Mouse Guns : YOUR Definition, CCW, etc. ?

[Warp]

Even when I was a kid I don't remember 22lr ever being reliable. We always had perfectly good rim strikes that wouldn't fire a round or perfectly fine hit that would result in a small case split and powder getting blasted into the action (or the face with my 22/20g over under). There's got to be high quality stuff somewhere...

As for mouse gun...I have a keltec p3at that's just too picky with ammo.
I don't like to carry it as it hurts to fire it. I'm seriously considering just carrying pepper spray as a secondary instead of a BUG, having something less than lethal seems like it might be a wise option.

CCI Mini Mags and CCI Standard Velocity

The match grade stuff is generally quite reliable too. Wolf Match Target and Match Extra, SK match stuff, probably anything Lapua or Eley. Provided the standard velocity recoil impulse is enough for the firearm to not have any issues from lack of oomph

 

[wildcatter109]

Regardless how I dress, or where I go, and being able to 100% have it concealed till needed, when my life depends on it, the picture answers everything.

 

[Browning]

Most people seem to lump .380ACP into the mouse gun category. That being said, I am perfectly comfortable with a .380 as a carry gun. My preferred carry gun for years was my .380 Colt Government Model.

To me sometimes a .380 pistol would be a mouse gun and sometimes it wouldn't.

That depends entirely on the gun IMO. The .380 Colt that you posted is for all intents and purposes a full size pistol and far easier to hit with than a sub-Compact pocket pistol in .380 that has a grip that you can almost fit two fingers onto, that's as slippery as a wet bar of soap and that has pretty much non-existent sights.

Same thing with many pistols in .22LR. Some like the Taurus PT-22 would to me be considered mouse pistols while a Browning Buckmark would not.

Almost anything in a .25 ACP is going to be a mouse gun though just by virtue of both its size and caliber.

 

[walnut1704]

Less than .38 caliber and able to be carried in the back pocket of a pair of Levi's, including a holster.

 

[amd6547]

...Speaking of which, the Bauer Browning Baby clone in my pants pocket right now, loaded with six FMJ’s.

 

[Bobson]

1. A single stack pistol that can be easily concealed in an ankle holster, front pocket of a pair of jeans, etc.
2. No
3. Yes; an LCP
4. Smallest: LCP......... Largest: Glock 42

 

[rskent]

My definition of a mouse gun would be anything less than a .380. I think of .380 as a solid defense caliber, not a mouse.

I have carried one. A Beretta Tomcat.

I have never carried a backup. If a am somewhere that I think I need two guns, I am getting the heck out of there.

I have never considered anything smaller than my Tomcat. I doubt I would carry it again. There are so many better .380 and 9mm options now.

 

[Howland]

EDC is a Kimber Ultra Carry w/ CT grips.

The Colt Mustang Plus II is for when I'm not carrying a gun.

 

[MedWheeler]

rskent writes:

If I am somewhere that I think I need two guns, I am getting the heck out of there.

I frequently carry two, but I'll beat feet as soon as it looks like I might need even one of them..

 

[buflow]

Mouse Guns : YOUR Definition, CCW, etc. ?
Maybe I am missing something here, mouse gun to me is any gun you shoot a mouse with. Be it a hand gun or a long gun. I have seen and shot double rifles in large caliber called elephant guns, these could also be mouse guns.
Of small ccw guns if they will kill a two legged rat they are not mouse guns.

boflow

 

[strangelittleman]

Mouse Guns : YOUR Definition, CCW, etc. ?
Maybe I am missing something here, mouse gun to me is any gun you shoot a mouse with. Be it a hand gun or a long gun. I have seen and shot double rifles in large caliber called elephant guns, these could also be mouse guns.
Of small ccw guns if they will kill a two legged rat they are not mouse guns.

boflow

They are if you're attacked by midgets and dwarves.

 

[Warp]

Mouse Guns : YOUR Definition, CCW, etc. ?
Maybe I am missing something here, mouse gun to me is any gun you shoot a mouse with. Be it a hand gun or a long gun. I have seen and shot double rifles in large caliber called elephant guns, these could also be mouse guns.
Of small ccw guns if they will kill a two legged rat they are not mouse guns.

boflow

It's not about "killing", it's about stopping the threat/attacker as quickly as possible.

A single shot .22lr is capable of killing any animal on the planet, or at least any animal in our hemisphere. So what? That doesn't mean it's worth diddly squat for self defense

 

[Tallball]

"The Colt .380 Government is quite simply the most comfortable gun I have ever shot."

They are terrific. My daughter has been shooting mine since she was nine or so. She doesn't like recoil, but the Colt Government is very gentle. She also likes my Colt Model 1903 in 32acp a lot. It's probably too big to be considered a "mouse gun", though.

I carry my P3AT sometimes, but I don't consider 380 to be a mouse gun caliber. I have a P32, but don't carry it. It's fun to plink with, though.

 

[bangbang01]

1: What is YOUR definition of a Mouse Gun ?
2: Would (do) you use one for primary carry ? Which one ?
3: Same as above, for backup ? Which ?
4: Specify largest and smallest Mouse Gun you would "consider" carrying ?

Thanks for all objective replies .

#1 Any true pocket pistol or revolver chambered in 380acp or smaller
#2 Yes, Kel-tec p32
#3 No
#4 Smallest, NAA 22 mag Mini revolver. Largest, micro 1911 of some sort.

 

[bnolsen]

Mouse gun isn't as much about calibre as it is about size and role. Me personally I consider my P3AT to be a mouse gun but my wife's bersa thunder 380 certainly is not.

 

[bangbang01]

I personally don't consider .380 Auto a mouse caliber. It was a police round for many years, the FMJ bullets usually penetrate through-and-through and there are hollow points now that penetrate 14+ inches through the IWBA 4 x denim protocol tests.

.

I consider 380 auto to be a service or duty gun caliber, but since they've been making lots of tiny pocket pistols in 380 the last 20 years or so, it has replaced the 32acp and 25acp as the most common cartridge in regards to pocket guns.

Honestly, 32acp is probably a better cartridge for most shooters in a lot of these new poly pocket pistols. I've owned both the Kel-tec p3at as well as the p32, and the little 32 is a much better shooter IMO. I personally value the shootablity of the 32 over the power of the 380 in guns that are this small and lightweight. I can rapidly dump a mag into a grapefruit sized target from 7 yards with my p32. I can't do the same with any of the micro DA 380's I've owned.

People will discredit the power of anything under a 9mm or 38 special, but blasting a bad guy a couple times in the face with a Ruger LCP is far more effective than telling him you're a crack shot with the 5" 1911 that you left under your seat. Even if you are extremely diligent about never leaving the house with something smaller than a 9mm, there are times you will, which is why anyone that carries should own at least 1 mouse gun.

 

[Hasaf]

Honestly, 32acp is probably a better cartridge for most shooters in a lot of these new poly pocket pistols. I've owned both the Kel-tec p3at as well as the p32, and the little 32 is a much better shooter IMO. I personally value the shootablity of the 32 over the power of the 380 in guns that are this small and lightweight. I can rapidly dump a mag into a grapefruit sized target from 7 yards with my p32. I can't do the same with any of the micro DA 380's I've owned.

This is a large part of why, in another thread, I mentioned that I would like to see .32naa barrels for some of the popular .380acp pistols on the market. Understanding that I have never shot a .32naa, looking at the numbers, it seems to be a very good caliber for many of the small pistols on the market.

 

[gulogulo1970]

To me, it is any gun in a caliber less than 380ACP.

 

[JR24]

I consider 380 auto to be a service or duty gun caliber, but since they've been making lots of tiny pocket pistols in 380 the last 20 years or so, it has replaced the 32acp and 25acp as the most common cartridge in regards to pocket guns.

Honestly, 32acp is probably a better cartridge for most shooters in a lot of these new poly pocket pistols. I've owned both the Kel-tec p3at as well as the p32, and the little 32 is a much better shooter IMO. I personally value the shootablity of the 32 over the power of the 380 in guns that are this small and lightweight. I can rapidly dump a mag into a grapefruit sized target from 7 yards with my p32. I can't do the same with any of the micro DA 380's I've owned.

People will discredit the power of anything under a 9mm or 38 special, but blasting a bad guy a couple times in the face with a Ruger LCP is far more effective than telling him you're a crack shot with the 5" 1911 that you left under your seat. Even if you are extremely diligent about never leaving the house with something smaller than a 9mm, there are times you will, which is why anyone that carries should own at least 1 mouse gun.

I have only been carrying for 7 years, but in that time I hsve never once left the house without a gun, or anything smaller than a .38 +P.

Though, I do agree that I might pick up another .380 for a little easier pocket carry over my LCR.

But I have an advantage (apparently) that even in my lightest tshirt a ultra 1911 or Glock 26 conceals with zero effort, ditto with tucked formal type shirts and a tuckable holster.

 

[Easy_CZ]

1: What is YOUR definition of a Mouse Gun ?
2: Would (do) you use one for primary carry ? Which one ?
3: Same as above, for backup ? Which ?
4: Specify largest and smallest Mouse Gun you would "consider" carrying ?

Thanks for all objective replies .

1. For me, a “mouse gun” is a single stack handgun that will easily fit and carry in a front pants pocket.
2. No.
3. Yes. I carry a Ruger LCPII in a Galco ankle rig as a BUG.
4. Largest would be a Glock 43. Smallest would be a Seecamp .32 ACP.

 

[bangbang01]

I have only been carrying for 7 years, but in that time I hsve never once left the house without a gun, or anything smaller than a .38 +P.

Though, I do agree that I might pick up another .380 for a little easier pocket carry over my LCR.

But I have an advantage (apparently) that even in my lightest tshirt a ultra 1911 or Glock 26 conceals with zero effort, ditto with tucked formal type shirts and a tuckable holster.

I hear ya. I never left my house without at least my Desert Eagle 50 AE and a CZ SP01 as a BUG until I started exercising and entered the work force.

 

[JR24]

I hear ya. I never left my house without at least my Desert Eagle 50 AE and a CZ SP01 as a BUG until I started exercising and entered the work force.

Sigh.

So much for civil debate.

 

[bangbang01]

Sigh.

So much for civil debate.

I wasn't trying to debate. I was just making a joke.

I don't think there is a debate. Carry whatever fits your lifestyle.

 

[JR24]

I wasn't trying to debate. I was just making a joke.

I don't think there is a debate. Carry whatever fits your lifestyle.

Ah, missed the joke. My apologies.

And I agree.

 

[bangbang01]

This is a large part of why, in another thread, I mentioned that I would like to see .32naa barrels for some of the popular .380acp pistols on the market. Understanding that I have never shot a .32naa, looking at the numbers, it seems to be a very good caliber for many of the small pistols on the market.

I would like to see a service gun chambered in 32-NAA. Out of a Out of a 4.5" barrel the 32NAA produces about 300 ft lbs with absolutely zero recoil. A 9mm necked down to .32 would pe in the 500 ft lbs range with very little recoil.