How about some handgun recommendations

[5-90]

I never said it was efficient, I said that 9mm was cheaper for me to use because, at the time, I went though 100 to 150 rounds a week.

Jon, I agree with most of what you are saying about training except this important missing peice of common sense; Most home owners, unless they are also involved in a criminal enterprise, will almost never need to use their gun for home defense. You shoot to protect people, not property.

When I recomended training, the training I was thinking of, covers more of what basic Police pistol skills and the legal aspects of using a gun in a home defense scenerio.

Point.

However, I didn't mean the "so damned efficient" to be directed at you - more at the community in general (I find the 9m/m - of whatever sort - to be only borderline useful at best for anything sturdier than corrugated cardboard. Whatever NATO thinks of the thing.)

And while the legal aspects/consequences of the use of lethal force should be covered (and typically are in a CCW course, since state laws differ,) and basic sidearm skills (police or military) are a good thing - the simple fact remains that once you are involved in a situation where the likelihood of use of lethal force approaches certainty, the stress upon the person will be incredible. Especially if it's a citizen protecting people - chances are, he's going to be protecting someone close to him. This will present an immense psychological stress on him - and there's no two ways about it.

You can't really simulate the specific psychological stress in training, but it can be approximated with physiological stress - and you should experience that at least once so you have some idea of what to expect. If you plan to carry on a daily basis (or a reasonable approximation,) then training with stress should always be done - else, at least once in a while so you know how you're going to react.

If you're planning on - someday - shooting something more threatening than a "good guy/bad guy" paper target, you have a responsibility to the people around to you to make sure you are as prepared as possible to do so effectively - and do your level damndest to present a threat only toward the threat perceived. Prosecution for a "stray round" injury is likely to be every bit as agressive as prosecution for an intentional and unjustifiable shooting - like anything else, it comes down to a matter of risk management. The greater the risk that is proposed, the greater the responsibility becomes to mitigate that risk. Don't plan on eliminating it entirely - but the closer you can get those odds to zero - and demonstrate that you are making every effort to do so - the better your chances will be in court after the shooting.

 

[iwannadie]

I realize you were talking about stopping power, but did you mean "Caliber"

Lol it was late for me and I was on the jeep site, my brain went with caliper(as in the braking type).

 

[RichP]

The 9mm being adopted by our military was a political decision, they could just as well have built the Baretta as a .45. I think the 9mm and 9mm short [.380] as also a traditional thing with europeans, they have been standard side arm calibers for over a 100 years carried by both police and military, generally officers were never expected to actually have to shoot someone, more ceremonial than anything. The actual killing rounds were 7 and 8mm rifle calibers and the german sub guns were carried by NCO's who again were not really expected to get into the thick of things.
I know the germans loved the .45 thompson, they were prized for their knockdown and outright pleasant shooting characteristics, if you ever get the chance to shoot one you will be shocked at almost the -0- recoil they have, the thompson is a tad over 12lbs EMPTY with shoulder stock and either long or pistol grip front, it's like firing a 10/22, add a 100 round drum and it's close to 20lbs, no .45 is even going to budge that mass, the M3 gease gun on the other hand jumps all over the place.
In my opinion, the .45acp is probably the best round ever developed and the natural pointing characteristics of the 1911 and it's variants makes them an easy shooter. The lighter weight .45's defeat that a bit, add a alloy frame and the recoil goes up, every time you lighten it recoil increases.
I have a .380 radon that my dad took off a luftwaffe pilot during WWII, it's a tad smaller from the 1911 but firing the .380 recoil is almost nil compared to say an Astra constable or walther ppk in .380 but then it is a heavy little bastard for it's size. And yea, I have all three so I can compare them. well, at least I had them till my boat sank...

 

[ECKSJAY]

well, at least I had them till my boat sank...

Lost yours in that deadly earthfirehurriquake too? That was a rough day.

 

[Starscream]

Hogan's Alley should be done a minimum of once per week, after a half-mile run, and done with any duty weapon available to you - sidearm, patrol carbine, rifle, shotty, whatever. If you might carry a SMG on duty, include that in your rotation.

Does this sound excessive? Most people would think so. But, if your life (or the lives of others) is going to depend on your skill with firearms, you'd better take every opportunity to improve that skill you can find!

I really, really want to do actual shooting drills. I know there is a place around here that does them; there has to be. As soon as I get the weapon and CCL, that's the next item on the list. I've found target shooting fairly easy, but I could always stand for improvement. I think I'd benefit from shooting drills a lot more.

Lost yours in that deadly earthfirehurriquake too? That was a rough day.

Aha! Forget buying a gun, just tell me where you guys go, er, used to go boating.

 

[WB9YZU]

I decided to burn some range time today.

I saw a M&P9L and though I had given the shorter version a shoot a while back, I decided to rent it..

I liked the feel of the gun. It fit my hand well, and the trigger didn't catch at all when pulled. The sights were painted dot sights, even with my bad eyes, I could line up the fuzzy dots

Perhaps it was the gun, or perhaps it was the 250 rounds of practice shots before the M&P, but I thought it shot very nicely. When I can blast the center out of a target at 30ft, I figure something is going right.

Perhaps I found another keeper?
Any drawbacks of this piece? Easy to dissasemble and clean?

 

[jkoster90xj]

Hey man I have a XD-40 tactical. It is a little heavier then the Glock 27. I have shot mine alot and also the Glock, but hands down the XD is the better shooting gun. And depending on what your wanting with a high power. If you are wanting a single shot Thompson Center Encore is a damn good shooting gun for the size. But if your wanting a semi auto AR is the way to go. I am building a DPMS AR-15. tough ass gun straight out. But the XD is a good shooting gun for the money I bought mine with 3 clips the XD gear and a Hogue grip for $420.

 

[Mosephus]

My Brother just acquired this Taurus 1911 and I've shot quite a few rounds through it and I am impressed with it. Just another option to look for.

Sorry for the big pic

 

[hanaxj87]

I like the Glock 21 45 ACP. The 1911 is pretty sweet too.

Just My Two Cents

Nick

 

[Starscream]

I decided to burn some range time today.

I saw a M&P9L and though I had given the shorter version a shoot a while back, I decided to rent it..

I liked the feel of the gun. It fit my hand well, and the trigger didn't catch at all when pulled. The sights were painted dot sights, even with my bad eyes, I could line up the fuzzy dots

Perhaps it was the gun, or perhaps it was the 250 rounds of practice shots before the M&P, but I thought it shot very nicely. When I can blast the center out of a target at 30ft, I figure something is going right.

Perhaps I found another keeper?
Any drawbacks of this piece? Easy to dissasemble and clean?

I wish I would've had that kind of an experience with the M&P. I shot the compact, and it was just bad. Maybe I should give it another go. In its defense it was a rental gun that has most likely been used quite a bit. The M&P was fairly accurate, but nothing to get excited about. The sights were off (again, rental gun), so I was having to compensate. It did it's job, but it just felt cheap.

If you liked it, then by all means give it another whirl and then buy one if it makes you happy, but if you haven't already then give the XD a shoot. It's a great gun and very comparable price wise to the M&P, just with what seems to be a better build, ergonomics, and - in my experience with it - accuracy.

 

[Starscream]

Welp, I got a Kahr CW9 9mm. After a lot of reading and shooting, it seems the best all around for what I wanted: carry at all times wherever allowed, light weight, slim profile, and a good fit for my hands. A 1911 was a bit out of my price range at this point, and after carrying a friends all day on his farm... I don't think I would've been happy carrying it all the time.

The Kahr is crazy lightweight, a good shooter and it was inexpensive. It's under an inch wide throughout because of the single stack design, so with the Blackhawk IWB neoprene-like holster I bought it takes up almost no room in the waist of even my tightest jeans. It is surprisingly very comfortable even when sitting. The spare mag is small enough to fit in my front pocket in a pocket mag holder whenever I find one I like.

All in all, I'm happy so far. I'm taking it to the range tomorrow to hopefully get it well broken in. Supposedly these take about 250 rounds to break in and be completely reliable. I haven't had any problems yet, but better safe than sorry.

 

[Starscream]

Welp, I got a Kahr CW9 9mm. After a lot of reading and shooting, it seems the best all around for what I wanted: carry at all times wherever allowed, light weight, slim profile, and a good fit for my hands. A 1911 was a bit out of my price range at this point, and after carrying a friends all day on his farm... I don't think I would've been happy carrying it all the time.

The Kahr is crazy lightweight, a good shooter and it was inexpensive. It's under an inch wide throughout because of the single stack design, so with the Blackhawk IWB neoprene-like holster I bought it takes up almost no room in the waist of even my tightest jeans. It is surprisingly very comfortable even when sitting. The spare mag is small enough to fit in my front pocket in a pocket mag holder whenever I find one I like.

All in all, I'm happy so far. I'm taking it to the range tomorrow to hopefully get it well broken in. Supposedly these take about 250 rounds to break in and be completely reliable. I haven't had any problems yet, but better safe than sorry.

So after having the Kahr for about 3 months, I put about 500rds through it. Not a bad gun, except for it jamming about every 25 shots. Pretty much unacceptable. It supposedly had a break in period before it was reliable, but that was a joke, at least in my case.

So I got a Glock. Irony, right? "Oh man I hate grip angle." Evidently at some point I started loving it. I shot a Glock 17 at the range, and couldn't believe how well it handled, grouped, and just all around performed. So I traded the Kahr on the spot, and $200 later on top of the trade I got a Glock 19.

I still wasn't too happy with the grip hump. It didn't fit my hand. The 17 was almost perfect, but the 19 just hit the heel of my hand awkwardly. I also find the feel of the grip a bit slick, especially when shooting outside on a hot day.

So I heated the rear of the frame, formed it, removed the hump in favor of a straight backstrap, then stippled it with a wood burner and a bladed tip, and I now have what I believe to be a good looking, excellent gripping, excellent performing handgun that I absolutely love.

Here you can see the removed backstrap hump:

And here you can see the stippling:

The stippling is on the side grip sections, the rear backstrap, the floor plate of the magazines, and the forward areas between the finger grooves. Nothing too crazy. I also rounded off the forward trigger guard hook, stippled the outer trigger guard, and stippled the section of the frame rails forward of the takedown release. I tend to shoot thumbs forward, so it helps.

Lemme know what you think. I love it.

 

[POLAR_JEEP_04]

I like it. I am a big Glock .40 fan though. I own a G22 (used for work) and have had a G27 and G23. They are very dependable and soild and for a fair price. here are a few cool sites to check out...

www.glockstore.com
www.glocktalk.com
www.rockyourglock.com
www.glockparts.com

 

[Justpunchit]

I put my life on the line with my Glock 22 everyday and I've put thousands of rounds down with it, couldn't ask for a better weapon IMO.

 

[94xjva]

HK USP fires like butter...sweet gun...I personally like the USP .40. I had a S&W and wasn't happy with it. GLOCK's in my opinion are like HONDA's they're not bad and reliable but EVERYONE and their momma's got one

 

[16guns]

CZ75 Compact 40cal

 

[wolfpackjeeper]

the cz's are damn nice guns. The baby eagles are the same design with some cosmetic changes that I prefer.

 

[Starscream]

I like it. I am a big Glock .40 fan though. I own a G22 (used for work) and have had a G27 and G23. They are very dependable and soild and for a fair price. here are a few cool sites to check out...

www.glockstore.com
www.glocktalk.com
www.rockyourglock.com
www.glockparts.com

I found out how to do the grip reduction on glocktalk.com. Really good site. I wanted to avoid cutting the frame up, and I was worried that if I did the fill and cut method for reduction the filler would separate from the frame over time after firing. Bowtie over there has a guide on how to do the heat treatment, and everywhere else you look you'll see how to stipple. It cost me ~$30 (wood burner, sanding block, 2 candles, matches) to do the whole thing. That beats the hell out of almost $300 for Robar or someone similar to do it. Plus, it was super easy. Only took about 2.5hrs from start to finish.

 

[guzzirider]

Revolvers never jam. What do you want it for ? carry? bedside?
The taurus judge in 45LC / 410 is pretty potent.
Stay away from "off" calibers I have a 41mag took the wrong rounds hunting 1x pretty hard to find that round in a rural area.
9MMs punch holes in things/ 45s stop things.

 

[T3hk1w1]

Nothing wrong with "off" calibers, I'm quite fond of them myself. Just make sure you keep a supply of your correct ammo at hand.