Of All of Your Hanguns, Which Is Your Minimal Level of Comfort for SD?

For convenience, one of those tiny .22LR derringers.

For firepower, a Draco with a 75-round drum of 7.62x39.

Unfortunately I have to strike a balance between convenience and firepower. Right now, that's a .38 J-frame most of the year and a .45 auto when it's cold enough I can dress to hide it.

Most of the people I know who got a CHCL (I'm not in a Constitutional Carry state) bought more gun than they could conveniently carry. In a few weeks or months they went from all-the-time to most of the time to sometimes to just leaving it at home because it was too much hassle. Only one of them renewed his license, and he only carries because I nag him about it.

*Anything* in your hand when you need it beats the Rambo firepower you left a home.

all mine are 9mm and each has a couple pre-loaded mags of 124gr hollowpoints, so I would probably grab the hi-power for capacity.

Saw-Bones said:

To whose reading comprehension are you referring to?

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The folks who have answered with the gun they would choose and why. The OP asked which we would be least likely to choose, not the one we would choose.

bearcreek said:

The folks who have talked about the gun they would choose and why. The OP asked which you would be least likely to choose.

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..but still find generally acceptable.

Lowest common denominator. Minimum.

Colt 1903 .32 ACP.

The round may be underpowered, but the weapon points and shoots like a laser.

That said, I would hardly feel naked with my Ruger MK II loaded with CCI Velocitors either. Again, it points and shoots like a laser.

For day-to-day, my usual choice is a 4" S&W .38 spl

Well since I'm always armed with 2 guns it would be my taurus 85 UL (mine is every bit as good as any jframe!) and my beretta 950 in
25 app running backup. Also carry a folding blade and a boot knife so I feel pretty good.

bearcreek - "The folks who have answered with the gun they would choose and why. The OP asked which we would be least likely to choose, not the one we would choose."

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Got that the first time I read post #1. If you are insinuating that I need some remedial reading help I would ask you if you comprehended what I said in post #61 and if you did then you would have known that I answered it correctly. "Minimum" is a synonym for least... you could look it up.

If, however, you were referring to some challenged poster, perhaps you should be more specific so those of us who do comprehend competently wouldn't be offended by your remarks.

I have a Kel-Tec P-32 I'm quite happy with. But I reload the caliber, and I have the CiP data which is the way JMB designed it, so a few kpsi more pressure than the SAAMI specs. The result is it can push a 76gr LFN at an honest 950fps, or a 60gr Gold Dot to 1010fps. I have other guns that are closer to full sized for it, but if I need a larger gun, then I will probably use a larger caliber.

If I am carrying small, the P-32 is considerably thinner than my LCP. With a mildly recoiling round that allows good control of a little skinny gun, it's a great "down to the corner for milk" gun.

Buffalo Bore sells a very similar round with a 75grLFN hard cast they claim 910fps out of a P-32 for it. If I didn't reload, I would be carrying those in my gun.

Saw-Bones said:

Got that the first time I read post #1. If you are insinuating that I need some remedial reading help I would ask you if you comprehended what I said in post #61 and if you did then you would have known that I answered it correctly. "Minimum" is a synonym for least... you could look it up.

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If your post was on point then there's no reason to assume I was talking about you. To be honest I didn't even pay attention to the names of the posters to whose posts I was referring. Doesn't really matter. My point was that I think the OP stated his question just fine.

Saw-Bones said:

If, however, you were referring to some challenged poster, perhaps you should be more specific so those of us who do comprehend competently wouldn't be offended by your remarks.

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No. Those who do comprehend competently are hopefully mature enough not to let the remarks of some random person on the internet offend them.

MutinousDoug said:

I keep a couple of K frame 38's by the bed for my wife and me. Not my 1st preference but the wife is not comfortable with an automatic manual of arms or 45acp caliber so I handicap myself a little bit so that she will not be. She is quite comfortable with 38 Spl revolvers.
In the summer I carry an easily concealed 380 most of the time but I'm seriously looking at the Sig 938.

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Back in the day, before the 9MM became so popular, I read in one of the gun rags that 22's and 38's accounted for more deaths than all the rest of the calibers combined. Not sure if that statement would still be true today, but I still carry a 38 snub with +P reloads with 158 LSWHP over max charge of 2400. Goes to 924 FPS over my screens.
Consider yourself well armed with the 38 cartridge!

just for fun said:

Back in the day, before the 9MM became so popular, I read in one of the gun rags that 22's and 38's accounted for more deaths than all the rest of the calibers combined. Not sure if that statement would still be true today, but I still carry a 38 snub with +P reloads with 158 LSWHP over max charge of 2400. Goes to 924 FPS over my screens.
Consider yourself well armed with the 38 cartridge!

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Stats like that are pretty useless to the topic of self defense.

It doesn't matter that your attacker(s) dies if their voluntary actions are not stopped in time to save you/others from them. Plenty of people continue fighting or doing whatever it is they want to do after being shot, maybe even walk to the ambulance, are talking as they get transported, and die...does that mean whatever they were shot with is a good choice for self defense or duty use? Certainly not.

bearcreek - “Those who do comprehend competently are hopefully mature enough not to let the remarks of some random person on the internet offend them.”

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It has nothing to do with maturity. It has do with standing up for yourself and not putting up with “some random person” hiding behind a screen name and insulting others.

It’s one thing to point out errors or give contrary opinions and it’s another thing making derogatory remarks - especially when the insulter doesn’t have the fortitude to name the target of their aspersions.

Warp writes:

Plenty of people continue fighting or doing whatever it is they want to do after being shot, maybe even walk to the ambulance, are talking as they get transported, and die...

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Remove from that count all of those who stopped doing whatever they were doing that got themselves shot, and let me know how many you have left. Regardless of whether or not they subsequently die, the number of those shot in SD situations and stop being threats far, far outnumbers those shot who push on with their attacks and cause injury to their targets after being shot.

does that mean whatever they were shot with is a good choice for self defense or duty use?

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Countless people have failed to die after being shot with weapons regarded as "good choices" for duty use, including military and law enforcement rifles, shotguns, and handguns, as well.

It won't bother me if someone I'm forced to shoot fails to drop "DRT." I just want them to stop being bad and endangering me or whomever I was defending.

Hello bearcreek. I answered my S&W model 10-8 in .38 Special simply because I have absolutely no handgun smaller other than my mother's old RG10. I would never consider that viable for self defense. If I had to rely on that RG10 I would use one of my Bowie knives. They have blades of 7 to 9 1/2 inches and most are nearly razor sharp.

380 acp would be my smallest caliber I would have on hand for self defense. AZRN

My Boberg 45. Who knows when it will decide to pull the bullet, dump the powder down the magwell, and render itself useless. Range, ok but not for SD.

I have a 1860's Sharps derringer that I'd least like to use. Don't even remember what caliber it is!

.38 Special with the right ammo would do for me, but I'd much prefer .45 ACP.

Of all of your handguns, which is the last on the list of ones you would feel fairly comfortable with, and why?

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My RG-25 .25 ACP pistol.

My reason for choosing something else over it has to do with the fact I haven't shot it in years so I don't know how accurate I would be able to shoot with it.

My consideration for minimum would be 9mm. I own a few, but probably keep the Glock 26 with me 99% of the time. I feel under gunned with anything less than 9mm. that being said, any caliber is better than none. And if say if you'll carry a 25ACP 100% of the time it better than the gun you carry 50% of the time.

Least likely to carry for where I live;

Anything less than 38Super/1911 Government for pistol,

Anything less than 357mag/4" for revolver

Maybe I do have a reading comprehension problem as I am having trouble fitting the scenario together....I am home and have to rush to defense (for whatever reason)...so what is the gun that is last on the list to pick and yet feel comfortable with?
I am comfortable with all of my guns otherwise I would not own them. If the object of the OP is to ask what the smallest gun that I would carry for SD, then the answer is a little Bernardelli .25 ACP. It would be last on the list because it is the least powerful (tie with a .22 S&W 317 snubbie) and has the fewest shots. If it was the only gun available, then I would use it. I practice with it and feel competent with its use.

At home I always have a 380 close buy.

I've got a 32 ACP, but I would only use it in extreme circumstances.

I call it my NESEgun.. Nose, Eye Socket, or Ear gun.

If we're that close, things are pretty bad, and I'd give that one a try.

I pack a .45

I only have 9mm and 45 cal pistols