What is your minimum?

[Zygodactyl]

I don't think there is a minimum. Nobody wants to be shot. I have been and I certainly don't want to repeat the experience. It was a .32 acp fmj that hit me in the hand, broke two finger bones and left a hole you could put your index finger through. The idea is to stop an attack not to kill someone. Get good enough to hit where you aim and it doesn't matter what caliber it is.

 

[P5 Guy]

10 + 1 like my G26 holds.

 

[CajunBass]

Smith and Wesson 380 EZ. 8+1, plus a reload.

 

[WrongHanded]

Considering I could carry more at work and at home than I do, I'd have to say 7 rounds of 9mm is my new minimum.

But for everywhere else I can legally carry, 9 rounds of .357 Sig and 10 round reload are a minimum.

 

[1942bull]

My EDC is 9mm in the form of a Ruger Security 9 Compact. Normally CC with9 15+1, but with 10+1 when deep concealment is necessary. In all case an extra 15 round mag is carried. Once used the 380 LCP II for deep concealment, but switched for greater capacity and more powerful cartridge.

 

[JR24]

I don’t really have one, I’d guess most often 8+1 is as low as I go in .45. Very occasionally a 5 shot .38, but usually only as a jacket pocket gun in the deep cold.

But most often it’s some type of 12-15 shot Glock 19 sized option. They carry and shoot best for me.

 

[LeftyRed]

My j frames are with me as much as my Mals, so that’s my “over/under”. I do like a nice 380, especially the Mustang clones like 911 or 238 or Micros. Current 380 is the G42.

I like a 45 in an officer’s size 1911 or XDS. Currently have a G26gen5 and GX4, both in 9mm for when I go across country. Other than that, I pretty much still to j frames in either 38 or 22mag. Wish they would reintroduce the 32h&r j frames again. About the perfect j frame caliber there is, IMHO.

‘Lefty

 

[FL-NC]

8 rounds 9mm. So, shield.

 

[AZAndy]

After seeing Lucky Gunner's lab report on .32 Long, I think I'd be satisfied with carrying one of my revolvers chambered in that. But since I have 6 and 7 round .32 Magnum revolvers (one is actually a .327, but I've never shot any of that cartridge), one of those is what's usually on me. I used to carry .357 snubs, but my hands can't handle shooting those anymore (post-chemo arthritis). Current load is 100 grain XTP going about 1100 fps.

For traipsing through the woods, or periods of trigger finger synovitis, a DW Valor .45 in a shoulder holster is just right. For some reason, .45 doesn't hurt me as much as even .38 in a snubnose does. Slower recoil impulse? Heavier gun? Not sure why.

 

[Richard Jay King]

My mininum is what ever I have on me at the time of need! A tire iron would be something but I would rather have at least a .22 LR!

 

[unclenunzie]

I've never gone below 32 auto (P32, seecamp, guardian, etc), but today my standard minimums are:

Current Minimums
6+1 380 LCP II, RM380
5+0 J frame / LCR

Preferred is G19 or P365XL

I toted an XDS 9 for several years, pretty good gun 7 or 8+1, so honorable mention
Really liking hellcat as an easy OWB high ride under a t shirt

 

[The Night Rider]

The smallest handgun I own is a Glock 43. So, I guess 7 rounds of 9mm.

What I carry the most is a Glock 26.
So, 13 rounds of 9mm.

The truth is no matter what I'm carrying I'm more likely to run out of time than I am ammunition.

 

[Nuclear]

Min caliber 9mm, 7+1 with an 8 round spare mag. Oddly, the larger caliber handguns I’ve carried were all higher capacity than that, if only by a single round.

 

[SDGlock23]

The smallest I've carried was a Ruger LCP 380 auto, decent little gun for what it was. Currently my smallest carry caliber is 9mm and I like to at least have 10rds in the gun itself.

 

[skoro]

For me, 5 38+P rounds in a snubby is my minimum. It's also my EDC.

 

[Beck]

5-shot J-Frame 2 or 3-inch barrel revolver like the old Taurus 85 loaded with +P will do the trick for me.

But when I was an LEO many years ago in a university police dept they didn't allow us to carry a backup "Onion Field Gun."

I had to take matters into my own hands. For 5 years I carried a Davis 2-shot 38 Spl derringer in a holster that slipped over an upper body armor strap, so it was hidden inside my uniform shirt under my left armpit. To this day no one in the department knows I had it. Two shots are better than none if you need absolute concealability.

 

[Godsgunman]

Might get flamed for saying this but I'd carry a .22 over a 380, but that's just me and my experience with 380.

That being said, for carry purposes it's at least 38 spl and up. Usually it's 9mm in a semi auto and 357 in revolver. I definitely wouldn't feel undergunned though if I were to carry my Taurus tx22. I'd have 2 in each of your eyes before you could blink

 

[DR505]

Minimum? That would likely be this S&W Model 13-4 .357 magnum, usually with .38 Special +P ammo, and a spare set of magnum ammo.

 

[JR24]

Minimum? That would likely be this S&W Model 13-4 .357 magnum, usually with .38 Special +P ammo, and a spare set of magnum ammo.

View attachment 1061484

That’s a beaut!

 

[jag1954]

This is my minimum today, SA Hellcat with a 15rd mag.

 

[375supermag]

My minimum for CCW is .45ACP in a 1911…
Occasionally I carry a .44Spl revolver but that happens very rarely.
Open carry is a bit different...any one of a couple dozen revolvers in various calibers including .357Magnum, .41Magnum, .44Spl, .45Colt, .45AutoRim and .44Magnum.
I typically open carry only when hiking or hunting.

 

[lee n. field]

What is your minimum cartridge and capacity handgun for concealed carry?

Curious to see what the minimums are for the THR members. Remember this is your personal choice and opinion!
A single shot 22 short with a well-placed shot can get the job done. But you may run into two or three NINJAS.

A few years back, after trying both a .38 snub and LCP, I decided I was much more comfortable with 5 of .38, than 6 of .380 in a gun that was extremely hard to shoot well.

That's my current minimum, which is also my current carry. 5 shot .38 snub.

 

[Styx]

5 rounds is my minimum.

 

[brmiller]

In the summer I'll drop my little XDS 40 in my pocket. Otherwise it's a 2011 with either a 10mm or 40 S&W top end on it.

 

[Old Dog]

Truck gun. 7.62x51mm NATO with a 4,000 round capacity ..3,000 rounds per minute


Oh wait -- the question pertained to a carry handgun?

I'm gonna go with a minimum of 13 rounds of fast-stepping 9mm JHPs. I will carry a 6-shot .357 with some 180 gr hardcast for my dog-walking gun in the neighborhood on occasion.