For the ladies. No offense to the guys but I am looking for mainly ladies opinion which would you pick a 380 or 22? I want one with least amount of kick to it I have a bad shoulder and can’t handle the kick on the 9 mm.
For what purpose? .380 can/will have more kick than 9mm, so it is an odd question. For self defense, .22lr is better than nothing, but isn’t generally used for that. Plenty of hollow points available though. If just for fun, .22lr all the way. Easy. Cheap.
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If the 9mm is too much kick, then .380 won’t save you much in that regard. Perhaps with one of the heavier all steel pistols. The reason being that most, if not all, .380’s are blowback operated.
Might I make a suggestion of perhaps a .32? You could get the kick down with some of the larger guns in that caliber.
If you do go with a .22, realize that in general they are less reliable. Buy the best, hottest, HP ammo that will run in your pistol of choice. How about a Beretta?? 
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Like Brad said. " It is better than nothing " ! Well done. The .22 comes in many flavors and packages.
Treat yourself to training and please research. enjoy, please.
The .380 ammunitions’ are hard to find and cost $0.90 a round in Florida.
Thank you,
Great work, BRAD.
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I use a bersa thunder cc 380, and I think it’s the perfect fit. It’s small and compact enough for EDC, you can use external hollow points for this caliber, and I think the recoil is minimal at best.
And this is the preferred weapon for my gf as well. But she only has a .300 blackout, and a .45 acp to compare to.
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Love the .380 and very good on accuracy too. Thank you.
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Been working with S&W 380 bodyguard. Nice little hand gun. Has bouillon in laser sight as well. Fits nicely in my bibs using sticky holster. Though ammo hard to come by here in Kansas. Been paying .90 to 1.05 /rd. Hollow point about 1.80 down here as well.
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Thank you all. So from what everyone is suggesting I am better off with the .380.
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I know it’s not always easy to do experimenting with different guns. You can ask a hundred different people, and get a hundred different answers. Do what makes you comfortable and confident. Practice, practice, practice.Like I said, been working with 380 last few months. Still like and carry my 9mm,
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There is a pistol made by Smith & Wesson called the 380 EZ. Easier to operate the slide, easier to load, and very soft to shoot. A friend of mine owns one and loves it. He has disabilities that make him recoil sensitive. His wife also likes to shoot it.
Good luck and have fun with it.
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I see this 'most, if not all, .380’s are blowback operated," on a frequent basis. This is a response I wrote somewhere else:
I hear, “most small .380 ACP pistols are blowback operated,” on a regular basis and I question it. It is almost into the category of “myths.” As an example of .380 pistols, counting my 9mm Makarov, I have six. Of those, only the Makarov is blowback. I am not going to deny that there are blowback .380 pistols on the market. Of popular .380 pistols, both the Bersa and the High-Point are bowback. There, I am done, I have named all of the popular blowback .380 pistols. Yes, there is the PPK and the Beretta Cougar family. I think most can agree that those models are not hot sellers.
However, most modern .380 Pistols use some form of delayed blowback/lockig breech mechanism. There is the entire Colt Government model family which includes, not surprisingly, the .380 Government model, the mustang, Sig, Kimber, Springfield. Then there is the Glock 42, the Walther PK38, the Browning 1911-380, and Smith & Wesson shield & EZ. There is the whole family of Kel-Tek derivatives. I can keep going, the point is, the, “most small .380 ACP pistols are blowback operated,” is almost a myth.
The, " most, if not all, .380’s are blowback operated," is firmly placed in the last century. It no longer reflects the current crop of 380 pistols.
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S&W 380 EZ. My wife has carpal tunnel & can rack the slide easily
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Just some information to ponder.
22LR 40 Grain bullet has 116 FT/LBS of force at the muzzle
380ACP 90 grain bullet has 199 FT/LBS of force at the muzzle
9MM 124 grain bullet has 339 FT/LBS of force at the muzzle.
In tests I have read the 22LR cartridge can be stopped by a heavy winter coat at 25 ft.
It does not matter what weapon is used if the weapon is light in weight you will get more recoil. Using some of the lightweight weapons, while convenient to carry, comes with a cost. One question that is asked by older and new gun owners with a weak grip is"How can I cock(rack) the gun" I tell them to use the edge of the table or the back of a hard chair, with finger off the trigger, push down using the rear sight as a ledge to force the slide back.
I also tell the people, with manual lock pistols, to rack a round into the chamber then put the gun in safe. In case of a need, you may not be able to rack the gun.
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.380 and 9 mm have the same bore size. The only difference is the length of the bullet.
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Not recommending one way or the other just thought it interesting. 
In a pinch you can shoot .380 in your 9mm, seen it on YT tried it at the range. You have a single shot semi auto. 
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I will present another option to the 380 or 22 dilemma by pointing out that you can get a pistol that shoots both.
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Thank you Hasaf. I stand corrected.
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@Corey28
@Brad
Yet, a .22LR can be a viable self defense caliber. The firearm is small, lightweight and depending on the firearm carries more rds (unless it is a micro revolver or such). It is not just for fun, BUT, training and the ability to hit what you aim at, vital areas, will be more important than with a larger caliber.
Not all .380s will have a significant kick, though due to size, most will, as a .380 is a 9mm short, but a good .380 will still have less recoil than a 9x19.
Just pointing out, while you are correct, there are more details to cover, and Corey did ask for information to assist in a decision.
Of course, there is also the 5.7mm. Have not tried it myself, but have checked on out at the store, it is lightweight, and per the shop, it has low recoil and holds 20 rds in the magazine (if there is no magazine limits in your state, that would be a good option)… but see if you can rent one to try it out first. Ammo for the 5.7 is a little hard to get at the moment, although it seems most ammo is hard to get.
Anyone else know much about the 5.7mm?
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A .22LR can be a viable option.
After all, pistol calibers generally do not have ‘stopping’ power, it is more the shock of being hit and hit enough with a .22LR HP, it will be ‘shocking’.
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Thank you for that information.
Knew there was a 9mm to .22LR conversion, did not know there was a .380 to .22
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