Would you rather face a big pistol, or a little pistol?

If given the option of having to take a bullet fired from a .22 or a .45, there's no question I'm going to prefer being shot with the .22. However, if facing an attacker armed with a pistol, I want him to be brandishing a monstrous handgun, think Dirty Harry or Desert Eagle. Reason being is that it's way easier to grab a large pistol than it is to grab a small pistol, there's just more of the weapon exposed when it's large. Small pistols, like snubnose revolvers and .380s, get almost entirely concealed by the hand holding them, leaving very little surface area for grabbing and ripping.

We've been practicing our handgun disarms with three different pistols: a large frame Glock, a snubnose revolver with external hammer and a tiny, pocket-sized .380. Without a doubt, the Glock is the easiest pistol to take from the attacker because it presents a large surface area to grab because so much of it protrudes from the hand, and for that same reason it also offers leverage points when wrenching it from the attacker's hand. The tiny Keltec .380 is very difficult to grab, and due to its short length it is very common to place a finger or part of your palm directly over the muzzle. That's not where you want your hand to be. The small revolver is also tough to grab without a part of your hand being in the line of fire.

So, while a larger pistol might look intimidating and pack a larger caliber bullet, it's actually easier to take away from the attacker.