 mags if I thought it was necessary and feasible, but it's not.  I have the mindset that you can't prevent everything.  If it's my time to go, I'll fight like hell with what I have.  

[Ronald_55]

14 minutes ago, Lumber_Jack said:

.380 Like Dolomite says it beats a sharp stick.  I'd carry a full-size 10mm with 3 mags if I thought it was necessary and feasible, but it's not.  I have the mindset that you can't prevent everything.  If it's my time to go, I'll fight like hell with what I have.  

I agree that we can't carry for every situation, otherwise we would all be humping a huge pack with a shotgun, sniper rifle, AR, and 3 sidearms. Plus 5000 rounds of ammo.....for each.

Having anything is better than nothing and shot placement is everything. A .25ACP through the eye socket will kill someone/thing as easy as a 45-70.

So if a Bengal Tiger jumps you in the grocery store, just use what you have, because no one plans for that.

[TrickyNicky]

I keep a .32 gun in my pocket for fun.

 

I'll carry a bigger gun from time to time as location and wardrobe allows, but I haven't been to a non .gov building yet where my p32 wasn't able to go with me.

[leroy]

There have been more deer poached with a 22 than killed with a bigger caliber, i would wager... At least, here in East Tennesse, there have... Im like Dolomite... 22 pisola is hard to beat... 

leroy

[gunwhatgun]

6 hours ago, TrickyNicky said:

I keep a .32 gun in my pocket for fun.

 

I'll carry a bigger gun from time to time as location and wardrobe allows, but I haven't been to a non .gov building yet where my p32 wasn't able to go with me.

Do you have a razor in your shoe?

[Garufa]

Ah, the age-old argument that has no answer.  

Did anybody read the OP...in General Chat? 

I'd be proud and walking tall carrying nothing more a Bersa Thunder .22.  I can pump 400 grains of lead into something with a quickness.

[tacops]

Over the years I have seen a lot of folks with holes in them.  Most that were still alive had been shot with .380, 9mm, .38 & .357.  The one caliber that put the most bodies in the morgue was .22.  Only once did it drop the recipient in place.  The other times they ran, walked or stumbled varying distances before dropping or stopping.  In every case but the one, the entry was not fatal but the .22 bounced around and hit something vital that caused their demise.  

[Links2k]

I carry a .380 g42 or 9mm g43 when I'm dressed in a suit.  All other times it's a g19mm.

[bersaguy]

I have two 22 Semi auto's and I like both of them equally. If I'm out in the yard or going to the mailbox out by the road I carry 1 that holds 6 rounds and if I am going to grocery store I might carry my Phoenix cause it is 10 + 1 in the tube and back up magazine. If I go anyplace else I have one of my Bersa's with a back up mag or 2 .  The 22 is an awesome round that many folks don't give any where near enough credit to...........jmho

[Fourtyfive]

I meant this as a joke in the OP; I am more than excited to see the replies. I am not afraid to carry anything smaller than a .22. Shot placement is the key as well as speed and surprise. Like they say, "The day you leave it at home is the day you wish you hadn't."

Thanks for the replies !

Carry on my friends.....

Edited February 9, 2017 by Fourtyfive

[Garufa]

4 minutes ago, Fourtyfive said:

I meant this as a joke in the OP....

Folks jump up, take sides and get all passionate when any mention of caliber comes up, even if it's a joke.  

[Fourtyfive]

8 hours ago, Ronald_55 said:

I agree that we can't carry for every situation, otherwise we would all be humping a huge pack with a shotgun, sniper rifle, AR, and 3 sidearms. Plus 5000 rounds of ammo.....for each.

Having anything is better than nothing and shot placement is everything. A .25ACP through the eye socket will kill someone/thing as easy as a 45-70.

So if a Bengal Tiger jumps you in the grocery store, just use what you have, because no one plans for that.

The exact reason you should put a 50 Lb. bag of cat food in the cart every trip.