Smallest good caliber gun for carry?

semi auto 380

revolver 38 special.

both come in pretty small guns. I am not a huge fan of the 380 but my wife likes it.
 
in the interest of stopping a tread jack...

this is that last post i will make regarding the dogs, pits are generally known as a "status" dog. the bad guys that have them and train them to kill people or be attack dogs like pits because of the dog's reputation, and the fact that that reputation has caused many people to be frighted of them. Pits gain more news coverage because of this hatred of the breed.

yes pits have the propensity of being being violent as do all dogs. im sorry about your friend's experience and i agree that THAT dog should have been put down, however -and not to make light of the situation- what where the circumstances of the event?

insurance- like i've said, i have currently 2 pits, and had one before them (unfortunately the dumbie wanted to play tag with a car, and had to be put down due the extent of his injuries) i have told my insurance companies each time i have owned a pit and have never had a problem with dropped coverage OR increased rates.

my point is and will remain that PIT are not bad dogs, breading and training and therefore peoples opinions of them have been set against the breed. People who want aggressive dogs pick pits over most others because of the reputation and natural strength and single mindedness. the key with any dog and especially pits is to maintain complete dominance for myself and everyone else in my family over the dogs.
i have owned dogs for most of my life, training and dominance is key.

i often a very very large number of people that have a prejudice against pits, often even before they have ever interacted with them. not saying that if you personally have been attached by a dog makes your opinion invalid, but keep in mind the owener of that particular dog, the training the dog received, and the situation you were in.

all that being said if you want to continue this conversation i would look forward to it in another thread -as i believe that this tangent is beyond what the spirit of your OP question was. to which i maintain "get to know the owner and the dog," and if your that worried about it put up a fence, and carry a large caliber something
 
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12 ga.

For a fully loaded dog of >85lbs...12 ga #4 buck

PS: until I lost her last year, I slept most nights with a >100 lb. Chesapeake on my feet...during that time I did not give much thought as to my "night stand"
gun.
 
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in the interest of stopping a tread jack...
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Shouldn't be a problem. The discussion is germane to the OP's question, because he was specific about a particular threat. This is head and shoulders above Zombie scenarios; pit bulls are shot by police and citizens everyday. Zombies - not so much ;) A blog I used to know of tracked shootings of dogs, but gave it up after a year because of the work load. An LE contributor noted that today's LE officers are about as likely to shoot a pit bull as a felon, according to a near match of reported pit shootings compared to stats of officer involved shootings of people. That's a remarkable accomplishment for a type of dog.

I don't think anybody is saying pit bulls can't be kept safely. Even lions, tigers and bears can be kept safely, but do you want your Joe Blow neighbor to have a grizzly without special precautions? Would you object to him having a lion while saying, "It's just a cat - it's all in how you raise and train them?" The fact is, all types of dogs are neglected, untrained, etc., without a similar rate of failure.

Pits gain more news coverage because of this hatred of the breed.
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Not true. Pits get news coverage because of news worthy mayhem - some of which isn't even reported or is scarcely reported. The most recent death by pit bull here in Missouri almost didn't make the news, and then it was only reported by one small town paper - 6 days after the fact, and only because someone familiar with the death wondered why it hadn’t been covered. (The owner believes his father was killed by a mountain lion... Because that’s what mountain lions do… they jump into a yard with pit bulls and kill people. :rolleyes: You couldn’t make this stuff up! The owner goes on, “The pits couldn’t have done it; they slept with my father.") I’ve been on pit attacks as a medic that weren’t reported by the media. The attack on me by my neighbor’s pit wasn’t in the media. The fact that I escaped serious injury doesn't mean it didn't happen - it means I'm not a kid or a little old lady that would have made the news. (Very responsible owner too, but the dog got out one time – first and only time out by itself. Possible cause: Agitated by my dogs on the other side of my gate, and decided I was the next best thing? Who knows? Short answer: Pit bull.) If I go to the pound right now, there will be at least one or two pits impounded for attacks. You could back test 2 weeks of news without finding a word about it. Sorry to be contrarian, but pit bull attacks are under-reported. There is no big bad media conspiracy; the media is only reporting the part of the iceberg it can see.

The bottom line is, the OP is asking a question frequently asked, not just in gun forums, but firearms training and conceal carry classes. “How big of a gun for a pit bull? What kind of ammo for a pit bull? Where do I aim on a pit bull?” It doesn’t matter that you’re satisfied your pit bull is safe, well trained, or even a breed ambassador. Show me a pit bull owner that doesn’t talk that talk?

I’m very happy to have owned some intelligent, loyal breeds, without ever needing to defend them. Nobody has ever had to put up a web site to defend my breeds, (or condemn them.) No community, providence or country has ever outlawed my breeds. I’ve never spent time talking out of both sides of my mouth about my breeds – telling the public they’re, “just like other dogs,” while admitting in a breed forum that I snicker when I see a mother rushing her children across the street. When people are talking about my breeds in gun forums, they're talking about gun dogs, not asking what gun to use against them. I don't have to make excuses or learn talking points to recite here, there and in gun forums. Thank God for that! :D
 
Chesapeake on my feet...during that time I did not give much thought as to my "night stand" gun.
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So true. Now those are some discerning dogs. I think it was James Lamb Free who said the Chessies were the best pick for a gun dog/watch dog.
 
But I'm thinking of going the .45 route, anyway.
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Could look at a Colt Defender. Has the thumb safety, and weighs in at 22.5 ounces.

Good to hear that you have the bear spray for your wife. It does work on big bears and moose; and it does work on dogs just fine.

Good luck! I have been in your shoes with the "neighbor's very aggressive dog problem" once upon a time, a little spray goes a long way... dog never came back... with spray no upset over "dead dog" neighbor...
 
S&W J Frame .38 Special or Bersa Thunder .380 with Buffalo Bore standard pressure hard cast flat point ammunition will shoot through any dog or man. The flat point/meplat will cause plenty of damage with low recoil.
 
In my experience, dogs that aren't around gunfire are scared to death of it. Unless they are "dead set" on killing whatever they are running for.

This:
400px-MakarovPM.jpg


is one hell of a little gun. I'd recommend the 9x18mm Makarov round significantly higher than the .380acp; AND it's usually much easier and cheaper to find. That being said, I'd rate the 9x19mm out of your 4" barrel significantly higher than the Makarov; and the .38 special much higher than the 9mm.

Also, you are currently carrying a Smith and Wesson. I am a HUGE fan of the 6906. I think it's a great weapon for carry. But it's heavy by today's standards. With a Glock 19 9mm, you have a 21oz weapon with 15+1 in the magazine. Lighter and more rounds. And if you like S&W, you can most definitely find a S&W M&P9 9mm, or M&P9c in 9mm.


In response to your OP though, "Smallest GOOD caliber gun for carry...":
I have a hard time reconciling carrying anything smaller than a 9mm. That's just me and my preferences. And I even LIKE the 9mm. I don't feel like I settle for it, but rather settle ON it. So I'd say that's about the low base of my recommendation. And in terms of small frame, I'd have to recomment two weapons for you.

Kahr PM9 9mm-
kahr-pm40.jpg



Kel-Tec PF9 9mm-
IMGP4687ModS.jpg


Both are small and reliable weapons for carry. But if you look hard, you can get the Kel-Tec for under $300. And the Kahr stays pretty consistent between $500-800.

So, there's my two cents for whatever it's going for in the market today.

~LT
 
Tons of choices from the Kahr PM-9 (which I carry daily and which now can be ordered with a safety) to the 3-inch 1911 models like the Kimber UCII (which I tend to carry more in cold weather). My least favorite would be a snubbie, tho lots of folks like them ...
 
For as small as they are making .45's now I see no reason to carry anything less. Shot placement in a life and death situation is much more difficult than standing at a range bench so I prefer to take that out of the equation. I have a .40 and a .45 both carried occasionally.

I dont really like to carry because my wife doesnt like me to carry and her whining and bitching just isnt worth putting up with so the only time I carry is when I am going someplace in a "bad" part of town or going to sell or buy something from a private party where cash/meeting stranger is involved.
 
Smallest good caliber gun for carry

Sorry, I carry a CS45 and love it. It isn't that heavy, and I know that I have the finest defensive handgun caliber there is. Last range I shot 96% with it. For a backup gun I carry either a PPK or PPK/S, .380. Equal to a .38 special. S&W makes some nice J frame pistols with no external hammer, some are .357/.38, you could consider them.
 
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