R127
Member
I've seen a lot of folks shot so I don't have the hangups and uncertainties many other people do. Guns as a rule are serious weapons, shot placement counts the most and having a larger pistol doesn't mean you can afford much in the way of worse placement.
With that out of the way I carried a Bobcat in .22 for a while. Even out of this pipsqueek gun the round can be dangerous but not enough for me to be comfortable with it. I like .22lr a little more when fired from the longer barrel of the P22, a favorite of my wife's as well(and she can handle a .357mag no prob), but still not enough to treat it as a daily carry. The bottom line is that .22lr is on my no-go list for two legged predators.
If we step up to a .22mag out of a Black Widow or better yet a Mini Master I'm a lot more confident. .22mag out of a Black Widow has the same muzzle velocity of .22lr out of a rifle and it'll definately tear the monkey out of what it hits. The main problem here is just the limitations of the guns, single action and low capacity. The Taurus 941 offers more shots and double action but is much bigger.
After trying a lot of different handguns I finally settled on a Makarov in 9x18 as my daily carry. It wasn't all about the caliber, it was about the gun. I wanted something that held enough bullets to get the job done, was reliable, accurate, would hold up to a lot of regular range use so I can stay in practice, and be reasonably quick to reload while still riding comfortably in my pocket... all in a gun that fires a respectable cartridge. I had a Kahr MK9 for a while but sold it as I didn't like the short working life of the mainspring. Anyway, from .22mag on up to 9x18mak I prefer to alternate hollowpoints and fmj in the same mag to get a mix of penetration and expansion, there should be some combination thereof the badguy will respect by the time the mag runs dry. From 9x19 on up I'm comfortable going with all hp.
With that out of the way I carried a Bobcat in .22 for a while. Even out of this pipsqueek gun the round can be dangerous but not enough for me to be comfortable with it. I like .22lr a little more when fired from the longer barrel of the P22, a favorite of my wife's as well(and she can handle a .357mag no prob), but still not enough to treat it as a daily carry. The bottom line is that .22lr is on my no-go list for two legged predators.
If we step up to a .22mag out of a Black Widow or better yet a Mini Master I'm a lot more confident. .22mag out of a Black Widow has the same muzzle velocity of .22lr out of a rifle and it'll definately tear the monkey out of what it hits. The main problem here is just the limitations of the guns, single action and low capacity. The Taurus 941 offers more shots and double action but is much bigger.
After trying a lot of different handguns I finally settled on a Makarov in 9x18 as my daily carry. It wasn't all about the caliber, it was about the gun. I wanted something that held enough bullets to get the job done, was reliable, accurate, would hold up to a lot of regular range use so I can stay in practice, and be reasonably quick to reload while still riding comfortably in my pocket... all in a gun that fires a respectable cartridge. I had a Kahr MK9 for a while but sold it as I didn't like the short working life of the mainspring. Anyway, from .22mag on up to 9x18mak I prefer to alternate hollowpoints and fmj in the same mag to get a mix of penetration and expansion, there should be some combination thereof the badguy will respect by the time the mag runs dry. From 9x19 on up I'm comfortable going with all hp.
A Kimber Carry II, comfy and pretty darn concealable and a Springfield 1911 Loaded full size. I do have a S&W Model 19 I could carry but it's not particularly comfy and no lighter than the 1911s and leaves me with fewer rounds and a longer reload so why bother. If I could actually find a 9mm that I liked for more than a few hundred rounds I would be comfy with that but so far that has proved to be an elusive quest.
Shot placement is what saves your Bacon! For me .22WMR would be the absolute minimum but I generally carry .44Spl with a BUG (NAA Black Widow) in .22WMR. When I need to dress up I go with a PPK/s in .32ACP, HK USP45C, or Colt CC .45ACP and always my faithful BUG (Black Widow) in .22WMR. When jogging it is usually just the NAA Black Widow in .22WMR. 
