Expert advice on selecting a handgun

[rpmking]

Informative, straight forward and very insightful, thanks for the read!

[OM18V]

Good read, thanks to all of the contributors.

Although I've been around guns off and on since my early teens (I'm 52), SD is something new to me. May have something to do with our house being burlerized two years ago. At this time the only handgun I own is a .22 for plinking fun. I always considered my 12ga double barrel as my home defense weapon. Lately I have been researching larger caliber handguns and am seriously considering the Ruger SR9. This seems to fit the criteria listed in the above discussion. For some it may seem a bit small , but if I can handle it more easily and ammo is cheap enough for me to practice more, that should outweigh any negatives.

As a SD newbie, I believe the most important thing I got from the posts is training. Just owning and carrying a handgun won't help much if I have no idea of what to do in a bad situation. Fortunately I have met a gentleman at my local gun club who is a NRA certifed handgun instructor and self defense instructor who has very reasonable rates (and has given me some free tips).

Some of the posts are from novices like myself. I would strongly suggest you seek out some basic training at least in proper handgun techniques. Knowing how to handle your weapon properly and consistantly better than the BG seems to me has to be a great benefit in a succesful outcome in any unfortunate, unavoidable confrontation.

Mike

[ninvin21]

Thanks for Posting I agreed with everything and learned alot, Knowledge is power.

1 Bullet is better then no Bullet.

I live in a High crime area and never been in a gun fight.
I have Had a gun Pulled on me though I should have not been in that area but it's a free country right?

Most the time if your not looking for trouble your not going to find it.

How many Private Citizen's do you think will be involved in gunfights in there lifetime?

[the collector]

good points taken
cheers

[Nickname Tactical]

Hey man I'm with you on this subject. Look here fellow firearms owners, unless you have a 50cal. sniper rifle, that one shot one kill crap is a bunch of BS! Me personally if i'm ever in a gun fight I'm shooting until the bad guy's body drops dead, straight up!!! and, heck I might put one more hollow point in his ass just to make sure he's dead!

The whole choosing a ammo caliber thing, is up to the individual and what him or her feels comfortable shooting and carrying. Me personally, I would prefer to carry a 9mm. For the simple fact, that it allows you carry more ammo and, that way I'm not busy trying to reload during a heated gun fight all nervous and shit dropping the magazine!(OH LORD!) but, also I would say that practice with your CCW is very important because, you really need to know your CCW, in and out, front to back. Just incase of an emergency situation like a gunfight, robbery, or someone breaking into your home.

I guess just purchase whats comfortable for you to shoot in a CCW firearm. Like he said don't try to be...... Mr. oh i got a .45ACP what's up now? and then not be able to hit your target with it.(THAT'S A NO NO!) This thread should help alot of us because alot of us are doing the........ I gotta big gun you better run move just blasting away and not hitting a damn thing with it because, you can't shoot it accurately, when in fact we should be doing the lightweight high capacity aim and hit your target fights over move. WORD UP!

My last statement/question is that, any caliber bullet can kill but will you be able to hit your target to kill it? Remember the 5 p's. PRACTICE PREVENTS PISS POOR PERFORMANCE....... thats a fact jack!!!!

I'm out,
Ya boy Nickname Tactical

[ntouchet]

Good read..

Death isn't an exact science. 6 rounds from a 44mag may not stop one guy, but smack in the face with a feather pillow may kill another..

And this my friends, sums it up precisely.

Neil

[Al1195]

A long time ago when just home frome the service I was carrying a 22 Cal revolver to work the third shift in a gas station in the Mon Valley of Western Pa for $1.00/hr, before there was any regulation for CCW. Around 4am feeling no one else was alive I decided to clean my revolver. Upon complete diassembly of the revolver with my undivided attention, someone walked into the front door (Condition White). He proceeded to the telephone and started to talk without paying "ma bell".I could see him watching me in the window, as he reached into his jacket i cocked the hammer on my little 22 cal revolver, it did sound like a 155mm Howitzer in that enviroment. His eyes got as big as a silver dollars an he took off out the front door and down the streets, I called the police and they found him but since no crime no fine. Use what you have the caliber may not count, your action may save a life! Your's???

[normandtinman]

Please bare with me as this is my first time in a blog of any kind. Not looking to reply but would like to get some advise on were to find a hinge screw and joint screw stud for a H & R nine shot 22lr pistol that was my grandfathers which was just given to me the ss # S3275 it has a 6 inch barrel.

much abliged to anyone who can help me out
Jon

[PhilaShooter]

Please bare with me as this is my first time in a blog of any kind. Not looking to reply but would like to get some advise on were to find a hinge screw and joint screw stud for a H & R nine shot 22lr pistol that was my grandfathers which was just given to me the ss # S3275 it has a 6 inch barrel.

much abliged to anyone who can help me out
Jon

Hey, welcome to the forum. Your best bet is to start your own thread stating your problem. This will allow ALL members who frequent the handgun section to see it, and if they know or have any info. on your topic they will post it in your thread to try and help you out. There are some very knowledgable people here. Good Luck.

[SCBaldr]

Very informative, Bravo! My duty weapon is a Sig Sauer P220 Stainless Elite with 10 rounds of .45 ACP. I wish I could carry an H&K P30 off duty, but the Park service has an exclusivity contract with Sig Sauer, even my off duty weapon has to be a SA/DA Sig in 9 .40 or.45. I can't use .357 Sig even though it wouldn't be my first choice.

Everything in that article sounds a lot like what my firearms instructors said. However I should like to point out that the quantity we refer to as 'Stopping Power' is a function of how much distance and time it takes for a bullet to dump it's energy into the target. Rounds like 9mm para FMJ take a very long time to stop and they achieve huge penetration. So this round does not inflict the massive tissue shock damage achieved by other types of rounds. If the time and distance it takes a bullet to stop in a soft target is very great, that target will die from hemorrhaging and maybe organ damage and this might take 30 seconds or 30 minutes depending on where the target was hit and you risk hitting whatever is behind them. However if you are using a highly expansive 9mm +P+ load that stops very quickly and in a very short distance, it will definitely achieve the massive shock effects that make up a bullet's ability to put someone down quickly. That said, the .45 will always stop in a shorter time and distance because the bullet is moving slower and expanding to a larger size and thereby inflicting even more shock damage. Is the difference in damage between the 9mm expansion load and the .45 expansion load likely to have a noticeable effect? My opinion is no, there will be no effective difference, so I would prefer to carry a 9mm with more ammo capacity off duty.

The reason I carry the .45 on duty is that when I was shooting a bunch of Sigs trying to decide which one I wanted, the P220 fit better in my hand and I was able to shoot straighter and pass my Qualification with much better scores.