what caliber is the smallest...

[axp117crow]

...that you would carry and why?

i'm asking because i am looking to get a new carry gun and have been looking at some pretty small calibers like .380 and 9mm. i've heard people say they wouldn't carry guns this small. my question is why not? i know if i was robbing someone and took a 9mm bullet to center mass that i would stop. i don't see the need to carry a .45 and a .40 is borderline. especially when carrying smaller weapons, more bullets seem more important that more power.

just wondering what some of the other people think about this subject. i'm sorry if i missed an old post about it, if i did please redirect me and i will read it.

thanks

John

[LittleRedToyota]

9mm

why? mostly because, other than .22 which is not an effective self-defense round, no other ammo is cheaper, so there is no reason to carry anything smaller. (having said that, no, i do not want to be shot with a .22.)

also, nothing smaller than 9mm (or .38 special) provides acceptable ballistics, imho.


ETA: btw, you have inadvertenly started a "caliber war". there are tons of posts on tons of forums around the internet arguing 9mm v. .45 etc.

the truth is that, with modern bullets, 9mm, .40s&w, .45acp, .357sig, .357mag, etc. all perform about equally poorly when it comes to stopping bad guys.

if you want a "one-shot stop", bring a rifle.

so, imho, "stopping power" plays no role at all in the choice. capacity plays, imho, a limited role. what really matter is how quickly and accurately you can make follow-up shots.

the the 2nd most important factor in how quickly you can do that is the amount of recoil and your ability to handle it...this is often as much a function of the gun itself as it is of caliber, but, in general 9mm is easier to handle than, for example, .40s&w.

the (by far) most important factor in how quickly you can do that is how much you practice. for most people, the cost of ammo is a very big factor in how much they practice.

therefore, the best caliber is often the one with the cheapest ammo...and that generally means 9mm. unless you reload, then the cost structure changes.

[jsb889]

Personally? I'd go down to 22. Recommend? I'd say 9mm. 9mm will do everything you could ask for, its one of the most common calibers, its the cheapest center fire to practice with, good defense ammo is only double practice ammo price (Federal HST). I'd say 9mm is the best to go with out of every single caliber.

Why would I go down to 22? Its about shot placement and I might need a tiny pistol. 90% of the encounters where a gun is defensively used is going to deescalate just from the sight of that gun, without a need to shoot. I'd rather have something than nothing

[knight0334]

Depends.. I've carried, and still carry, .22's on up to 45ACP/LC.

There have been people and critters stopped dead with (1) 22 rimfire, and others that walked away after killing the defender after being hit with (6) 44mags. Death and incapacitation is not an exact science. You serve yourself well by using something that makes the biggest hole, penetrates far enough to hit the vitals, passes through them, pokes out the backside, and then falls to the ground. But ultimately you serve yourself best by using something that you can properly aim and hit your target reliably, whether it be a .22 or a 500S&W.


Just because you know you'd stop after being hit COM with a 9mm, it doesn't mean the meth'd up junkie will, or the badguy that's living purely on adrenalin in a fight or flight response after you shot him as he tries to fight for his life. Its too easy to assume that badguy will stop or flee, however the flip side of that coin is they go into the other side of the Cannonian rule and start fighting to stay alive in fear they will be killed.

[normanvin]

It all comes down to what you can repeatedly shoot well.

[mjfletcher]

Smallest I'd carry as a primary gun is 9mm. As far as 9/40/45 goes... more rounds/more "power" isn't as relevant as shot placement. If you can control a 45 better than a 9 and get your follow up shot on target faster with it, then you should carry a 45. If its 9 that you can control better then carry the 9.

Realistically though, the capacity difference isn't all that much. I carry a compact pistol, .40S&W with a 10rd mag. the 45 cal version is also a 10rd mag, the 9mm version is 12rd mag. 2 additional rounds doesn't mean a whole lot in the grand scheme of things.

[Steve in PA]

The smallest I would carry would be a .380, my PPK/S. I bought it before the flood of small 9mm's hit the market and haven't gotten around to picking one up yet. Maybe the baby Glock next year!

I only wear the PPK/S infrequently and only in the summer.

[Shawn.L]

9mm

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[jahwarrior72]

the lowest caliber i carry is .380ACP. i wouldn't want to be shot with .22 or .25, but i don't feel secure with those calibers. at close range, .380 is the same as 9mm.

[indianjack]

...that you would carry and why?

i'm asking because i am looking to get a new carry gun and have been looking at some pretty small calibers like .380 and 9mm.

FYI 380 is 9 mm in Europe they call it a 9mm short.