Choose the Right Gun

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

[OldPossum]

Re your post 36, yes, it is true that the unfortunate Tony Martin was sued by at least one of the thugs who assaulted him, but even if he had killed all three, his troubles would not have ended there. It seems possible to me that if these criminals had relatives and if British law permitted and they had standing, they would have sued him.

The lawsuit(s?) were the least of his problems. His main problem was the government.

[Atlas Sneezed]

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"

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You don't want to perpetuate the myth that a handgun bullet will "knock down" its recipient. The energy of impact is no greater than the energy the shooter absorbs on recoil.

[Atlas Sneezed]

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.

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Indeed. That 32 still fills my pocket even when I am carrying a real gun on my belt.

[richtig_faust]

10mm Sig-Sauer is my choice.

[richtig_faust]

Now, a 4 guage is my idea of adequate home defense.


I actually got to see one of those beasts about 20 years ago at a range, I thought the damn thing was a surface to air missle laucher. The shells for that damn thing were HUGE!!

[Charles Martel]

#4 shot is too small.

Use 0-0 Buck

#4 shot pellets are .129" dia., 135 count

#4 Buckshot pellets are .24" dia., 21 count

00 Buckshot pellets are .33" dia., 8 count

Lots of people prefer #4 Buck because of the pellet count. Energy bleeds off more rapidly with the lighter pellets, but at typical "social encounter" distances the smaller buckshot is quite lethal indeed.

[toddst]

Indeed. That 32 still fills my pocket even when I am carrying a real gun on my belt.

10-4. I carry my Kel Tec 32 constantly. Has been a deterrent in a couple of "warn the aspiring mugger" incidents. Both turned and ran immediately.

[ASA Vet]

[ought-six]

LOL! Before I would ever consider firing a 4 gauge I woul dmake damn sure it was on wheels and had a lanyard for firing.

[ought-six]

.45 ACP is a wonderful defensive round. However, although I do have some semi-autos in my collection, my home defense guns are a .357 magnum wheel gun and a 12-gauge pump with OO-Buck. They will accomplish what I want them to.

[ought-six]

Very few people can make head shots when the adrenalin is pumping and the excitement is acute. I was trained to go for the chest: it's a far larger target with a greater variety of vulnerable internal organs and can incapacitate an assailant very quickly, PROVIDED THE CALIBER IS LARGE ENOUGH! I wouldn't even consider a .22 rimfire or a .25 ACP as a defense weapon. .38 Special at an absolute minimum, with hollow points (and I'd only use that as an absolute last resort). My preferred hand gun for personal defense is a .357 magnum revolver. That, and a 12-gauge pump shotgun will suffice unless an army has invaded my house.

[Gargantua]

Ruger Police Service Six .357 Magnum, serving HydraShock Plus-P hollow-point rounds. No safety to screw around with, no chance of jamming, just point-and-click... twice.

Plus-P Hollow-points prevent me having to worry about the slug passing through the intended target into an unintended one (with lethal force).

;-/

[gbunch]

While I love my very reliable EAA Witness with its 17-round capacity (16+1) there is a LOT to be said for a revolver as a defensive weapon. As you say, nothing to jam, just pure reliability. I love the "point and click" phrase!

[LTCJ]

He emptied it (7 rounds) at point-blank range into the robber's chest. The robber took off running, and only after covering about 40 yards did he slow down, slump to the ground, and die.

FWIW, you can read a similar account in Captain Fairbairn's book, "Shoot to Live". It was the account of one of his officers who emptied his pistol into a criminal. The difference was he wounded man didn't slump down and die but was chased down and hit over the head with the now empty sidearm. It was a .45. The man died shortly thereafter from his wounds.

I don't recall the number of times he was hit but want to say 5 or 6 times. Yes, a .45 is much more effective than a .380 but no sidearm comes with an effectiveness guarantee ...

[Roarkdude]

How does the Baretta stack up. I'm partial to Italian products/design. I figure the 9mm is .35 in. Is that enough for self/family protection?

[Mr. Mojo]

My preferred hand gun for personal defense is a .357 magnum revolver.

I prefer using the 158 gr. LSWCHP .38 Spl "FBI load" in my Ruger SP-101 snubbie. The muzzle flash and recoil are far less pronounced than the .357 mag (especially the 125 gr. high vel. variety), which makes accuracy and follow-up shots easier (for me, at least). And from my experience plugging phone books and water jugs, they expand very reliably. This is a round that was engineered for use in short-barreled revolvers.

[toddst]

Very few people can make head shots when the adrenalin is pumping and the excitement is acute. I was trained to go for the chest: it's a far larger target with a greater variety of vulnerable internal organs and can incapacitate an assailant very quickly . .

We agree. However, I return to my original point of being sure you have a weapon with you when its needed. A 32 ACP will do the job with proper placement - including firing at center-of-mass. The focus on gun and caliber continues to be an oversimplification because penetration is affected by many variables - clothing, body fat, exact point of penetration, level of adrinalin and/or drugs in the attacker's system, etc.

I would prefer 38 caliber or larger BUT its not always possible to carry such weapons concealed. The 32 ACP can be carried constantly (other than restricted areas) and thus is available under most conditions.

[dirtboy]

In Tulsa, my neighbor had a double-barrel 10 gauge. He needed a pony cart to haul that sucker out to the duck blind.

[Mr. Mojo]

The 32 ACP can be carried constantly (other than restricted areas) and thus is available under most conditions.

Especially that little Kel-Tec .32. What does that thing weigh fully loaded, about 10 ozs! ....and only around 3/4 of an in. thick, from what I've heard. Never shot one, but sure would like to.

[<1/1,000,000th%]

This could be a great thread!