Choose the Right Gun

King Features Syndicate ^ | 11/12/03 | Charley Reese

[martin_fierro]

Gratuitous "Shoot your lawyer" photo.

[clee1]

I agree in principle. The .380 is marginal, but I am confident with the loading I use. It is not a question of "handling" a larger pistol, it's a matter of concealing it. I prefer to carry in an inside-the-belt holster in the small of my back so I can get to it quickly. I frequently carry it in places where you're not supposed to, and nobody knows it but me.

I get 7+1 rounds in a slightly larger than PPK package, w/ DA first shot for carry safety. I have been looking for a good 9mm/10mm/.40S&W in a small frame, but am unwilling to give up two rounds for a slightly larger bullet.

BTW, I consider .38 spec as sub caliber as well, if shot from a snub barrel. If I fire 7 shots at point-blank range, at least two of those will be head-shots: I doubt seriously that a perp is gonna run very far after that, regardless of bullet diameter. :)

[cpdiii]

Refuse to attend a gun fight unless yhou have a weapon with a caliber of .40 or larger. A .45 ACP will do the job quite well. If you hit the center of mass the "Bad Guy" will go down and the energy of the bullet will be totally absorbed by the "BAD GUY"

This is good!

PS
Big fat slow bullets do it better!!!!

[cpdiii]

yhou = you.
Jim Rob how about spell check for us key board impaired????

[backhoe]

"how about spell check for us key board impaired"

http://www.iespell.com/
ieSpell - A Spell Checker for Internet Explorer

i donut uze them mysef-- two much overhed on my old pc...

[Gorzaloon]

And for that kind of work, nothing in MMHO can compare to my 1911A1 .45 ACP

If I had bought my Colt 1911A1 first, I would have a dozen fewer guns. I rarely even take the others to the range, any more. I used to think they were cult items.."What's the fuss about?".

Well, the fuss was about them being a classic, foolproof design combining accuracy, perfect functioning, and effectiveness.

[Sir_Ed]

"I get 7+1 rounds in a slightly larger than PPK package, w/ DA first shot for carry safety. I have been looking for a good 9mm/10mm/.40S&W in a small frame, but am unwilling to give up two rounds for a slightly larger bullet."

Glock 26/27/33 with Milt Sparks Versa-Max II IWB, completely conceals and you get 10 rounds, 11 with one in the chamber.

Ed

[Beck_isright]

"The press rarely reports what kinds of guns are used in crimes, and usually gets it wrong when it tries. Nevertheless, I have concluded Mr. Grump used a .22-caliber pistol. Otherwise, the Lucky Lawyer would not have remained on his feet for so long."

Bzzzzzt. Bad news Mr. Reese. The Mossad prefers the .22 and they are quite effective. It's the shooter that determines effectiveness, not the weapon.

[CGTRWK]

The shooter in LA used a .38 special.

[Maelstrom]

#4 shot is too small.

Use 0-0 Buck

[toddst]

If you have to shoot somebody, make sure the judge will hear only your version of what happened. In other words, kill; otherwise, your assailant will probably sue you.

This is actually a good article. I teach personal defense and will use this piece as one more item of information for my students.

These threads follow a pattern of becoming personal preferences per weapons best suited for self-defense. There is so often little realism in comments by gun enthusiasts who typically have no experience in confrontations and/or no meaningful training.

I like and shoot a 1911 A-1 in 45 ACP as much as the next enthusiast but I don't carry it concealed. Remember, the gun you have with you is worth far more than the 45 ACP you left at home.

Pick a small, lightweight gun and carry it concealed all the time. If you are on the street much, you WILL be glad for that 32 or 380! Also be sure you learn to use the gun you do carry.

[toddst]

If I fire 7 shots at point-blank range, at least two of those will be head-shots:

This sounds good but rarely works out. Your attacker isn't likely to just stand there while you draw and fire. Based on work with students in self-defense situations where they face a moving opponent, few get any hits at all, let alone head shots.

If you haven't been through a demanding pistol training program, do so at your earliest convenience. I recommend Gunsite in Paulden, Arizona. Go, learn and increase your chance of surviving a confrontation unharmed.

[stevio]

A .44 might make your ears ring for a week, but my snub nose .357 rattles your teeth at the gun range. Even with ear protection it's LOUD.

[OldPossum]

This statement, which appears in the article, is true but not the whole truth:

In other words, kill; otherwise, your assailant will probably sue you.

What is left out is that it is not unheard of for the dead assailant's relatives to sue you.

And for goodness sake, never tell the police that you intended to kill your attacker. You only shot to stop him. Hopefully, none of us has blood lust.

[WoofDog123]

"In other words, kill; otherwise, your assailant will probably sue you."

CC: Tony Martin

[Mr. Mojo]

If I had bought my Colt 1911A1 first, I would have a dozen fewer guns. .........classic, foolproof design combining accuracy, perfect functioning, and effectiveness.

Indeed!

[Shooter 2.5]

I believe the sights should always be used. If a person is far away, the sights should be used because no too many people havn't practiced for the years it takes to be able to hit a A zone without them.

If an armed person is close, that means that it's just as easy for them to hit you as it is for you to hit them. That means they have to be stopped immediately. Now. Not a second later. That means it's imperative that the central nervous systme has to be hit and hit hard. That still calls for the sights to be used. Especially if a minor caliber is used. The only target would be the eye sockets. That's grim but the truth. A minor caliber can't be trusted to penetrate the breast bone and then the spinal column.

[Shooter 2.5]

"Early morning spelling" bump.

[toddst]

The only target would be the eye sockets. That's grim but the truth. A minor caliber can't be trusted to penetrate the breast bone and then the spinal column.

Generally I agree with you. However, even with a "minor" caliber I would first fire two shots to center-of-mass to be sure I've gotten hits. Either of the initial two shots may clip an artery or get the heart, in which case my attacker will go down pretty quickly.

Only after the first two center-of-mass shots would I go for head shots, hoping for the eyes. Stress, time and movement of my attacker make any head shot pretty iffy, in my experience.