Posted on 02/03/2016 5:41:11 PM PST by Extremely Extreme Extremist
You might be a woman looking for your first self-defense handgun. Or you might be a lifelong "gun person" that people come to for advice about guns. Either way this article is for you.
Every day, people who have never owned any sort of gun -- perhaps have never even shot one -- decide to get a self-defense handgun. They aren't gun people, they aren't going to become gun people, they aren't going to hunt or target shoot, they aren't going to practice a lot. But they want a home-defense handgun, and they want one suitable for concealed carry if they decide to go that route. In other words they want an effective, easy to use, easy to carry, all-around self-defense handgun.
After all the pluses, minuses, caveats, ifs, ands, and buts are factored in -- this is my bottom-line gun recommendation, along with the reasons for it. This article presupposes that the prospective gun owner is healthy, of normal intelligence or better, and has no inherent fear of guns.
Long-time gun users will undoubtedly find the selection process interesting, and may wish to use this article as a basis for their own recommendations.
In any case, don't be put off because I start with some basics -- it's only a few paragraphs, and they're necessary for clarity.
(Excerpt) Read more at keepandbeararms.com ...
I’ve got a Ruger LCS9mm. Carry it everywhere and with an IWB holster no one knows.
Exact same rig here. Over a thousand rounds fired and no malfunctions. Very accurate. Trigger has enough travel to make it safe in a high stress situation but is very predictable. Fits me well but I have small hands for a guy. I would highly recommend this gun.
Get lady Smith .38. You can carry it in your pocket.
Glock 19 if you want concealment and high firepower.
Glock 26 if you want better concealment without sacrificing too much firepower.
Glock 43 if you want maximum concealability in a fighting caliber.
Glock 42 for your purse.
There is such a thing as the perfect carry gun. It is a pocket pistol, chambered in 500 S&W Magnum, holds 30 rounds, requires no earplugs, has no recoil and is as accurate as an olympic pistol. Since I’ve never found one, I have instead compromised.
I’m going to suggest a Smith and Wesson M&P Shield. Inexpensive, reliable, accurate and compact. Plus, there are many, many concealment holsters.
How about trying a belly band? Come in many sizes and wear under shirt.
A P938 is also really nice carry if 9mm is ok. A little more oomph than a .380 . My daughter has one and it is good fit for her, for her smallish hand. She is a stunningly good shot with it. Also is carried by our NRA certified instructor - he is a seasoned dude with a mission to arm America, owns quite an armory himself, and he carries that 938 every day with the extended mag for larger hands. I wish I had one.
Good overview, and a lot of good comments.
The true answer is that you're going to have to become a bit of a "gun person", because there are attendant responsibilities for safety that aren't attainable any other way. The thing isn't a magic wand, you're going to have to practice with it. Because of that, be aware that the very light-weight guns optimized for comfortable carry are NOT optimized for comfortable shooting, rather the opposite. One of my instructors, a world-class shooter and experienced beyond belief, carries a pocketed .357 magnum snubbie that he says he hates to shoot because it hurts - this is a big guy - but if he does have to shoot it, he'll never feel a thing. But you have to practice with something.
There isn't any real substitute for getting a class and trying out multiple handguns. I tell the story too much, perhaps, but I taught a petite lady to shoot and she was all over the paper and getting discouraged when the RO handed her his Browning Hi-Power and she ended up making one ragged hole in the target. Never figured that one in advance. That was just her gun, and she's made compromises to carry it because she knows she can hit with it. And that's the bottom line.
I carry all sorts of stuff - I live in a gun-friendly state and love the things. I never carry anything I haven't had a LOT of range time with, not that shiny new toy or the one guaranteed to take down a Cape Buffalo with a single shot. If I haven't put 1000 rounds through it, it's a new piece and not to be trusted with my life. Bottom line - practice, practice, practice, and then, more practice.
On a side note, in the 1980s, my grandmother told me to look in the side cabinet beside her bed and to take the pistol home with me, because she was too old to even pick the thing up (she could barely hold a fork). Not even knowing there was a pistol in the cabinet, I found a beat-up S&W 1917 (a revolver made during WWI and chambered for the 45acp.). My grandfather had put it there when he went off to fight in WWII (1942). My grandmother had never touched it. So I took this 60+ year old pistol that was loaded 40 years earlier to the range. Without even dusting it off, I fired all six shots off without a hitch.
For Christmas I got a Sig Sauer P238. I also have a baby Glock. Both are 9 mm though.... Anyway, I like my glock but not to carry as it still seemed bulky and heavy. So, we got the P238. I LOVE it. We also wanted a gun that I could carry that has a safety and this one is easy to flip and cock. They both fit into my purse that has a Velcro holster (can’t think of the name of the line at the moment Gun Toten Mamma maybe).
Revolver’s have advantages but I’m not as comfortable with them.
OWB carry. Belt-slide holster. Aker Leather makes entirely suitable ones.
Good sensible article.
Nothing said about laser sights.
All of my home defense weapons have laser grips.
1. I can focus my attention on where the threat is, not being required to withdraw my attention to my gun sights.
2. I can keep both eyes open.
3. I can fire accurately regardless of how I am holding my gun (hand position).
3. I can fire accurately from any physical position (standing, sitting, prone).
Nonetheless; I liked the article.
Sig P238P.
A fine weapon.
My favorite.
Thanks for posting this. Very helpful.
Pay for Training
Training teaches you how to practice
Pay for Training that teaches you safe gun handling procedures
Practice
It's a nice weapon, but I don't like SAO. I prefer a more modern SA/DA with a decock lever.
But everything Sig makes is first rate.
You’ve mail. Will secure and conceal my Ruger GP-100. Have one for the Glock 26 and another for Ruger’s LCP. Even in the heat of Phoenix it does its job; “Unseen in the best of places” .
Lady Smith revolver in .38 special or .357 mag.
Operational issues:
1. Rent a lady smith and use .38 specials in it.
2. Go back a week later and rent it again, 38 special rounds this time.
3. Your memory may remember the recoil as being much heavier than it really is. This happened to me recently with a .45 long colt derringer. The recoil at the second shooting was far less than I remembered. It is now one of my favorite pistols.
4. Getting lessons is far cheaper than blowing through large quantities of ammo and doing it wrong. Aim is not a problem, consistent grip and correct trigger pull are very important issues that many shooters never solve.
5. Pocket guns can go every place you go.
6. Do not buy a Glock for your first pistol. There is no trigger safety and accidental firings are not uncommon.
7. Shoot analytically.
Most pistols, according to the head gunsmith at Glock never see 1,000 rounds. You have two assignments:
You will shoot more than 1,000 rounds through it in the first year or so.
You will practice until you can consistently place 5 or 6 rounds in a six inch circle at 15 yards. This may place you in the top 5% of pistol shooters.
Have fun and welcome to the shooting fraternity.
Two more tips:
1. Academy has 34 db earmuffs for $17.50 and the are very good.
If you wish to lower the sound more you can wear 32 db ear plugs underneath the earmuffs for a total db reduction of 66 db. My local indoor range uses 99 db earmuffs, very pricey to buy.
2. Shoot outside not just indoors. Way better lighting and the shooters are much more social and are willing to help you.
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