Concealed carry gun

Question
Hi,
The dilemma of carrying a small and light enough gun to conceal versus its stopping power continues to vex me. From everything I've read and discussed with knowledgeable people, the 38 is really the minimum caliber firearm to satisfy the need.  Let me ask you for a SECOND best answer.  Can any of the 32 revolvers provide stopping power, perhaps with a particular cartridge?  
Carl

Answer
Guns chambered in the .32 H&R Magnum, and especially the .327 Magnum developed off of it, would be a suitable compromise, but what you gain from it is marginal recoil reduction. The gun won't be any smaller or lighter.

I and many of my colleagues carry every day in situations where extreme discretion is necessary. With the right holster and belt, even something like a Glock 19 or Springfield XD is comfortable and concealable. You don't have to go to a tiny gun to achieve comfort and concealability.

If you want to go small though, you'd be hard pressed to do better than a Kahr Arms PM9. At 14 oz it is only an oz or two heavier than revolvers made out of the exotic metals (scandium, ect.) Carried on the belt, or in a pocket holster from Don Hume, it will be light, concealable, and it will give you a 40% increase in ammunition capacity over a revolver. Loaded with Speer Gold Dot SB (short barrel) the gun will be almost as good a stopper as any handgun can be.

You can go with the .32 H&R Mag or .327 Mag revolver, but it won't save you size or weight (any difference would be negligible), and would still be significantly wider that the PM9, making it less comfortable to carry and more difficult to conceal.

Best of luck to you.