What do you think the minimum caliber for self defense is? Back in the 20s and perhaps up till the 50s, 25 ACP was very popular. 32 Caliber has had a fairly long run as a pistol cartridge, from the 32-20 to the 32 S&W and its big bro the 32 long, to the 32 H&R Magnum to the recently developed 327. 32 cal simply will not die, maybe it just can’t be killed.
Even 380 ACP is scoffed at, but not nearly as much as 22 LR and 22 Magnum are ridiculed.
I think the caliber/cartridge you choose has a lot to do with where you live. Like 380 is probably fine as a florida carry or nightstand gun, but probably not a great choice for Alaska or Maine.
What about mag capacity, how important is round count to you? Are you willing to sacrifice round count for a larger bullet. Is 7 of x better than 10 of y? Would having a 15 round limit (as opposed to just ten) change your choice of caliber?
More power is generally considered more gooder, but there is always the practical limit. Like 380 would suck in AK but be fine in AZ, or No way anyone is hiding a Beretta 92fs in Florida.
So anyway. is 22 so useless that you’d throw it away in a gun fight, is 44 Mag overkill? What is the absolute minimum amount of kill required for self defense?
I think 22LR is fine. Doesn’t it more depend on shot PLACEMENT versus size of bullet?
Another consideration is WHERE you’re planning on using it. As a nightstand tool, anything goes. But if you’re CCW, and it’s Summer, then hardware choice comes in to play, so you don’t print.
I’m fine taking my SR22 along in the Summer, as I can hide it easier than my 9mm.
What, if any caliber would you volunteer to be shot with?
Bigger is often better, but depends on what you can handle. I frail elderly person may only be able to consistently place shots with a .22. 10 rounds of .22 to the face is a much better deterrent than any number of .45s to the doorframe.
There is also too big, depending on what you’re defending against. For 2 legged predators a 9mm is not vastly outperformed by larger pistol calibers and you’ll have more mag capacity generally speaking. If you might encounter a bear you’re better off with .44mag or 10mm.
For home defense, posting up with a rifle or shotgun is going to be much more effective than any handgun. If you have to make your way to your kids or elderly parents, a handgun may make better sense to allow a hand to be free to manipulate door handles or control a kid until you can post up with a long gun with everybody safely behind you.
Before the advent of the more advanced expanding handgun ammo like Critical Duty or Gold Dot G2, I would prefer to carry a .45 and sacrifice some capacity. With the modern ammo, I carry 10 + 1 rounds of 9mm and a spare mag or two.
No right answer here, but I only carry 9 mm. The subcompacts are small enough that I see no need for anything smaller, and I shoot them well. For my needs, I’ve no reason to look at .380 or .32 or smaller.
I like .45 cal a lot, but I’d be giving up rounds if I wanted to stay with a subcompact.
I did get a full-sized 10mm for my forays into grizzly territory–not all that far from where I live now–but it’s a beast, and too much gun for around-town carry
9mm for me, I’m fine with an 8 round mag in my p938, with a backup in my pocket. If a .22 was all that was available to me, I would be fine with that also. For HD, the 9mm on the nightstand with a spare mag next to it, with a pump and bandolier under the bed, 12g.