Posted on 01/09/2007 8:54:02 AM PST by kiriath_jearim
The question is asked often, answered often and often answered wrong: "What's the best gun?" There are several important criteria for selecting a gun that will be used for defensive purposes. My list looks like this:
Reliability; Accuracy; Ergonomics; Caliber; Cost/Value
Of those criteria, there is one that is absolutely inflexible: reliability. I want to talk about just that one in this column.
There is more to reliability than some folks realize. A gun is not just a tool, but a working mechanical system. People who don't understand that often have problems that could easily be avoided. For example, reliability in a modern semi-automatic pistol is not just dependent on the build quality of the basic firearm. It is also dependent on its maintenance, magazines, ammunition and its operator. Any machine, including a firearm, must be well made if it is to be reliable and continue to be so throughout its useful life. Actually, that's the easy part. Today's competitive firearms market has pretty well shaken out the junk, as least in the realm of serious defensive handguns. But a well-made gun is only the beginning. A relative of mine has a small, easily concealable Beretta pistol that he has carried for years. It wasn't until recently, however, that he actually tried to shoot it for more than the odd round while walking in the woods. He found out that, although it is certainly well made, it is certainly not reliable for self defense use. It is designed to function with full metal jacketed ammunition. Not a good choice for self-defense. It jams nearly every round with any decent quality hollow-point ammo. And the ball ammo even jams frequently with certain of his magazines. To top it all off, it is .32 ACP caliber. He now carries a Glock 30.
So, let's look at magazines. Often, students arrive at classes with a decent quality gun that they have not really put through its paces. They find out about reliability very quickly. The bargain price magazines that they bought (because the class required more magazines than they already owned) will cause problems pretty quickly. The magazines are an integral part of the system that is the functioning firearm. When they don't work, the gun doesn't work. Sometimes the students are ready to give up on the gun, when the only problem is one (or more) magazines. Once they change to decent magazines, they are back in business. Sometimes the magazines start out okay, but become damaged. Again, fix or replace the mags and you've fixed the gun. You need to test every magazine you have for a particular gun. And, you need to keep them clean. If you find any that are problems, fix them, replace them or throw them away. Just understand how they relate to the functioning of the whole system and you'll be able to sort it out. This, by the way, is one place that revolvers really have it over the auto-loaders.
The other most common problem is ammunition. Not all guns work well with all ammo, even quality ammo. Some guns run great on range ammo, which for most of us means full metal jacketed (FMJ or "ball") bullets. But hollow points, which are best for defensive purposes, can be another story. We tell our students that they should be able to run 200 rounds of their self-defense ammunition through their carry gun without a single malfunction. If it doesn't meet that test, don't trust it. Some ammunition and some guns just don't get along. That doesn't mean that either are inferior; they just are not the right combination. If you find that, be prepared to make the necessary changes. Sometimes the gun just needs a break-in period. Sometimes a little gunsmithing will solve the problem. In any case, there are enough choices in premium defensive ammunition that finding one that works with your gun should not be a problem. A good example became evident fairly recently, with the introduction of very lightweight revolvers. The substantial, if not downright brutal, recoil of the ultra-light revolvers is causing some types of bullets to work forward out of the casing crimp, at least enough to bind the cylinder rotation. This is usually associated with un-jacketed bullets and the newer guns have a "jacketed +p ammo only" warning. However, I've seen it happen even with some brands of jacketed ammunition. That's why I say, revolver or auto, primary or backup, test your gun with your carry loads. You need to KNOW that they will work together.
The operator can also affect reliability in several ways. Auto pistols can jam from the notorious "limp-wristing" problem. Actually, this is often "limp arming." Whatever, it causes operator induced problems, and it isn't the fault of the gun. The solution is a strong stance and a high, firm grip. Just as the gun is a system, proper stance and grip on the gun are also parts of the operator interface system. Also, the way the hands grip the gun can cause reliability problems. I've seen finger and thumb placements that have put pressure on the auto pistol slide release, causing the slide to lock open after every shot. I've seen grips that put pressure on mag releases and cause the magazines to drop out, or not drop out when you're trying to reload. Or grips that inadvertently activate manual safeties, or don't deactivate grip safeties. I even know of a few folks who accidentally hit the cylinder release on revolvers. Often, a gun can simply be too big or, yes, even too small for someone's hands. Any of these things are genuine problems that affect the reliability of a gun at the moment that you urgently need it to function. The solution is to alter the interface or change to a gun that doesn't contribute to the problem.
What I'm saying here is that reliability is not just a single dimension, addressed by simply using a good quality firearm. All guns are not the same for all people. And the solutions are not the same for all people. This can become obvious in police service pistols where "the same gun for everybody" is the norm. There are vast differences in individual users and considerable variation in training programs. Combine this with both firearms and ammunition purchased through "lowest bid" contracts and all sorts of problems can arise. Remember, reliability, most of all, means that when you need it, you have confidence that your gun will work. If you have addressed the possible problems in advance, then your confidence is well placed. If you have not, there can be a terrible price to pay.
As you can see, if someone asks me what gun they should buy or use, they don't get a one-size-fits-all answer. No matter how much I may like or dislike a particular firearm, you may find just the opposite. That's fine with me. My job, as an instructor, is to help you find the right gun for you. There is only one "best" gun, and that's the one that works for you when you need it.
[Steve Denney is a former municipal police sergeant, USAF Officer and chief of security/safety officer for a large retirement and healthcare community. A former SWAT officer, crime prevention officer and both military and police firearms trainer, he is currently an instructor for LFI Judicious Use of Deadly Force, LFI Stressfire, and NRA and other defensive tactics disciplines. He currently trains police, military and private citizens. He is a charter member of ILEETA, a member of IALEFI, and serves on the Firearms Committee of ASLET.]
Moments later you are surrounded by the San Diego PD SWAT team for brandishing a weapon in public. That annually updated copy of "How to own a gun and stay out of jail - California Edition" is a critical read every year for a California gun owner. Thankfully, I haven't had to expend the time or money for a new copy since I moved to Idaho.
I own a Kahr P45 and have put every kind of ammo through it with out a problem. The thing works perfect. Never jammed, never stovepiped. Sounds to me like barrel ramp problems. Interesting on the magazine splitting, never heard of that. Wonder what they will tell you?
Gunner
I gun dealer I trust inspected it and sent it back. He said the same thing that he'd never seen the magazine split before either.
He sent one back with the gun. I think I have the first. If I can dig it up I'll post a pic.
http://www.sigarms.com/Products/ShowCatalogProductDetails.aspx?categoryid=6&productid=94
I am most fond of my Sig 45. When loaded with my ten rounders it sits nicely balanced in my hand. One thing that some folks may find as a drawback, I find as a benefit. It's safety. For double action, the trigger is quite stiff, while for single action it is a hair trigger.
Easy to disassemble for cleaning purposes and easy to shoot. I wouldn't trade it for anything but I sure wish I could carry it legally.
Never mind that the DA first shot is either going to be a flyer or you'll have to take time to reposition your hand to get the SA shots off accurately.
Unless of course the first shot is single action. Which is most often the case. This pistol is ready to go single action when initially chambered.
If you operate the slide to chamber one up, the hammer is cocked and single action is in play. If you install a clip open breach and then close it, the hammer is cocked and single action is ready to go.
The decocking function is kinda neat, but it takes a bit of getting used to. Th snap of the hammer releasing with one chambered up always stirs an uneasy feeling. It sounds about as close to a dry fire as one can get.
Once decocked and you still have one chambered up, indeed double action is at play and like you said, those things could be a factor. I suppose if a person was worried about that, the exposed hammer is easy enough to operate to provide first shot single action.
Yes, but then why not just use a single action only gun?
Any part that's not present on the weapon cannot break.
Maybe, but at any distance against a moving target with an uncertain backstop? (This shooting took place in a town square.)
I didn’t think it necessary to include checking your line of fire. Would I fire on any target that included innocents behind it? Not unless they were a good distance away, I was using prefragged ammo and it was point blank range. I’m a good shot, but not perfect.
In an earlier post I did mention I normally carry a .45 auto. I also carry either two or three spare magazines depending on how I am carrying. When I carry the .44 revolver I carry two speed loaders, and with practice they can be just as fast as an auto’s magazine.
Not really - There's at least one person out there that I'm aware of that can swap magazines in his 1911 in less than a second. Lots of IPSC and IPDA shooters aren't much slower.
Revolvers take considerably longer, especially if you get unlucky and your brass has expanded just enough that the expended casing will not drop free when you slap the ejector rod. This is fairly common - especially in larger calibers.
To reload a revolver, you must also take your weapon off the target and point it in another direction. You don't have to do that with an automatic.
Somehow, I don't think that you could reload a revolver this quick:
http://www.ebaumsworld.com/2006/07/fastreload.html
Er, make that you or anyone else, for that matter. :-P
"The only handgun I own is my father's 38 S&W Special CTG w/4 inch barrel"
http://www.gunsamerica.com/guns/976699159.htm
Only $985,000 and it's yours.
Have you ever watched the revolver competition on the Outdoor Channel?
Not particularly. I don't care for Sig weapons - the effort to rack the slide back seems inordinately high, which is a problem if you are or become disabled.
Give me a good single action or Glock-type striker-fired pistol any day (the Springfield XD is probably about to be added to my collection of BHPs, 1911s and SAO CZ75s.)
ping
Yes, I have.
The amount of skill needed to swap out a cylinder/speedloader combo is much higher than that needed to reload an auto, plus more people can hit stupendously fast speeds with an automatic.
And even the experts in speedloading a revolver will tell you that all it takes to stop them is one casing that expanded more than it was supposed to.
Easy: It's the one you've got with you when you need it!
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