Mouse Gun Caliber .22, .25, .32 or .380?

[tshadow6]

.380

I traded my Kel Tec P 32 for a Bersa .380 I would still carry a .32, just not a KT. KT just isn't reliable enough for me. .32 or .380, the key is reliablity.

 

[Chalupa]

.380 or .32

 

[DasFriek]

Todays .380 rounds are reliable expanders,especially the Corbon DPX and Honady Critical Defense.
My Sig p238 is the same size as as any mouse gun except the tiny LCP and P3AT,and i see no reason to buy a smaller caliber when you can get the same size gun or even smaller in this case.

I do own a .25 mouse gun,but i bought it more as a (I just had to have it) gun as opposed too (i need a bug) gun.
I have my P238 for that.
Matter of fact i carry a PPS 9mm in my back pocket as a bug when i can.

The .22lr with non expanding bullets petetrates fine, so why buy a bigger caliber if expansion is not wanted?

Any knowledgeable gun person would pick a .380 or 9mm over a .22 any day.
There is way more involved than penetration,if that was the case we could just stab people with pencils instead of shooting them.

 

[FrankenMauser]

If you want penetration, .22 WMR. (CCI 40gr FMJs)

Otherwise - .380 Auto.

 

[BMSMA]

Love what you got

Voted .25 ... why? because I have one and love it.

Truth be told I am looking for a good small economy .380.

Just have to find what you like and like what you have.

For me SD is all about comfort, smoothness, and the feeling of reliability.

 

[CorpITGuy]

Why not .380? It's going to create the biggest hole, and the Ruger LCP is as small or smaller than any .22, .25, .32, etc.

I voted .380, and I own two of the above calibers.

 

[Bri0242]

Mousegun

I own a pistol in all of the above calibers. I voted for the .32 (Seecamp). The ammo is easier to find, & it is also smaller than my Sig P238 or Ruger LCP. A mousegun should be small, IMO.
Knock down power penetration blah blah blah....

 

[camsdaddy]

I carry a P32 I have for years. Its a first genration and I have never had an issue. I also have a NAA 22lr/22mag conv. I occasionaly carry the NAA in the summer due to being able to load shot. Im please with both guns I believe in both and also believe in my ability with both. I also carry a larger gun 90% of the time but one of these is 98%.

 

[win-lose]

22 mag in a revolver.... 380 in an auto

 

[TinyDee]

I like the LCP for sure but am really comfortable with my Colt 1908 in 25. If it is a mouse, let it speak

 

[alistaire]

I have to say it: It depends on the size of your mouse.

There are a surprising number of people packing Colt Vest Pockets.

 

[rbs]

I carry a P32.

 

[Webleymkv]

In an auto, I'd vote for the .32. I, personally don't trust the .380 or any of the other calibers you've mentioned to both expand and penetrate sufficiently out of the short barrels of guns like the LCP, P3AT, and Seecamp and for that reason would use FMJ. If you're just punching holes anyway, the .32 has plenty of penetration with FMJ, is more reliable than a rimfire, has less recoil than a .380, and often holds another round. The penetration of the .25, even with FMJ, is just barely acceptable, and I don't really think that a .355 hole is going to be that much better than a .311 hole so the .32 is the best balance.

Now, if you're looking at revolvers, a good DA .22 Magnum has merit. Even though rimfires typically aren't as reliable as centerfires, a misfire in a DA revolver is cured by another trigger pull. .22 Magnum penetrates adequately and, in the gelatin tests I've seen, often tumbles. The problem is that in a DA revolver the same size as a .22 Magnum, you can get a .38 Special, .32 H&R Magnum, .327 Federal Magnum, 9x19 Parabellum, or .357 Magnum. The only .22 Magnums that are really significantly smaller than a larger caliber revolver are the NAA minis, and a SA revolver doesn't give me the warm and fuzzies when it comes to self-defense.

 

[Kreyzhorse]

I own a .380 LCP, so I'm biased, but I've got to consider the .380 round a step above the other mouse cartridges. In fact, I might actually consider a .380 more of a "rat" gun rather than a mouse gun based on ballistics.

.380 KelTec and Ruger make tiny plastic guns. More energy and momentum than .32 although I doubt it has any better penetration. Main disadvantage is pretty stout recoil in these flyweight guns.

I agree as well. The .380 has a stout recoil in my Ruger LCP. That and I've got big hands and can't get a great grip on the gun.

 

[dondavis3]

Ruger LCP in .380 in a a DeSantis Nemesis holster in front pocket all the time.

 

[gglass]

I would not use expanding bullets in a mouse gun because even the .380 doesn't petertate enough with expanding bullets IMHO.

Isn't it a shame that expanding .380 ACP's don't penetrate enough? Huh???


From Brass Fetcher's Testing:

Cartridge : Federal 90gr Personal Defense Hydrashok

Firearm : Kel-Tec P3AT with 2.75" barrel length

Block calibration : All depths corrected (From 9.4cm @ 594 ft/sec)

The front of the block was covered in 1 layer of 100% cotton, new and unwashed, fruit-of-the-loom T-shirt material. This material was chosen after reviewing several 100s of mugshot photos of violent criminals and their choice of upper body clothing. It also is representative of clothing worn most of the time in the southern US, where I lived at the time of the test.

Average penetration was 12.0"
Average expansion was 0.476"
Average impact velocity was 839fps.

Cartridge : Federal 90 grain Hydra-Shok Personal Defense (Load # PD380HS1H)

Firearm : Kel-Tec P3AT with 2.75" barrel length.

Calibration : 8.1 ± 0.05cm and 582 ± 0.500 ft/sec impact velocity.

Shot 1 - Penetrated 12.5 ± 0.031"

Shot 2 - Exited block at 11.9 ± 0.031"

Shot 3 - Penetrated 12.4 ± 0.031"

Shot 4 - Penetrated 11.9 ± 0.031"

Shot 5 - Penetrated 12.1 ± 0.031"

Average impact velocity = 843 ± 0.500 ft/sec

Average recovered diameter = 0.469 ± 0.0005"

How do people come to these kinds of baseless conclusions?

 

[Rastus]

The .22lr with non expanding bullets petetrates fine, so why buy a bigger caliber if expansion is not wanted?

To make a bigger hole I reckon. If you're gonna use a .22, I suggest a full sized pistol like a Ruger MKII, unless you really need a hide-out pistol. Otherwise you might not get that penetration you're after.

Of your choices, I like the .380 in a "full sized" pistol like the Sig P232 or Beretta 85. It's a bigger hole and these pistols should give a bit more velocity than the Kel-tec sized pistols.

 

[michael t]

Super Max Hyper Velocity, is neat too, at 1750fps with a 30gr bullet is fast!

From a rifle not a mouse gun The 22 mag and 22 LR need more barrel than a little mouse gun to get up to any power level . 5 inchs or more barrel
Most 22 LR and 22 mag mouseguns are about same as a 25 auto.or slighty better . Better move up to a 32 seecamp or keltec
380 better but many find the recoil of 380 in a seecamp or keltec to much I have 32 and 380 and have started going with the 32 more Can find ammo easlier than 380

Remember a mouse gun is small why carry a 22 mag snub nose that same size as a 38 spl.
32 ball or good HP will work Their is enough penteration majority of SD shooting close up face to face and 10" will work just fine.
By way on gel test poor weak 25 auto with ball went 13 to 16 inches about same as most 32 and 380 ball 32 and 380 just made a bigger hole


http://www.brassfetcher.com/22LR.html


On 22 and 22 mag read pistol not rifle test These were fired at 4" LR and 10" for mag from gel block Point blank shooting from a mouse gun

 

[Mustang 6502]

.38 & .32

If I'm wearing a suit or dress coat, I carry my Rugar LCR .38. If not, I carry my Kel Tec P-32. The P-32 can be carried in your pants pockets, jeans, or a windbreaker. It's a great shooter at 10-12 yards. Very happy with my P-32. Plan to purchase one for my wife.

 

[Quincunx]

On the rare occasions when dress doesn't permit a larger gun, I go with either my PPK/s or Colt 1903 in .32 Auto. Not the smallest available in that caliber, by any means; I'm just comfortable with them and shoot them reasonably well.