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Any citizen that hits a bad guy 30 feet away better have lots of dough for the civil suite..
Stay away from the P3AT (.380 Kel-Tec) We had a couple of them at one point. The manual tells you to run some 100-200 rounds though it if I remember right to break it in and make it reliable.
First of all, this is only a very light self defense gun and is not a shooter. It hurts to pull the trigger on one on these lightweight guns. I have been shooting all types of guns for well over 50 years and these are just not designed to be shooters so it's stupid to require someone to put more than 100 or so rounds through a gun that is uncomfortable to shoot. Just the facts.
The two that we had jammed constantly on trying to eject the spent casings resulting in the casing jamming the mechanism. The failure rate on these guns was 15-22% for all types of ammo fired. This type of failure means you have to drop the clip to clear the gun. Not my idea of a reliable handgun fro self defense.
I fixed one myself, but it still had problems. The other I sent it to them and waited nearly 9 weeks to get it back. I jammed the 3rd round that we fired. I sold them both.
We carry the Ruger SP-101 with the 2 1/4" barrel. .357 magnum, light for a 5 shot in that size although it is stainless steel and not light. It's compact, that round will drop most on impact. And if you need a 2nd shot it's very controllable too. It had enough weight to counter the large round.
Face it, for self defense you want a gun that is reliable, that you can hide if you need to, and has enough impact to stop what you are shooting at with the first shot at very close range.
And unless you are very familiar and accomplished with firearms I do not recommend a semi auto. Revolvers are simple.
My son bought me a cellphone-looking taser for Mother's Day and until I get a handgun, I now have it in my hands when I go to properties or even leaving the bank after cashing larger checks. But, once its really hot here in Texas (like starting next week) I am going to my local gun club/firing range and getting more training and will start testing guns.....
My son bought me a cellphone-looking taser for Mother's Day and until I get a handgun, I now have it in my hands when I go to properties or even leaving the bank after cashing larger checks. But, once its really hot here in Texas (like starting next week) I am going to my local gun club/firing range and getting more training and will start testing guns.....
I'm partial to .38 Special "snubbies" because it's a decent sized round, the gun holds five of them and I've never, in 25 years of combined law enforcement and military service, had a "wheel gun" jamb on me or misfire.
My wife just bought me a Smith & Wesson Model 637 Airweight, .38 Special +P for Father's Day. Mine has a shrouded hammer so it can only be fired double-action. If you have a weakness in your grip then one with an exposed hammer you can thumb back to fire single-action would be better for you. And because of arthritis or other issues, one of the mini-semi-automatics would not be advised because of the strength of grip needed to chamber the first round.
Here's what I have:
You'd be better off with this which is also very light weight and dependable:
Another advantage to revolvers is that they are low maintenance. I have compact 1911 which is semi-auto, but for me the maintenance is part of the joy of owning it - it's a labor of love. There are a lot of springs and moving parts so if you don't keep up with it the gun will age fast.
If you just want to carry some heat, get the snubby pictured above. If you want a low maintenance semi-auto with some serious fire power, check out guns made by Kahr. I don't care for Glocks or the S&W auto's with the same mushy trigger, but some people swear by them and cops use them, so...
in most areas civilians have the added responsibility that drawing a weapon when not justified is a crime.. its brandishing a weapon....
while you may feel threatened the reality is if the bad guy it turns out isnt armed and you pull a gun then you can be charged with brandishing.....
the hammerless snubby never has to leave the comfort of your pocket.. not so with a semi auto which will jam in a pocket and the snubby with hammer can snag easily...
As long as we're talking self-defense, I'm also a great believer in Crimson-Trace or other laser targeting system. It can negate the chance that you might actually have to shoot because if an assailant sees that red or green dot appear in the middle of their chest their more liable to lie down or run rather than attack. I have it on a S&W Model 15 Combat Masterpiece I've loaded with frangible ammunition which can be deadly to a human but won't penetrate walls, doors, etc., lessening the chance for "collateral damage." It's my "inside" gun. I won't put laser sights on the 637 because I'm well trained and experienced in point-and-shoot and don't need it for close-in situations, should one ever arise, and I also don't want to add to the gun's weight or sillouette.
For home defense, a pump shotgun is great because when you rack-in a round, whoever is out there knows exactly what their coming up against, even if they've never heard the sound before, and will usually decide not to because it's hard to miss with a scatter gun.
By the way, it also helps if you're in a state with a Castle Doctrine in its law. MO has it and is also a "must issue" state for a CCW.
some of the issues we were taught in combat training with a shotgun or rifle is that in close quarters in a house leverage aint your friend..its so easy for a bad guy to grab that barrel and with simple leverage pop it out of your hand in a second....
searching out a noise you hear in the middle of the night with a shotgun or any long arm is not recommended....
the other issue is at typical self defence ranges of 8ft or under close range the spread of a shotgun is barely wider then a pack of cigerettes and probley less depending on what shot your using. slugs would have to be aimed also which aint easy in a home situation making the ya cant miss aspect more a myth then reality..
over penetration and hitting family members or neighbors is another issue..
overall long arms are not the way to go for untrained folks to protect the inside of their house.
top honors would have to be a snubby with mag-safe or glassar safety rounds......
Last edited by mathjak107; 06-02-2010 at 05:38 PM..
overall long arms are not the way to go for untrained folks to protect the inside of their house.
top honors would have to be a snubby with mag-safe or glassar safety rounds......
The training element I'll agree with. But no one should purchase a weapon with which they don't receive the proper training.
With training and experience, I also think that snubbies are the way to go!
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