Americans saying with wallet, "We feel safer when armed"

what is the advantage of .40 cal?

.40 cal makes much bigger hole than 9 mm.... My .380 and my .32 make little tiny bb holes in comparison. I've never been real clear on the difference between .380 and 9mm, but I believe the rounds are about the same size, except the 9mm is longer. (If I'm wrong, I'm sure someone here will correct me.) I have to be real careful when I'm shooting both the .380 and .32 to make sure I load the correct ammo in the correct weapon.

In contrast, the rounds for my shiny new Glock 27 .40 caliber are unmistakably larger.

I agree that aesthetically the Glock is no beauty. I've never liked the "boxy" look they have. But I'm accurate as he** with it. I can hit anything I point it at.

You'll like Florida's shall-issue carry permit law. So long as you complete the paperwork, get fingerprinted and pass the background check (oh, and send money), you *will* get your permit. No one has any discretion to turn you down.

Also, we have lots of gun shows here!

I doubt few Freepers had to rush out to buy a gun (or a Flag)......

No, but some of us had to rush out to buy another gun. ;-) It was the Glock 27 in my case -- the one I've been wanting ever since my boyfriend got one and I discovered how wonderfully accurate it is to shoot.

When the gun shop guy told me that the military and police departments were getting all the new ones from the distributors, and what he had in inventory was likely to be all he had for a while, I knew I had to get it -- they're not going to become any more available nor any cheaper anytime soon.

In contrast, the rounds for my shiny new Glock 27 .40 caliber

Went out gun shopping today, and held a bunch of Glocks, including the 27, couldn’t believe how light it was compared to the Beretta 96 which is also 40 Cal. But, when the salesman put the Beretta 92 FS Brigadier in my hand, my search had ended. Side-by-side the difference to me was like comparing a Volkswagen to a Ferrari. The other pistol that felt right was the Kimber 45, but you could get two Glocks for what the Kimber cost.

Thanks all for the advice on gun choice.

Usually I would pick a gun for home defense and therfor short range (ie shotgun). But I'm thinking that civil unrest means two things:

1) Longer range - you don't want the target to get the chance to get close.

2) Rugged construction - you can't run down to the gun shop to get a replacement part.

Again, thanks all.

Went out gun shopping today, and held a bunch of Glocks, including the 27, couldn’t believe how light it was compared to the Beretta 96 which is also 40 Cal. But, when the salesman put the Beretta 92 FS Brigadier in my hand, my search had ended. Side-by-side the difference to me was like comparing a Volkswagen to a Ferrari.

So you liked the Beretta 92FS better, is what I'm gathering? Hmmm... I just might have to check that one out.

The only Beretta I've shot is my little .32 Tomcat, which I really like for a small-caliber weapon, but I got the Glock because I wanted something a bit more ... powerful.

The pilot scan is a juggling act of bulls eyes on the map, the instruments, the controls and outside. I am sure they can include an unusual bull's eye against high jackers. Heck, the plane can fly by itself anyhow, it is so stable. I don't see any problem in keeping the cockpit chief in charge at all times. Remember, the pilot, not even the Marshalls, are sole responsible for the safety of the flight. Unless the Marshall is a qualified airline pilot himself, I do not see it any other way.

Your story about the glock 27 is making my eyes spark with some lusty fire. I heard about Berreta 92s cracking frames too. I dunno, Berretas are a great quality to price ratio, but if you live in cold weather or very hot weather, shooting with the plastic frame of the glock goes a long way to protecting your fingers from frost bite or alternatively profuse sweating. I believe Berretas have a mostly metal frame. Metal frames however have a weight that makes shooting more comfortable.

Searched the web this is the only thing I could fing on cracked Beretta frames.

M9 Pistol Slide Update
(May 10, 1988)

The following is a memo from Beretta to its dealers on the slide breakage that was reported.

"As part of our effort to keep you advised on the most current developments as associated with the M9 slide breakage, we have prepared this second update notice. Facts contained in this update should help set the record straight and correct inaccurate and outdated information that is being circulated, in some cases, as part of a misinformation campaign against the Beretta made U.S. military M9 and 92F semiautomatic pistol.

No problem exists with the military M9 pistol. U.S. Government engineers and technicians have extensively examined the metallurgy, dimensions and manufacturing of the M9 pistol and can find nothing which indicates that the cause of breakage lies with the weapon. U.S. Government examiners have commented on the remarkable quality of the product.
The two unexpected slide breakage incidents occurred with non-NATO certified ammunition during non-standard, continuous endurance firing. Field use of the weapon was limited to 3,000 rounds each while a study of the cause of the breakage was being conducted.
The focus of the study is now shifting to the ammunition which broke the February slide. Preliminary analysis by Beretta indicates that the ammunition may produce pressures exceeding 50,000 psi, or almost double the pressure of a standard cartridge.
That the breakages were caused by excessively hot ammunition is corroborated by the fact that no one has been able to duplicate the type of breakage with any type of ammunition other than the uncertified type involved in the February, 1988 incident. Over 150 M( designed pistols have been endurance tested under the direct supervision of the U.S. Government or by various foreign governments to 5,000 rounds and beyond (several tests going beyond 10,000 rounds) using non-problem types of ammunition. Not a single breakage, crack or even microscopic indication of breakage has occurred.
Since the ammunition involved can only be purchased by the U.S. military, no general warning notice to industry about the ammunition is being issued by Beretta at this time.
One million slides of this type have been manufactured to date. No other reports of breakage of this type have ever occurred in the history of the weapon. Law enforcement and military confidence in the weapon remains high.

Memorandum On Article In American Handgunner Magazine

1988, huh? Well that slide problem has long been corrected and so has the block problem. Several key updates to the 92 were made and then also incorporated into the 96, the 40 cal model. Beretta is as strong and reliable as an ox.

For the Glock versus Beretta. I'd say it is Glock versus the entire industry when is comes to the safety. Glock ain't got one. As someone else put it, "Putting the safety on the trigger, is like putting the combination to the safe on the outside of the safe. Not very safe."

Negligent discharges (ND) happen with the Glock due to no real safety. The trigger safety keeps the gun from firing when dropped, that's is all the Glock safety is good for. It will not help to prevent NDs.

With the 1911, Beretta, Taurus, et al., there is a real safety that is not on the stupid trigger. Plus, guns like the Beretta, and many others, also have firing pin blocks tied to the trigger to keep the gun from firing when dropped. Plus, the Beretta 92/96 have a roll-away firing pin, such that the firing pin rolls 90 degrees (up and down) when the safety is set so that the hammer cannot cause an ND if the gun is dropped or bumped. The trigger isn't blocked from moving; it is completely disconnected! Pull the trigger all you want, it doesn’t move anything! That is a serious safety! Beretta blocks the firing pin, rolls it away from the hammer, disconnects the trigger, and decocks the hammer. Nice and safe, not a "just keep your finger off the trigger" “safety”, as Glock tells you to do. Of course you are supposed to keep your finger off the trigger. jeez!

I believe with some Glocks you even have to PULL THE TRIGGER to field strip them!

Glocks are reliable and well built firearms, but for a novice, people should be thinking about safety as much as the coolness of a gun. The 1980’s are over, and having a plastic gun is no longer a cool thing. People should get one they can reliably own and shoot.