Another hand gun thread.

[fastfredracing]

I think I am going to go out and get a hand gun, and a License to carry. Mostly for some leisure shooting / hobby. But who knows with the way the world is getting. A young kid caught some gunfire from gang thugs and was killed just a couple of streets away from the house we have been working on. I have been wanting to do this for years, but I figure I had better go out and do it soon, before we will not be able to anymore. Any suggestions/reccomendations??. I am thinking a 9mm , maybe a glock.

[Rick Lee]

I got my first handgun and CCW in Pittsburgh after seeing a kid get shot and die in front of the ATM machine near the corner of Forbes and Oakland Aves. PA is pretty easy for CCW's. Bought my S&W 915 at Braverman in Wilkinsburg a week or two before Clinton signed the '94 Crime Bill outlawing hi-cap mags. I made money on that gun a year two later because of the ban, sold it to a cop.

[John Rogers]

I have a S&W model 327-TRR8 in 357 mag. It holds 8 shots and since it is a revolver, never jams. Three moon clips provide a total of 24 rounds (+8 in the gun) which is enough I figure to get out of any situation! Oh yea, get a set of Crimson Trace laser grips as they are indepensible.

[HardDrive]

I carry a S&W model 442 in .38, a 'hammerless' model. I like a revolver because its reliable, but I don't like it because its kind of fat. No plans to change though. Revolvers give you at least 6 shots, jamming basically impossible.

I bought a hammerless gun because I like the idea that it would not catch on my clothing. But you want to look at that carefully, because as I found out, it limits your choices of holster. Many of the smaller, lighter carry holsters rely on a strap that grabs around the hammer. They don't work with a hammerless gun.

[Jim Bremner]

go to the range! rent every gun thet they"ll let you.

I just did this with my Dad. I've owned 1911's for years.

We shot the following

CZ75
SIG 226
Glock 19 ( he and I both liked it SECOND to last)
Berreta 92
S&W 357 wheel gun (least fav.)
and a high end Kimber 1911

My Dad is torn between the Kimber and the Sig, but wants to fire a HK prior to spending $$$

[Rick Lee]

HK's have come down in price a bit here. They're a lot of gun for the money, but I don't think they're any better than SIG for the money. Only HK I have now is a P7, which is very different from their other pistols.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Originally Posted by Jim Bremner

go to the range! rent every gun thet they"ll let you.

Agreed 100%!

Try out as many as you can and have fun - you'll get a much better feel for what you're comfortable with (single versus double action, revolver versus semi-auto, ergonomics, size, weight, recoil, etc.) This is exactly what I did years ago before buying one for myself that I loved (a Glock 17, which I still have).

As a side note, if there's any chance you'll be using it for personal protection, I wouldn't really go much smaller than a .380/9mm (well, possible exception made for the 7.62x25 Tokarev, but personally I wouldn't recommend that for a first gun - stick to something with easy-to-source, "normal" ammo...)

Anyway, lots of law enforcement guys and defense experts are just fine with 9x19 or .380. Obviously there's more stopping power with a .44, .45 or .50 but I'm just fine with any of my 9mms loaded with 147gr Winchester SXT ammo. That'll stop damn near anything. For home defense, a decent 12-gauge is always a good choice too. You can get Mossberg 500As for damn cheap these days, among others... And shotgun ammo is probably not going away anytime soon.

Best of luck - let us know what you get!

[peppy]

I finally got to shoot our new Glock yesterday. We made a day of it at my brothers.

We shot every gun we had ammo for.

Browning bar .243
Savage .22
S&W .38 service revolver
S&W .38 snub nose
POS .22 auto pistol
Glock .40

I had not shot in about 10 years, we had a blast.

Thanks for igniting the spark guys.

[Bill Douglas]

Excuse my extreme ignorance... But.

What is the difference between a single action trigger and a double action trigger in a semi auto. I once used a revolver and I had to pull the trigger HARD to pull the hammer back and didn't like this action - is this related to single/double action?

[Paul K]

I have a S&W 686 Combat Magnum. Looks like this;



4" barrel, double action, fires both .38 Special and .357 rounds.

A friend who is a retired State Cop taught me how to use it.

Works for me.

Paul.

[Rick Lee]

Originally Posted by Bill Douglas

Excuse my extreme ignorance... But.

What is the difference between a single action trigger and a double action trigger in a semi auto. I once used a revolver and I had to pull the trigger HARD to pull the hammer back and didn't like this action - is this related to single/double action?

Double-action on a semi-auto means it can be fired with the hammer down. The trigger has several times the pull weight as on single-action, but cycles the hammer from down to back to down. Look at a standard 1911. You can only fire one with the hammer already back. Look at a standard SIG Sauer or H&K. Most of them can be fired either way (assuming there's a round in the pipe). With the modern handguns, there's usually a block in the firing pin so that it cannot move, even if dropped or the hammer drops, unless the trigger was pulled.

Now there are single-action only and double-action only semi autos. On a DAO, when you rack the slide back, the hammer automatically drops down when the slide returns. But because of the firing pin block, it's totally safe.

[HardDrive]

One of my favorite handguns on earth. I have always wanted one with a 6" barrel. Beautiful looking gun, and I find I am suprisingly accurate with it, even when firing rapidly. Not much of a carry weapon though....

Originally Posted by Paul K

I have a S&W 686 Combat Magnum. Looks like this;



4" barrel, double action, fires both .38 Special and .357 rounds.

[Bill Douglas]

Thanks Rick.

[Jim Bremner]

Now there are single-action only and double-action only semi autos. On a DAO, when you rack the slide back, the hammer automatically drops down when the slide returns. But because of the firing pin block, it's totally safe.


well, as safe as the person holding it.


ALL guns are safe. it's people who are not.

(all guns are loaded btw)

[BGCarrera32]

Shoot everything you can, good advice.

That said, you really have to think hard about what you will carry and how. You'll want something that's not easy to leave at home- meaning a big bulky revolver with 6 shots is gonna be easy to leave home and hard to conceal. On the other hand, I'm not a fan of little Kel-Tec pocket pistol type firearms either that look like toys and get stashed in ladies purses.

If you do plan to carry- don't for a second believe that a "license to carry" class will prepare you for it. That should be viewed as a precursor to a *lot* more training that you will be taking. Remember, that gun can get taken away from you and used against you- and if you can't remediate a function problem or jam, it just became a $600 paperweight. Learn to shoot on the move and reload while staying on target.

Harda$$es on this forum talk it up about guns and their carry skills; the reality is the second you pull it from the holster you better be prepared mentally and legally to deal with the consequences of taking a life. Once the bullet leaves the chamber life will not be the same...and nothing you do will take that bullet back.

[rfuerst911sc]

I really like my Smith & Wesson 40 cal. model 4006. All stainless steel and built like a brick $hithouse! Law enforcement trade ins are available just look around, I purchased mine for $300.00 and it's a piece that can be handed down thru generations. I agree with the comments of go to a local range and rent as many as you can stand.