Real Mouse Guns And The Guys That own Them

[NWCP]

I have, or have had, a variety of compact and subcompact pistols. While going through the gun safe and selecting weapons for their semi annual cleaning/lube I came across the last remaining true mouse gun I own. What I stumbled across was my Baby Browning .25ACP. It is about as small a semi auto that has ever been built. In fact any smaller and it wouldn't be usable in the hands of the average sized man. I carefully disassembled the little Browning and proceeded to remove the old lube, run a patch down the barrel and put fresh lube in all the right places. While it is a real honest to goodness vest pocket pistol I wouldn't carry it these days. First of all it is worth too much money as a collectable and secondly the .25ACP is perhaps the most anemic round ever put into a pistol. Having sold off all the other mouse guns I've owned in the past I remembered why the Baby Browning survived the purge. It is as well designed as any pistol made and a good looking piece to boot. Having fired it in the past I found it to be very reliable and accurate enough at 15 feet to keep an unsavory individual at bay for a minimum of 7 rounds after which he'd either be too busy trying to plug the numerous holes up hopefully deciding I'm not worth the trouble. It has been returned to the gun safe for another 6 months of seclusion, but it did make me smile while cleaning it. Does anyone else have a real mouse gun that they cling to if only for the pleasure of owning it?

 

[Nasty]

Yup...my Dad's Beretta 950, complete with the paperwork from 1968 (I was with him when he bought it) and his IWB suede holster. Totally useless for me as I have very large hands, but in perfect as new condition and a keepsake for sure.

My "useless as a screendoor in a submarine" gun.

 

[docnyt]

Seecamp in 32 ACP. The quintessential mouse gun. Very hard to find friendly ammo. Daughter has taken a liking to it so will likely pass it on to her.

 

[RatDrall]

Having fired it in the past I found it to be very reliable and accurate enough at 15 feet to keep an unsavory individual at bay for a minimum of 7 rounds after which he'd either be too busy trying to plug the numerous holes up hopefully deciding I'm not worth the trouble.

I wouldn't plan on it. You might end up rolling around on the floor fighting a diseased criminal who now has 7 holes bleeding on you. Have a plan B.

But this is the same whether you're using a mousegun or a .45...

 

[usp9]

Does anyone else have a real mouse gun that they cling to if only for the pleasure of owning it?

I carry my Seecamp, but I keep my .25acp Walther TPH for the sheer pleasure of fondling and admiration.

 

[S&Wfan]

I still have my 1st generation Kel-Tec P-32 . . . though I don't know why. It has languished for years in my safe.

It would be my choice if my wardrobe wouldn't conceal a J frame. Then again . . . unless I'm at a nudist camp . . .

 

[MICHAEL T]

Lets see Astra Cub 22 short 2 ,950Beretta's 1 model 20 Beretta , 1 Bauer (Browing clone) 3 kelTecs P-32 (wife and daughters) I have the P3AT . NAA 22 mag 1 1/8 barrel useless pistol. (Take 950 Beretta 25acp at close range any day over this) S&W 32 short lemon squeezer Top break from around WWI . carry now and then. Guess that all the mouse guns

 

[Ben86]

Right now my only mouse guns are practical: ruger lcp and kahr pm9. In the future I want a taurus p22 and naa mini just for the hell of it.

 

[ForumSurfer]

You might end up rolling around on the floor fighting a diseased criminal who now has 7 holes bleeding on you.

I once thought of that as sheer paranoia. I now know different. I have a friend (LEO) who was nervous for over a year after fighting a guy who was resisting arrest. The guy had been shot 5 times with a 25 by a fellow gang member and was assaulting anyone within reach at the ER. It turns out that the meth-head was actually HIV positive. My friend took several HIV tests and stated he was constantly worried (as was his wife) that the test was going to pop up positive one day. After that, he never went to work without swat style gloves, those tacti-cool turtlenecks and latex gloves. He always kept his hands, forearms and neck covered after that.

I own an accurate 25 and an accurate, reliable 32. I never carry either. I'll stick with 38 special, 9mm or higher. I'm not discrediting the mouse guns, but I'll save mine for the safe and range.

 

[PX15]

FWIW:

This Galesi (25cal) was my first new firearm purchase.... It was the summer of 1966, and I was working the summer between semesters at a small Loan Company in Dublin, Ga.

I had a "gentleman" pull a knife on me one night in the MLK community while I was "chasing" delinquent customers, and after I quit voiding all bodily fluids and made my escape I bought this early the next morning as soon as the doors opened at the hardware store selling 'em...

Thirty-five bucks. NIB

I had zero firearms knowledge, but I did have $35.00..

The little Galesi never fired a complete magazine without hanging up but it gave me a wonderful FALSE sense of security just the same.

Years later I gave it to my wife's Aunt who worked at night, and a few years ago she gave it back to me. The rounds I had put in the mag the night I gave her the pistol (in the early 1970's) were still safely residing there..

I say "safely" because the pistol was locked up (frozen?) tight as "Dick's hatband" (whatever that means).

I soaked it in gasoline, then oil, then whatever fluid I had laying around in the barn until it came "unglued", and I ordered new springs from GunParts, and when I got it put back to gether it STILL wouldn't shoot 6 times in a row without failing... Yuk.

But, it was my first, and sentimentality has me holding on to it, tho the good Lord knows in a crisis I'd be better served by a sharp "stob", or harsh words..

I just keep it stored away so one day my Son (and only heir) can trade it to a friend for a bad, used video game. And probably come out ahead on the deal.

Best Wishes,

Jesse

 

[Starter52]

PX15 - great story!

I've got two mouse guns kicking around somewhere - a nickel Jennings .22 that will occasionally work with CCI Stingers, and a 1918-era Colt .22 Vest Pocket as reliable as any pistol ever made.

 

[SharpsDressedMan]

It gets fondled AND carried. Had most of the bluing gone, and came no more expensive than a standard plain jane. Pocket or ankle rig, or stuffed in the vehicle somewhere.

[/IMG]

 

[NWCP]

Here I am claiming that I had eliminated all my tiny mouse guns with the exception of my Baby Browning and what do I find tucked away in the safe? A Raven .25 that I picked up back in the early '70s when I didn't have a pot to piss in. Funny thing is the little Raven went bang every time I pulled the trigger. Not bad for the original Saturday Night Special. I don't think the pistol cost me $50, it might have been $49 if I recall correctly. A few years later and a bit more money in the pocket and I was carrying a Colt Detective Special. Funny that I should still own both guns. Someone mentioned their Kahr PM9. I routinely carry a PM9 these days when the weather is warm and the clothing is light, but I've never considered it a mouse gun. It's a great subcompact and I like the fact it is a 9mm.

 

[MedWheeler]

My Jennings J22, purchased in 1987, has pretty much always done what I've asked of it, which admittedly hasn't been much in the last 15+ years. It is pretty fun to shoot, and accurate out to seven yards or so. Last year, I picked up a Phoenix HP22a, which is really fun to shoot, maybe even more than my Ruger Mk-II.

 

[Cocked & Locked]

a real mouse

I carry this one now and then and feel under gunned if I have nothing else with me...I like it though.

Colt .25 ACP

 

[Confederate]

I love mouse guns. They're great toys and they can easily kill. I fear knives like the devil, but I'd rather have a Beretta 950 .25 ACP any day than a knife. Given only two attackers, that is. I've read literally hundreds of accounts of self defense shootings and can't tell you how many times little .22LRs or .25s have killed people where they stood.

My Jennings J-22 is dead on reliable during the first 3-4 mags, but after that it starts jamming. My little Beretta 21 .22LR is terribly unreliable on cheap ammo, but with CCI and those little Stingers, it's very reliable. My Beretta 950 also is ultra reliable. I love all three guns.








From top to bottom: Jennings J-22, Beretta 950 and 21A, and Beretta
Tomcat .32. Of all of these, the Tomcat is worse. Why? Because the
frame develops microfractures that cause instant failure to eject and
to feed. There are no signs of failure—it just stops working. Beretta is
replacing blued models with the INOX models (plus a fee, I think), so
the INOX may be all right. Still, I wouldn't own any of 'em. If they've
been fixed (and I mean permanently), please let me know.



And to the one who made it all possible...Mickey, who managed to
stop Goofy with one solid placed bullet right between the eyes (some-
one had to do it!) Mickey feels the blast and recoil of "mouse" guns
may be excessive for some, but for those willing to take the time and
effort to learn how to use them, they can be mastered.

 

[jim243]

Haven't carried a mouse gun since 1969, that was a Walther PP in 380. That year we upgraded to the Browning Hi-Power. BUT in '06 came across a Bersa Thunder 380 that was the spitting image of the old Walther at Gander Mt for $85.00 used. I must be getting sentimental in my old age. It's a great little shooter, but has been sitting in the safe for the last 4 years. Today I consider my Ruger SP-101 2.25 inch 357 mag DAO w/CT laser grips my mouse gun, boy how things have changed.

Jim

 

[sgt127]

I never really thought about it, but, I actually have a bunch of mouse guns:

Seecamp .32
NAA .32 Guardian
NAA .22LR revolver
NAA .22 Short Revolver
Baby Browning .25
Bauer .25 (copy of the Browning)
Two High Standard .22 Mag Derringers
Beretta .25 ACP 21A
Kel Tec P380 (three digit Serial number) Wish I had kept the .32. It was a better gun.

They all fill a niche. Either as users or as fun to own, little guns.

 

[Confederate]

The Davis P-32 is a gun I have that's driving me nuts! It's a beauty, but it doesn't work! I've tried several magazines full, and I get jams every few shots. It's just a paperweight. Is Davis still in business? I've examined the magazine and it looks fine, but I should try another, but where can I buy them? Does anyone have any suggestions short of throwing it in the nearest puddle?




This gun will get off two shots before jamming, even when clean. I may
need to get another magazine.




This Sterling was a gun I really wanted to work, but not one of them, in either
.22LR or .25 worked! All of them jammed, and I tried five or six of them. They
were just junk.

.

 

[PX15]

Confederate:

www.gun-parts.com shows a Davis32 mag in their list ($25.00). You might check them out.

Best Wishes,

Jesse

 

[Confederate]

Thanks. I'll order a magazine and see if it makes a difference.

 

[Steve 48]

I have a lot of them and love to shoot them. 22 short,22 long, 32, 380,etc..

 

[PX15]

FWIW:

I inherited this little FIE Titan (25cal.) last year when an elderly friend passed away.

My experience with my old Galesi (25cal.) had given me a negative opinion of 25's in general, but I was greatly surprised when I cleaned this Titan up and shot it.

The darn thing is surprisingly accurate, and absolutely reliable... Um?

Go figure.

Of course nobody wants, or needs a 25cal. anything nowadays with the proliferation of very good 32's and 380's, so I just cleaned it back up and put it in the safe.. Actually a good pistol in a not so good caliber.

Huh....

Who would have thought this little SNS sucker would perform so well..

Best Wishes,

Jesse

P.S. I inherited the old breaktop H&R Sportsman at the same time.. I've since found a new set of grips for it. It's a fun plinker in 22cal.

 

[jhansman]

Sold my Beretta Jetfire .25 auto, but it was a fun little gun to shoot. Never had much faith in it as a personal defense weapon, but I guess it's better than an empty hand.

 

[gun guy]

mouse guns

Short of pill box, pen and ring gizmos, mouse guns are about as small as it gets to still be in the ball park of being considered a weapon. Davis derringer 22 wrm 30gr Vmax@1,000 fps- 66ft/lbs ME, Taurus 25 acp 35gr hp @950fps- 70ft/lbs ME, Taurus pt 22 40gr hp @850fps-64ft/lbs ME. These all work flawlessly, the barrels on the davis aren't drilled straight, the lower barrel shoots down and to the right, but at 2 ft that's not so bad. Also some brands of ammo keyhole down the 1/4" of rifling, again, at 2 ft im not sure how bad that is either.