making that compromise, power vs capacity vs concealment in a defensive hand gun

Grumpy

The Grumpy Grease Monkey mechanical engineer.
Staff member
I was recently in a discussion with a fairly new to firearms owner and concealed carry permit holder.
He was trying to make up his mind as to the weapon and caliber he wanted to carry for both concealed carry and personal defense and he brought up what I thought was some rather odd ideas?
he seemed to be rather concerned with making the correct choice in a concealed carry handgun, yet he seemed more concerned with easy concealment than having a defensive tool that could get the job done if he was forced to use it in self defense.
I personally thought (figuratively) he was diving off the dock head first, without even checking to see if there was water let alone how deep it might be at this point!
I strongly suggested he actually borrow or rent several different hand guns and try them out for at least 50 shots each at the local range to see how they felt, functioned and how well he could consistently hit his target, before purchasing any handgun.
most people have found the 9mm-40 caliber or a 38 spc or 357 mag revolver, or pistol with at least a 2.5"-3" minimum, too a 4"-5" barrel length at the most, too be a reasonable compromise, in conceal-ability and effective accuracy and power.

lets look at the basics
there are limitations and a handgun as a defensive tool, you'll want too look closely at what your trying to accomplish.
THINK CAREFULLY , SELECT A TOOL YOU CAN DEPEND ON,
TOO STOP AN OPPONENT, IF YOUR FORCED TO DEFEND YOURSELF!
what you may have selected to carry in your holster ,
and your practiced skills,may be the only thing preventing some lunatic from killing you and your family!
(it won,t do you much good if your attacker dies 30 minutes later,
in the hospital after killing you and everyone in your family )
obviously you should try hard to avoid placing yourself in and situation where your at risk,
and if you can avoid shooting an opponent that threatens you,
by leaving the area that,s generally the best idea.

(1)look over your states laws , because you damn sure don,t want to spend a great deal of cash on something illegal to carry.

(2)if what you select in a caliber and weapon is not powerful enough too get the job done of having a reasonable expectation of quickly disabling an attacker ,with a well placed shot, you might want to look into your options more deeply.

(3) if what you select is too large or heavy too comfortably carry and easily conceal, your making a poor choice because you will need to carry it almost constantly to have a reasonable expectation of having on hand in the very rare conditions where it might be needed, remember most people will never be forced into a life and death confrontation, but like owning and having easy access too a fire extinguisher or a parachute... if you need a handgun badly your life may depend on your skills, and equipment quality.... you may be dead , and never need one again without easy quick access, when its needed.

(4) if you do not maintain constant situational awareness about whats going on around you , you'll almost surely not have the option or luxury of having the required time and space to use any defensive weapon

(5) maintaining almost absolute dependability and reasonable accuracy requires constant maintenance and frequent practice.

(6) personally each of us might have different priorities , but Id suggest at least a 8 shot 9mm or 6 shot 38 spc revolver as about minimum, power level that will with well placed hits disable an aggressive attacker, based on decades of forensics,anything much larger or more powerful than, than a 41 magnum, 10mm, or 45 lc will slow repeat follow up shots and endanger people beyond/behind the intended target.

(7) statistically you'll have only seconds to react and ranges tend to be well under 20 ft, less than 6 shots will be fired. both your attacker and your accuracy will not be great.
(this is where constant practice and muscle memory,helps immensely) and keep in mind handguns are not going to instantly stop an assailant unless vital organs the central nervous system, or structual bones are hit

(8) constant practice requires you to purchase and actually shoot your handgun, thus ammo availability and cost is a big consideration.

(9) there will be legal and financial consequences even if your 100% justified , in shooting an attacker , KNOW THE LAWS,
be absolutely certain about when your fully justified in use of lethal force and,
WHEN YOUR NOT!
so having a obvious valid reason you can document and ideally liability insurance helps a great deal.

(10) do some research, spend a good deal of time at the range before making an informed choice and read some related info carefully before making your choice, a bad decision could cost you dearly

(11) if forced to shoot, keep your mouth shut, be cooperative, don,t volunteer info, or talk or make statements too cops , or witnesses ,first get a GOOD lawyer

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related info
http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...n-a-defensive-handgun-would-be-and-why.11908/

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/just-a-tip-that-might-save-your-life.13687/

http://www.policemag.com/channel/weapons/articles/2016/01/9mm-vs-40-caliber.aspx

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/selecting-a-good-self-defence-handgun.1128/

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/concealed-weapons-work.7656/

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/if-you-carry-concealed.4591/

https://www.ammoland.com/2017/01/great-carry-dilemma-capacity-vs-firepower/#axzz4xtZceeSQ

http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...bbie-revolver-with-kick-your-ass-punch.13661/

http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...aled-handgun-carry-liability-insurance.14222/

https://www.buckeyefirearms.org/choosing-handgun-carry-concealed-exercise-art-compromise

http://gundata.org/blog/post/best-handgun-caliber-and-round-for-self-defense/

https://concealedcarryconfidence.or...MI3dP89LCw1wIVgS-BCh27AwQ8EAMYASAAEgLQSfD_BwE

https://www.usacarry.com/best-handgun-caliber-concealed-carry-weapon/

https://www.range365.com/best-self-defense-handgun
 
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I got an email that directly asked What I'd recommend , I had a very strong feeling the poster never read through the linked info
(reading the links in any thread on this web site helps)

now as a base line I would suggest you try out ,
a 357 MAG revolver,
9mm- ]
40 s&W
,45 acp,
or 10mm semi auto
, or either GLOCK, 19,(9mm) 20,(10mm)21, 45 ACP) S&W M&P (9mm-40cal),FN 509 (9MM)or EAA whitness (9mm-38 super,10mm, 45 ACP)
keep in mind a handgun is a tool ,and a weapon,
and if you don,t select a tool and weapon,
that you can absolutely depend on too do its intended job,
And IF YOU don,t know exactly how to use that tool/weapon,
when and if your life is truly at risk,
its YOU that will suffer the consequences


https://eaacorp.com/guns/handguns/witness-steel-full-size-tanfoglio-52

https://www.smith-wesson.com/home-protection

https://www.sportsmansguide.com/pro...semi-automatic/glock?d=185&c=32&s=706&b=GLOCK

https://www.usacarry.com/fn-509-compact-9mm-review/

remember youll want a tool you feel confident in using, and not just purchase some gun too put in your pocket or holster,
that makes you feel like your not totally at the mercy of any criminal with a knife or baseball bat, let alone a hand gun.
the vast majority of people are not aggressive or criminals, but there are a very small percentage that think violent crime is perfectly acceptable,
especially if is against someone they feel is significantly better off financially.
the truth is only lots of practice with any weapon,will make you semi effective ,in its use, BUT if your not constantly acutely observant of your surroundings,your at a huge dis-advantage.
its your mindset and your basic martial arts skills , your attitude, and being constantly acutely observant of your surroundings that provides you with an edge and time to react.
Without some time to react and a seconds warning, any weapon and training will be almost useless, simply because criminals will not give you any warning before they attack.
it will be up to you to be both observant and constantly ready to respond if thats required.
I've spent a good deal of time with several close friends that are swat team members, and even those guys are not always constantly observant, of their surroundings.
that also obviously suggests you avoid going into risky areas and ideally when possible travel with more than one skilled and armed companion.
and you might be amused if you could see how badly even well trained and experienced guys can shoot with decades of training, if they are suddenly surprised, with unexpected circumstances.
I'm not suggesting you develop a paranoid outlook, but being totally ignorant of the fact that there are people who think they can and even are entitled to take what you have,
and if you object they, in their warped minds have zero , reason too not kill or injure you.

 
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You just can't fix stupid, no matter what type of weapon they choose or someone else chose for them. That is why others want gun reform, to protect us from such idiots.
 
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