The “Better than Nothing” Factor.

[lostchild]

There’s a story about an old Texas Ranger who carried a Colt 1903 in .32 acp.
The other rangers ragged on him about it, his response was:
‘Shoot ‘em between the shirt pockets, they’re just as dead’.
I have no qualms about .32 carry. I had about 8 at one time, different makes.
Found them all to be very accurate and reliable.

 

[Bandwidth]

There’s a story about an old Texas Ranger who carried a Colt 1903 in .32 acp.
The other rangers ragged on him about it, his response was:
‘Shoot ‘em between the shirt pockets, they’re just as dead’.
I have no qualms about .32 carry. I had about 8 at one time, different makes.
Found them all to be very accurate and reliable.

Unless it doesn't penetrate. Today we face threats that are much different. Perps are regularly wearing plate carriers, load bearing vest with mags, etc. We face an enemy that has evolved and our choice of weapons should evolve as well.

 

[kuduman]

I haven't read all the other responses, but I'll throw out some thoughts.

.22 rimfire ammo is too unreliable for self defense. No further discussion necessary.

I'm not aware of any good .32 ACP handgun for carry. The options are either tiny, hard-to-shoot-well pocket guns, or heavy blow-back technically obsolete designs (PPK and copies). Beretta might make (or have made) something suitable. I don't pretend to keep up with every new gun option though. And in any case, you'd be better off with .380 where there are a lot more ammo options. What I would want is something in .32 that's like...

...the S&W M&P .380 EZ. Good trigger, good sights, long enough barrel length to get good performance from the .380 cartridge, lightweight, thin, affordable. And of course designed for folks with weaker hand strength. Since it's sold like hotcakes since day one, I have to assume other manufacturers will come out with similar designs.

My relatives and in-laws now have four of the EZs. All love them. I expect I'll be picking one up someday too. But I have a few more years.

If it doesn't have to be an autoloader, there are some revolver options in smaller calibers though-- SP101 in .32 comes to mind.

 

[Mrs_Esterhouse]

Hello. I’m interested in learning the popular opinion on the minimum pistol caliber for car/carry/apartment-life.

I am a firm believer that any 9mm round is more than adequate for self defense. But I ask again what about solid-built .32’s and.380’s?

I’ll be 60 this year and age is setting in. I spend a lot of time at the range. Gun weight, recoil and trigger pull have all become factors in considering what kind of gun that a senior might use or is it what some may call a girl gun?

Masculinity intact, do are these guns work? Are they worth having? Carrying?

Accuracy isn’t the problem. I can make 3 concentric head-shots with a 9mm at 25 feet. But now it isn’t pleasant. Arthritis in my hands and trigger finger remind me how important self-defense will be in my 60’s and beyond. It’s not likely I’ll be packing a Desert Eagle in my future.

I’m just a tall skinny guy who prints easily, looking at my gun future. Good thing it’s winter now.

Cheers.

Merry Christmas

Brett

If 9mm is too much, I would look at 380 instead of 32. For me, I view 9mm as a minimum standard, but I'll take 380 all day over nothing. If arthritis is an issue, you may want to look into a 20ga or 410 shotgun for the home. They have very mild recoil and fineness isn't required.

 

[lostchild]

Unless it doesn't penetrate. Today we face threats that are much different. Perps are regularly wearing plate carriers, load bearing vest with mags, etc. We face an enemy that has evolved and our choice of weapons should evolve as well.

If you run into a threat decked out like that, only way to solve the problem with any handgun would be a head shot. And a .22 will work for that.

 

[Bandwidth]

If 9mm is too much, I would look at 380 instead of 32. For me, I view 9mm as a minimum standard, but I'll take 380 all day over nothing. If arthritis is an issue, you may want to look into a 20ga or 410 shotgun for the home. They have very mild recoil and fineness isn't required.

It's unfortunate that the myth that marksmanship isn't required when using a shotgun is continually proliferated. Take your home defense shotgun load and shoot it at 7 yards. How big of a pattern do you have? Yes. Marksmanship is still required.

 

[Bandwidth]

If you run into a threat decked out like that, only way to solve the problem with any handgun would be a head shot. And a .22 will work for that.

Maybe, maybe not. Like Clint said, the first part of their body to cross your muzzle is the crotch. "shoot em in the crotch, shoot em in the crotch and let's go to work!" LOL Damn I love Clint.

 

[Mrs_Esterhouse]

It's unfortunate that the myth that marksmanship isn't required when using a shotgun is continually proliferated. Take your home defense shotgun load and shoot it at 7 yards. How big of a pattern do you have? Yes. Marksmanship is still required.

A shotgun is much easier to get on target repeatedly than a pistol with arthritic hands. I never said accuracy wasn't needed.

 

[CTS Tactical]

People get way too hung up on pistol calibers. Most experts will tell you that pistols are all pretty anemic when it comes to stopping power. If it doesn't meet the 2200FPS threshold then it is mediocre at best anyway. Not many defensive handgun calibers meet that requirement for good one shot kills. Pick what you can shoot the best, practice and live with the confidence that hopefully you are a better shot than the other guy.

https://www.ammoland.com/2015/01/handgun-caliber-doesnt-matter/

 

[lostchild]

If 9mm is too much, I would look at 380 instead of 32. For me, I view 9mm as a minimum standard, but I'll take 380 all day over nothing. If arthritis is an issue, you may want to look into a 20ga or 410 shotgun for the home. They have very mild recoil and fineness isn't required.

Two problems (to me) with a .380. Takes two men and a boy to work the slide on some of them, and the recoil seems worse than many major calibers.