smallest caliber for ccw

[jason kellogg]

If you cannot stop the threat with a 9mm then you need to spend more time at the range. End of story!

When your life is being threaten,hart beat at 170, maybe more than one attacker it can be hard for the most trained person to be as accurate as needed to be with a 9mm and that is whats so great about the 45acp you can hit someone in the toe and stop the threat. This is why 'all' police, fbi, you know 'the trained' have stopped using the 9mm. I can't help to think of that politician that had a 9mm go strait though her brain and is pretty much fine now or the rapper 50 cent that got shoot 9 times and is fine. More gangsters owe their life to the 9mm not stopping them then anything else.

 

[ATBackPackin]

When your life is being threaten,hart beat at 170, maybe more than one attacker it can be hard for the most trained person to be as accurate as needed to be with a 9mm and that is whats so great about the 45acp you can hit someone in the toe and stop the threat. This is why 'all' police, fbi, you know 'the trained' have stopped using the 9mm. I can't help to think of that politician that had a 9mm go strait though her brain and is pretty much fine now or the rapper 50 cent that got shoot 9 times and is fine. More gangsters owe their life to the 9mm not stopping them then anything else.

I really do not want to derail this thread, however..................

This is exactly the kind of misinformation that can get people hurt.

that is whats so great about the 45acp you can hit someone in the toe and stop the threat.

I think this bears repeating a second time. Really? First off, no handgun is a guaranteed one shot stopper! Period! Secondly, shot placement is way more important than caliber! Period!


Jason I promise you that I am not trying to give you a hard time, it's just that this kind of information can really get someone hurt. There is huge difference between the needs of a LEO's handgun versus the needs of a citizens handgun for self defense. People survive gunshots all the time because the round did not hit a vital organ or central nervous system. That very rarely has anything to do with the caliber as most modern ammunition penetrates deep enough to hit vital organs. You are absolutely correct about your heartbeat rising and adrenaline pumping, but again this is why you train. Remember the seven P's

Again I want to reiterate that this is not a dig at you, I just felt that was something that really needed to be corrected.

By they way, welcome to THR.
Shawn

 

[VBVAGUY]

My opinion is that the smallest caliber CCW gun she should carry is the one that she can shoot accurately and comfortably, even if that means it being a .22 Magnum, .380acp, 9mm, etc. When she pulls out our gun the BG is not going to say "Oh that is just a .22 Magnum, that's nothing". Instead he will probably try to flee as most people do when seeing a gun pointed at them. God Bless

 

[jon_in_wv]

Using the teensy weensy LCP as an example of how a 380 kicks isn't very wise. Its the lightest and smallest one your going to find (one of). Try something like the Bersa 380 or a Beretta 380. They have very little recoil. If she can't manage the recoil of those two there is a bigger issue than her size at work.

 

[medic-rod]

a .22, .25 or 380 you can hide is better than the .45 acp if you can't hide it so you don'y have it on you. My wife and I have a 380 kel-tec mine with the 9 round mag so it fits my hand better. with +p h/p ammo.

 

[David E]

Any gun with you is better than any gun not....but that does not mean all guns or calibers are equally effective.

 

[ghostoftheprairie]

BodyGuard 380...

 

[1chemist]

Then again, there's some real-world data to confound the "minimum caliber" doctrine:
http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2011/jul/26/petite-clerk-shoots-kills-250-pound-hotel-robber/
The other stories seem to have disappeared, but they said that she fired a single .22LR from her snubbie revolver and dropped Mr. BG in his tracks.

 

[Warp]

Personally my bottom is .380 auto/9x18. I prefer the 'big 5' duty calibers of .38spl, .357mag, 9mm Luger, .40 S&W or .45ACP due to their abilities, proven performance and availability. I would consider anything that is as/more effective, though, if price/availability was considered acceptable. Say .357sig, .45GAP, 10mm, .44 special, etc

Right now I only have .38spl +P, 9x19, .45 ACP and .357 mag.



And as for the oft repeated "a .22 you have is better than a .45 at home", well, yeah, duh...but I try not to make decisions like this based on them being better than the worse possible choice. If your choices are a big .45 at home or a .22 in your pocket then you are, IMO, doing it wrong.

 

[CoRoMo]

...anything that will fit in her purse...

I'd look at a small-ish revolver that has some weight heft to absorb recoil. Ruger SP101 with some good grips like the Hogue Tamer grips and 38 Special loads will be a good option.