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Posted on 06/11/2002 9:20:57 PM PDT by Woahhs
When I was young my dad told me "Son...don't get married until you're at least thirty, and you find a blonde, nymphomaniac, with a degree in mathematics, who owns her own bar, and can fly a jet plane."
Thanks dad.
Unfortunately, much of the easily obtained advice about choosing a concealed carry firearm is just as useful as my old dad's sagacious pronouncement. The issue is not getting what you want, but finding what you need.
Many would-be advisors think they are sharing experience, but unconsciously, they're promoting what they carry, and how they carry it. That's not the way to choose a concealed carry configuration that may be every bit as critical to your life as who you put a ring on. Sure, the sex may be great, but if you have to put an armed guard on the checkbook, did you really choose the right one?
Don't lose sight of the fact you're going to be doing much more concealing and carrying than shooting. Before you can choose a weapon, you have to consider how it can be integrated with your clothing and lifestyle. "Dirty Harry" hand cannons are fun, but where are you going to put it when you go bike riding with your kids? Think your spouse is going to let you wear that fanny pack to their company Christmas party? Think again. Your weapon should move effortlessly from fanny pack, to belly band, to in-the-pant holster, to ankle rig. Small and light usually makes that trip easier than big and heavy.
Next, consider the "action" of a concealed carry weapon.
If you use one of those handguns that fire the first round double action, and all subsequent rounds single action, chances are you will practice that way. That means no more than 10% (the first round in a ten round magazine) of the rounds you fire in practice will be like the one you have to fire in self defense. That first double action round is the first one you will be held accountable for in a deadly encounter. If single action shots are the ones you practice most, better make sure they are the ones you use in a fight. A better choice is a double action revolver, a "double action only" automatic, or a single action automatic.
Single action autos are by far the best to shoot, but they require more non-shooting skills to use effectively. Racking the slide, or manipulating at least one safety on a loaded and cocked weapon before it will fire is not in the best interest of someone who isn't "into" guns. Also, if you can effectively perform these functions, and you have to go before a civilian review board (read: jury), your status as a "resisting victim" is as questionable as the virtue of a virgin that knows how to do a "Mexican cartwheel."
So far, we've narrowed our choices down to smaller, light weight, DA revolvers, or DAO automatics. Let's refine further.
DAO autos should be further narrowed to 9mm and above. Any auto smaller than 9mm uses a method of operation known as "unlocked blowback." How it works is not so important as knowing that even a perfectly functioning weapon of this design is subject to jamming if it isn't held correctly when fired. Why risk it?
When you find a likely candidate that fits all the above criteria, pick it up and hold it in what feels most "natural." (Finger off the trigger, but along the frame) In that natural position, the barrel of the handgun should line up in front of, and in line with, the large bones of your forearm. If it doesn't, keep looking.
Next, you want to test the trigger. Point the weapon in a safe direction. (Yeah I know it's not loaded, but think of it as good etiquette) Now slowly squeeze the trigger through it's entire range until the hammer falls. Do this while carefully aiming the sights at a very specific point. If you can't pull the trigger while keeping the sights rock solid on your point of aim, keep looking.
Okay, now you've done everything you can without actually firing the weapon you will choose. The only issues left to consider are "shootability" and "reliability."
"Shootablity" for our purposes is really a question of "how much is too much." If we're staying with "small and light" just about any chambering or caliber considered "powerful" is probably too much. They might not be sexy, but the .38 special in a revolver, or the 9mm in a DAO auto probably split the differences better than any other choice.
Finally, the question of reliability. The best place to start with this one is “reputation.” Companies that produce popular handguns are not hard to find. The reason they are popular is dependability. They go off when you shoot’em, and hit where they’re pointed. If you ask the clerk behind the counter of any reasonably well appointed gun store to tell you the most popular makes and models before you express interest in any particular weapon, chances are you’ll get a straight answer.
Once your choice is made, the real work starts. You must learn how to carry safely, shoot accurately, and act within the confines of the law. The choice to carry a deadly weapon is one that should fill you with humble sobriety, not swashbuckling fantasy.
However, my choice, and that of many professionals for a truly comfortable, LIGHT and concealable handgun is the SigSauer P232.
I violates two of your rules:
.380 (learn to shoot accurately and buy Corbon ammo!)
SA/DA (VERY good trigger)
The only gun that will save your life is the one you have with you........and this little Sig at around $400 is the lightest, most comfortable.......and one of the most accurate(the barrel is rigid-mount....does not float) guns on the market.
Ideal for women......and men who can stay calm and SHOOT.
Even in .38 Special, they are way too lightweight for the recoil. They will kick so much you won't get enough practice. That severe kick also even limits what kind of ammo you can use in many titanium revolvers.
As for judging reliability by brand, I'd note that recent-production S&W snubbies are poor in design, quality control, or both.
Also, reviews in any gun magazine taking ads tend to be biased by the publisher's addiction to ad money.
GUN REVIEWS free from ad-money bias - emphasizing woman-friendliness of tested guns!
They're not rules friend, they're guidelines. You obviously have no need of advice on choosing top flight tools for self-defense.
I'd be proud to carry your rig.
There is at least one exception: the Kel-tec P32 (.32ACP) uses a tilt-barrel locked-breach action. I've never fired one, but supposedly the use of a locked-breach action allows for a lighter-weight gun and looser recoil spring, while mitigating the 'kick' that would otherwise be felt in such a lightweight gun.
BTW, blowback 9mm's and .45ACP's exist (Hi-Point IIRC); while caliber is often a good indication of whether a firearm has a locked breach, it's not entirely conclusive.
The Kel-Tec seems like an interesting pistol. The Hi-Points seem like bricks. True, there is something to be said for getting a .45 new for under $200 retail, but the Hi-Point I saw made a Lorcin look like a masterpiece; it was also incredibly heavy, and the slide had a lot of sideways slop--more than I've seen on any other gun when "in battery". If they'd gone with barrel-mounted sites this might not have been too much of a problem, but sights mounted on a wobbly slide don't seem to conducive to accuracy.
This sounds more like some kind of "disposable" pistol than a contender for anyones "sidekick."
Yeah, well what do you expect for $200? Besides, the weight may be an asset: makes the gun a much more effective club if anything goes wrong with it.
The most important change I made was getting rid of the rubber grips. I changed to a smooth fake ivory because the rubber was chaffing my skin plus the rubber was retaining the perspiration and pitting the stainless steel.
When I wrote this I was aiming more toward those who wish to integrate a CCW into their livestyles. You stand at the opposite end of the spectrum. I dare say you are a "gun guy" and have adapted your lifestyle to accomodate your prefered weapon. That's more than some are willing adapt, and they shouldn't have to, just to be adequately armed.
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