Smallest gun you can shoot accurately, comfortably

@ zxcvbob,

Some people laugh at the idea that a mouse gun is hard to shoot, but I felt the recoil on the Walther PPK is worse than a lot of 9mm sub compact guns. I think it is due to the blow back action. The PPK was my mom’s but we got her a Sig P320 instead. That was actually nicer to shoot.
 
Smallest

I was finally able to edit the picture of my Bernardelli VP so that it was small enough to upload.
Pete
 

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Here is the other small gun...a “baby Bulldog” in .32 Colt.
 

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Smallest handgun I own is a Galesi Model 9 in .25 ACP. I can get all seven shots into an eight inch diameter paper plate, but only from about fifteen feet away.
Gary
 
Accurately at all or accurately and quickly?

If I'm just trying to precisely poke a hole in paper, with no time limit, just one or a couple times, i have been able to put 5 shots from my Ruger LCP (gen 1) into a playing card at 12 yards. It took some time, several minutes i'm guessing, but I managed to make it happen. If i had to do it in a hurry, I doubt I could keep 5 rounds inside the A box with that gun.

If i had to shoot quickly, say something like a defensive handgun drill, I'd have to size up to at least my Ruger LC9S Pro. But it's surprisingly easy to keep 6-7 rounds inside the A box at 10 yards in under 3 seconds with that gun.

i should admit that I've added a Hogue grip to the LC9S, and wrapped a bit of grip tape around that as well to give me as big a handle a possible to hang onto, but everything else about the gun is stock.
 
@ zxcvbob,

Some people laugh at the idea that a mouse gun is hard to shoot, but I felt the recoil on the Walther PPK is worse than a lot of 9mm sub compact guns. I think it is due to the blow back action. The PPK was my mom’s but we got her a Sig P320 instead. That was actually nicer to shoot.
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PPK in .380 can be a bit harsh on the hands. The Sig 230 is a very good firearm.

The Smith and Wesson version of the PPK has an extended tang that helps with that issue.

IMHO PPK is best in .32. Your most likely to be shooting FMJ to get good penetration, so .3125 in (7.94 mm) vs . 355 of an inch is only .0425 of one inch diameter disparity...and that is not much.

Years ago, I shot one of the Kel tec P-32's, and it was so small and thin it was pretty hard to get follow up shots QUICKLY...not a bad gun, just a bit difficult to work with. A full size 1911 is easier to shoot well. A lot depends on the platform, and then of course the load...
 
First to come to mind is my gen 1 PPS, I can shoot it virtually as well and as effortlessly as many of my larger guns. There are a lot of smaller guns I can shoot decently if I try, but that PPS just points so naturally and shoots so softly.
 
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The smallest gun I own (which is also the smallest I can shoot accurately) is my Kahr CM9. I used it for my last LTC range test and did quite well. I usually keep a CT Laserguard on it, but had to remove that for the test. I carry it with the standard 6 round mag in the gun, with a spare 8 round mag. The little pistol is actually easier to shoot with the 8 round mag, as it allows me to get a grip with my pinky finger.
 
With small guns, I think short sight radius affects accuracy significantly, especially with “rougher” sights like Glock’s “ball and goal post” style sights. I’m not crazy about Springfield Armory’s U-shaped notch either, but I can hit steel pretty consistently at 25 yards. I know those types of sights are more for rapid target acquisition rather than precision.
 
Remington RM380 for me is quite comfortable to shoot and I can hit a soda can 4 out of 6 times at 7 yards or so. I also do fine with a Taurus M85UL revolver but the RM380 is definitely smaller
 
The Ruger LCP is about as small as I can go

It took a long while for me to get used to it --- literally weeks of having to endure a sore gun hand while expending countless rounds of ammo --- but I think I've finally gotten the hang of it, and it's reached the stage that I can now confidently carry it as a backup gun when I have to.
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I love gun control. It lets me hit what I'm shooting at!
 
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Tygus.Shooting said:
It took a long while for me to get used to it --- literally weeks of having to endure a sore gun hand while expending countless rounds of ammo --- but I think I've finally gotten the hang of it, and it's reached the stage that I can now confidently carry it as a backup gun when I have to.
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I love gun control. It lets me hit what I'm shooting at!
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While I applaud your willingness to stick it out until you learned to shoot it well, if I can’t accurately shoot any handgun within 100 rounds of first using it I get rid of it. I feel if a gun just fits you naturally and points and shoots naturally you’re much more likely to be effective with it in an emergency when you don’t have time to think about it. I know muscle memory and training and practice can all overcome this, but I figure why not start with what just naturally works right from the start.
 
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