[Dot_mdb]

I know that the definition of a "mouse gun" is subjective. What makes a gun a mouse gun for you? Is it caliber? Size? Price?

Give a few examples of guns that you definitely feel are mouse guns and then those that are just outside the mouse gun category.

Bill

[tiberius]

Size and calliber.

IMHO, it must be .32ACP or lower and obviously small. That is to say that a Beretta Tomcat is a mouse gun, but a Walther PPK is not one even though they shoot the same caliber.

There are exceptions to my "rule". The KT P-3AT is probably a mouse gun due to its small size, but the Rohrbaugh (sp?) is probably not due to its caliber.

Many consider only .22 and .25 autos to be mouse guns, others consider anything smaller than what they carry to be mouse guns. :)

[jsalcedo]

A 45-70 derringer is not a mouse gun.;)

[ChickenHawk]

IMHO it is BOTH size and caliber.

A .45 that fits in my pocket is not a mouse gun.

A .22 with an 8" barrel is not a mouse gun.

But, a .22 that fits in my pocket IS a mouse gun. :)

Cheers,
ChickenHawk

[Josey]

My mouse guns are 32 S&W. I have S&W and H&R mouse guns. My 5" S&W 1902 32-20 is not a mouse gun.

[swingcatt]

Anyone who has a history in shooting High Power Rifle matches will recall that those new little .223s that started dominating more thant a few years back were called "mouse guns" at first.

Oh, wait...was that what you wanted? :) Sorry.

I always catagorized small bore (under .30 cal) pocket guns as "mouse guns", large bore pocket guns I called "backup guns".

SC

[RUT]

>>My mouse guns are 32 S&W<<

Now that's a REAL mousegun! I once shot mine at a metal trash can lid and it bounced off!!:) (it did make a dent though!)

[444]

To me, it's caliber only. starting with anything below 9mm Luger in an autoloader and .38 special in a revolver. I don't care about the size of the gun. I can transform my 1911 into a mouse gun with my .22 conversion kit.

[shooter1]

Any chambering less than 9mm, regardless of size.
Will

[Gatofeo]

Well, to my mind, the .25 Auto has been long associated with the term, "mouse gun."
Never really thought of mouse gun as any other caliber.
I use No. 3 buckshot to reload my .25 Auto, coupled with a very small charge of Bullseye.
This works well because this load will actually function my prewar .25 Auto.
Penetration is woefully lacking; on a par with a pellet rifle. But for cheap practice, you can't beat a 5-pound bag of No. 3 buckshot and a pound of Bullseye. Sure beats paying $7 to $10 per 100 for those tiny full metal jackets.

[Ala Dan]

"Mouse guns" = caliber x size

from the .22 caliber field

Beretta Minx (.22 short)
Colt Jr (.22 short)
NAA "mini's"



from the .25 caliber field

Baby Browning .25
Lorcin
Raven
Jennings


from the .32 ACP field

Beretta Tomcat
Kel-Tec

*FootNote- and others, too numerous to mention!


Just to name a few examples from each category. The
.32 S&W Long, .38 S&W, and .38 Colt New Police are
all "in between" mouse cartridges; and that of the .38
Special. Its worth noting, that I view all weapons that
are below the .38 Special, as marginal defensive
caliber's! To be used only in a "last ditch" effort to thwart
off an attack.

Best Wishes,
Ala Dan, N.R.A. Life Member

[Brian Dale]

One to add: the Beretta Jetfire, in .22LR or .25ACP. I see them as tools to be used to startle the BG (like a cap gun — but aimed, obviously) while I run. For my shotgun, if possible.

[azrael]

Caliber and size...most pistols .380 and under are mouse guns...IMO

Or we can call it what my buddy Jason calls my Kel-tec p-32...The "last act of defiance" :D :D :D

[gbelleh]

Like others have said: a very small gun that easily fits in a pocket and fires an anemic cartridge (usually .380 or smaller).


Mice guns:

http://www.hunt101.com/img/104503.jpg (http://www.hunt101.com/?p=104503&c=549&z=1)

[azrael]

nice hard chromed p-32...I am gonna send mine to kel-tec for that myself after I get this run of p-32 holsters done

what is the other one?? a Baby browning our a Baur clone??

curious :D

[gbelleh]

Astra CUB .25.

I believe it's a Colt Junior clone. It's a nice little gun.

[azrael]

kewl...thanks

just a question for the masses...That new subcompact 9mm from CZ...does anyone figure on it being a "mouse gun"?

Ohh and if anyone has a pic of it That would be kewl:D

[gbelleh]

There are a couple of threads going right now on the CZ RAMI. It doesn't seem to fall into the true mouse gun category. It's about Glock 26 size.

[azrael]

again thanks

[The_Antibubba]

Still, a mouse gun beats no gun. I'd rather have a .22 than a .25, though.

[antediluvianist]

Whatever firearm a mouse pulls on you.

[Kentucky Rifle]

The "first" RAMI shown was just swallowed up in the guy's plam. The next few pictures, indeed showed the true size of the pistol.

*Hey Oleg...How did they pull that off? What I mean is that first photo. How did they make that RAMI look so small?

Curious,
KR

[SirVette]

Small .32 & under. Some 9s are 9s in name only since the barrel is too short, so they don't have 9 power, just shoot 9s so some would consider them to be as well.

[Wil Terry]

ASTRA 22SHORT CUB and;
the COLT 22SHORT JUNIOR.
Incidently, the COLT JUNIOR is a "clone" of the ASTRA CUB not the other way around. The COLT JUNIOR was made by ASTRA for COLT many many years after the ASTRA CUB was introduced into the American marketplace.

The ASTRA CUB 22SHORT is one of my all time favorite plinking pistols and will hit popcans at 25 yards all day long. Tomato juice cans at 50 yards are in mortal danger when the CUB and I go to work on 'em. Over the past 3 years I have put well over 5000 rounds through the CUB and it never fails to delight me. The COLT JUNIOR I have is not as accurate as the CUB but will hit most cans at 20 yards or so.
The 22SHORT cartridge is the king of the plinkers IMHO but you do hafta shop around to find it. The last two cases I bought were 7,600 rounds of Russian BAIKEL brand of International Rapid fire 22SHORT for 100 bucks and a case of 5000 AGUILA HV 22shorts for a hundred bucks too.
CCI has superlative 22SHORT ammunition also but it costs a bit more.
The MRS' K22 will put 22LR and 22SHORT in dangnear the same hole at 40 yards and my RUGER BEARCAT shoots 22SHORTs like it was a target pistol.

[gbelleh]

Wil Terry,
After consulting my handgun encyclopedia, I see you're right. The Colt Junior was made by Astra a few years after the CUB was introduced.

[Rogelio]

For those of you who say that anything below 9mm is a mouse gun regardless of size...is my Glock 25 a mouse gun?? No way!!!

I call moseguns anything the aprox size of a baby browning, NAA Mini and beretta jetfire, regardless of caliber.

[Brian Dale]

I call anything anything that throws an eensy little bullet a mousegun, regardless of the dimensions of the gun. :neener:

[shooter1]

22 short! That's got to be the "Minnie Mouse" gun of all mouse guns! Shot a ton of the 22 shorts when I was a kid. That was before they got so expensive.
str1

[BobC]

Does this count?

[BobC]

Or this?

[tiberius]

AAaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Those pictures again!!! :D

[azrael]

I LOVEEEEE those PICS!!!!!!:D :D :D

[Preacherman]

I agree with 444 that it's a question of caliber, not size of weapon. For me, anything less than .38 Special in a revolver, or less than .380 in a semi-auto, qualifies as a "mouse gun" - and .380 is right on the borderline. In a short-barrel weapon such as a Kel-Tec P3-AT, I regard it as just below the "mouse gun" borderline: in a longer-barrel gun, such as the Beretta .380 or SIG P232, I regard it as just over the borderline.

Another way of defining "mouse calibers" is whether or not I'm prepared to bet my life on them as my primary (or only) carry weapon. I won't carry less than .38 Special or 9mm. Parabellum as a primary caliber. The .380's and smaller are for backup carry.

[caz223]

Pretty much concur with the group.
.22, .25, .32, and .380 for the most part, are what I consider mouse guns.
.38 spl, 9mm, and .357 magnum are decidedly NOT mouse gun calibers, just not what I would call big bores.