I'm looking at that mouse gun thread with the pics and thinking I really need to get one...what caliber is the best one to get? I'm thinking .380 is about as small as I should go and looking at Masterpiece Arms 380 (1/2 the price of a Seecamp) because it seems to me that little guy is about as small as a .25 or a .32 but still a 9mm (short 9mm, but still a 9mm) - does a .25 or a .32 or even a .22LR even make sense for a BUG?

What do you guys think?

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Don't tread on me

Even though I have scores of 'better' combat suitable handguns , the guns I carreid the most for the 30yrs I've had a LTCF has been a .380. For 20+ years , it was an AMT Back-Up .380 that was finely prepped and never failed me , even though I generally neglected it's maintanence totally.

Got a Kel-Tec P3-AT .380 and the Back-Up went in the safe. Virtually the same size , but one more round and half the weight. I don't leave home without it. I slip it in my back or jacket pocket and I don't even know it's there. It's not fun to shoot a box of ammo , it's no target or plinker , but it has proven reliable with ammo it likes. Mine is loaded with Glasers.

I do have a Seecamp .32. Bought it just because I always wanted one , but I have never seriously thought about carrying it. It is a jewel though.

I like my Ruger LCP with Crimson Trace for summer shorts weather. I bought it before S&W came out with their new Bodyguard in 380 and have not felt the need to buy another mouse gun.

I'd think mainly about the Ruger .380, keeping in mind the recoil from a blowback gun that size.

I want a Beretta .25, partly because the ammo feeds better than a .22, and the cartridge is better sealed. The .25 ammo costs more, but what value is your life? The .22 rimfire just doesn't feed as reliably. This is partly a matter of the rimmed cases and partly an issue of quality standards. These aren't intended as plinking guns, anyway.

There are similar guns to the little Ruger, but I prefer to avoid "off brands". Now that they seem to have the bugs out, I think the Ruger is probably the best deal in a tiny auto.

Be aware that if you have beefy hands, the recoiling slide may cut you. And I (although I don't have heavy hands) recall being singed a little by a Bernadelli .25 that my father used to own. The gas escaping at the chamber was noticeable. Unburned powder particles may have contributed to what hit my trigger finger.

I'd avoid the Beretta .32 Tomcat. On the Beretta board, many with cracked frames have been mentioned.

T-Star

My mouse gun is a 442..I refuse to go any smaller...I tried many of those tiny 32s and 380s and I just don't feel confident with any of them. Unless you're a dwarf, a j-frame is plenty small....

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Thirty characters. Exactly...

Are you refering to Kel-Tec as an 'off-brand'? Keep in mind that the Kel-Tec P3-AT has been on the market a lot longer than the Ruger LCP , and hasn't had the recalls that the Ruger has. The Ruger is the copy. I've examined , handled and shot both , yet I still own the Kel-Tec , and have no desire to switch to a Ruger.

Thanks for the heads up on that one - It's one I was looking hard at and don't needs something with that problem. Sounds like the .25 caliber is pretty much a thing of the past? Most of the .32's and many .380 come in sizes similar to the .25 models from what I'm seeing online.

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Don't tread on me

Try to find a Beretta 950 in .25 ACP on Gunbroker. Prices have gone up now that they are no longer made. It was probably the best made and most useful of the small 25s. The larger, DA, 21A is still made and would be an option.

My wife has a KelTec P3AT. I used to own a P32. Still have a Ruger LCP that sits in the box since I have no real use for it, though it seems well enough made.

Best mouse gun ever made? It'd be on the large side for such things, but it'd be the Walther PP Super in 9x18mm Ultra (not Makarov). I used to have one, paid the princely sum of 200 dollars. Still, if you ever see one...

Don't over look the Kahr PM9. It's not much larger than what passes for a "mouse gun".

Nothing smaller than a "J" frame .38 spec. unless your mouse gun is for shooting mice. Larry

The PM9 is my favorite and I usually carry using a Don Hume IWB holster. The LCP works in pocket when IWB does not. The PM9 is twice as heavy as the LCP but I find the feel of stainless and the +P+ 9mm a comfort over any 380.

I got rid of my last Beretta 21a last month. It was a .22. I never had feed issues. If you chose this gun I think you'd be better served by one in .25 (and no doubt better feed reliability). You get an additional round over the .22 if you choose the .25. I've opted for the J frame Centennial style as a carry gun in my back pocket. I'm using a 640. A second choice would be a 649 .38 spec.

My present mouse gun is a Rohrbaugh 9mm.

I guess my Tomcat is a ticking time bomb.

The Masterpiece .380 weighs in at 11.78 ounces, and has
a kick that goes along with the light weight. It is all steel,
and goes 'bang' every time I use it. The company makes a pocket holster for it, available at their website.
If you work with your hands a lot, the recoil isn't bad.
Here's one w/holster, and with a 1910/55 Browning, an Hsc, and an Astra 25. You can see that the grip is pretty well designed.
TACC1

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I have had several "Mouse Guns" including the Beretta 22,25 & 32 cals.As well as the S&W BG-380 and the Ruger LCP.In the end,I have finally settled on the LCP as the one I keep coming back to.It is easy to conceal,light weight,and dependable.I am currently use Winchester 95 gr JHP PDX1 Ammunition and have had no problems.

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JR

.32 and .380 hollow point that feeds! .22 (some Colt Juniors are .22 short only) HS Hollow point that feeds. .22 WMR . Shoot some water filled plastic jugs to see what some of these nasty little bullets will do. It's getting a round on target that does it.

My "mouse guns" at present consist of a Kel-Tec P32, An East German Makarov, and an old Colt m1903 in .32ACP. And I do carry them from time to time even the Colt.
I have found the .32 to be more accurate and more pleasant to fire out of the tiny guns than .380! And I primarily use ball ammo and aim for the face.
I do wish that more pistols or a modern one was chambered for the 9x18 Mak though! That one is a personal favorite of mine and the Makarov pistol always works! Dale

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"Long live the S&W 3rd. Gen.!"

Gotta agree with SIP here, I do have a 32 that I occasionally carry in a front pocket but I don't have the confidence in that pistol that I have in a J-Frame or M&P Compact.

Cheers,
Sam

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Beware the man with one gun...

Personally, I don't carry anything smaller than .38 Special.

The smallest thing I WOULD carry is .380acp, and I'm pretty dubious about that.

Given the availability of small 9x19mm handguns, I think that the need for even .380s is VASTLY diminished. If I couldn't carry something AT LEAST the size of a Walther PPK/S, I'd go to off-body carry and a SERIOUS self-defense gun, like a Commander or Micro-Compact size M1911.

I carry a Colt Pocket Positive .32 Police cal. (.32 S&WLong) It's considerably smaller then a "J frame". Fits a pocket perfectly, and I Think six 98 gr. slugs will slow down most BG's. (even if they won't stop Grizzlys)

Also I gotta admit I kind of like the idea of a 83 yr old revolver. Years ago someone bobbed the Bbl. & hammer spur, so theres no collector value. But it still has about 95%blue and is tight and in time.

Is a 13-shot CZ-82 9mm Mak a mouse gun? Is a Star Firestar in 9mmP.

Or the CM9. Less expensive than the PM.

Check out the Inox version. Frame is thicker on it and doesn't crack.

I had two blued version frames crack. LGS swapped out the first one and the second one was sent in to Beretta. They replaced it with the Inox version.
No problems with the Inox version after 3 years and several hundred rounds.

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Age + Treachery = JohnnieB

spend the money and buy a seecamp; extremely well made and goes anywhere. desantis makes a great pocket holster for it:even conceals well in an suit coat breast pocket.

Been looking long and hard at the Sig Sauer P238. Colt Mustang, right?
But almost six bills for a BUG is Ex-pen-sive!

Expensive is a problem with both the Sig and the Seecamp - that is why I was looking at the Masterpiece Arms 380 or a NAA 380 - but still haven't figured out why someone would buy the 25 Caliber or even the 32 when you can get .380's in the same size gun?? I'm missing something??

By the way - Thanks for all the input guys!

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Don't tread on me

If you don't mind a bulkier pistol I'd get a CZ -83 (7.65 Browning, 15 round magazine). For something a bit thinner I like the Beretta 1935. Both are available in 9 mm Kurz if that interests you.

When I feel the need to slip a small gun into a pocket, I use my NAA Guardian .32. 13.5 oz unloaded and 4.4 inches long and nice and flat. Feeds and fires .32 Silvertips just fine. I have a pocket holster for it that gives it the outline of a wallet (and it came with a rectangular zipper case with belt clip that MIGHT look like a case for an insulin pump or something like that...never used it like that, though).

I am actually thinking about sending it to the factory for their $99 carry package which removes the sights, breaks all the hard edges, etc.

Rob

I carried the J-frame for a while but I find the KelTec P3AT simply easier to conceal carry, especially because I use an IWB holster (Bianchi Pro 100). The KelTec has fired about 1000 rounds and it has a Handall Jr. rubber grip on it, which makes a huge difference for comfort and control.

My minimum is 38 Special.
+P Hollow points for summer and +P SWC for cold weather when my assailant may have heavy clothes on.
If I don't have an M49 in my back pocket there's either a 686 or Combat Commander in a holster.

P.S. I wouldn't carry ANYTHING other then cranked up solids in 380 or less. I can't fathom how a hollow point would be advantageous in any *mouse gun* size pistol. The smaller the gun the more important shot placement and penetration becomes - Not that they aren't important with a 45 too though.

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In dog years I'm dead.

I've carried a P3AT for about a year but carried a P32 for a few years before that. This week I had a chance to shoot a friends LCP a fair amount and as much as it pains me to say it I like it better than my P3AT. The grip was just enough different that the LCP fit my hand better. Now that the Rugers are available in the $280 range I’d strongly consider one if I was buying new. There is not enough difference between the KelTec and the Ruger to make me change now, but as the prices are getting within $25 of each other you need to handle both before you decide.
As far as the difference between 380 and 32 ACP the ONLY reason I went from the P32 to the P3AT is that a friends wife really liked the reduced recoil of the 32 over the 380 and he could not find a P32 anywhere. So now she has the 32 and I have a 380.

.45 ACP 1911 Commander......no sense in guessing/hoping it's enough to protect you

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Bob