Originally Posted By: Olas
Anything is better than nothing in a self defence situation, but with the size of my hands a mouse gun would be unusable!
A pen/bunch of keys/brass knuckle/fist/forehead would be much more reassuring, psychologically.
Although with ergonomics accounted for, a .45 acp hollow point is quite the confidence-instiller
Agreed. We have a close friend of the family who has been in law enforcement his entire career (minus 10 yrs in the military). As a sheriff you can believe he saw his share of shootings, many of which were self defense. His outlook for a personal carry weapon is to select the largest caliber you can effectively control. In other words, a .45 Is only good for you if you can control it and put multiple rounds down in a short time and maintain a tight group. A smaller caliber is absolutely better than nothing but may or may not stop the crazed intruder or thief that's been hopped up on drugs for the last several days. Take down power is extremely important, but you have to be able to control it.
Personally, the .45 is my favorite for a few reasons and I have more than a few to choose from. The smallest framed .45 I own is a Colt Defender With a 3" barrel, not the easiest gun to shoot effectively but it definitely gets the job done.