Minimum capacity for SD (not HD) in your opinion?

The lowest I have ever carried is 6+1, not because of any personal minimum capacity limit, but because that's how much my LCP holds.

I carry a full size 1911 and a reload. I generally use 7rd magazines and carry cocked and locked (7+1), but if I'm going to an area where the crime rate is high I sometimes carry a 10rd magazine in addition to the extra 7rd magazine.

In the past I've carried 5 and 6 shot revolvers (.38sp or larger caliber) and I was comfortable with it, but times have changed, and with the failing economy and increased racial tension in my area my feelings have changed.

Generally in my area, self defense situations tend to involve fewer than 3 aggressors. I'm confident enough in my (continuing) training and stress management skills that 7 rounds is plenty for me to be comfortable as long as I've got an extra loaded magazine with me.

Minimum? One.

45_auto said:

Can't see how the minimum capacity anyone would consider could be anything but one.

Given a choice between nothing and a single shot derringer, who would choose nothing?

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Very clever response; I couldn't help but agree when you put it that way haha.

Having said that, I carried nothing for years, and even if I had the option to buy a single-shot derringer for 1/5 of the cost, I wouldn't choose it over a 5-shot J-Frame. Five shots is my answer.

Never really thought much about capacity as a determining factor. There aren't too many revolvers with less than five shots or too many autoloaders with less than seven, so I guess those would be the minimums. A gun holding fewer rounds than that would likely be chambered for a cartridge too small for most tastes, or be so small as to be extremely unpleasant to shoot if chambered in a larger cartridge - which probably explains the profusion of five-shot .38 Special revolvers and 6+1 .380 automatics.

My minimum would be 2. In case I miss, at least I'd have made a loud noise, and maybe I won't need the other shot.

I suppose it would be 5 for me, in my J-Frame. I carry different guns according to the threat scenario, but whatever I carry (even a single action) I always have a minimum of 2 reloads on my person.

LD

ONE ... that would be the minimum ... as has already been stated.

And yes, during the past several decades and ups/downs in life, I have carried a single-shot now and then, or more often a 2-shot derringer. Sometimes you just have to go with what you have. Luckily, these days a polymer pocket pistol takes up about the same amount of room in my pocket.

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Lowest capacity for me is five.......even my lowly derringer carries 5.

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Not to hijack the thread, but what derringer carries 5? I normally only see 2 shot derringers.

I only carry a semi-auto pistol fro defense, simply because I can do everything much faster with one. I carry a spare mag as well. The lowest capacity pistol I have is my P220ST, so the least amount of rounds I will carry is 17. I don't feel I will use 17 rounds in any particular incident (of course, it could happen), but I do think 10 would be my minimum in any situation. I see gunshot wound patients enough to know that there is no magic caliber and no magic bullet...just pure luck (even with good shots). It would not be a far stretch to use 5 rounds or more on one guy who is high on a drug, or seriously drunk. Another unfortunate reality is that people in this category are often the ones to engage in violent crimes.

My friend has a .22 WMR derringer with a 5-shot cylinder. Other than that, I've not seen any others.

glock 26 10 rd in the gun,2 g17 17rd in other pocket.

Yep..six minimum and of a heavy caliber. .357 caliber with 158 gr. Hollowpoints out of a Mod. 19 is my preference.

10 for an auto.
5 for a revolver, but I'll always carry at least one speed loader so I still have 10 rounds on me.

Ok if i carry a gun the answer is probably 5, even though I do have a 2 shot derringer I keep a speed strip with it an load the center two rounds in the gun when i put it in my pocket then put the speed strip with the other four in my pocket. I usually have a reload for whatever I'm carrying but occasionally I'll just throw the J frame in the pocket to run to the store.

As I get older, and the world gets uglier, I'm in the process of changing over from a 5-shot .38+P snubbie to a 10+1 .45acp G30. Ugliness is traveling in packs more often these days, at least in my perception. The G30 is an improvement over the snubbie on nearly every point: fits my hand better, one hit will nearly always get the job done, double the round count....

While I consider myself to be a fair shot I anticipate a certain, perhaps a high percentage of shots in a true life and death struggle to be less than lethal and perhaps miss their mark all together. For this reason I prefer the higher capacity of the double stack 9mm. Having never been in such a life and death situation I can only look at what has been documented and there is a fairly high count of shot to stop in high stress shootings that have been shown on LE dash cams and security cameras. The shooters vary from cops to gangsters so I don't think this is judging a certain demographic so much as situations.
My view of being less than comfortably armed with revolver or single stack capacities comes from my experience at shooting on the move to reach cover or (as they say) getting of the X.
4 or 5 rds can go in a hurry and if there is the chance of multiple assailants, by the time you reach cover you might have run dry.
I'm not advocating a spray and pray mentality and every situation will have to be processed at the time it happens (very quickly) but if you are going to win you must put some rounds down range and at least some must hit. I just want enough rds. to do the job.

I've carried both a 5-round revolver and a 6-round pocket pistol, and I've come to the conclusion that while I feel safer with that than without anything, I'd like at least 8 to feel comfortable (I figure 4 people can easily fit in most cars, 2 rounds each if I get attacked by a full car), although preferably double digits.

Of course, if that double digits is in hexadecimal, that's even better.

Skribs said:

Of course, if that double digits is in hexadecimal, that's even better.

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If I could find a 9mm pistol with a C8 capacity magazine I'd be very happy.

mavracer said:

I do have a 2 shot derringer I keep a speed strip....

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I submit that THIS is the new definition of "Optimist."

I wouldn't carry less than 5. Luckily, 5 isn't hard to come by. As has already been said, if all I had was an antique flint lock, it's still better than nothing.

Dear THR,
What is the minimum capacity handgun would you consider for self defense when you are out of the house and not in your vehicle?

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Five is the minimum for me.
As in a 5-shot snubbie.
But even then I really don't feel totally confident.

My Ruger SR9c is my usual concealed carry piece....



10+1 rounds of 9mm Para is much more comforting than 5 rounds of .38+P.

Carry what you have. One shot is better than nothing at all. I carried a S&W 442 for a lot of years with a extra speedstrip or speedloader in my pocket.

Minimum that I would carry? 5 shot J-Frame (don't own one, even if I did, it wouldn't be my primary carry)

Minimum that I occasionally carry? 15+1 Glock 19

Minimum that I typically carry? 17+1 M&P9 FS