Trapped into a mouse gun

Then she joined a gun range and kept listening to other folk with .45's,,,
Now she carries a handgun whose recoil is so bad she will not practice with it.
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I've noticed that too, all the talk about bigger calibers seems to sway a lot of people into thinking they need more. Of course there's always an 'expert' in the group that says you gotta have a .45 (same guy saying you had to have a .40 a year and a half ago). Sure seems to push a lot of people in that direction. I still stick with the 9 and use it for everything. So far I'm getting along fine with my Cougar (and I really like that gun, it's nice to carry a gun you actually like). I keep toying with the idea of something smaller like the Kahr or maybe a .38 like the Cheetah or pk380. I have to find a case where I could (and would) carry the smaller gun and not the Cougar though or what's the point? Then I just have a gun that I won't even shoot because I don't like it as well as the others.

One the side, I was with two neighbors who carry and we were discussing guns. The one says he carries a .40 s&w. The other says he just carries a 9mm. I told him that's what I carry, nothing wrong with the 9. The other guy says "Yea, well I don't know, I got the 40 cause you want to be sure you have enough you know." His first words were his most accurate. ;-) Same guy also bought a Glock ... because the Glock was what everyone said he should buy (or maybe he watched US Marshalls to many times - hehe). Nothing against Glocks, I just doubt he really put much thought into the gun he bought, he just knew the name Glock.
 
The lighter the better for me for walking around - J Frame or LCR or pocket 380s are "enough gun" - I tend to go for either end of the spectrum - either really light or large big bore but I will not go below .380 ACP
 
I love when people automatically think that a .40 or .45 is "too much" for any woman to handle. ANYONE can learn to shoot ANY firearm with the right training and practice. My girlfriend is 5'7 and 105 lbs and she carried and shot a .40 Sig p239 and she just went in and bought a Springfield Loaded 1911 .45 for the range. Yes I carry a .45 when I can, I also carry a pocket 9mm at times, or a .38 snub nose depending on where I am, what I am wearing. I think its pretty sexist to automatically assume that a woman needs a small firearm than you or another male. I hear it a lot working at the gun counter and just shake my head. Reality is if they are rational, take the time to practice, and get training, I bet a lot of those females would be much better shooters than most of us. They listen to direction better than males, and their hips are naturally wider... giving them a much better stance.

I am not saying everyone should go out and grab a .45, but because its someone smaller or a woman, doesn't mean they lack the capability of handing that cartridge. It is very possible. I don't push people towards any caliber, I do believe a .45 can give you a slight edge if you practice with it, but I have no problems carrying a 9mm, .38, or even a .22. I simply tell people to carry what they are good, and comfortable with. If thats a .45 or a 10mm.... awesome... if its a 9mm, great, if its a .22 go for it, as long as they have the brains enough to want to be armed to protect themselves, they shouldn't be wrong. Even a .22 is better than nothing.

If you pick up the newest issue of American Rifleman there is a small paragraph about an elderly gentleman, defending him and his wife from an armed and masked attacker with a .22. The elderly man with the .22 blasting away at the man trying to hide behind a tree and returning fire made his attacker retreat and run away. They didn't give much information at all, but given the few details we do have, I don't think the elderly man would have benefited from a larger caliber in that situation. He was able to rounds quickly on his target, well, at least the tree his target was using for cover... with enough accuracy and speed that made the armed man flee. In my book thats a great feat in that situation. No one ever wants to be trading gun fire, but he made an attacker retreat because of his smaller choice in caliber.

My point is no one carrying a .22 is wrong, and no one carrying a .45 is wrong. Practice is key to anything.
 
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Ive carried what would now be considered "full sized" guns, pretty much every day, my whole life.

Ive carried "smaller" guns too, but 99% of the time, they were always along with the full size gun as a back up, and rarely carried alone.

I still carry my Seecamp everyday, right along with my 17. Many times, my 26 comes along too.

Who in their right mind only carries a mouse gun? Well, OK, I suppose Speedo season is right around the corner. :D
 
If you carry ANY gun, you are better prepared than most people.
All the "one shot stop" crap is just that. The only shure stop is a CNS hit.
I'm perfectly happy with my little P32 in my pocket. I doubt I'll run into any 400 lb. meth-crazed whackos or zombies.
Once the "new" of being able to legally carry wears off, most people forego the big guns for something comfortable. After all- most of you are not cops, and shouldn't be putting yourselves in harm's way.
 
+1 For Bill DeShives, I have been doing this for a long time. Both my wife and I carry what we will carry and what we are comfortable with and can use effectively. I am no longer in the Army and am not going to be looking for a fight. We find that we will carry our keltec 380 by far the most often with confidence.
 
I can easily pocket-carry my KelTec P-11. However, there are times I will carry my 21A instead with a spare mag. It certainly beats carrying nothing at all.

-Cheers
 
I'll never CC a big handgun. If I'm out walking I'll "open carry" my quarterstaff and conceal a Black Widow .22 Magnum. If I'm driving it's just the .22 Magnum.
 
I personally have found that the smaller 9 mils (Kahr, Kel-tec) are plenty small enough to serve as super-discreet carries. With them, you are not relegated to a mouse-gun caliber but 9mm Luger. Many folks may argue 9 vs. 45, but very few will argue 9 vs. 32acp.

On the other hand, I am a huge perscriber to "a gun in the pocket is better than a gun in the truck". A .22 on you, if that's all you're willing to carry, is far better than the .45 you refuse to carry.
 
Agreed, its better than nothing, but realistically, will it be enough if you really need it?

If you need to make a longer shot, or have multiple adversaries, that little gun is going to be about as useful as the .45 in the truck.

I think the mouse guns and sub compacts have become the status symbol of the day, much like the little Colts, Mausers and Walthers were in military circles.

If you dont want to carry a full size gun, thats fine, its your choice. But be realistic in your reasons and dont make excuses. Its not hard to carry the bigger guns if you want to, and all of this is really about "want". "Cant" is just the first negative in the pile of settling for a mouse gun.
 
It will do what is needed, if you can shoot it.
I carry for personal defense, and I really doubt I'll have to make a long shot. Up to about 30 feet I can hit what I need to with the P32.
I can carry any gun I want, and I choose a small one. I keep a small 9mm in the car.
I have more guns than most people (or gun shops!) and have been carrying for 35+ years. The other day I strapped on a High Power. After an hour I remembered why I carry a P32!

I could get out of a mud hole with a big 4X4, but I just keep my Yaris on the road. If I get stuck, I'm just screwed. Same with the mouse gun.
 
But I'll guarantee you, if I stick a G23 (same size as your 19) under a tucked in shirt and head to a formal type occasion, it's going to print...badly. If I stick a J-frame under that same shirt, it won't print at all. I've done it many times.
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I happen to think this is wrong. I'm involved with a church security ministry, and 3-4 times a week I carry my G19 (occasionally a G26) under a button front tucked in shirt.

I'm 5'11 and about 220lbs. I use a bellyband-type holster (still in the appendix position that I use when not in dress clothing) and the gun does not print for me. Considering we have a very 'huggy' congregation, I have not been made as of yet.

It can be done, and with a serious weapon. No one gets 'trapped' into a mouse gun despite the thread title.
 
Gotta agree with Bill DeShivs here. Pocket-rocket .22 does me fine. I've had a Taurus PT-22 (gave it to a family member), a 950BS in .25 (stolen) and have 2 Bobcats in .22 right now.

I'm not a cop, I don't look for trouble, I stay out of bars for the most part, and don't really run into drug-addled crazies. If a whole mag of .22 plus reload don't help, I was in a bad way to start with.

I carry whenever my eyes are open, and spend very little of my time worrying about printing. I made a decision not to dress around the gun, and that's how I pulled it off.
 
If you are 6"4" and 30 years old, a .32 may be fine for you.

I'm 54 years of age, 5'9", 150 lbs, with a back surgery and a few others in the last few years. I am not physically imposing, and I'm not going to bluff my way out of a physical confrontation. I'm also unable to run very fast.

I don't go into bad places and I don't talk smack. Truth to be told, I am usually home before dark. All that is fine with me--I have no bone to pick with anyone and nothing to prove.

I've owned an for 2+ years and have carried it maybe five times in that time. I own a Kahr PM9 and carried it every day for 3+ years, but it has spent the last 2 years in the safe, and I foresee a similar fate in the future.

In the last two years I have found that I can carry a .45 every day. So I do. Hope I never need it, but if I do, I think I'll be glad I have it.
 
I've carried a concealed weapon at work for 36 years and got used to a larger caliber pistol on my side. Since retiring, I still carry everyday, all day. I tried a Ruger LCP when they first came out, and I like it. But after about a week, I thought to myself, what the hell am I doing? My current carry pistol is the HK45 compact tactical. I carry it all the time. In the summer, when it gets a little hotter, I carry an HK P2000SK in .40S&W. I wish I would have bought that one in 9mm, but I still shoot it well. I find I can conceal both readily, and even though they're heavier and larger that the LCP, I find comfort knowing that they will protect me if I do my part. I also work part time at a Sportsman's Warehouse in the gun department (GREAT JOB!!), and I always find it interesting when people buy a pistol and get the CCW license and then say "I'll just carry it when I think I'll need it". I always ask them if they always wear their seatbelt in the car. They say sure, I might be in an accident. Why then would you leave your pistol home? Can you absolutely say when you leave for work everyday that you won't need your pistol? Just something to think about.
 
I can carry anything, any way I want. Open or concealed carry.
I simply prefer to look civilized, and don't want or need 2 lbs. of gun hanging off my side. If my .32 won't help my situation, I'm just S.O.L.
 
Bill, since you and I have never had the pleasure of meeting, how can you say or infer that I look uncivilized by the choice of weapon I carry? No one sees it, as I've had many years of carrying concealed. I just never knew I was uncivilized by my pistol choice. I'll try and buy a smaller pistol to impress the gentry!
 
I've carried a variety of guns over the years. At one time I had a P-32 because it was easy to always be armed with it (Rule #1: have a gun). An occasion took place which caused me to ask the question "do I have confidence that this caliber will permit me to stop (not scare) an average to above average sized man who is determined to cause harm"?

That was the last day I carried the P-32. My life and the lives of my loved ones have too much value to me.
 
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