Small caliber defensive carry

[TNThomas]

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Nice! Hey, you solved 2 problems I have been wondering about. Pm inbound!

 

[Member 45541]

I'd love to have one of the new Walther PPK .32's, but could never justify the price! IMHO it's just ridiculous for a .32 to be that high regardless of the maker!

 

[ShibaDude]

I have a Walther PD380 as my EDC. I wasn't happy with the reliability of the 22lr and I wanted something with a bit more punch...

 

[Jason1290]

Kel Tec p32 still has my vote. I've carried a handful of different pocket pistols and keep going back to this one. Extremely reliable, accurate, low recoil and more capacity than a 380 of the same size. 32 acp will get most certainly get the job done. Just gotta practice with it like anything else.

 

[zofoman]

Kel Tec p32 still has my vote. I've carried a handful of different pocket pistols and keep going back to this one. Extremely reliable, accurate, low recoil and more capacity than a 380 of the same size. 32 acp will get most certainly get the job done. Just gotta practice with it like anything else.

I like those little buggers...kind of hard to find one w/low round count & for reasonable money. Also might be hard to rack for those with arthritis/hand issues.

 

[MikeInOr]

What's your favorite small caliber defensive carry? Just the caliber or a specific model handgun.

I'm considering options for when I want to carry something smaller, like with my current hand injury.

My DB9 fits in my pocket and I can easily draw it from my pocket if I need to so I carry it 90% of the time. Since is is a 9mm in such a small package it is a bit snappy but "I" find it very controllable. My LCP is a bit smaller and a softer shooter but I haven't carried it much since I got my DB9.

What hand injury are you dealing with? A larger locked action .380 pistol might be easiest to shoot. I believe the S&W Guardian is a small 380 but considerably bigger than the LCP and a pretty mellow shooter since it uses a Browning style delayed action.

I used to carry my Keltec P32 every day when I worked where printing wasn't an option. For me it is quite a mellow shooter since it is also a delayed action.

 

[Mark W.]

My most common carry is a Bauer .25 auto. A copy of the Baby Browning. Granted .25ACP is no great round but a hot hand load at close range will sure slow down an attacker and if not the 5 rounds following it will. Its small enough to hide behind my wallet. So in nothing but a pair of cutoffs at the beach I can have it with me.

 

[petehammer]

Does anyone have any experience carrying the Taurus TX22 compact? It's a 22lr pistol that is larger than the LCP II but still concealable.

 

[bradsteen]

Does anyone have any experience carrying the Taurus TX22 compact? It's a 22lr pistol that is larger than the LCP II but still concealable.

Nope. I have the full size, not the compact.

Out of curiosity, is there a specific reason you want to carry a .22 for personal protection?

 

[petehammer]

Nope. I have the full size, not the compact.

Out of curiosity, is there a specific reason you want to carry a .22 for personal protection?

It's a fair question. I see a lot of threads poo-pooing 22lr as a caliber, and I get the rationales I've seen. The primary purpose of the gun would be target practice/plinking for me and family. Given the cost differences, it is a lot cheaper to do this with 22lr than anything else (can shoot 4x for the same cost as 9mm). With enough practice, I feel like we will be effective with 22lr (if the options are a 9mm that we haven't practiced with versus a 22lr that we've put extensive time in, I think most would say to go with the 22). Finally, I haven't yet decided on carrying, so this would likely just be for home but maybe carrying in the future. I can't see bringing in a shotgun or an AR, but I think we could get comfortable with 22s.

 

[tloschke]

What's your favorite small caliber defensive carry? Just the caliber or a specific model handgun.

I'm considering options for when I want to carry something smaller, like with my current hand injury.

I just got the Glock 43MOS 9MM and I love it. Shoots great and slim design. I added a Holosun EPS Carry Green dot and it's great. Hope this helps.

 

[1911Fanatic]

It's a fair question. I see a lot of threads poo-pooing 22lr as a caliber, and I get the rationales I've seen. The primary purpose of the gun would be target practice/plinking for me and family. Given the cost differences, it is a lot cheaper to do this with 22lr than anything else (can shoot 4x for the same cost as 9mm). With enough practice, I feel like we will be effective with 22lr (if the options are a 9mm that we haven't practiced with versus a 22lr that we've put extensive time in, I think most would say to go with the 22). Finally, I haven't yet decided on carrying, so this would likely just be for home but maybe carrying in the future. I can't see bringing in a shotgun or an AR, but I think we could get comfortable with 22s.

Buy emem by the thousands and 22 is even cheaper than that. I got a Remington Golden .22 bucket with 1400 rounds in it for $104.00 awhile ago.

 

[Alexx1401]

It's a fair question. I see a lot of threads poo-pooing 22lr as a caliber, and I get the rationales I've seen. The primary purpose of the gun would be target practice/plinking for me and family. Given the cost differences, it is a lot cheaper to do this with 22lr than anything else (can shoot 4x for the same cost as 9mm). With enough practice, I feel like we will be effective with 22lr (if the options are a 9mm that we haven't practiced with versus a 22lr that we've put extensive time in, I think most would say to go with the 22). Finally, I haven't yet decided on carrying, so this would likely just be for home but maybe carrying in the future. I can't see bringing in a shotgun or an AR, but I think we could get comfortable with 22s.

I have LONG been REAL big on .22's for practice and for fun. ANY time spent on targets translates to shooting better. Wife who is VERY recoil sensitive often carries a .22. While FAR from ideal the #1 rule to surviving is have a gun. Any gun beats the better one left at home.
For those who can't or won't get to a range often LOT of great airgun choices that can be used at home. That practice will also reflect well when shooing live ammo.

 

[Alexx1401]

Buy emem by the thousands and 22 is even cheaper than that. I got a Remington Golden .22 bucket with 1400 rounds in it for $104.00 awhile ago.

LONG stopped bothering to look in stores but there is plenty of it again. My favorite place (SG) has many flavors for .06 a round. Only have to spend a couple hundred to get them to ship it to your door free.
Now I just have to hope they get my range open again. If not guess I will have to try a different one and see how they are.

 

[1911Fanatic]

LONG stopped bothering to look in stores but there is plenty of it again. My favorite place (SG) has many flavors for .06 a round. Only have to spend a couple hundred to get them to ship it to your door free.
Now I just have to hope they get my range open again. If not guess I will have to try a different one and see how they are.

I got the Remington 1400 round bucket for $104 shipped. That was 7 cents around. I will check SG. They are the only place that I've found that has the Winchester Defense 147gr JHP with the plastic plug at low prices. It's actually a +P round and it's crackin' well over 1000FPS. I saw a gel test on it with the velocities, but I don't re,e,her the numbers.

 

[ilikegunspdx]

Depending on hand injury may dictate the style of a handgun and not necessarily the caliber.
Can your hand sustain the shock? Is trigger pull difficult? Is there issue with racking the slide? Weight an issue?
Possibly, the small tip-up barrel models in small caliber of choice (.22/.25/.32) may be near the top of your list....ie: Beretta & Taurus
Also, though a bit larger, the SR22 (.22) is an easy shooter and easy to rack/handle...its a favorite for those with arthritis in their hands/fingers.
Maybe hit several gun shops and fondle the merchandise and see what feels good.

Don't buy a bubbleguming bobcat. Dog bubblegum gun. Hammer bite. Slide bite. Hard to rack the slide for a tiny POS. No ejector so it launches brass into your face. Trigger ridiculously long and hard to pull. Hammer way too hard to pull for a gun that size. Grips melt with gun cleaner. Nasty noise. Hard to get a grip on teeny slide. Jams as soon as it gets slightly dirty. Needs just the right ammo to work until it inevitably jams. Utter POS that never should have been made imo. Worst gun I've ever had. Just utter, total, dog bubblegum.

 

[Juniper9mm]

Seecamp in 32 ACP

 

[ilikegunspdx]

I'd love to have one of the new Walther PPK .32's, but could never justify the price! IMHO it's just ridiculous for a .32 to be that high regardless of the maker!

View attachment 2060373

For bubbleguming around you can get the .22 version. I've seen it as low as $250 new. Suppressor is key!

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• ilikegunspdx
• May 24, 2024

 

[1911Fanatic]

Don't buy a bubbleguming bobcat. Dog bubblegum gun. Hammer bite. Slide bite. Hard to rack the slide for a tiny POS. No ejector so it launches brass into your face. Trigger ridiculously long and hard to pull. Hammer way too hard to pull for a gun that size. Grips melt with gun cleaner. Nasty noise. Hard to get a grip on teeny slide. Jams as soon as it gets slightly dirty. Needs just the right ammo to work until it inevitably jams. Utter POS that never should have been made imo. Worst gun I've ever had. Just utter, total, dog bubblegum.

Well, you don't have to rack the slide. The barrel tips up. Personally I would rather have a PPK.

 

[ilikegunspdx]

Well, you don't have to rack the slide. The barrel tips up. Personally I would rather have a PPK.

Why the F would someone spend all that time fiddling with the barrel, single loading a single round like you are in a hunter safety education program. Makes no sense at all. Man I hated that gun. I have never bought a beretta after that due to that horrible experience. Not fair to beretta at all but the brand is forever stained to me. I did buy the Walther beretta 92 22 clone though cuz it was inexpensive and they make superb .22s. I don't like the 92 frame though which is polymer. The ppks is all metal except the grips. 92 with suppressor height sights and goofy faux supressor was $250 after $100 rebate. But nice part is the threaded barrel.

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• ilikegunspdx
• Jun 26, 2024

I also like Walther's .22 1911 $264 for black version. Really fun gun. Same size and weight as reg 1911.

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• ilikegunspdx
• May 24, 2024