Carrying! A personal thing!

I carry a .45ACP 90% of the time. The other 10% is a .32NAA in the pocket and the .45 in the truck.

I shoot my .32NAA enough that I know what I can do with it at reasonable self defense ranges. If that little .32 caliber bore doesn't scare them off then the six rounds in the chest will certainly bloody their wardrobe, muss their hair, and generally ruin their day.

I'm with WA on his post above too. If you know you're going into harms way, don't go.
 
Shot placement baby.

a.32 in the nose is better than a 45 in the fleshy part of an upper arm
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So true, and yet few people are able to place well aimed shots under stress using guns with good sights with a decent sight radius and so I see the likelihood of reliably being able to place surgical precision shots with tiny guns (usually with fairly crappy sights).

But since head shots with a .32 are what we are talking about, there is a nifty story here...
http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=39634&highlight=pawn+sword

I corresponded with Dave Philips at one point. As I recall, one of those four shots did manage to travel through an eye, only one of the four fired at about arm's length.

Unless one has any actual combat experience, one should not belittle another's carry choice. A .32 in your pocket trumps a .45 in the gun safe.
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While 100%, why carry a .32 instead of a .45 if you have the ability to carry a .45?

So a .32 in the pocket beats a .45 in the safe. From the story above, a .32 in the pocket beats a Glock on the desk. Of course, that is one of those "better than nothing" logic ideas because you are comparing what you have against that which you don't have access, or rather, nothing. Comparison against nothing makes everything that isn't nothing appear better than nothing. So, bad body odor beats a .45 in the safe, but do you want to count on body odor for protection? Probably not. A Daisy Red Rider single cock BB gun is better than a .45 in the safe.

In Dave's case, a Glock on the hip would have beat a .32 in the pocket, but he made his decision to keep the Glock on the desk, forgot about the .32 in his pocket while being run through and beat, recalling simply that he could not get to his Glock, then remembered the .32.
 
So true, and yet few people are able to place well aimed shots under stress using guns with good sights with a decent sight radius and so I see the likelihood of reliably being able to place surgical precision shots with tiny guns (usually with fairly crappy sights).
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Lets go with the least powerful round which requires precise shot placement into an event which reduces precision shooting abilities...........that sound smart to me.

People have made the decision to carry. That usually means they see a potential to have to defend themselves. They then decide to carry the smallest because larger guns are harder to carry. Kinda seems foolish to see the need for a gun, understand the limitations of smaller calibers, realize that stress reduces precision, and still carry small.

If its all you can carry yes its better than no gun. I live in Florida (shorts and T-shirt heaven) and still carry a Glock 23 with a spare mag. I feel many try to justify carrying smaller either by saying they can't conceal bigger or believing that they are as well armed as possible with a mousegun.
 
threegun said:
Xrocket, If trouble was coming at you right now. No way to escape or defuse. It is either stop the threat or be stopped. You have your seecamp .32 or a 9mm of your choice sitting in front of you. What are you going to grab and why?
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That would be a great poll even though I think we can all foresee the outcome of such a poll. I also think we can all guess at the reasons why that outcome is so easily foreseeable.

That's why I find it odd that those who carry smaller rounds have a hard time admitting that they are making a significant concession.

tshadow6 said:
one should not belittle another's carry choice.
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I really do not believe this is about belittling one's choice of carry. It's not the choice that's the problem, it's the irrelevant justifications used to make a choice appear just as good as any other.

"A .32 in the pocket beats an Abrams tank in the driveway."

"Most often no shots are fired so a .32acp will work just as well as a .45acp"

And someone’s bound to swing in here sooner or later for the inevitable:
"The .22lr has taken more lives than X, Y, and Z calibers put together."

Ad infinitum, and all irrelevant to the fact that the smaller calibers are poorer performers. And selecting one for whatever reason is a compromise, period.

I can completely understand choosing a smaller weapon in a smaller caliber due to the clothes one is wearing, for comfort, or for a million other reasons. But one loses me when one begins to justify their choice with poor rational.
 
I beleive the CIA found the .32 acp useful as did other secret organizations. I've seen many security videos where thugs run like mice when they so even think their victim is pulling a gun. Although you must be prepared to use it if you are going to pull it.
 
I have had this debate w/myself. I have resisted getting something like the .32s or other mouseguns. The smallest I've gone is an Airweight .38 S&W. for pocket carry. I do get intrigued at times with the Seecamp .380 (Rob Leatham carries one, I've heard, but haven't verified).

What I have learned is this: If I have an excuse to carry something smaller than my regular carry gun, the Glock 19 (or 1911 sometimes), I've copped out (i.e., gotten lazy) and resorted to the smaller gun. Then, I feel undergunned and guilty. I have never needed my G19, so in reality it's theoretical anyway. I compete in USPSA/IDPA with the G19 though, and I know what it will do in my hands.
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I know this happened to me.
Had a KT .32 that I ended up carrying much more than I wanted to.
Sold it and bought the KT P11. That is now the gun I carry when I don't need a gun.
 
Freetacos,

I beleive the CIA found the .32 acp useful as did other secret organizations. I've seen many security videos where thugs run like mice when they so even think their victim is pulling a gun.
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Trip20 said it best....
Ad infinitum, and all irrelevant to the fact that the smaller calibers are poorer performers. And selecting one for whatever reason is a compromise, period.
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Usefulness is irrelevant in performance.
 
I've been leaving this alone, but time to chime in. Here in RI, my wife was denied her CWP because I already have one. That may sound insane to many of you, but if you lived here, it wouldn't. Having one is a big deal here, they're as rare as vegetarians at a Texas BBQ.
What she qualified for (you're qualified by caliber), and was ready to use, was a .32 - It was the largest caliber she was comfortable enough with to shoot for qualification score (borrowed the instructor's w/ longer barrel - never seen one so big before - would have carried a kel-tec).
I have a thread in the archive; "Had to Brandish it" - as it turned out, she had grabbed it during the incident since I use it for BUG/Deep concealment, and it was in the car. She made it very clear to me that it was ready to go and that having it helped her. It made her concentrate on the situation and afforded her "some" comfort. What a surprise that nut would have gotten if for any reason he had gotten past me and to the car - a .32 Hydrashock at point blank. Having that mousegun brought her attention to her training, and I dare say she did well. I wish I knew I had backup all the time.
When she works late, I pick her up via tender (we're at mooring in the harbor) at the marina dock after midnight. I am armed, I wish she could have her .32 at the ready, she is a trained and capable backup. If it weren't for awkward laws... oh well, been there already.
 
I've been leaving this alone, but time to chime in. Here in RI, my wife was denied her CWP because I already have one. That may sound insane to many of you, but if you lived here, it wouldn't. Having one is a big deal here, they're as rare as vegetarians at a Texas BBQ.
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Every time I think Ohio has crappy CCW laws I read something like this. And I realize that it is not as bad as it could be.
 
"May not meet the ballistic's criteria for many"

I'm not far from your age, I'm 57, and I've learned a few wrinkles about making life's choices.

First, go see Jack Nickelson's speech to Dennis Hopper in "Easy Rider." It says a lot about using your own choices and freedoms--and how those choices will be perceived by people, and unfortunately, your friends.

Having said that, I'm against any activity, be that a hobby, belief, diet or discipline, where a slavish attitude becomes the driving force.

You have made a choice which enhances your life. This is a personal decision and one that should not tolerate nagging. Most people don't know the difference between fighting with guns and fighting tooth decay. Do your own research, and live by your own codes.

The biggest problem I have with advice is sifting out the BS.
 
I've got to say, I know nothing about guns at all (I just bought my first gun ever July 21st for self defense) but reading through this thread has made me respect the depth of knowledge you guys have on the subject. This has been a really enlightening thread for me; good stuff, that's all :)
 
I've got to say, I know nothing about guns at all (I just bought my first gun ever July 21st for self defense)
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One thing you are going to have to learn real fast is that you are not allowed to make statements like that without telling us what you bought..and preferably posting pics. :D
 
LOL, sorry about that Playboypenguin. I got a Beretta PX4 .40. I haven't gotten out to a gun range yet (planning on doing that this weekend) but I am looking forward to it :)
 
The Tourist,
Thanks that's sound advice! Live by your own code and what works for you and ignore the incessant nagging and BS all too prevalent on gun forums.
 
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