Guns!
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"As odd as it sounds, a .45 is easier to shoot than a 9mm, or a 40, because the 9mm and 40 are high compression rounds. The avg .45 tops off at 750 feet per second (fps) whereas the 9mm is in the 1,000 fps range, never mind the +P, and, shudder, the +P+ rounds in the 1,500 fps range.,
"I second the recommendation of .45ACP. It has more recoil, but it is less snappy to me than the .40, more shove than kick. It's been around forever and ammo is plentiful, with really great options in expanding and full metal jacket projectiles. I am really just not a fan of the .40, it has never impressed me. Its parent, the 10mm is a favorite, but the .40 is always too much or not enough."
+1 to both comments. Many LE agencies are no longer carrying the .40 for these very reasons. Add both price & availability of ammo on the .40 (and I would put 10mm in that category as well) it's easy to see why. LE likes the 9mm for round capacity but it's easy to see why the .45 ACP has been King for a long time.
"I second the recommendation of .45ACP. It has more recoil, but it is less snappy to me than the .40, more shove than kick. It's been around forever and ammo is plentiful, with really great options in expanding and full metal jacket projectiles. I am really just not a fan of the .40, it has never impressed me. Its parent, the 10mm is a favorite, but the .40 is always too much or not enough."
+1 to both comments. Many LE agencies are no longer carrying the .40 for these very reasons. Add both price & availability of ammo on the .40 (and I would put 10mm in that category as well) it's easy to see why. LE likes the 9mm for round capacity but it's easy to see why the .45 ACP has been King for a long time.
+1 on the .45 for stopping power as well.
I carry 230gr. Winchester Ranger T +Ps (basically Black Tallons in disguise) in mine.
Definitely a lethal round, usually carried by law enforcement.
A lot can also be said for the .357 magnum as well. I carry 158gr. Speer Gold Dots in mine, which is also a hell of a round.
I also carry Speer Gold Dots in my 9mm, though they are standard 115gr. loads.
I carry Hornady Critical Defense loads in both my .25acp, and .22mag.
As for my hiking gun, I carry 250gr. Winchester Platinum Tip Hollow Point .44mag in that one, which will pretty much take care of anything that walks on this continent.
I also carry my little .22mag while hiking, but it's usually loaded with CCI Rat Shot loads for snakes and such.
I carry 230gr. Winchester Ranger T +Ps (basically Black Tallons in disguise) in mine.
Definitely a lethal round, usually carried by law enforcement.
A lot can also be said for the .357 magnum as well. I carry 158gr. Speer Gold Dots in mine, which is also a hell of a round.
I also carry Speer Gold Dots in my 9mm, though they are standard 115gr. loads.
I carry Hornady Critical Defense loads in both my .25acp, and .22mag.
As for my hiking gun, I carry 250gr. Winchester Platinum Tip Hollow Point .44mag in that one, which will pretty much take care of anything that walks on this continent.
I also carry my little .22mag while hiking, but it's usually loaded with CCI Rat Shot loads for snakes and such.
I guess I should comment on shotguns as well, since they've been mentioned quite a bit.
I own shotguns chambered in .410, 28ga., 12ga. and 10ga.
The .410 is ideal for small game, and would also serve pretty well as a home defense weapon, especially with 3" magnum loads.
The 28ga. wouldn't be bad either, but it's hard to find anything other than bird loads for them. It is my Dove gun of choice by the way. That little double barrel is a blast to shoot!
The 10ga. I have is an American Arms SxS Turkey Special 3-1/2" magnum double barrel. It is an awesome thing to hold, shoot and just look at! Definitely intimidating, but not very practical for home defense.
I have a couple of 12ga. guns as well. My go-to being a Mossberg Ulti-Mag 3-1/2"magnum pump. It has two barrels with it (both ported), a 24" "turkey" barrel with fiber optic rifle sights, and a 28" "waterfowl" barrel, both with screw in chokes.
This shotgun has been through hell and back many times! It's been used to bust ice, used as a wading staff, boat paddle, snake bashing club, duck buster, and so forth. It has been completely submerged in both mud and water on numerous occasions, as well as being frozen.
It's had thousands upon thousands of rounds put through it, from the lightest 2-3/4" target loads, to full house 3-1/2" magnum turkey loads (which will punish your shoulder, damn near break your jaw, and stomp a mud hole in your ass!)
It's my beater gun, and rarely gets a cleaning, but has NEVER failed me!
Shotguns are hard to beat for anything, but for home defense I'd still rather have a handgun.
Handguns are a lot easier to handle in close quarters.
I own shotguns chambered in .410, 28ga., 12ga. and 10ga.
The .410 is ideal for small game, and would also serve pretty well as a home defense weapon, especially with 3" magnum loads.
The 28ga. wouldn't be bad either, but it's hard to find anything other than bird loads for them. It is my Dove gun of choice by the way. That little double barrel is a blast to shoot!
The 10ga. I have is an American Arms SxS Turkey Special 3-1/2" magnum double barrel. It is an awesome thing to hold, shoot and just look at! Definitely intimidating, but not very practical for home defense.
I have a couple of 12ga. guns as well. My go-to being a Mossberg Ulti-Mag 3-1/2"magnum pump. It has two barrels with it (both ported), a 24" "turkey" barrel with fiber optic rifle sights, and a 28" "waterfowl" barrel, both with screw in chokes.
This shotgun has been through hell and back many times! It's been used to bust ice, used as a wading staff, boat paddle, snake bashing club, duck buster, and so forth. It has been completely submerged in both mud and water on numerous occasions, as well as being frozen.
It's had thousands upon thousands of rounds put through it, from the lightest 2-3/4" target loads, to full house 3-1/2" magnum turkey loads (which will punish your shoulder, damn near break your jaw, and stomp a mud hole in your ass!)
It's my beater gun, and rarely gets a cleaning, but has NEVER failed me!
Shotguns are hard to beat for anything, but for home defense I'd still rather have a handgun.
Handguns are a lot easier to handle in close quarters.
An old Cajuns take is a Wheel gun for the inexperienced, pull the trigger it shoots, no Jam just Bam. You can use 38 or 38+ in a 357, allowing getting used to the feel,weight of the pistol while target practice at a cheaper rate. For home defense a shotgun and a good corner is your best defense, being a shift worker I trained my wife to get the kids, go in a corner in the bedroom with a little coach shotgun I had customized for her and let the SOB come to you, no TV crap let em come to you. Saying that she had to do it one night and the Black chow we had kept him at Bay. He got caught later that night but that's another story.
This is a tremendously interesting discussion. Reminds me of a dinner I attended, several decades ago, whose other attendees were all professional assassins. Much of the discussion revolved about the tools of the trade, much like this one, though I must confess that it was a little more wide ranging, including scopes, silencers, knives, poisons, customized loads, neck snapping, garrotes and highly inventive improvisation.
The most important thing that has been said is that you don't produce a weapon unless you are going to use it.
I've been nose hairs to gun barrel at least a half dozen times. The last time was when my then roommate, decided that he was feeling shitty and "just because" aimed a loaded 357 at me. I took it off him and proceeded to demonstrate its efficacy as a club.
Carry on.
The most important thing that has been said is that you don't produce a weapon unless you are going to use it.
I've been nose hairs to gun barrel at least a half dozen times. The last time was when my then roommate, decided that he was feeling shitty and "just because" aimed a loaded 357 at me. I took it off him and proceeded to demonstrate its efficacy as a club.
Carry on.
House gun Ruger SP-101 .357/.38 4" barrel to maximize potential of the magnum cartridges. .38's for less flash and noise for home defense.
Ruger 1911 .45 Auto for fun at the range.
S & W 642-2 for carry. Comfortable and easy to conceal. 5 rounds of .38 is plenty in my opinion/my situation.
Lots of good info on the thread. Not much I can add, but practice often as has been stated. Know your local laws and abide them. No one has mentioned it yet but consider reloading your own ammo to facilitate practice. Costs have spiked dramatically in the past 20 years I've been shooting. I reload for all the guns I have and this reduces ammo cost by 50% or more.
First guy: "I'll take a M1911."
Second guy: "Bit of an antique, isn't it?"
First guy: "Served my country well for 90 years."
Yeah, it's from a movie. Ten points to who can name it.
Second guy: "Bit of an antique, isn't it?"
First guy: "Served my country well for 90 years."
Yeah, it's from a movie. Ten points to who can name it.
I know it's Robert DeNiro; I just can't place the movie; it's been a while. Ronin maybe? Also I agree with him; my 1911 is my preferred pistol, but I like steel framed revolvers as well; they make excellent clubs when you run out of ammunition. ;-) A shotgun is always the best weapon for home defense though; the sound of chambering a shell is enough to change people's minds.
Just a secondary thought here: It's always been my advice to novice shooters to carry the largest caliber round in a revolver they can shoot accurately and consistently. The simplest mechanisms are always the most instinctive. No safety, no jams (Just pull the trigger again if a round should fail) and make your shots count. In my experience if you have to reload; you've done something wrong in the first place (This is where practice and training come in handy) gun fights don't happen like they do on T.V. and movies.
Oddly enough, I've just packed my Colt 1991A1 (anniversary edition of the 1911) to take to the range this weekend. Looking forward to some range time.
As for the OP, if you're just trying to beat a deadline, hit a rental range and find out what caliber you can deal with for the months of practice you'll need to get truly proficient. I'm a .45 guy myself, but I used to play the piano a lot, so I've got forearm, grip, and wrist strength to spare. My wife (who trained as a singer) prefers .38 Special (the caliber, not the band...). Back before I got the semi-custom grips on my Colt, she could maybe fire a magazine or two before her wrists started to complain, but she can go to town on a box of .38 ammo.
Then find a pistol that works for you in your chosen caliber. Make sure you know exactly how to operate it - as noted, Glocks are popular, but their configuration is non-standard and a little weird to those of us who grew up on thumb safeties. Ruger, Colt, S&W, Taurus (if you're on a budget) - it's hard to go really wrong with the major manufacturers.
Then, as noted, get yourself another firearm for home defense. :D I'm partial to my Colt loaded with Glaser rounds, as I can actually practice with it. I've only just recently discovered a local indoor range that allows tactical shotgun practice, so I may switch to my Mossberg 500 once I've had a chance to test fire it a few times.
As for the OP, if you're just trying to beat a deadline, hit a rental range and find out what caliber you can deal with for the months of practice you'll need to get truly proficient. I'm a .45 guy myself, but I used to play the piano a lot, so I've got forearm, grip, and wrist strength to spare. My wife (who trained as a singer) prefers .38 Special (the caliber, not the band...). Back before I got the semi-custom grips on my Colt, she could maybe fire a magazine or two before her wrists started to complain, but she can go to town on a box of .38 ammo.
Then find a pistol that works for you in your chosen caliber. Make sure you know exactly how to operate it - as noted, Glocks are popular, but their configuration is non-standard and a little weird to those of us who grew up on thumb safeties. Ruger, Colt, S&W, Taurus (if you're on a budget) - it's hard to go really wrong with the major manufacturers.
Then, as noted, get yourself another firearm for home defense. :D I'm partial to my Colt loaded with Glaser rounds, as I can actually practice with it. I've only just recently discovered a local indoor range that allows tactical shotgun practice, so I may switch to my Mossberg 500 once I've had a chance to test fire it a few times.
While I see a shotgun being the safest firearm in terms of not shooting your neighbors by accident with your automatic rifle, I found it unsuitable because you have to keep it sitting out somewhere accessible. I just wasn't comfortable with that.
I guess it depends on what kind of threat you expect. My main concern is home invasion. We've had a couple of those in the neighborhood over the years. I live in an older neighborhood with lots of elderly residents and I think there are punks out there who think we might be pushover targets.
Probably told the story before, but some guy attempted to rob me and steal my car a few years ago in a Best Buy parking lot. All I had to do to dissuade him was pull back my jacket and start to reach for my Ruger. He ran across the parking lot and four lanes of busy holiday traffic to get out of there. Thank goodness for that.
I guess it depends on what kind of threat you expect. My main concern is home invasion. We've had a couple of those in the neighborhood over the years. I live in an older neighborhood with lots of elderly residents and I think there are punks out there who think we might be pushover targets.
Probably told the story before, but some guy attempted to rob me and steal my car a few years ago in a Best Buy parking lot. All I had to do to dissuade him was pull back my jacket and start to reach for my Ruger. He ran across the parking lot and four lanes of busy holiday traffic to get out of there. Thank goodness for that.
All great posts.
Newbie, a revolver
in the pocket..my fav LCP 380
my all time fav, 1911a Colt 45 my DW bought me & then had some stuff done to it by a local gunsmith, local FBI dudes liked it so much he built them a couple of them for them.
It was like an extension of your mind.
Much better than some Kimbers I had, still pissed that I sold it.
Newbie, a revolver
in the pocket..my fav LCP 380
my all time fav, 1911a Colt 45 my DW bought me & then had some stuff done to it by a local gunsmith, local FBI dudes liked it so much he built them a couple of them for them.
It was like an extension of your mind.
Much better than some Kimbers I had, still pissed that I sold it.
Yep. Everyone, no matter where they're from, speaks the shick-shick language of Mr. Twelve-Gauge. :twisted:
if you need more than the 5 or 6 rounds in a revolver you have a bigger problem then you can handle. a revolver is more reliable for a women shooter. women that don't spend a lot of range time are going to limp wrist an auto and get it jammed up also more then a few are not going to be able to rack the slide. anyone that need 45 rounds for self defense/home invasion needs to think of other options.
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