A Little Cutie

[MD_Vet]

http://www.americanrifleman.org/articles/the-22-mag-for-self-defense/

[kahrseye]

I just read that article this month. Interesting but I won't carry anything less than a 9mm. There are some valid points in the article about how guns stop violence and I could see how some new shooters might choose the .22 Magnum.

[JFootin]

That Ruger LCR is 16 oz empty and holds 6 rounds of 22 wmr. My CM9 is 15.9 oz and holds 7 rounds of 9 mm parabellum. Very accurate for a gun its size. Not punishing to shoot, either. If I go to a smaller caliber, I insist that the gun be smaller and lighter. Forget the little NAA revolvers. A handful in 22 lr and downright scary in 22 wmr. Accuracy range? 6 feet? And frankly, the 22 lr and 22 wmr rounds are rifle rounds and meant to be launched by rifle length barrels at high speeds. They lose too much when shot from a 1-2" barrel.

So, lets look at some more serious contenders. You can go smaller with a variety of 380 acp semi-autos. Thinner, smaller, lighter. But not that much and they are not pleasant to shoot. Maybe a 32 acp one would shoot easier. I haven't ever shot one. There is a smaller caliber, the 25 acp. I had a Baby Browning clone that was real nice, but it was an all steel gun. Not terribly heavy, but not a feather weight. And there are no new, modern pistols in that caliber because John Browning's mini version of the 45 acp has lost popularity. Frankly, I think that a really tiny semi-auto could be produced in 25 acp and it would be a perfect pocket gun even in dress pants. Not gonna happen.

Frankly, I think Ruger has come up with a solution for someone who wants less recoil and an easy to rack slide with the new LC380. A very carry-able pistol, 8 round capacity, 17.2 oz. A good solution for a lot of women who are just getting started, IMO.