From left to right, the rounds are a .357 Magnum, .380 ACP, 9mm, .22lr, .40 S&W, .38 Special, 10mm and .22 WMR.
.22lr is the smallest and lowest priced. That’s why .22lr is good for target practice. But, believe it or not, this tiny caliber is good for defense too. I know, some people say a .22 isn’t going to do you any good in a life or death situation, but that’s bullshit.
As with any caliber, it really depends on shot placement. And in many cases, it doesn’t even depend on that. Your attacker would have to be special kind of nut to keep coming after you while you’re pointing a gun at him, no matter what caliber you’re using. But if he’s armed too, he might shoot back, and in that case you’ll want to put him out of action as quickly as you can.
It’s true that bigger calibers can hit the target with more impact, and the wider the projectile, the bigger the hole. But if a .22 is what you have, or prefer, it’ll do you just fine.
A nice thing about .22lr is there’s hardly any recoil. Though some pistols might not be as comfortable as others. A model I really like is the Ruger SR22. It’s comfortable in my hand and the white-dot sights are easy for me to see.
.380 ACP is about same length as .22lr, but it’s a wider bullet. .380 is about the same width as 9mm. I’ve fired .380 in a few different pistols. .380 is not a really powerful round, but one of the pistols I fired the caliber from acted like it was a .45 or something. That sucker would try to flip out of your hand when you pulled the trigger. You had to hold it extra tight.
Other .380 pistols I’ve used were comfortable and easy to handle. I like the Cobra Denali. It’s a cheap pistol, but I like how it handles. Another .380 model I like is the Glock 42.
I think Cobra may have gone out of business. I can’t find their website anymore. There’s a store page up, but that’s not the official business site they used to have. So, if you had to choose between a Cobra Denali and a Glock 42, go for the Glock. And there are a number of other makes and models that are just as good.
For any pistol and caliber, you’ll have people criticizing the make and model and telling you the caliber is worthless. They’ll tell you to buy something else. They’ll even hook their thumbs in their suspenders and boast about how much experience they have.
Don’t listen to those people. I’ve found time after time that I simply can’t trust critics. Often they’ve never even used the pistol they’re trying to steer you away from. And what doesn’t work for someone else, might work wonderfully for you.
If there’s a pistol or caliber you’re interested in, you’re the only one who can decide if it’s right for you.
My cousin Irene and I seem to have a common interest in World War II era history. Shortly after I posted my thoughts on William Russell’s Berlin Embassy, Irene recommended I check out Erik Larson‘s In the Garden of Beasts. I promptly added the title to my to-read list.
