Why It’s OK To Carry a Mouse Gun
No, they’re not ideal, but…
There’s a joke floating about the self-defense community that goes something like this: “If anyone ever shoots me with a .25–and I find out about it—I’m going to be pissed.” That’s because the conventional wisdom is that any handgun chambered in a caliber smaller than .380 doesn’t have the stopping power necessary to halt an attack, and such pistols have been rather dismissively dubbed “mouse guns.” I’m going to start by acknowledging that the science behind that aphorism is solid, and that small-caliber handguns are not ideal for self-defense purposes. My argument here is that we should remember not to make the perfect the enemy of the good, and here’s why.
The .22 You Have is Better Than the .45 You Don’t
Despite the stunning innovations the firearms industry has introduced in ever-smaller guns chambered in beefier calibers like the .380 ACP and 9mm, not everyone can afford the latest and greatest. It wasn’t too long ago that if you needed a handgun that you could slip into a pocket or a small handbag, you were looking at something in a .32, .25, or even .22. So if that’s the gun you have, then by golly, that’s the gun you should carry. It’s better than a hatpin, or, God help us all, some of the other suggestions we’ve heard from anti-gunners.
All Guns Look Huge From the Wrong End
There’s a passage in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy that goes like this: “The designer of the gun had clearly not been instructed to beat about the bush. ‘Make it evil,’ he’d been told. ‘Make it totally clear that this gun has a right end and a wrong end. Make it totally clear to anyone standing at the wrong end that things are going badly for them.”
Although Douglas Adams’ Kill-o-Zap gun is a creative wonder, the truth is that all guns look like Kill-o-Zaps when you’re on the wrong end. Have you ever had some careless idiot muzzle you (e.g., swing the muzzle of their gun in your direction)? If the answer is “no,” then consider yourself lucky. I have, and I am here to tell you that I could hear the damn ocean in that thing. It looked like the Lincoln Tunnel. I, personally, don’t want to get shot with a .32, or a .25, or even a BB gun. Had I been a miscreant bent on mayhem, I would have seen that absolute cannon of a .22 and remembered urgent business elsewhere.
Mice Can Roar
One of the most instructive things you can do as a person interested in self-defense is to keep an eye on NRA’s “Armed Citizen” column. Although these are anecdotes, not statistics, you will note something: When the news articles do mention a caliber (they don’t always), that caliber is frequently on the small side. That’s because senior citizens and the disabled are common targets for criminal attack, and many seniors and other folks who are dealing with physical pain,reduced mobility, and limited hand strength find that they’re most comfortable with small-caliber guns. And, with proper shot placement, it is possible to end a criminal attack with a mouse gun.
Again, I want to reiterate that no, small-caliber guns aren’t ideal for self-defense purposes…but here in the real world, sometimes we simply have no choice but to play the hand we’ve been dealt. And a mouse in your pocket is better than the lion you left at home.
Of note, from 1860-1900 the #1 defensive revolver chambered the .22 SHORT!!!!
I carried a Beretta .380 mod 1934 for close to forty years. I only drew in defense twice, never had to fire it. I got a lot of ribbing from people wondering why I carried a mouse gun, but nobody ever wanted to take a hit from my “Mouse” gun. At the ranges a person would use a weapon for self defense, a .380 can do a lot of damage. Most people never knew that I was holding. I wish that I still had that “Mouse” gun, it was a fine shooter, low recoil, and was very accurate.
#1. Bullets hurt. #2. Part of the reaction of being shot it psychologically and the other part is physiological. The bigger the round the higher the probably that the person will drop. #3 There are many variables, size of person, blood loss and organ hit. All that said, any reliable gun is better than no gun. One is playing the odds when making you carry choice. I have treated multiple gun shot wounds and been shocked at the lack of consistency. I have more respect for the .32 than most. They seem to penetrate better than some .380s. .22s can chew up a fair amount of soft tissue as we. In summary, mouse guns have a place as back ups or better than nones.
I recently purchased a .22lr conversion for my Glock 22. After a THOROUGH cleaning, polishing of the feed ramp and proper lubing (which NONE of the YouTube reviewers seemed to do) I loaded up 2 mags with Winchester’s 333, standard velocity, copper plated HP’s and a mag of CCI’s Stinger hyper-velocity, penta-points. Absolutely NO function problems and accurate as all get-out. I would put those Stingers up against any larger round. Nothing wrong with smaller calibers for self defense IF that’s what you got. Just choose your ammo wisely. Get the BEST defensive ammo you can find. Most of the major manufacturers produce adequate to good defensive ammo in .22lr, .25ACP, .32 and .380ACP. At 65 years of age and having carried for most of my adult life (as an LEO and private citizen) I find myself carrying my Kimber Micro .380 more often than my Glock 23, .40S&W. Living in Arizona it’s harder to conceal a larger caliber handgun in shorts, t-shirt and flip-flops. I can stick my .380 in a “Sneaky Pete” (www.SneakyPete.com) holster, openly, on my hip and no one is the wiser.
The best gun to have in a real gunfight, is the one you have with you, right now!!
If you don’t carry it..you may as wells sell it!
Good luck! 😀✌️
So if I shoot twice with a .22 will it be like once with a .44 heh-heh. Alot of little holes should get the job done! Way I see it a centerfire auto is the best way to go (wheel guns tend to have pretty hefty trigger pulls). Holds plenty of rounds and less chance of a misfire or jam. Now for the old people part, I’m old so if I can you can too. Getting accustomed to the recoil plus practice is the best way to get away from a small caliber. My .44 mag is much more fun than a .22 plinker trust me!
Years ago I worked with an ex-cop who told me a story about a shooting he had witnessed. It was a domestic violence call that, when the wife fired her .25 at her husband at about 50 yards, the cop saw the man duck behind a car. He figured he was O.K., so he arrested the wife and told the guy to stand up, everything was alright. Unfortunately, the laws of chance decreed that the mouse gun bullet had penetrated just far enough in the man that it had hit his heart, and he was quite dead.
I bought a Kel-Tech PMR-30 a few years ago because it was lightweight. Sure, it is only a .22 Magnum, but the magazine holds 30 rounds. I felt that this weapon would be ideal to carry while walking or jogging.
I remember very distinctly looking at the business end of a .45. I was on R&R in Taiwan. As we drove past Chiang Kai Shek’s palace, I whipped out my camera for a shot. The next thing I knew, I was looking into the depths of the Liberty Tube in Pittsburgh. The sentry at the gate had me in his sights! Scared the crap out of both me and my “date”. Later learned that it is a crime to take pictures there. We couldn’t get out of there fast enough!
Living in hot and humid Florida requires light clothing to stay comfortable. I have carried a 5 shot .22 magnum NAA revolver since I moved here in 1981.. After reading concerns about not having enough fire power when you need it, I now carry two of them. No one has ever known I carried except for the three times that I was forced to defend myself. No one laughed when faced with it.
This is one of the issues I have with the Riverside County Sheriff’s requirements for CCW. They only allow carry of .380 to 45 acp. Nothing smaller and nothing larger is permitted. I have a couple of 22lr pistols that I love, but they are not legal to carry. I believe if a person can prove safe and accurate handling, they should be able to legally carry anything they are comfortable concealing.
Did anybody mention how huge the business end of a .22 or .25 muzzle would look to an actual mouse? Scarier than a box of d-CON, I suspect.
It doesn’t matter how big a calibre your gun is if. you can’t hit the target or get off an accurate 2nd or 3rd shot. My weapon of choice is a 9mm and I practice shooting at least 2 times a month often every week, it doesn’t do any good to buy a gun you can’t find ammo for or can’t afford to practice frequently. When it hits the fan you won’t be shooting at a stationary paper target, it will be moving and trying to shoot you, adrenaline will be flowing and you shouldn’t be stationary after a first shot either.. A .22lr you have practiced with to the extent that you don’t have to think when you pull it out and fire is the gun you need and that takes a lot of practice. Choose a gun you can afford to buy that fits your hand and you can afford to practice with, that is the gun that will be most useful when it hits the fan.
Watching the ammo disappear off shelves, 22 and 25 were the last available. 22 still showing up now and then.
Something to consider is the quality small game hunting/varmint rounds made for 22LR, seems they would work just as well for 2 legged “varmints” as for the ones with 4 legs.
Carry what you have and can shoot well.
While not a less than .380 caliber gun,I carried a Walther PPK/S for 25 years. The ONLY reason it was retired, was due to my aging eyes. In low light, I could no longer see the sights. I upgraded to a Sig P365 with night sights that I can see. That PPK/S is still one of the most accurate guns I’ve ever owned.
My better hall’s Grandfather, a career LEO until he retired in the early 70’s, carried a S&W hand ejector model in 32-20 throughout his career. Twice, he was forced to use it and twice the perp was dead.
Being shot with any gun, regardless the caliber, makes for a really bad hair day.
I don’t want my last thought to be, I wish I had brought my gun.
It’s better to have a gun in defense or self and others than no gun at all. That being said and all things not being equal, Theres a very smart saying “Never shoot a large caliber man with a small caliber weapon.” The reason being some very bad people get shot and just don’t have the curtesy to lay down and die. One should always carry the largest caliber gun they can safely and accurately handle and shoot.
Depends on WHERE you shoot the Big Goon!
I remember an article about some moron that actually shot himself in the arm with a .25ACP in order to get out of some obligation. He almost died and the police officer’s quote was ‘he greatly underestimated the firepower of his weapon’. No semi-smart person wants to get shot with a .25 once or seven times.
I wrote a paper for one of my classes in graduate school in which I discuss the Second Amendment, what it meant, and implications for United States. One point I looked at very closely was the statistics regarding felons who were killed in the commission of their crimes. There was an interesting ratio. Only so many felons were felled for every police officer who was Lost.
Up until the late 1990s, the great majority of ex-felons killed in the commission of a crime were shot with a 25 ACP handgun. It was a very wide disparity between that and other calibers. More interesting is the fact that the ratio of felons killed to police officers was something like three felons for every two police. In the case of individual citizens, it was more like for felons killed for every citizen who did not make it.
So, although I prefer to carry something like a 44 special Charter Arms, I’m perfectly comfortable with it 25 ACP Bauer stainless automatic. It’s a matter of fact, I find I can make very good tight groups with that 25 the same as with the 44.
I may just have an exceptionally good version… But that does say something about that little teeny tiny Mouse gun.
shoot first and often is the answer .even several 22 cal bullets to the face will stop 99% of asshole bad guys
Old story about a guy getting bullied at work who finally had enough and brought a mouse gun with him one day. When he pulled it on the bully he got laughed at – ‘that little thing ain’t gonna hurt much’ – ‘nope but it WILL hurt 7 times’ – bully left. Point is, no sane person wants to get shot – as the article mentioned.
If the assailant is crazy or on drugs YMMV – make your shots count.
My Berreta Bobcat can deliver 8 22 LR HP bullets at any target in seconds and at least three of those will be hits. (Understanding stress and situation) Since I will likely be sending them center mass and head shots, 99.9% of the time the miscreant will stop their action and likely expire.
I find a Sig 238 most comfortable to carry, and also a Taurus 738 when I was wearing business dress. While I have a very nice but larger 9 mm, these small .380’s simply disappear in the pocket or waistband whereas the 9 requires OWB, oversize clothing, or a heavy belt. For a woman, anything larger than a sub-compact or micro just about mandates purse carry. Also, with sub- and micro-compact pistols, and snubby revolvers, it’s pretty well impossible to tell a .22 from a .45 and anything in between when looking at the muzzle end in a dimly lit space. What I have noticed at the range is that people firing .22’s whether men or women, revolvers or pistols, routinely obliterate the center spot while the rest of us are less accurate. Lack of recoil matters. Lest we forget, wasn’t it a .22 short that killed Robert Kennedy? If it fits the hand, fits the clothing, can be aimed easily, and you are comfortable practicing with it, you will be comfortable carrying it.
When I first started carrying I only had a Walther P22 and a Beretta 9000s in .40. I intended to carry the Beretta but it wasn’t as reliable as the Walther, it also had terrible recoil, and my accuracy with it was awful. I ended up carrying my P22 until I bought an NAA Guardian 380, and that until I bought an M&P45c. I now have several reliable and accurate carry guns to choose from depending on the situation.
Excellent piece. Sometimes we gun owners have a tendency to be caliber elitist. Thanks.
I have large caliber and small caliber handguns that I carry..you are correct in saying that small calibers can be deadly. I have 4 jennings .22 that in the summer,I put one in my pocket when we are out and about…its lite and basically looks like I put my car keys in my pocket. If someone DOES try to rob us or carjack us,the will see a handgun. I I am forced to use it,the will have 5rds ricocheting throughout the body.
While I generally agree with the article overall, I would like to additionally recommend going to YouTube and finding the “Active Self Protection” channel, thusly:
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=active+self+protection
They have posted literally thousands of real world shooting videos over the years that you can study, as recorded by security cameras, police body cameras, dash cams, bystander captured videos and so forth, both in America and from all around the world. For FREE, you can quietly study how real people initially react when they get shot, both good guys and bad. The “A.S.P.” channel always includes lots of dialog examining the right and wrong actions & reactions – or lack of them – in each and every real world shooting video (armed robberies, car jackings, home invasions, you name it), with important lessons to be learned highlighted and discussed at length. This is worth your time and you CAN afford FREE. 🙂
By the time you have watched a few hundred of those real world shootings, you will no longer be surprised by how common it is for bad actors who get shot with handguns to keep right on fighting, at least initially. For example: One of the older security cam videos from some years ago shows a few bad guys targeting a business owner on the loading dock behind his business – the good guy is armed and bravely returns fire after being targeted for armed robbery, hitting one of the bad guys – who was retreating but firing back over his shoulder in the process – right in the spine, immediately causing his legs to become forever useless. The now permanently crippled bad guy simply drags himself over to the fence and props himself up against it, AND CONTINUES FIRING at the business owner! Being shot and permanently crippled didn’t hardly even slow him down!
That is just one of the many more *extreme* examples you can see, of course, but the simple hard lesson overall, is that you really seriously DO need to be fully prepared not just to fire _but to CONTINUE FIRING as many times as may be required_ to STOP a deadly threat! It is not at all uncommon for bad actors to just initially seem to get really ANGRY when they initially get hit with a handgun round(s), and you NEED to be fully psychologically prepared for that kind of initial reaction – the exact opposite of the dramatic fiction we constantly see in so many movies and TV shows, where people who get shot always just fall and instantly go completely motionless…. needless to say that is not real life!
I am not associated with the “Active Self Protection” channel or any of the many others like it, I am just glad I can watch and learn from their many videos for free and recommend you do the same. Obviously, these often shockingly brutal real world shooting videos are not for the easily disturbed or faint of heart… but being as fully prepared as possible includes being prepared for what watching those real world shootings will show you…
I personally carried a 1911 in .45acp for years as my EDC. As a police officer who ended up carrying a Beretta 92 for 17 years I learned respect for modern 9mm ammo. I have seen people shot with ..22’s or…25’s with widely varying results. However, I totally agree that a 10 shot .22 auto pistol being fired at someone would probabaly have the perp(s) running, if able, before the magazine ran dry.. We, after all, are not usually accosted by drug induced supermen or crazed terrorists.
I’m not sure how accurate this comment is but, history says that a .22 cal. can do some serious damage due to the fact that it can glance off of bones in a body. Even though there may not be an exit wound a lot of damage may occur eternally. But, I still appreciate my 380.
I’ve carried both .25 and a .32 autos before. I can credit the .32 with definitely helping me avoid a dangerous confrontation. I was chased, but could hide with confidence that I had a means to defend myself if found.
My mouse pistol is a Glock 26 with a TLR light and laser . That’s as small as I am willing to go .
The problem that most people have is that they refuse to get used to having a gun on them! If you get up every day and the first thing you do is put you gun on with your clothes. With-in a month you will feel naked without it! If you do not wear a gun from the time you wake up until you go to sleep, I promise you that YOU will not have it when you need it! I carry a FNX-45 every second that I am awake and have since I bought it in 2013. that is 18 hours a day, 7 days a week, 385 days a year! I haven’t forgot it once and I feel naked without it! Yes! It is on a shelf beside the shower when Itake a bath!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If somebody isshooting at me, the caliber of gun they are using will be the last thing on my mind.