Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
This is true to some extent but I don't want to depend on the lethality of a pellet gun when someone either has a 9mm or shotgun or a knife and is 300 pounds of raging psycho.
I understand you points, but you have to take into account that if you can't hit a barn door with your hand cannon, but can hit the target right on with a pellet gun, you are better of with the pellet gun.
I was not implying that a pellet gun should be used, but that what matters is not the caliber or cartridge used. What really matters is how well you can shoot whichever gun you have at hand.
I understand you points, but you have to take into account that if you can't hit a barn door with your hand cannon, but can hit the target right on with a pellet gun, you are better of with the pellet gun.
I was not implying that a pellet gun should be used, but that what matters is not the caliber or cartridge used. What really matters is how well you can shoot whichever gun you have at hand.
That is very true, but the OP asked, "What YOU consider the best to use"? So maybe you are a bullseye shooter, what would you consider the best for YOU to carry? So discount everybody else's ability, and capability, and the fact they might have a night scope and a bypod on their hand cannon, what do you consider the minimum that YOU would use for Self Defense?
Great post and perhaps it should have ended there... but then you decided to add fuel to the decade raging fire as in....
Well it was a great compromise for those such as myself who like a sub-compact with a little more capacity than a .45. and better physics than a .9mm so it did fill a a space in the auto-calibers. If I were going to carry a full frame auto, it would be a .45 1911 period, no question. But for everyday carry I've depended on the Glock 27 for 15 years. I'll sacrifice the impact energy of .45 for 3 extra rounds while sacrificing the 5rds but better ballistics of a 9mm. My decision had nothing to do with fashion or years pouring over ballistic tables, it just made perfect sense in a imperfect world.
Oh...I wasn't trying to bash the 40 really. And yea, I guess it has it's a niche with a lot of people. I just don't have room for one. My view of its "trendy" status goes back to all the hoopla when it came out. Everyone was so excited. Lol, well, thats fine. The new kid made a splash on the field. Taming the raw, rabid horsepower of the 10mm auto into something more controllable and less prone to breaking guns.
I still think the 10mm would be a great submachine gun round. Same with the 357. Sig. Same idea applies to a pistol caliber carbine. With some extra barrel length to allow proper burning of the slower powders these cartridges can utilize, and some weight to hold down recoil, they could really shine in such a role.
That is very true, but the OP asked, "What YOU consider the best to use"? So maybe you are a bullseye shooter, what would you consider the best for YOU to carry? So discount everybody else's ability, and capability, and the fact they might have a night scope and a bypod on their hand cannon, what do you consider the minimum that YOU would use for Self Defense?
At least, that was my take on it.
This is what the OP referred to:
Quote:
what type of muzzle velocity or bullet grain or KE do you consider sufficient for self dense use?
No LE or military use. Just typical self defense. Either cased or concealed. Your preference in how you answer.
I still use a 9mm 158gr. FMJ. or .38 Special 148gr wadcutter.(for an older revolver)
I see .40 is the preferred nowadays. Very powerful cartridge I am thinking.
My answer still remains as follows: what matters the most is how proficient you are with whichever gun you have at hand, regardless of caliber (or regardless of cartridge). That's what makes the most difference.
The OP feels that the 9MM and the .38 Special he carries are good for defense, and I agree with him. Some other person may feel quite confident with a .22 LR pistol or revolver, and that's fine too. For home defense, however, a shotgun loaded with bird shot is plenty at close range, specially if one does not want to shoot through walls and injure family members or neighbors.
My view of its "trendy" status goes back to all the hoopla when it came out. Everyone was so excited. Lol, well, thats fine. The new kid made a splash on the field.
Interesting that you mentioned the 357 Sig which is the newest kid on the block but despite have very similar ballistics and weight capacity the 357 just hasn't caught on anywhere as close as the 40 S&W. So I would suggest that is something more than just the trendiness of the whole thing. Most police departments weren't about to adopt the .45 and the 9mm just wasn't cutting it ( I remember one particular shoot out where three cops made multiple hits with nines but it wasn't brought to a close until a female officer step in with a .357) so the 40 S&W was a good compromise. So I think there is more to the story than just being the new kid on the block.
Modern ammunition must be taken into account with the other normal factors, such as weight, velocity, ect. Also, big rounds don't mean crap if you can't hit the target under stress or run out of ammo.
No LE or military use. Just typical self defense. Either cased or concealed. Your preference in how you answer.
I still use a 9mm 158gr. FMJ. or .38 Special 148gr wadcutter.(for an older revolver)
I see .40 is the preferred nowadays. Very powerful cartridge I am thinking.
This is what the OP referred to:
You said:
Quote:
what type of muzzle velocity or bullet grain or KE do you consider sufficient for self dense use?
No LE or military use. Just typical self defense. Either cased or concealed. Your preference in how you answer.
I still use a 9mm 158gr. FMJ. or .38 Special 148gr wadcutter.(for an older revolver)
I see .40 is the preferred nowadays. Very powerful cartridge I am thinking.
My answer still remains as follows: what matters the most is how proficient you are with whichever gun you have at hand, regardless of caliber (or regardless of cartridge). That's what makes the most difference.
The OP feels that the 9MM and the .38 Special he carries are good for defense, and I agree with him. Some other person may feel quite confident with a .22 LR pistol or revolver, and that's fine too. For home defense, however, a shotgun loaded with bird shot is plenty at close range, specially if one does not want to shoot through walls and injure family members or neighbors.
You kind of answered it. I wasn't trying to pull your trigger or yank your chain. I was actually curious. Being in AK, what you carry may well include what you carry while out with wildlife. I am in Wyoming and I know what I carry for those people critters, but I also have to be concerned with those 4 legged critters. Believe me, after being in the military for more years than I care to discuss, I feel relatively comfortable in what it takes to defend myself against an intruder. But being in Wyoming, some times those intruders are of the 4 legged variety, and was simply curious as to what YOU used, and what YOU thought was addacuate for Alaska.
Some threats have more than 2 legs. Self defense is self defense.
You kind of answered it. I wasn't trying to pull your trigger or yank your chain. I was actually curious. Being in AK, what you carry may well include what you carry while out with wildlife. I am in Wyoming and I know what I carry for those people critters, but I also have to be concerned with those 4 legged critters. Believe me, after being in the military for more years than I care to discuss, I feel relatively comfortable in what it takes to defend myself against an intruder. But being in Wyoming, some times those intruders are of the 4 legged variety, and was simply curious as to what YOU used, and what YOU thought was addacuate for Alaska.
Some threats have more than 2 legs. Self defense is self defense.
Good points, and I agree with you. By the way, I too retired from the military by the 20-year mark.
When I am out hunting I use a .338 WM loaded with 225-grain TSX (Federal loads), and usually have very close-by (on the ATV) a Freedom Arms .454 Casull loaded with Corborn hard-cast ammo. There are times, like when in my sleeping bag, where the revolver can be handier in my tent in the middle of the night, or just when I am at the campsite outhouse
The Casull would be for close-by work on a "bear emergency". But I carry a Ruger 1911 .45 with a 10-round magazine and hard-cast ammo just for wolves and smaller animals, since we have very large wolf packs in the areas I hunt. I am a big chicken when it gets dark and I can't see very much.
Now, when picking berries I usually carry a Marlin stainless steel .45-70, loaded with hard cast ammo that's produced locally. This is strictly for bears at close range (no scope on this rifle).
When carrying around town, for example, sometimes I carry the .45-caliber pistol loaded with defense ammo, or a .38 Special, or a .22LR Taurus. Most times I don't carry anything because Fairbanks is a small place and relatively safe.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
