Someone once asked him what small caliber he would carry with shorts and a tshirt, since he couldn’t conceal a .45 caliber. He said he’d carry a .45 in a shopping sack. I’ve pretty much lived by the same rule.
I wouldn’t be really worried about carrying a good .22LR either, since I would be pretty confident I could put 7 or 8 in their face really fast.
Faces have a habit of moving when dangerous objects are pointed at & striking them.
8 rounds is high for a pocket pistol.
I’d do nothing less than a flat subcompact 9mm a la Glock 43. Better to do in 1-2 rounds what takes 7-8 in .22LR.