It's Not Good Enough From Me To Carry, But I'll Trust It For A Backup?

You will often see or hear questions posted or asked regarding smaller caliber handguns, such as .380ACP or .22LR, being used as a carry gun. People will asked "if it's good enough to use" or something along those lines. Many people will reply with "it's better than nothing" or "if that's all you got." Which to me, is a polite way of saying "I sure the hell wouldn't carry it, but go luck to you, Buddy." I can't complain too much about that, because in all honestly they're right. It is better than nothing.

With that said, I would not recommend anyone purchasing a small caliber handgun for the purpose of carrying for self defense or from home defense. In my opinion, anything smaller than a 9X19mm is too small for me to trust my life too. The only exception to that would be for someone who can not physically handle a 9mm. With practice, which if you own a gun for defense you should be practicing, there are very few who can't handle a 9mm.

The other polite way of saying that caliber is too small is saying something along the lines of "I would carry that as a back up, but not as my primary." To me, that does not make any sense at all and is really bad advice. Let me explain why.

If you carry a backup and have to use it, that means you're in a very bad situation. The proverbial crap has hit the fan and it's now all over the place. For what ever reason, your EDC or duty weapon is not available to you. So now your life is on the line and it's up to a firearm, in a caliber that's too small for you to trust as your primary, to get you out of the situation. That's a place nobody wants to be, and that's why I don't like the "good enough for a back up" philosophy.

Please don't let my personal dislike for the .380 send a mixed message. If you're comfortable carry it, by all means carry it. That goes for any caliber handgun. I'm just saying; if you don't feel it's good enough to be on your hip, maybe it shouldn't be on your ankle either.