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I have a couple of choices when I get ready to holster for the day. My Taurus Millenium PT111 9mm and an AMT Backup .380. I also have a Walther P22 that is light and easy to conceal. Any thoughts on carrying a .22 as your primary carry? Concerns (aside from the obvious flight distances and stopping power) should I choose this as a carry option? Anyone else carry this caliber?

It's not my first preference, but it is very light, easy to conceal (I wear slacks and dress shirt everyday) and I'm extremely accurate and confident with it...

Thanks.

Although something is better than nothing, I would recommend against a .22LR. A comrade has a Walther 9mm in his pocket in same dress slacks and you don't notice it at all (I knew he had it but couldn't see it myself). Isn't the AMT pretty small?

Have you considered an IWB?

Kahr PM9 carries nicely in jeans also

Extreemly accurate is excellent at 25yrds. Personal defense happens at 10ft & closing. More often than not at 6-8ft. At those ranges .22 in hand is still better than .45 in sock drawer but could easily get you shot w/ a cheap .380 or 9mm. Or get you cut REAL BAD w/ a bad boy knife. Body shock is WAY more important at personal defense range than 5 shot 1" group accuracy.

My .02cents & some think it worth about half that so YMMV.
LT

Carrying a medium or larger 22 pistol is reasonable if you're arthritic and can't handle anything more powerful.

Carrying a NAA mini revolver or other tiny 22 may be reasonable for super deep concealment.

For personal defense carry, a .22 is the poorest choice of all( NOTE: this is only my opinion) as its shock/penetrating/lethality/stopping power is miniscule. When defending your life, property or loved one's, you will not have time to carefully take aimed shots. You will have mere tenths of a second to assess and respond.

A .22 is the funnest plinking caliber around. But for when your life is at stake....even though it's better than nothing....there's a whole plethora of calibers out there better much suited to defending your life with success and for daily carry. Again this is only my opinion.

I have shot a Llama and two types of Bersas. All have been 1911 level accurate. One person I know can put the clip full into a 6in target at one a second. I have heard Walther's are not nail drivers but have a similar level of acurracy. If concealment is a real issue again I'd go for a good .380 or Walther 9mm. Practice will make you proficient will make you feel you can rely on such.

ruger LCP comes to mind ...good pocket pistol .
....380 is the smallest caliber i would consider ...

You really should be able to hide a Taurus Millenium PT111 9mm under anything more than a speedo.

shoeless:
Welcome to the forum neighbor!

We have ongoing threads here on the forum about proper self-defense calibers
and the pros and cons of each.

.38/.380/9mm are considered by many to be minimal acceptable calibers.

.40 is bigger but fewer rounds per same size gun.

.45 is bigger still but fewer rounds than 9's and .40's.

I carry my PT111 Taurus every day. Carry that one since it's your biggest caliber
listed. A .22 is considered a mouse gun and is a poor choice.

Read the current thread "Keep Fighting" and click on the link to read about a LEO who used his Glock .45 in a
shootout with a maniac. He put 6 shots into his torso, 1 into his thigh, and 2 to the
bad guy's ankle that almost took his foot off. Only his 10th Speer Gold Dot through the
maniac's eye stopped the fight by killing the BG.

You carry a gun to protect your life, and possibly your loved ones.

Build your carry rig around the Taurus, carry spare ammo, and one of those others
as a BUG. You'll be good to go.

SIA

I have an LCP in a pocket hoslter and a Taurus PT145 that I carry in a Supertuck IWB. I prefer to carry the .45 because of the larger caliber. I can carry both or either whether I wear jeans, dress pants and shirt, or shorts.

I wouldn't carry a .22 for self defense. Just my $0.02 worth. And like others have said, it may be worth less than that!

Thanks for all the comments. I really appreciate all the comments, insights and voices of experience.

The Taurus will now take the daily carry spot. I have a very comfortable tuckable IWB holster that conceals it pretty well. It's a little difficult, not because of the concealment, but because my waistline is maxing out the slacks! I'll keep the P22 or .380 in the briefcase as a good reliable backup.

Have a great day guys!

shoeless wrote: but because my waistline is maxing out the slacks!

i can relate.

it was necessary fir me to move up a size to accommodate for IWB carry .

USA1 wrote:

shoeless wrote: but because my waistline is maxing out the slacks!

i can relate.

it was necessary fir me to move up a size to accommodate for IWB carry .

It was necessary to accommodate all the double regular Mexican dinners you've been scarfing down every Friday night!

Just kidding!!!! (sorta)

joe817 wrote:

USA1 wrote:

shoeless wrote: but because my waistline is maxing out the slacks!

i can relate.

it was necessary fir me to move up a size to accommodate for IWB carry .

It was necessary to accommodate all the double regular Mexican dinners you've been scarfing down every Friday night!

Just kidding!!!! (sorta)

im not denying it ....
i loves me some mexcan food .