Self Defense Pistol

[buckfever7]

I've been looking at purchasing a pistol simply for self defence. Any recomendations? I've only researched 2, the Glock 19 and the Smith & Wesson SW9VE. Thanks.

[hutchies]

If you are planning on carrying concealed I would personally go with a .380. Mainly something that is small and easily concealed.

[muggs]

the springfield XD subcompact is an awesome gun, 9mm, 40 cal are the only two models I think, not that expensive either

[ParrotHead]

I really love my Beretta Model 92 - great gun.

[LifeNRA]

I carry a Walther PPKs Stainless .380, nice gun but .380 are not known as being very accurate. Now I wish I would have a smaller 9mm, or a compact 40S&W.

[ronin]

What conditions will the gun be in? Strictly home defense in a drawer or next to your bed, glovebox gun, holstered on your hip, etc.?

IMO,the best home defense gun if you don't have much training and don't really want to train, is a short 12 guage pump shotgun with low recoil 00 buck. Night sights are a must. The nice thing about this old work horse is almost anyone can deploy it quickly and effectively...even in the dark. You also have a better effective range...up to 50 yards if need be. A 50 yard house shot probably won't happen. My point is that you will be inherently more accurate with the shotgun.

From a concelment standpoint, you should examine how and where you will carry. Big guns are hard to conceal with a T-shirt and fanny packs advertise your gun. Holster selection is just as important as the gun. If you have trouble with your draw you might as well not carry.

Small guns often translate to small caliber and small magazines, (semi-auto). But....they conceal really well. If you want small, pick your caliber and bullet with care. Also shot placement becomes absolutely critical. Not that it should be ignored with larger calibers, but small cartridges often mean lack of penetration + expansion = poor wound channel.

Ideally, a self defense round will have a penetration of 9-12 inches. Most bullets below .380 can't be counted on to perform that way. Though, Corbon has now come out with a new .32, the .32 Corbon I believe. The Corbon bullet takes the .32 from it's normally anemic 900FPS and boosts it into the 1400 + or - FPS arena. This changed the ballistics of the little bullet dramatically.

For bullet selection you need to concern yourself with penetration and wound channel. The farther the bullet goes into a body and the bigger the hole it makes means a better chance of stopping the threat. I've seen a lot of people shot with everything you can imagine. It's amazing what the human body can take. The 'ol workhorse .45 ACP is still a proven self defense round for a reason.

There are volumes written on pistol and bullet selection for self defense but the bottom line is ultimately how well you can employ your own personal weapon under stress. You should consider your absolute worst case scenario with the absolute worst conditions available and then decide which weapon can I employ the quickest, accurately and effectively, with little to no fumbling or thinking. This is a hard pill to swallow but keep it in mind when your trying on guns for size.

I carry a Beretta Tomcat .32 with Corbon HP ammo when I'm wearing closefitting clothing, shorts, tanks tops, etc. For normal carry I have either a Para Ord. C-6 .45 Para Carry with an LDA trigger and night sights. I prefer the Winchester SXT police ammo formerly called "Black Talon". Name changed cause a stupid liberal thought it was racist.

Revolvers are great, too. They are really simple to employ and easy to maintain. There is a lot of .38 ammo out there that can be extremely effective. Snub nose 357's though don't perform like their long barreled cousins. 1.5-3" barrels don't allow the 357 to reach it's potential in velocity. Thus your just as well off shooting .38 without the recoil.

I'm sorry if this is long winded, however, it's a very important decision to make. Whatever you do...practice, practice, practice.

[Strut10]

Excellent post, ronin!!

Good advice to consider the "worst case scenario" and arm accordingly.

With the number of ultra-reliable, ultra-compact 9mm's, .357's (Magnum and Sig), 40's and 45's on the market, I can't think of too many reasons to choose a .25, .32 or .380 as a primary concealed defense weapon.

If you're going to carry a gun to stop a fight............carry a gun that will stop a fight.

[WNY_Whitetailer]

Nice post ronin...I have a S&W 6904 9mm Compact...It has a 3.5" barrel and is easily concealed under a sweatshirt or jacket in my Alessi Hideout holster. The warm weather will be a different story. I plan on picking up a Kel-Tec P32 or P3AT for warm weather duty...I need something that I can slide down into my jeans/shorts pocket into a pocket holster.

[ZooBear]

I carry 24/7 and my thoughts are whatever you carry make sure its 100% reliable. My carry guns tend to get banged around. Make sure you load it with quality ammo.
My #1 rule is make sure its comfortable to carry! When your on the beach, a 32 in your shorts pocket is alot better than a 44 in your glove compartment!

[snapper]

[ QUOTE ]
If you're going to carry a gun to stop a fight............carry a gun that will stop a fight.

[/ QUOTE ]

Couldn't agree more...IMO, a .380 would make a good backup carry gun, but I'd rather not carry anything smaller than a 9mm. If my life depends on it...I want to make sure I have enough gun!

[ronin]

Thanks...I agree to a certain for the 95% of the time. Even the sub compacts can be bulky, though, and don't conceal well on the body when the person is wearing really close fitting clothing.

I think the .32 and .380 have a place but the person has to be a practiced shooter with self-defense fundementals fastened firmly to their collective belts. I wouldn't go smaller than .32 and I only use .32 with bullets that are effective.

My wife carries and we took a lot of time working on guns and loads. Nothing seemed to fit or fire to her needs. She ultimately chose the Tomcat .32 with the Corbon ammo. She can put more rounds in vital areas using a "zipline" shooting technique with the .32 than with any other firearm. She carries the .32 out of preference.

Personally, I prefer the .45 and probably always will. Though I do have a keen interest in the relatively new FN 5.7.

[ronin]

Thanks...the SW is good gun. While your looking at .32's you might want to check out the new NAA .32 Corbon. I haven't shot it but the ballistics look good.

[WNY_Whitetailer]

That Corbon 380 Auto ammo comes out of the barrel at 1050 fps with 220 ft lbs of energy out of a 90 grain JHP bullet...Not too bad for a little pocket pistol caliber.

[ronin]

This is the posting from the Corbon Site

32NAA -- 60gr JHP -- 1200fps/192ftlbs -- 20 Rnds. per box

This is actually a relatively new bullet for a new gun. It won't work in a normal .32.

[buckfever7]

Thanks folks. I will be using this as a concealed carry gun. I'm narrowing down to the Kahr Arms K9094 & the Springfield XD...or something along that size. 9mm 3.5" barrell.