First Handgun

I haven't had a handgun in years, but I recently purchased a Glock 9mm. I went with the larger size b/c it wasn't meant to be a carry weapon. I know they sell smaller sizes, but I'm really not familiar with them. It's a very dependable, easy to clean semi-auto, and it's reasonably priced. You may be able to find a new one in the high $400s, but they're probably easy to find used.
 
Thanks for the in-depth write up. I am in college but live close to home and will keep the gun there until I graduate. I do understand my campus laws on guns (...as outrageously misled and stupid as they are). My uncle has a .22 that I shoot at his farm regularly. Like I said, I am comfortable with a firearm. However, I understand my experience level and just want to take it slowly, which is why I want a gun with a safety. I have heard a lot about the M&P Shield and have looked into it. Like I said however, I would really rather not be spending 6 or 7 hundred dollars on a gun. I completely understand the importance of a reliable firearm, but I am not so set in my ways that I can't stand a double action pistol.
 
Great suggestions, I'll be doing the same within the next month or two. Do all of you carry right in your pants pocket?
 
Small can be a problem, try and see what works for you. My son has an LCP and likes its ease of concealment. I can't shoot it worth beans. Too small in my hand. My Bersa Thunder380cc fits in my front pocket in a Remora holster and is much easier to shoot. Now, with my glasses the distance part of the lens lines up and I can't see the sights, but in a defence situation that won't matter, I won't be using them. The only problem my son and I find with front pocket carry is that you lose muzzle control when you sit down. It is no longer pointed down. Just a thought.
 
CBeaulieu said:
Do all of you carry right in your pants pocket?
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Naaah, nickel plated long slide .45 with oyster grips right down the front. Held there by the elastic on my boxers with the little hearts.

I learned that CC technique watching music videos.
 
CBeaulieu said:
Great suggestions, I'll be doing the same within the next month or two. Do all of you carry right in your pants pocket?
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As mentioned, think about where that thing is pointing.
 
Morne said:
1-Being a first time gun owner you should really reconsider the revolvers. A nice 4" barrel on a .357 Magnum (which can also shoot the softer .38 Special) will serve a variety of purposes from target shooting to home defense to concealed carry. Revolvers simply have fewer modes of failure for the beginner to worry about.
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What do you think of this:
http://www.wsbtv.com/news/news/local/woman-hiding-kids-shoots-intruder/nTm7s/

I'm not sure I'm down with that "only have 6 rounds" thing. When gangbangers visit, especially.
 
For shooting and home defense, it's hard to beat a Smith & Wesson 9mm. Mine is stainless steel, gorgeous, and accurate.

For carrying, however, you need something more compact. I've got the Keltec PF-9. Mary loves her Walther P22.

As for accuracy with the sub-compacts, in self defense I don't think it matters whether you have a 3" grouping at 50', or a 10" grouping. The bad guy is still full of holes.
:D
 
Sac Arrow said:
As mentioned, think about where that thing is pointing.
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That is obviously a concern but,

The Ruger compact semi autos are designed to be carried that way. The long pull double action trigger plus a fitted holster that covers the trigger. The gun can't be fired without a trigger pull because it is not cocked even with a round in the chamber.

Other single action weapons are usually carried in a cocked position, with the trigger releasing the cocked hammer that fires the gun. This means that a malfunction of the gun could result in a discharge. (extremely rare) Additionally if the safety were left off, accidentally switched off or malfunctioned, a light pressure on the trigger (possible through a soft holster if you were to fall etc..) is all that is required to release the cocked hammer.

If you take a CC class the instructor will go through all the different types of weapons and explain holsters and acceptable methods for carrying.
 
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Sac Arrow said:
As mentioned, think about where that thing is pointing.
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It always seemed odd to me but folks i know who carry concealed stick it right in their pocket.

Do ya'll wear the cool-looking vest holsters like Starsky and Hutch use?

:confused: :D
 
CBeaulieu said:
It always seemed odd to me but folks i know who carry concealed stick it right in their pocket.
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My instructor mentioned that a lot of people do put guns with hard pull double action triggers (usually the little snub nose revolvers) right in the pocket and its okay if you don't have anything in your pocket. But he also added a holster that covers the trigger is highly recommended.
 
dell30rb said:
My instructor mentioned that a lot of people do put guns with hard pull double action triggers (usually the little snub nose revolvers) right in the pocket and its okay if you don't have anything in your pocket. But he also added a holster that covers the trigger is highly recommended.
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No doubt some great advice. I'm sure they're doing just that -
 
CBeaulieu said:
Great suggestions, I'll be doing the same within the next month or two. Do all of you carry right in your pants pocket?
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Depends on the gun, sitation, and dress. A pocket holster is nice provided the gun is small enough and you don't carry too much stuff there.

You need to evaluate your dress and firearm of choice, and determine which makes the most sense for you.
 
Yeah. It's hard to fit a very big weapon in a speedo.
 
That picture of the sig is kind of small, could you blow it up a little bigger?
 
Ted DuPuis said:
Depends on the gun, sitation, and dress. A pocket holster is nice provided the gun is small enough and you don't carry too much stuff there.

You need to evaluate your dress and firearm of choice, and determine which makes the most sense for you.
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Gotcha. I have more research to do I'd say!
 
And I forgot to add in my little diatribe that a handgun is lousy, I repeat LOUSY, for home defense.
You want a pump shotgun. 12 ga. or 16 ga. with birdshot and open choke.

BTW, in decades past - one time on a lark I showed up at the IDPA shoot with a 22 Ruger. The range safety officer had a near stroke.
"It won't make minimum power."
"I know. I just want to shoot the course without being on the score card. I'll shoot it a second time with my service revolver for score."
After a lot of whispered consultations they agreed to let me shoot the course after the sanctioned shoot was over.
So the time came and I walked out with the little Ruger on my belt. I had an entourage follow me - everyone there.
So, I shot the course. After the entire day of sharp cracking 40's and heavy booming 45's and the ubiquitous 9mm's, the barely audible pop-pop-pop of the 22 was anticlimactic. I got a lot of wise cracks from the peanut gallery.
The wise cracks went away during the last two stages when they realized I had was beating the time of the best shooter there (and I am not in his league - not even close). It was the lack of recoil. I could just hose a target down with a double or a triple in the time it normally takes me to fire one from the .357 and recover the sights after the recoil.
I was reciting the Dirty Harry famous line as I Mozambiqued a pair of bad guys. It is still talked about from time to time at the club.
 
zaitcev said:
What do you think of this:
http://www.wsbtv.com/news/news/local/woman-hiding-kids-shoots-intruder/nTm7s/

I'm not sure I'm down with that "only have 6 rounds" thing. When gangbangers visit, especially.
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Looks like she stopped the threat. Good for her.

My carry gun rolls 7.

The decision point centers around reliability under stress and possibly while hurt or in close contact. You cannot limp wrist a revolver into failure, nor can a bad guy simply shove the revolver's slide out of battery. A wheelgun has never dumped its magazine during the draw stroke.

I tote two revolvers and two reloads for each. That's 42 rounds of .357 Maggie for those keeping track. If the threat cannot be stopped by that, then no handgun was ever going to stop it.
 
I think the most important thing is to find a gun that "feels" right to you - in terms of size, weight, and how it fits in your hand.

I carried the M1911 (Think it was a Colt) and the Beretta M9 when I was in the Coast Guard. The Beretta felt "just right" in my hand, though it was sort of large. When I was in the DEA I had a Beretta 92FS (basically the same as the M9). About 5 years ago I ditched the Beretta for something smaller, a SigSauer P239. It also feels comfy in my hand and is sized right.

As far as USING the weapon goes, I was taught that a handgun is to use while you get to a long gun (rifle or in the case of DEA, the submachine gun). I don't live in or travel to places where I'm needing to worry about more than two hostile persons at a time, so carrying with the 8 rounds in the 239 is to my mind just fine. I might consider going to a .45 if I could find one that feels right. But I use Hydra-Shok ammo to make the most of the 9MM.

Oh, the Sig doesn't have a separate safety, and that took some getting used to after the Beretta, which did. But I'm comfortable with it - there's no way that gun will fire unless there's pressure on the trigger. When I carry it's in a holster that covers the trigger, and when I'm not carrying (I have a 9 year old in the house) the gun is in a locker that can be opened quickly, even in the dark, but not by my daughter.

In any case, find a gun that fits you, practice with it until you're comfortable, and I recommend some "dual" with a defensive pistol instructor, a few hours of guided practice in safely holding the weapon tactically is a very good investment.
 
DeeG said:
My current carry:

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It replaced the small frame Glock 40. Like Renjamins, its a .380. Fits nicely in my purse, and in the pocket of my motorcycle jacket.
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I think it's important to add... "Inside a holster" to both of those locations for new folks. You don't just toss a gun in a pocket, I don't care how many safeties it has on it. If the trigger and trigger guard are exposed, things can press the trigger. I do hope you're using a pocket holster, Dee!

DeeG said:
And please, please, PLEASE, don't ever leave your gun in your car. I take at least one call a month from people reporting that their car, parked in their driveway overnight, was broken into (or the ****at left it unlocked) and along with the GPS and the CD's and their laptop, they found the gun. My attitude changes real quick from, gee I feel bad for you to, Gee, your a f$&%^ idiot that needs to be taken behind the barn and horse whipped.
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Agreed. There are some ways to secure a gun in a car well enough that they won't be stolen, and none of them include the $40 "gun boxes with cables" solution. Owning the vehicle models that LEOs use, helps. You can buy all sorts of toys for cheaper than having them custom made. :)
 
Ted DuPuis said:
A great deal of it is just figuring out what you like and don't like.
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Also trying different ones out in running/crouching/ducking scenarios helps too. Combat accuracy is a lot different than range accuracy. It really doesn't matter that you can hold a three inch group at ten meters at a stationary target. What matters is that you can quickly acquire and hit human size targets rapidly, while moving, and under stress. Handguns that "point" more naturally in your hands are best for this. Sights make a huge difference. Large, squared off and brightly highlighted sights are best. Thin fronts and small, U shaped notched rears suck. A short sighting radius, while less precise, is easier to acquire than a long sight radius.
 
Get one of the light weight .22 snubbies. Light enough to carry anywhere, cheap and pleasant enough to practice the snot out of. Consider running 500 rounds of 22 through a light handgun compared to running 500 rounds of 38, both in price and pain. Being competent is far more important then power. Forget the ninja stopping power nonsense, better to hit with less then miss with more.
 
ClimbnSink said:
Get one of the light weight .22 snubbies. Light enough to carry anywhere, cheap and pleasant enough to practice the snot out of. Consider running 500 rounds of 22 through a light handgun compared to running 500 rounds of 38, both in price and pain. Being competent is far more important then power. Forget the ninja stopping power nonsense, better to hit with less then miss with more.
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I agree with that only to a point. The purpose of shooting someone is to stop them and keep them from hurting you. I've seen people shot multiple times with ball 9mm ammo continue to rampage and cause harm, only to die later from their injuries. A .22 will kill, but to stop someone quickly with one, you have to have extremely well placed shots. Like in the eyeballs or the nutsack.
 
Right, but factor in odds of a regular person shooting someone that deserves it, that being shot by anything is likely to take the fight out of most people(Odds of shooting someone hopped up on angel dust?) Consider it is his first handgun and $ is a factor. 22 snubbie is the answer. Parachuting into Afghanistan or being a door kicker for the cops has a different answer.
Sac Arrow said:
I agree with that only to a point. The purpose of shooting someone is to stop them and keep them from hurting you. I've seen people shot multiple times with ball 9mm ammo continue to rampage and cause harm, only to die later from their injuries. A .22 will kill, but to stop someone quickly with one, you have to have extremely well placed shots. Like in the eyeballs or the nutsack.
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The odds are strongly in favor of the aggressor being hyped up on adreneline, drugs or alcohol if you have to shoot him. He's most likely there to rob your house, rob you, or assault you if you're a female. The typical self defense scenario doesn't consist of an out of control shouting match with Wally Cleaver.
 
The folks on "bath salts" (synthetic cocaine, basically) are the freaky ones nowadays. PCP isn't nearly as en vogue anymore.
 
I carry a 1911 in my back pocket and an AR on my shoulder no need to conceal at that point.
 
denverpilot said:
I think it's important to add... "Inside a holster" to both of those locations for new folks. You don't just toss a gun in a pocket, I don't care how many safeties it has on it. If the trigger and trigger guard are exposed, things can press the trigger. I do hope you're using a pocket holster, Dee!
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Always. Top one is its normal carry holster from Don Hume. Has a belt loop on the back, but it fits nicely in a jacket pocket or in my purse. Bottom one is if I want to carry not so concealed. Can't remember whose holster that one is, maybe Safariland????

2013-01-10192741-1_zpsdc57abe3.jpg
 
Go rent everything you can and see what fits you. Narrow things down and then put a lot of rounds down range (rented or owned). It doesn't have to be comfortable to shoot, just ergonomic enough to work safely and accurately. Don't be concerned that a .45 is too big. I'd like to try a few more .45's myself. My 1911 is too big for my hand. I'd really like to get a chance to try an XDS. My go-to carry gun is a Makarov (an actual Makarov, not just something that fires 9x18). I highly recommend them. Incredibly reliable, not too expensive, and just an off-enough caliber that there aren't many shortages. I've probably put 10k rounds through one of my Makarovs without a single malfunction (1600 rounds in one sitting one afternoon).
 
marcoseddi said:
I carry a 1911 in my back pocket and an AR on my shoulder no need to conceal at that point.
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Really? In New Jersey? Nice try though. You voluntarily gave up your Constitutional rights years ago.

:rolleyes:
 
I talked with my sis yesterday about this. Both of us are in our 50's and never owned a gun. That being said I have taken every saftey class I could when I was young for gun saftey. Even though I never owned, I did this just incase I ever want to own a gun, or if I need to pick one up I wanted to know how and what to do.

She now owns 4 ar15's and is going CC. She said its going in her purse. I told her to stop right there.
I told her CC should be on your person. No way anyone is taking that gun from you unless you are dead. I told her why does she think our military have the men and women wear dog tags around their neck. The only way you are taking those tags from these men and women is over thier dead bodies.
Then I said what if someone seperates her from her purse then harms her. What good is that gun in the purse if you can not get to the purse.

The not so Sweet side of things.

H.A.Sweet
 
^^^^^^Good advice. Purse carry is better than nothing, but concealed, on your person is the way to go. This is one of the best resources I've seen for firearm advice and it is geared towards women, and written by a woman.

http://www.corneredcat.com/
 
1600vw said:
I talked with my sis yesterday about this. Both of us are in our 50's and never owned a gun. That being said I have taken every saftey class I could when I was young for gun saftey. Even though I never owned, I did this just incase I ever want to own a gun, or if I need to pick one up I wanted to know how and what to do.

She now owns 4 ar15's and is going CC. She said its going in her purse. I told her to stop right there.
I told her CC should be on your person. No way anyone is taking that gun from you unless you are dead. I told her why does she think our military have the men and women wear dog tags around their neck. The only way you are taking those tags from these men and women is over thier dead bodies.
Then I said what if someone seperates her from her purse then harms her. What good is that gun in the purse if you can not get to the purse.

The not so Sweet side of things.

H.A.Sweet
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Have her check out http://www.guntotenmamas.com/

They have a line of concealed carry purses. They have shoulder straps with a steel cable run through them so the purse strap can't be cut and taken. And if she carries it with the strap across her torso like a shoulder belt instead of just over one shoulder it's pretty hard to take the purse. Plus, a few of them have external pockets, where it's as quick or quicker to draw from than a hip holster.

I only know about this because we had 4 women in my CPL class, and they covered that.
 
Dr. O said:
And I forgot to add in my little diatribe that a handgun is lousy, I repeat LOUSY, for home defense.
You want a pump shotgun. 12 ga. or 16 ga. with birdshot and open choke.
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What????

Did a dove just kick your front door in?

I've heard those things can peck the hell out of you.
 
1600vw said:
I talked with my sis yesterday about this. Both of us are in our 50's and never owned a gun. That being said I have taken every saftey class I could when I was young for gun saftey. Even though I never owned, I did this just incase I ever want to own a gun, or if I need to pick one up I wanted to know how and what to do.

She now owns 4 ar15's and is going CC. She said its going in her purse. I told her to stop right there.
I told her CC should be on your person. No way anyone is taking that gun from you unless you are dead. I told her why does she think our military have the men and women wear dog tags around their neck. The only way you are taking those tags from these men and women is over thier dead bodies.
Then I said what if someone seperates her from her purse then harms her. What good is that gun in the purse if you can not get to the purse.

The not so Sweet side of things.

H.A.Sweet
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For what it's worth, when I was assigned to temporary duty in a small Central American country in which we had officially ceased to "advise" two years previous, we could only go in to town wearing civilian clothes, and we had to carry a weapon on our person (not to do so would have been suicidal.) Given that the climate was very hot, clothes bulky enough to conceal an M1911 were pretty much out of the question so we carried what were called "fag bags", which were small leather purses used to conceal sidearms. You pretty much had to treat the purse itself as a carried weapon that could not get out of your control. You kept your hand around it when you walked, and it was slung over your shoulder when you were sitting. It wasn't quite as good as an internal holster, but it worked out pretty well.

Yeah, the locals knew what was in them.
 
Alexb2000 said:
What????

Did a dove just kick your front door in?

I've heard those things can peck the hell out of you.
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A pump gun makes a distinctive sound when you rack the slide that can't be mistaken for anything else. And, the muzzle of that 12 gauge looks like a sewer pipe when you are looking down it from the wrong end.
 
Ghery said:
A pump gun makes a distinctive sound when you rack the slide that can't be mistaken for anything else. the wrong end.
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I read somewhere that the sound of a pump shotgun action is the most recognized sound in the world. Not sure if it's true, but no doubt most know what that noise is!
 
CBeaulieu said:
I read somewhere that the sound of a pump shotgun action is the most recognized sound in the world. Not sure if it's true, but no doubt most know what that noise is!
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I wonder if there is a market for a device to play a recording of the pump shotgun action... :) Think of the fun, especially when combined with a laser....
 
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