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Advice needed on personal protection handgun
08-01-2013 | Circlecity

Posted on 08/01/2013 7:57:08 AM PDT by circlecity

Looking for advice on which pistol to buy. After my first child was born 30 years ago I sold my pistol so as not to have it around the house. Now I am an empty nester and would like to get back into having a few handguns. After so many years I consider myself a newbie so all advice on which handgun to purchase is appreciated.

For my first gun I would like a 9mm autoloader. I intend to use it primarily for shooting at the range and for personal carry. Eventually I will also purchase a revolver to use as my primary carry weapon - but for now I'm looking at an automatic. I'm looking to spend between $450-600.


TOPICS: Chit/Chat
KEYWORDS: banglist; firearms; guncontrol; secondamendment
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To: Mogger
Polymer Judge

The Taurus Judge Vs. The Box O' Truth
http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/bot41.htm

Lessons learned:

1. Jack bought this pistol for snakes and it looks like a fine tool for that job.

2. Birdshot, in any gauge, is for little birds.

3. Buckshot out of a .410 does not penetrate enough to be an effective personal defense load.

4. The rifled slug was also a disappointment and did not have enough weight or power or penetration to be effective as a defense load.

5. The .45 Long Colt loads had plenty of penetration and would be the preferred defense load for this pistol.

81 posted on 08/01/2013 9:32:11 AM PDT by thackney (life is fragile, handle with prayer)
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To: circlecity

Oddly enough, I would recommend a Walther P-22, that fires .22LR.

A simple philosophy for personal protection, and one that makes a lot of sense in court, is that you shot them *not* because you wanted to kill or even wound them, but to make them *stop* being a threat.

In the vast majority of cases, being shot with *anything*, even a .22LR, is enough to convince the individual who has been shot, to “stop”.

If they are in an alcohol or drug induced delirium, or extremely mentally ill, .22LR may not suffice, but then again, there is a good chance that larger calibers will not, either, unless you are carrying around a real hog leg.

But there is an advantage to a P-22, in that its magazine holds 10 rounds. Not too long ago, a woman with her children hiding in an attic, shot a perp five times at close to point blank range, and though he was somewhat disabled for a time, he was still able to get downstairs and drive away for a while.

I had a friend who was shot 10 times with a .25, and it didn’t kill him, but I doubt he would still be alive had he been shot 10 times with a .22LR.


82 posted on 08/01/2013 9:49:32 AM PDT by yefragetuwrabrumuy (Be Brave! Fear is just the opposite of Nar!)
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To: MrB
“go try a bunch of different guns at the range”

That's the best way. I'm just trying to pre-sight it in a bit first.

83 posted on 08/01/2013 9:59:16 AM PDT by GBA (Our obamanation: Romans 1:18-32)
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To: circlecity
Are all Sigs DAO?

Their 2 series guns (220, 225, 226, 229, 239) with some exceptions are DA/SA guns. They also have the best decocking system. I have a P220 in .38 Super, a bit of an oddball, but it has the power of the .357 125 grain load with the recoil of a hot 9mm.

84 posted on 08/01/2013 10:04:36 AM PDT by Tijeras_Slim
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To: yefragetuwrabrumuy

Do you think a .22LR that took the same path would have been as effective in stopping Trayvon?


85 posted on 08/01/2013 10:08:49 AM PDT by Gadsden1st
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To: circlecity
Rules of a gun fight:

Gun beats no gun - so get a gun you will actually carry. Also make sure you know how to operate the gun (load , clean, unload, right caliber, clear jams, etc) A gun that jams or is broken because it was not operated properly is a club, not a gun.

Fast beats slow - so get a holster or rig that you can actually draw the firearm from and get it into your shooting hand as fast as possible. First to shoot is most likely to live.

Accuracy beats caliber - a .22 that hits will beat a .44 mag that misses. practice practice practice So buy a gun you can afford to shoot. Also, make sure you can shoot accurately. If the 2nd shot on slow fire is more than 1" away from your first shot, it is likely the gun is to big for you or you need more practice.

Caliber beats velocity - big holes bleed out faster and are harder to plug. A .45 is a lot slower than a .357 magnum but they both do about the same amount of damage. If the choice is between roughly the same caliber, then choose the highest velocity you can handle. .38 acp / 9 mm / 38 special / .357 mag / 357 sig all shoot the same size bullet. In that case, get the highest velocity that you can shoot and still maintain accurate follow up shots. Also, hollow points make bigger holes and tend to not over penetrate. Use hollow points for carry.

Many holes beat one hole - If it is worth shooting once, then shoot twice. So buy a gun that (after all the above) has the most rounds and carry at least one additional magazine.

86 posted on 08/01/2013 10:09:21 AM PDT by taxcontrol
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To: circlecity
Are all Sigs DAO?

No, they sell a bit of everything, but I'm only familiar with their DA/SA and the P250's DAK.

Fwiw, I like a DA/SA P226 quite a lot, but whatever you like they no doubt have a version of it or something else you won't want to live without, especially if the SHTF.

87 posted on 08/01/2013 10:19:57 AM PDT by GBA (Our obamanation: Romans 1:18-32)
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To: yefragetuwrabrumuy
In the vast majority of cases, being shot with *anything*, even a .22LR, is enough to convince the individual who has been shot, to “stop”.

Many people have been shot witl 22 LR and didn't even know they were shot. That is not a good choice for personal protection. You want to stop an attack immediately, not have them die from an infection a week or so later.

88 posted on 08/01/2013 10:27:48 AM PDT by thackney (life is fragile, handle with prayer)
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To: catnipman

Glock mags at Windeners.com


89 posted on 08/01/2013 10:32:34 AM PDT by MHGinTN (Being deceived can be cured.)
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To: catnipman

Make that Wideners.com


90 posted on 08/01/2013 10:33:10 AM PDT by MHGinTN (Being deceived can be cured.)
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To: molson209
if you want big go with Smith & Wesson’s New .500 Magnum Revolver

That's a little weak on concealability, but it makes up the points with stopping power.

91 posted on 08/01/2013 10:34:49 AM PDT by Pollster1 ("Shall not be infringed" is unambiguous.)
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To: circlecity

Gotcha bud.

Just throwing in my coupla cents.

Gosh the sp101 is a sweet little carry piece. I really enjoy the safety aspect of it and the reliability too.

Good luck.


92 posted on 08/01/2013 10:36:04 AM PDT by Fightin Whitey
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To: yefragetuwrabrumuy

I recommend the SR22 from Ruger over the other .22lr brands. The mags can hold thirteen (with a mag insert replacing the follower) and the barrel is threded, just in case. Very smooth DA/SA and extremely reliable.


93 posted on 08/01/2013 10:36:07 AM PDT by MHGinTN (Being deceived can be cured.)
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To: yefragetuwrabrumuy
I would not recommend anyone choosing to carry for self defense to carry a 22, 25 or 32. The chart below is not dependent on how many times they were shot.

Greg Ellifritz over at Buckeye Firearms concluded a pretty darn impressive analysis of gunfight data recorded over a 10 year period, the total count of incidents included in his analysis topping 1,800.

http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/2012/06/foghorn/ask-foghorn-22l-for-self-defense/

94 posted on 08/01/2013 10:40:51 AM PDT by thackney (life is fragile, handle with prayer)
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To: circlecity

First rule: Buy the gun you can reasonably handle.


95 posted on 08/01/2013 10:41:30 AM PDT by Doc91678 (Doc91678)
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To: circlecity

Springfield Armory XDM 3.8 Compact


96 posted on 08/01/2013 10:44:33 AM PDT by EdReform (Oath Keepers - Guardians of the Republic - Honor your oath - Join us: www.oathkeepers.org)
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To: yefragetuwrabrumuy
I think this is very good advice.

Compared to hand cannons, for a pillow gun especially, a high capacity (10+), easy, quick shooting, accurate, but much more quiet with way less recoil, semi-auto .22LR makes a great deal of sense.

Puts a lot of advantages in your hand and is cheap to buy and shoot, too, if you can find ammo.

The preferred choice might be a pump 12 gauge, but in a fight, in the dark, in my house, my bet is I can put more lead into an intruder where I want it to be more quickly with a decent .22 semi-auto, than the intruder could in me with a hand cannon, and still not wake up the neighbors with the noise or stray bullets.

97 posted on 08/01/2013 10:46:04 AM PDT by GBA (Our obamanation: Romans 1:18-32)
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To: circlecity
I forgot to mention, Sig Sauer also sells .22 conversion kits for several of their more popular pistols, so you can get a fairly good feel for your pistol while practicing at .22LR prices.

Like I said, I'm partial to Sigs. They are pricey, but you won't find much that's better or more reliable or more accurate right out of the box.

If size and money didn't matter, but I could only have one, I'd get the Sig I liked the best. Decisions, decisions...

98 posted on 08/01/2013 11:16:08 AM PDT by GBA (Our obamanation: Romans 1:18-32)
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To: TalonDJ; circlecity
Your right. They don't. Most people who haven't used one in 30 years need the muscle memory for a fine motor skill, in order to maintain a consistently hard grip, especially during a double tap. Most people tend to shift or change their grip in response to recoil. That affects accuracy and can cause a semi auto to jamb. I own many Glocks. Outstanding pistols. However, If you want one to malfunction while firing, all you need is a weak or shifting grip between shots.
99 posted on 08/01/2013 11:55:03 AM PDT by PowderMonkey (WILL WORK FOR AMMO)
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To: thackney

This goes to my original point, that in the majority of cases your emphasis is not on incapacitation or killing, but to make the individual stop. Hopefully to then run away.

Typically, I am very distance conscious. Within 25 feet (civilian Tueller Drill distance) I will have a large knife in the other hand. In a charge, I would prefer to be able to put several .22LR rounds through the individual than I would a single, larger caliber round, because I don’t trust my accuracy to be able to nail the rather narrow one-shot drop zone.

Far too often, as well, if they have a gun, it will be a large caliber, poorly aimed, with hits based on luck, so I will also concentrate on cover.

There really isn’t a perfect answer, because everything is situational, but in most cases, .22LR will fit the bill.


100 posted on 08/01/2013 11:55:24 AM PDT by yefragetuwrabrumuy (Be Brave! Fear is just the opposite of Nar!)
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