minimum cal. for concealed
380 seems pretty light, 9mm a minimum? 40 or 45 - lookin at the sub compact/pocket type autos....
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ANY gun you WILL have ON you at ALL times is the best gun.
The $200 NAA 5 shot .22 that is on you is better then the $3000 custom Wilson 1911 that you left in the truck because it is too.......
A good carry gun is one that you will and can actually carry. If the gun is too heavy, too big, too hot, too uncomfortable, too sharp, pokes you in a weird place, ect you will not carry it so that makes it NOT a good carry gun.
What works well for one person may not work well for you or you type of dress or the weather in your location. For me I used to carry a Glock 35 (full size with longer slide) during the winter and a Keltec .380 when I had less clothes on.
About 2 years ago now I picked up one of the S&W M&P 9mm compacts. This is the first compact that felt good to ME. Since buying it that is what I carry over 95% of the time. The Keltec still gets carried from time to time.0 -
My personal concealed carry gun is a Walther PPK in .380 cal. It is small enough to go into a pants pocket. It is reliable and I think the caliber is sufficient. I agree 100% with what Nwcid said. 0 -
*pls delete me - posted a dupe of what was posted above while i was typing* 0 -
I think you will get many different answers to this question. The correct answer might be what caliber of carry pistol is right for you. If I had my choice it would be a short, concealable, multi-shot, 12 gauge shotgun, but that isn't going to happen for a number of reasons.
If you have caliber envy, a good choice might be the Ruger LCR in 38 Special or 357 Magnum. The 357 is way overboard in the LCR in my opinion, and the 38 Special LCR will manage +P loads. The LCR only weighs about 13 ounces, is easily concealed in front or back pants pocket and won't be that heavy at the end of the day.
Best wishes finding your best caliber.
Heavyiron0 -
The best caliber is the biggest one you can and will actually carry concealed on your person and can handle shooting.
In an auto, if you can get away with a .45, then go for that. If not, then a 40/9mm (usually the platforms are identical in size). In a revolver, the vast majority find that a .38/.357 snubnose is about the right size for concealed carry.
I'd say given the really small size and light weight of the modern 380 guns, its hard to think of a good reason why you actually would need to go smaller than that. These guns are literally the size and weight of a wallet, so if you can carry a wallet in your pocket, you can carry one of these pistols.
The .22, .25, and .32 guns really just aren't all that much smaller, though if that's all you got, they're still better than nothing (though not much).0 -
up close and personal a shot out of my NAA 22mag in the gut is going to ruin your day 0 -
Regarding minimum I think there are two important issues that have developed - first, ammo for the 380 has improved quite a bit making a very weak round more potent. However, 9mm semi auto pistols have gotten so small & light they are nearly the same size as most 380s. Then another turn is, 380s have gotten even smaller & lighter. The PP series is actually a fairly large, heavy gun by today's standards. I like them and own one, but it's certainly much more to carry around than those plastic 380s like NAA, Secamp, KelTec & Ruger.
Personally I think the Kahr PM9 is about the smallest, lightest 9mm semi out there. I have the Mk9 version (don't like plastic) and assuming the PM version goes "bang" as well as it does would choose that as a carry piece, skip the 380s.0 -
Need we point out that a 5 shot .22 lr pistol brought down a president, a press secretary, a DC cop, and a reign of terror by gun control groups?
Carry what you are comfortable both carrying and shooting. Nothing less will do, anything more will be less effective.0 -
For a minimum caliber for a concealed firearm, for revolvers look at the Smith & Wesson 640(.357) or 40(.38+P) both steel and DAO and very concealable. For pistols look at the Rohrbaugh R9/R9s 9x19mm steel/alloy(expensive but excellent), or the NAA Guardian .380 or Seecamp .380, both steel and also very concealable and all with proven track records.
By comparison these are about the smallest most reliable pistols available and in steel for control-ability along with several available accessories you can't go wrong here. IMHO avoid plastic firearms as they are junk and aren't nearly as controllable as a steel firearm or at least an alloy firearm, hope that helps.0 -
quote:Originally posted by Don McManus
Need we point out that a 5 shot .22 lr pistol brought down a president, a press secretary, a DC cop, and a reign of terror by gun control groups?
Well, to be clear, it was a low-end 6-shot .22 revolver, and of the four individuals shot in that incident, all four survived.
Press Secretary Brady was literally shot in the brain and survived. . .to my mind, that's not exactly a testament to the stopping power of a .22 round.
Had would-be assassin Hinckley been using a more effective caliber, its fairly likely that Brady, as well as at least one of the others who were hit (eg President Reagan, Police officer T. Delhanty, and SS agent Tim McCarthy) would have died from their injuries.
Again, a .22 is a lot better than nothing, but I think there are better yet.
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Carry what you are comfortable both carrying and shooting. Nothing less will do, anything more will be less effective.
That's pretty sound advice.
I think in general people worry WAY too much about WHICH gun or caliber they should pick, and not nearly enough about knowing when, where, and how to shoot it.
In other words, in my opinion, the skill and tactics of the shooter are **FAR** more important than the specific gun or caliber. A good shooter who knows where to place the shots and can actually do it can probably get the job done with virtually any gun, where as a poor shooter and tactician won't be able to defend themselves no matter what they have.
As an old surgeon friend of mine used to say, "a good surgeon can operate with a knife and a fork". Equipment can make it a little easier or harder, but most of it is knowing what to do, and being able to actually do it.
Edit: Responding to above. Most of the components in polymer-framed guns (including barrel, hammer, firing pin, slide, etc) are still made of hardened steel.
With respect, the huge numbers of police and soldiers (including a substantial plurality of American police officers) who trust their lives to well-known and well-designed polymer frame guns like the Glock, H&K, Smith M&P, Walther, SIG, etc, probably don't think these guns are "junk".
There are some polymer frame guns that are otherwise nearly identical to steel frame versions of the same. I can see preferring steel or alloy frame to polymer, but that doesn't mean the polymer guns are unreliable or fragile. . .most of them are pretty tough.
In my opinion, there is nothing wrong with a polymer frame gun if you like it. Again, just make sure its reliable and you are comfortable shooting it.
In terms of small 9mm luger guns, the Kel-Tec PF1 is about the same size as the Kahr and Rohrbaugh, but is substantially less expensive (especially compared to the $1000+ Rohrbaugh). Its a good gun; worth checking out if you're looking for a small 9mm.0 -
To each their own some like 'plastic guns' and some don't, I happen to be one that does not and that's why I put 'IMHO'(In My Honest Opinion). However your mileage or opinion may vary as does the rest of the planet probably and everyone has different opinions like body parts. I just think that plastic guns are junk and that plastic is no replacement for steel or alloy. A simple test will prove this; take a steel weapon and a plastic weapon and utilize a sledge hammer or any potentially destructive type tools to both of them and let it decide which is better.
Regards0 -
I want us to remain focused on the original topic in these threads and not continually get side tracked. If this comes back as a Part II with no purpose other than debating steel/alloy/polymer frames it is going into General Discussion. 0
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