I have a version of the H&R 732 (made by NEF) in 32 H&R magnum. While not my first choice, it's in an okay SD caliber. I own one and my FiL owns one. They go bang every time. I doubt they'd keep going bang for tens of thousands of rounds, But it's a bare-bones five-shot snubby that works. (I bought them for next to nothing so we could experiment with shooting and reloading the caliber.)
Hi-Points go bang. The 380 might be small enough.
The Makarov and variants are kind of heavy, but reliable and shoot a decent cartridge.
IIRC, H&R and IJ made small revolvers in 38 S&W as well. One of those in good mechanical condition would be okay.
There are a slew of older 25 and 32 pocket pistols. Some are well-known and some are obscure, but there are some good reliable ones in the mix. There's been a couple of threads about them lately.
Taurus makes some models that are pretty solid and some I wouldn't consider purchasing. Their updated Model 85 snubbies (forget the new model number), their tip-up Baretta derivatives in 22 & 25, and their G2 series have all been good, in my experience.
There are Czech and Hungarian military surplus 32 Walther derivatives that are reliable and small enough.
I have owned some very capable Turkish pistols, a Tisas and three SAR's. Most people have no idea that they are, so you might see one in the case that others have passed by.
It seems like it's all about knowledge. 55-year-old me could walk into an old gun store with some obscure stuff in it, and probably walk out with a decent EDC or HD handgun for not too much money. 21-year-old me would barely know what he was looking at and might walk out with anything.
Here is an SAR. It's a CZ75 compact derivative with a polymer frame. Back before this craziness I paid barely more than $250 for it OTD. It goes bang every time and would be perfectly valid for HD or EDC.
