I am so tired of all the gun rags going on and one about the minimum caliber for self defense. One maxim states that "All calibers for self defense should start with a 4 or higher." So a 40 S&W, 44 Mag, or 45 ACP are ok, but a 357 Mag or 357 Sig just aren't enough.... huh? The worlds most popular caliber for handguns, excepting 22 LR's, is the 9 mm Parabellum. Some hot versions of this round are fairly close to 40 S&W and 45 ACP is power.
There is nothing wrong with a 32 ACP, 380 ACP, and certainly nothing wrong with the 38 Special. They have been used in police and military forces around the world for tears and years and years with good results. Until the last few decades, the 32 ACP was THE common law enforcement round for many Western European police agencies. It wasn't until modern terrorists came around that law enforcement in Europe was forces to upgrade.
For personal defense, just carry! It doesn't matter what caliber you have unavailable to you directly... it matters what you have at arms length. A 22 LR in hand is worth far more then a 45 ACP that's too big to carry.
Yes, the 22 LR and 25 ACP are anemic in power. Hell, I am sure many BB rifles have more power then a 25 ACP handgun, but when in doubt...pull the trigger a few times.
