Smallest gun you can shoot accurately, comfortably

[Ruger45LC]

Smallest centerfire that shoots like an absolute dream is the Glock 42 .380, it's about like shooting a .22LR. I've had other small 380's (Ruger and Kahr) and they're nowhere close to the G42.

[jimku]

I just have to throw this in here just for kicks and giggles.
I consider it to be a serious gun, others will disagree.
Mine is in .45 Colt (Long Colt for the pedantic) and I use stout Buffalo Bore loads.
I am totally, comfortably, consistently center-body-mass accurate with both barrels at 20 yards. (Mine is the California model that doesn't acommodate 410 shot shells, so it has more rifling than those that do).
It will slip right into my blue jeans pocket.
Any perp finding himself staring down those two gaping bores and keeps coming is flat insane.
Recoil is stout, but for me entirely comfortable.

[gsparesa]

I’m not very accurate with small handguns. My large hands do not do well with small or thin grips. The smallest gun that I can shoot accurately, consistently is my Sig P239. If I miss the 1.5” target at 7 yards, I’m not a happy camper. The P239 shoots just as well as my Sig P226 at 7 yards.

[artoo]

The smallest pistol I shoot accurately at 7 yards or so are actually two.

The Taurus 732 and the Taurus PLY-22 pistols.

[armoredman]

Only one, and it'a really not all that small, but the CZ P-10S is the smallest "subcompact" I can shoot decently...I could tell you, but I think I'd rather show you...

https://youtu.be/IDUGfFvsXNk

[IZZY]

The smallest gun I would trust my life with is a PPK, and the smallest caliber would be in .32 / 7.65, .380 is fine, just not the smallest I trust to work.

Smith or Franco-German, had bad luck with most of the interarms. ( like 2 out of 3 had issues).

PP and PPk series was a service firearm way before Ian Flemming, so spare me the double ought seven references.

[totaldla]

The smallest I can shoot accurately is the KelTec PF9. 18oz with 8 rounds of 124gr super-duper fodder.

[Timeless]

My Sig P938 is surprising easy to shoot accurantely.

I swear I am more accurate with it than the full size 226.

[stephen426]

I have a Beretta Tom Cat in .32 ACP, but I don’t shoot it much and I don’t carry it. I try to stick to 9mm and above as a defensive caliber. If I really need a pocket gun, I would go with the Tom Cat. Otherwise, I carry my Springfield Armory Hellcat. My Glock 43 is around the same size and I also shot it very well, but the extra mag capacity made me go with the Hellcat.

[zxcvbob]

Ruger LCR in .38 Special.

I have a Keltec P3AT but I hate it. The .32 version might be okay, but .380 is too powerful for a gun that weights about 3 ounces and I can only get 1 and a half fingers on the grip.

[stephen426]

@ zxcvbob,

Some people laugh at the idea that a mouse gun is hard to shoot, but I felt the recoil on the Walther PPK is worse than a lot of 9mm sub compact guns. I think it is due to the blow back action. The PPK was my mom’s but we got her a Sig P320 instead. That was actually nicer to shoot.

[darkgael]

I was finally able to edit the picture of my Bernardelli VP so that it was small enough to upload.
Pete

[darkgael]

Here is the other small gun...a “baby Bulldog” in .32 Colt.

[reloder56]

Smallest handgun I own is a Galesi Model 9 in .25 ACP. I can get all seven shots into an eight inch diameter paper plate, but only from about fifteen feet away.
Gary

[Rangerrich99]

Accurately at all or accurately and quickly?

If I'm just trying to precisely poke a hole in paper, with no time limit, just one or a couple times, i have been able to put 5 shots from my Ruger LCP (gen 1) into a playing card at 12 yards. It took some time, several minutes i'm guessing, but I managed to make it happen. If i had to do it in a hurry, I doubt I could keep 5 rounds inside the A box with that gun.

If i had to shoot quickly, say something like a defensive handgun drill, I'd have to size up to at least my Ruger LC9S Pro. But it's surprisingly easy to keep 6-7 rounds inside the A box at 10 yards in under 3 seconds with that gun.

i should admit that I've added a Hogue grip to the LC9S, and wrapped a bit of grip tape around that as well to give me as big a handle a possible to hang onto, but everything else about the gun is stock.

[S&W-Keeper]

I shoot the snubbie model 60 very well.

[Obambulate]

NAA Black Widow. I shoot it about as well as my J-frames. It has usable sights and a really nice trigger.

[IZZY]

@ zxcvbob,

Some people laugh at the idea that a mouse gun is hard to shoot, but I felt the recoil on the Walther PPK is worse than a lot of 9mm sub compact guns. I think it is due to the blow back action. The PPK was my mom’s but we got her a Sig P320 instead. That was actually nicer to shoot.

PPK in .380 can be a bit harsh on the hands. The Sig 230 is a very good firearm.

The Smith and Wesson version of the PPK has an extended tang that helps with that issue.

IMHO PPK is best in .32. Your most likely to be shooting FMJ to get good penetration, so .3125 in (7.94 mm) vs . 355 of an inch is only .0425 of one inch diameter disparity...and that is not much.

Years ago, I shot one of the Kel tec P-32's, and it was so small and thin it was pretty hard to get follow up shots QUICKLY...not a bad gun, just a bit difficult to work with. A full size 1911 is easier to shoot well. A lot depends on the platform, and then of course the load...

[Hanshi]

Well, there's the .22LR PPK/S and a little Raven .25. I do well with both of them.

[lifesizepotato]

First to come to mind is my gen 1 PPS, I can shoot it virtually as well and as effortlessly as many of my larger guns. There are a lot of smaller guns I can shoot decently if I try, but that PPS just points so naturally and shoots so softly.

[Warhammer]

The smallest gun I own (which is also the smallest I can shoot accurately) is my Kahr CM9. I used it for my last LTC range test and did quite well. I usually keep a CT Laserguard on it, but had to remove that for the test. I carry it with the standard 6 round mag in the gun, with a spare 8 round mag. The little pistol is actually easier to shoot with the 8 round mag, as it allows me to get a grip with my pinky finger.

[stephen426]

With small guns, I think short sight radius affects accuracy significantly, especially with “rougher” sights like Glock’s “ball and goal post” style sights. I’m not crazy about Springfield Armory’s U-shaped notch either, but I can hit steel pretty consistently at 25 yards. I know those types of sights are more for rapid target acquisition rather than precision.

[Ifishsum]

Remington RM380 for me is quite comfortable to shoot and I can hit a soda can 4 out of 6 times at 7 yards or so. I also do fine with a Taurus M85UL revolver but the RM380 is definitely smaller

[Tygus.Shooting]

It took a long while for me to get used to it --- literally weeks of having to endure a sore gun hand while expending countless rounds of ammo --- but I think I've finally gotten the hang of it, and it's reached the stage that I can now confidently carry it as a backup gun when I have to.
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I love gun control. It lets me hit what I'm shooting at!

[jetinteriorguy]

Originally Posted by Tygus.Shooting

It took a long while for me to get used to it --- literally weeks of having to endure a sore gun hand while expending countless rounds of ammo --- but I think I've finally gotten the hang of it, and it's reached the stage that I can now confidently carry it as a backup gun when I have to.
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I love gun control. It lets me hit what I'm shooting at!

While I applaud your willingness to stick it out until you learned to shoot it well, if I can’t accurately shoot any handgun within 100 rounds of first using it I get rid of it. I feel if a gun just fits you naturally and points and shoots naturally you’re much more likely to be effective with it in an emergency when you don’t have time to think about it. I know muscle memory and training and practice can all overcome this, but I figure why not start with what just naturally works right from the start.