Of All of Your Hanguns, Which Is Your Minimal Level of Comfort for SD?

Minimal would be SP101 or LCR in 38. Being realistic, at home, I'm almost never more that steps from my 1911 or 357 Sig. Truthfully, they are typically more accessible than my "minimal" handguns.

Minimum caliber for confidence?

Either .38 Special or 9mm Parabellum, depending on how they're loaded. (I consider .38 Special superior to 9mm Parabellum, but not everyone sees it my way.)

I usually carry my Berretta 30 32, as my H&K USP is a bit bulky for carrying. I can't imagine any bad guy wanting my stuff or wanting to hassle me bad enough to get swiss cheesed with a 32.

OP question:
"Of All of Your Handguns, Which Is Your Minimal Level of Comfort for SD?"

Answer:
J-frame with 38 Special +P

It would be one of my two .38spl revolvers; my Diamondback or my S&W M60.

.38 Special snub is the least I'm comfortable with.

I am comfortable with my 32H&R mag snub. For some reason, I can also shoot it more accurately than my larger caliber handguns.

I would say my minimums are 38spl and 9mm, both using quality ammunition. The reason I would be more apt to choose 9mm is capacity. I'll sacrifice a little power if I can make up for it with extra rounds. My issue with the 38 is generally speaking not only am I sacrificing power, but significant capacity as well. It may not ever be an issue in a gunfight but I dislike the thought of running out of ammo.

Perhaps the question would be why would one keep a gun that they didn't enjoy shooting? We aren't talking collecting here just least favorite shooter, I don't have one, all my guns are enjoyable to shoot.
It took a hell of a long time of trial and error, but I could not think of any gun I own as being a least favorite.

"The most minimal"? Well I have a .177 blow back CO2 pistol that shoots 410 fps and 3" groups at 15yrds. I suspect if I emptied the 20 rd mag into an intruders face at 10-12ft they undoubtedly would be going the other way.


In all seriousness though, .380 would be my limit, unless I had a PMR 30.

My minimum is my Keltec P32 loaded with 71 gr. FMJs. If I'm carrying this small gun it it for maximum concealment. If I need to use it it I need maximum reliability; the .32 is good round but I need it to go bang every time I pull the trigger and I need the rounds to go deep enough. I practice draw and fire drills from "bad breath distance" to about 10 feet to ensure accuracy (beyond that it becomes a wish to reliably hit anything with no sights). I don't feel undergunned because I know the gun, and my, limitations.

It depends on where I am in the house.

As I don't have to worry about kids in my house, I have a .380 in the family room, a .25 ACP and a .22 Mag PMR-30 in my office, a .357, 12 gauge SxS, and an AK47 in the master bedroom.

The gun cabinet (also in bdrm.) has a 12 ga. pump, 4 more rifles, and 2 more handguns - all loaded.

Is that too much?

There is no such thing as too small if it is the only thing available. A .22 LR at your side is infinitely more capable in an emergency than a .44 Mag in your safe. But it is not just caliber, it is whether the gun is too small or too large to make it easy to operate. To answer your question in short, I'd prefer to grab a duty-sized semi-auto, or maybe a medium frame revolver.

More extensively: Personally, the only handguns I have smaller than 9mm are 5.7 FN and 7.62 Tokarev, and, hypothetically, they will both give somebody pause when you're piping lead melodies out of the bang flute. I'd feel most comfortable, though, with 9mm Luger or larger. The only reason I am not fine with the Tokarev round is that they are usually older model guns (mine is a CZ 52) that aren't conducive for self defense. If there was, say, a Ruger SR762 chambered in the 7.62x25mm, I'd probably be fine with that.

At this time, I don't really plan on purchasing pocket pistols chambered in .380 ACP, .32ACP, .32 NAA, .25ACP, or .25 NAA for defense. I might like to have them just to have them, but not as defense guns. There was an experimental 7.92mm (.312") caliber based on a .30 Carbine, but shortened to work in a semi-auto. If that was available, I might even be willing to use that. A .327 Federal mag, even if loaded with .32 H&R Mag, would do if the frame was large enough to make shooting easy. But pocket pistols are, to me, last ditch attempts at self defense that are only fitting if the only place to conceal carry is in your Speedo.

Even if the pocket pistol is in .38 Spc or .357 Mag, the diminutive size makes operation difficult, and in the case that the first shot doesn't drop the attacker or scare him off, I would be spending more time fumbling around with the thing than I would taking shots. My big boys, like the .460 Mag, have a similar problem. They are more effective on paper, but they are unwieldy, and you can't miss a person enough times to make them stop. One hit with a 9mm is better than 5 misses with a .460 Mag. The biggest I'd go is 10mm Auto, .357 Magnum, or .50 GI.

Not counting my Ruger 22, my least powerful/lowest capacity handgun is a Glock 43. Regarding your scenario, there are 5 Glock 19s secreted through my house. The only room that doesn't have at least one is the guest bedroom. So if you decide to stay over, you need to BYOG.

For me it would be my .38 special S&W 638.

9mm for me due to magazine capacity.

Smallest caliber I carry for self defense is .38spl or 9mm.

For the last 10 years I have said 9mm Luger or .38 spl....

However, this summer I realized that I needed a handgun I would always carry and lowered my minimum to .380 acp

Well, the last time I had to fend off a sexual assault was a fat chick in my early twenties, so I think mugging is probably all I have to worry about these days when out and about (sry, couldn't resist). If it's a home invasion, then I'm going for a long gun. I've got enough of them that no matter what I would never be relegated to a mere pistol in my home.

To answer the second part of your question, if I had to leave home with a gun and my primary CCW was down for some reason, then the smallest round I'm comfortable with is a .380 FMJ. It will penetrate deeply enough to hit all the vitals in any size bad guy, and that's really all that can be said for any pistol round.

I have pistols chambered in .22 LR, 9 mm Para, .40 S&W, 357 SIG, and .45 ACP as well as one revolver in 38 Special/.357 Magnum.

The last one I would choose for SD would be the .22 LR, not surprisingly. The next "least comfortable" choice would be my GP100 loaded with 38 Special, although I would consider 38 Special +P to be roughly equivalent to 9mm Para.

For home defense my most comfortable would be one of my .45 ACPs, but really any of the others would not make me feel too under-gunned.

Which ever of my handguns is handy at the time . Usually around the house that would be my Charter pit bull in 45ACP with laser grip . I have nothing smaller than .380 anyway .

Minimum would be my Taurus TCP38 in .380 loaded with Hornady Critical Defense ammo. It is the one I generally carry in my pocket when the temperatures out here hit upwards of 100+ degrees. I've shot over 500 rounds thru it without any problem, and have been able to hit the thoracic cavity on a silhouette target out to 15 yards with all 7 rounds at rapid fire. Besides it stays within arms reach at all times. I do prefer the .45ACP, the 40S&W and 9mm in that order otherwise.

My least powerful handgun is a .38 Special so there is not one that I would be uncomfortable with for SD/HD.
Sure, I would grab my .40 if it were closer, but I wouldn't feel undergunned with the .38.

S & W model 60 shooting 38 plus P ammo.

My Glock 17.