Carry philosophy / perspective agree or disagree with me.

I'm not paid to inject myself into higher threat areas, so they are avoided.
That said if I need to stop a threat, I want something capable of stopping an undaunted threat. I don't have the privilege of choosing when or where.

Disagree. Carry a 22 because that is all you have, sure. Carry a 22 while you are at the gym and jogging on the treadmill, sure. But if you have something better, why not carry better? Besides you are doing a quick run to the store. Most stores are easy targets for robberies, especially gas stations. It makes no sense to put yourself at a disadvantage when you don't have to.

FL-NC said:

Unless that someone is going to the store in flip flops and a speedo, it makes no sense to me.

Click to expand...

Bathing suit concealed carry is easy. I don’t see any guns.

They’re choosing the 22 due to lack of experience and know how or they have some disability that makes the 38 or 9mm hard to handle. Those are only legit reasons I can think of. The snub and Sig are small enough to carry in any situation so there would be no reason to choose a 22 over them

I voted “No” in the poll. I have an NAA .22lr mini revolver and a P3AT .380 that I routinely use for CCW. And I’d love a P365 but haven’t bought one yet.

I do not, as a rule, carry when I’m at home. I have door locks and far better defensive weaponry than a pistol. I also live in a pretty good neighborhood where most of my neighbors don’t lock their doors. In fact, I’m absolutely one of those “fair weather carry” guys that get routinely vilified in online discussions, because I carry when I deem it advisable, necessary, or convenient to do so and not necessarily every time I leave my front door. (But most times.) To me this is the best balance, with the rest of my life and obligations, between extra security and additional hassle.

The .22 is tiny and while I’d never grab it in preference to something else if I knew I was going to be in imminent danger, I might absolutely grab it for a quick run to the store. Just as I’d take my wallet and my pocketknife to the same place. I doubt I’ll need either my (non tactical, old fashioned folding) pocketknife, or my .22, but one never knows. Better safe than sorry.

Would a Glock 19 IWB be “more safe?” Maybe. But I choose to go lightly armed in preference to not armed at all. I’m also a civilian and have never served in law enforcement so I’m sure that colors my judgment of perceived or likely threats. I’m more worried about a wounded deer by the side of the road than about miscreants on 2 legs.

CDW4ME said:

Hypothetical example:
1. Someone has a 22 mini revolver, 38 snub and Sig 365.

2. They choose to carry the 22 for a "quick trip to the store".

3. I say carrying the 22 implies they would prefer to defend themself with it instead of their other options.

4. Agree or disagree.

Click to expand...

(I numbered the quoted lines, for clarity.)

“Disagree.” If line 3 is true, as a given, I do not agree that Line 4 is necessarily true, if the “I” in Line 3 means that THR member Rexster doing the speaking, in first person. That which is implied is not, necessarily, the full truth. Life is more complex than that.

This does not mean that I believe in the wisdom of carrying any mini-revolver, as one’s sole or primary weapon, for a quick trip to any store. I know a thing or two, about manipulating the hammer spurs, with single-action revolvers, and would want a substantially larger grip, and a substantially larger hammer spur, because a curious thing happens during fights: Fine motor skills become less fine, and less skillful.

If I knew that the .22 bullet would absolutely nuke an opponent, I would still want a larger weapon, in my hands, in order to have a better chance of properly managing that hammer and trigger, and directing accurate point-of-aim/point-of-impact.

Personally, the smallest weapon I have found, with a trigger that I can reliably operate, without the whole weapon tending to bobble off-line, during the trigger stroke, is the Seecamp LWS-32. I appreciate the DA trigger, and the spur-less hammer. Stores, including super-markets, however, are magnets for trouble, so, I’d rather carry something more substantial, for defense. Bigger than a Seecamp, a P365 or a J-Snub.

I disagree.

While a 22 NAA isnt something I would carry, I do carry a 38 snubby as my "quick trips" and "needs to be 100 percent concealed" gun.

That doesnt make it my preferred setup for gunfighting. My preferred setup for gun fighting involves body armor, helmets, meds, and rifles.

Everything is a compromise. What are you willing to sacrifice to carry the gun. Some people are willing to do more all the time and someone people are willing to do more depending on situations. But if you think you are way more prepared because you are carrying a full size gun vs a sub compact, and you arent wearing body armor, and carrying tourniquets/IFAK.... you are kidding yourself.

I don’t have a mini 22, but I do have a hammer less S&W 642 in 38.

There’s been a time or two I stuffed it in a pocket out of convenience in lieu of my normal G26 or G19.

In your example, it seems like the 22 is an expedient option and not necessarily the preferred option.

If I'm carrying for self defense, no matter if it's a quick trip to the store or to walk my polar bear, I'm carrying something capable of defending me. I do not consider a .22 sufficient to stop someone with evil intent.

A .22 would be - and ONLY be - and ultra deep concealment back up in my world. A last resort before my Lord or an ER Dr greets me. A last resort that hopes an assailant doesn't want to be stung by that thing. Really, though; if I'm in a position where my EDC has been compromised, I doubt much else will help.

CDW4ME said:

Restated: Sometimes Mosin77 prefers the possibility of being a unarmed victim.

Click to expand...

But the beauty of the little .22 is, I am very seldom actually (completely) unarmed

Mosin77 said:

But the beauty of the little .22 is, I am very seldom actually (completely) unarmed

Click to expand...

The beauty of the little Glock 17, neither am I.

Carry what size, caliber and capacity weapon you want to into whatever situation you feel appropriate, especially with regards to NPE. The subject matter "experts" have no liability for what happens when you get fired from your job, get trespassed from your church, or your kids get kicked out of their non-school youth organization because somehow your armed status was discovered. Regardless of opinions, a small, very compact firearm puts you a significantly higher status than "unarmed", and reduces chances of NPE exposure- which for some people is more important than being prepared for the ex-Spetsnaz team hitting the local Quickie Mart.

TarDevil said:

I'm not paid to inject myself into higher threat areas, so they are avoided.

Click to expand...

This is the kind of thinking that gets us all into trouble, because there are no "lower threat areas" anymore. At least if one is in an area that's populated with actual human beings.

At any rate, I guess I've always looked at the matter as if you've gotta carry something tiny that is time-consuming and labor-intensive to deploy, really, it's about the same as not being armed. But, that's just my way of thinking.

I would rather carry a pump shotgun in an 870 or Mossberg 500 but it sort of looks a bit strange stuffed IWB carry .

3C

I vote that what someone else wants to carry and why is none of my business unless he or she asks my opinion, and I will not make unsolicited condescending or snide comments about their judgment or priorities as a way to comfort myself on the validity of my own carry decisions when I get insecure about whether what I'm carrying is sufficient.

Old Dog said:

This is the kind of thinking that gets us all into trouble, because there are no "lower threat areas" anymore.

Click to expand...

Situational awareness should always be "on," but so should cognizance of areas known for drugs, prostitution and other social deviance.
I don't know where you live, but there are areas where I live pervasive with gang activity, and I avoid the areas drawn in red by our LE community.

TarDevil said:

Situational awareness should always be "on," but so should cognizance of areas known for drugs, prostitution and other social deviance.
I don't know where you live, but there are areas where I live pervasive with gang activity, and I avoid the areas drawn in red by our LE community.

Click to expand...

Because, of course, said deviants are immobile and never leave their assigned areas...

bdickens said:

Because, of course, said deviants are immobile and never leave their assigned areas...

Click to expand...

Bad guys do travel, but they commit far far more crimes in their areas.

I have intersections in my squad area that have more violent crime than the entire area (probably 40 square miles) where i live and do my routine activities. This year my squad area of about 14 square miles will probably work more homicides, shootings, stabbings, and robberies than the entire 170k resident city I live in. Even then the majority of that crime will come from at or around a handful of locations in my squad area.

I don't own anything smaller than a 9MM that will fit in my pocket. Problem solved. .22s are all rifles...

C-grunt said:

Bad guys do travel, but they commit far far more crimes in their areas.

I have intersections in my squad area that have more violent crime than the entire area (probably 40 square miles) where i live and do my routine activities. This year my squad area of about 14 square miles will probably work more homicides, shootings, stabbings, and robberies than the entire 170k resident city I live in. Even then the majority of that crime will come from at or around a handful of locations in my squad area.

Click to expand...

True, but never hurts to err on the side of caution a bit. I grew up in the Twin Cities, and back then (70's) it was understood you didn't go into certain neighborhoods (emphasis on the 'hood') in Mpls. ever, and one certain neighborhood in St. Paul at night. Now it's basically most of Mpls., day or night, and all of St. Paul at night. A few St. Paul neighborhoods are still not bad in daylight. I try to avoid either city if at all possible. I did go to the Mpls. VA for my checkup for the first time in 3 years a couple weeks ago. Head on swivel time.

I didn't vote. This question is a pigeon hole question. It forces you into two camps. For instance...You own body armor but chose not to put it on for a quick trip to the convenience store. Does this imply you would prefer to gun fight without body armor?
Yes, or no. We make risk/hazard assessment decisions everyday, and not everyone makes the same call every time.

C-grunt said:

Bad guys do travel, but they commit far far more crimes in their areas.

I have intersections in my squad area that have more violent crime than the entire area (probably 40 square miles) where i live and do my routine activities. This year my squad area of about 14 square miles will probably work more homicides, shootings, stabbings, and robberies than the entire 170k resident city I live in. Even then the majority of that crime will come from at or around a handful of locations in my squad area.

Click to expand...

Exactly! Seems many have not considered the Gray Man approach. I worked a Precinct in Brooklyn, NY that was the homicide capital of the country in the early to Mid 90’s. We had T shirts that mimicked a local AM News Radio Station 1010 WINS “You give us 10 Minutes we will give you a homicide”. That Precinct was only 5.5 Square miles. That area would have been considered a higher threat, just saying.

I have zero problem with the concept of carry the biggest gun you can effectively conceal and shoot well, it is a good rule. However, a gun is just a small part of the equation. Are you physically fit. Do you have fighting skills. Of not what shoes are you wearing that you can run in? Are you able to run? Do you know the people who run that store, would you recognize a stranger behind the counter or if something was out of place? Do you look like a victim or do you look like the kind of person who is strong and aware that a predator would pass on?

I can go on for a long while about things that should be considered when it comes to personal security. All the things that would help guarantee you don’t need a gun in the first place. I laugh to myself every time I see someone overcompensating for their carry gun, leaning, always touching and adjusting. A gun too big for their attire and stature. I can also see overconfidence. Believe me, If I can see it bad guys can too. Learn to be the gray man. The element of surprise is your friend and possibly you best chance of surviving a bad situation.