Smallest carry caliber

[ATR]

What is the smallest caliber your carry?, or the smallest you feel comfortable with.
           (my favorite carry gun is a ppk .380 , but I do have heavier caliber handguns if I need somthing bigger on occassion)

[canon6]

ATR, in my career I have carried 22mag and up.I was never happy with them but you do what you have to.Now I carry a KelTec P32 at all times in addition to  larger revolvers      Doug

[superjay01]

If you comfortable with the ppk and practice with it the most there is no reason you need anything bigger. I think that if you are ever in a situation where you may need your weapon it is better to have a small caliber that you are comfortable with then a big caliber that you are not. In the end it comes down to hitting the target.

[drdougrx]

Hi A,

I'm with you.  I carry a Mustang pocket lite in .380.  It's way lighter than my ppk.  But I guess .380 is as lite as I'd go.

[corbanzo]

A tiny bit of something is better than nothing.  I would carry a small .22 if it was all that would fit.  I can't really say much about very small though, cause I carry a .357mag, but to each his own.   

[SHOOTALL]

38 spl. when i dress light in summer !
40 or 45 other times !
if i find myself in the need of a hand gun , i don't want a mouse gun !

[gwhilikerz]

I like a 38 spl. revolver. But whatever you carry is better than what you left at home.

[SHOOTALL]

i agree , but like the 45 ,

[navylawdog]

I would say something in the .32NAA range would be the smallest thing I would conceive of carrying. The fact is when you feel the need to pull a gun the perp isn't going to be too worried about the size of the bullet you are firing at them. I am sure that everyone would think the same thing when it comes to this. Who wouldn't rather get shot by a .25acp as compared to a .45 but who wants to get shot at all?

Navylawdog

[rockbilly]

I prefer the big bore, but often carry something smaller due to dress.  I carry the big bore because it has more stopping power, or does it?

A while back I read of a police officer in Jackson,MS that shot a bad guy from about 40 feet with a .40 caliber handgun.  The perp had already shot the Cop twice, once in the arm, once in the stomach.  The perp was carrying a cheap .25 auto.  The perp walked away, the cop died on the spot.

We have read the FBI reports pertaining to the Florida shoot out with a group of bank robbers, several of which were hit in the vitals area numerous times with .38s and 9mms.  A couple of them lived.  I sat on a jury a while back where a man was killed by a .22 short from a "Saturday nite special."  The shooter was about 30 feet away.

You can go on, and on with similar stories.  The point is, sometimes it makes no difference what you are shot with, all of them can kill.  Selection of caliber is really not as important as how well you handle what you are carrying.