small cal.'s HP or FMJ

[kt]

summer has me looking at pocket pistols. i am curious with cal.s up to 32 maybe even 380 and down to .22 and .25 do you think perhaps a FMJ might be a better choice for concealed weapons, perhaps the bad guy wears a leather vest or in winter just a thicker layer item, will HP's in these calibers be worth a damn, with these small sizes depth of bullet penetration i would think is the first key. looking other places i have heard conflicting views
kt

[Adam Helmer]

kt,

You ask a good question. I would opt for HPs, provided the small handgun fed them reliably. With either FMJs or HPs, be prepared to shoot the bad guy more than once.

Adam

[Old Scout]

In the summer I carry a Beretta 32acp, or occaisionally a Walther TPH 22. WW Silver Tips in the 32, and Mini-mags in the 22. These arms are at best of marginal stopping effect. I practice with the "little" guns monthly to be certain of my effectiveness and the guns reliability. I also have a spare magazine in my pocket.
In this part of the world folks ware little or no clothes, and I selected HP trama over slightly better penetration. I tested WW Silver tips, Federal Hydra-shok, Hornady XTP, and Speer Gold Dot ammo in my gun. All were clocking 880-890 fps, functioned perfectly, and were accurate enough to stay under 3" at 7 yds.
Local CCW teaching is empty the gun in the target, and re-asses the threat while reloading!
For the record, I wouldn't use the 25 for anything.

Old Scout

[BILLY D.]

Old Scout

Or as Jeff Cooper once said, "shoot him in the eye socket". With some of the things that are ingested by BG'S nowadays I'd use a larger caliber. I don't want to make them any angrier or upset them in any way. All I want is them out of the picture.

Best wishes, Bill

[Leadbutt]

This is an age old question,, and its been discussed/cussed for as long.

Do a search on the INTERNET for Doc Roberts and a company called Ammo lab{ out of biss} but there resting was cached.

Then buy some ammo and test your pistols.

22's and 25's are about a dead heat as far as what round , just remember your at the bottom of the barrel for a self defense gun.

32's are a better step up, and the Winchester silver tips are a good round.

380 9mm Mak is the area you really see a better selection of JHP's that will work, like the Golden Sabers from Remington Gold Dots and XTP's from the others

But I would strongly suggest that if its not a pistol you have already and are looking to purchase one for carry to look at the smaller 9mm Like the newer Kel-Tec's Kahrs and even the glock 26

The 26 mite be a tad larger for pocket carry depending on dress style, but the other two are prime pocket rockets, plus if you happen to live in state that forbids JHP's you mite be able to use the Cor-Bon Power Ball..

[Old Scout]

Leadbutt

Indeed I'm aware of the data you mention, and your point is well taken. Should one need to use the carry gun, there is no such thing as "Big enough".
Much of the year I carry a Walther PP in 380, But in this neck of the woods, even that is hard to conceal. Tee shirt and shorts, you know! The political climate around these parts is such that if your carry is "Noticed", you'll have an LEO on each arm in minutes!


Old Scout

[kt]

i will have to try ammo lab again last time i looked the site told me i must be a member to view their data,
the kel tecs were the two i had in my hand at the gun shop the p32 and the p3at. those kahr pistols are sweet but they must have slides made of solid gold for the prices they warrant. kel-tec is pretty price effective. my main concern is that every review they i ever come across people mention major malfuntions and parts failures only in the first 200 rounds. i love the g26 but just think its a bit much in summer dress. thanks for the input guys

[Leadbutt]

The early polymer Kahrs are notorious for problems,,most of which are shooter induced, they are tight and the booklet warns you they need 200 rounds or more to break in.yep they are costly,

But the new 9mm Kel-tec is around 300 in my area. Not knocking smaller rounds I have carried and used 22jhp's and 32's when dictated, but there not what I want to beat my life on for full time carry

[gold40]

I carry only FMJ's in my KEL-TEC P-32 and Walther .380 PPKS.

They are the most reliable and penetration is more important than expansion.

[kt]

while we are on the subject, i got the 26, def to big for pocket carry i am not a big dude and its just clunky in there. as for rounds i recently sent a mag each of 147 gr golden sabers and hydra shoks down range, ( dont really like +p stuff) any how both group fine and function, i shot them into phone books, 3 of 10 hyd shoks lost there jackets going in, not sure i like that, all the sabers were damn near identicle except for one that lost one petal, i like it, sabers also seem to have less recoil.
when i bought the gun i was discussing the keltecs, the guy at the counter told me the P32 will shoot ball ammo all day but will definately hang up a variety of HPs, the company sells for about 12 bucks a spacer for the magazine that will eliminate the problem. I say if you know your damn pistol has any issue why would you sell it and then make me buy something for it, kinda sucks.
kt

[Calif Hunter]

I think that for me, I need a little gun. We are allowed 3 guns on our CA CCW and you can only carry those three. I currently have a Commander .45 acp (which rides in a briefcase or under the seat), a Springfield XD-9 Subcompact and a Taurus model 85 stainless .38 snubby. They are all heavy for summer clothes and just dropping in a pocket - they make my pants fall down!

I think that the most likely scenarios for my use of a personal defense firearm would be at arm's length, and sticking a .22, .25 or .32 in an attacker's eye or up against his head is most likely what would happen. I don;t think I am going to be in a protracted gun fight across a room or across the street. If the distance is that great, the DA is liable to claim that I should have just run away... or the dead crook's family's attorney is going to make that claim!

[Contenderizer]

The smallest round I care to carry for self-defence is a 380, and I have found the Remington Golden Sabers (JHP) to be top shelf. They really make my Llama bark, and everything I have read indicates that they have good penetration at close range. Naturally, every semi-auto has its prefered diet, and the Sabers may not suit your gun.

The Kel-Tec P-3AT seems to be a great pocket gun. I considered buying one but, at the time, they were in such demand that they were selling for more than list price. Early versions of the P-3AT also had a feeding problem, though that has long since been corrected by the company. I'll pick one up sooner or later.