handguns

[revwardoc]

I'm thinking about buying a handgun for personal protection, target shooting, etc. I've had a few rifles and shotguns and currently own some 18th century repros but have never owned a contemporary handgun. What would be a good one to carry that won't look like I'm carrying a football under my jacket but will have sufficient stopping power should I ever (and God willing, I won't) have to use it for protection? Also, what's better; a shoulder holster or a hip/belt holster? And should I use hollow points or steel jackets? I'd appreciate all the advice I can get.

[SparrowHawk62]

Take a look at the Glock's! I was very impressed with them the first time I shot one. I have a G-19, 9mm, a bit large for everyday carry but a great weapon.
Glock makes some smaller models.

[colmurph]

Admins, lets move this to the "Weapons" thread.

A good all around shooter and home defense weapon it the 1911 and variants. .45 cal. is an ideal "Man Stopper" and much better than any other caliber other than a 12 ga. with OO Buckshot. The .357 zips through the target at about 1,650 fps and only slows down to around 1,500 fps on exiting through the other side. The .45 is only moving at around 900 fps but it STOPS INSIDE which means that all of the foot pounds of energy behind the 230 grain bullet have been transferred to the object hit. The .357 on the other hand is only 180 grains and most of the foot pounds of energy go out the back of the target. The bottom line is that the .45 will stop a person cold while the .357 will not.
The same can be said about the 9mm, it is around 150 grains and NOT a man stopper unless it's a head shot.

[DMZ-LT]

What Murph said. Use hollow points P +

[Arrow]

Originally posted by colmurph Admins, lets move this to the "Weapons" thread.

Moved by Administration at request of Col Murph

[kmac7847]

I go with 1911 there are many sizes and weights and manufacturers glock is a great weapon but also look at Kimber's and Springfield armorey's version. I carried a .45 for several years , but now I'm getting older and slower I now carry a S&W 9mm due to it's concealability and small size, yet carrying a 12 round clip, whereas, a 45 you usually only have 7 rounds per clip.
Shop around, there's so many great weapons to choose from these days. Remember too if your going to carry a weapon for personal and family defense, find one that once concealed on your body, fits like a glove, there's easy access to gun ready postion and you can holster quickly and securely

[ArtySgt]

If you choose a .45 caliber, try to get some training if it's a 1911A1. Another choice not mentioned is the .38 special double action, this can also be gotton in +P. Many Police Officers carry this weapon off duty and as a back up. It's small, light and when loaded with +P wad cutters is a power house. Get in range time and any pro training you can no matter what you choose. Above be safe and get some thing you can handle since you'er new to this.

[Andy]

Dan,
You have received some good information so far, HOWEVER you do reside in the People?s Republic of Massachusetts. Your wants and our laws do conflict. A so called ?Class A Large Capacity? handgun license is different from all other animals. If you were to get a 9mm, 10mm or 45 Cal. (for example) or most any semi-auto handgun the law is different. It?s more difficult to get the license and if there are Any violations of restrictions, you have no doubt committed a crime, with a semi-auto handgun it's probably a felony, very bad juju.

If you want something easy to hide with good stopping power, and less restrictions, I?d suggest a snub nose .38 five round revolver. Load it with brass jacket hollow points and you should be happy. If your looking for a belly gun that?s really easy to hide a double barrel .22 derringer with Remington Yellow Jackets will be ok. If you suffer from true paranoia get a S&W model 629, .44 Cal and load it with Winchester 200 grain silver tip hollow points. Note: when firing a .44 always use two hands and try not to hurt yourself, I speak from experence.

Holsters are a matter of comfort or to quote Dylan, ?How does it feel??. Ankle, hip, inside the pants belt line (usually in the middle of the back), shoulder holsters are all a matter of what feels good to you. At your (our) size a loose pair of pants and you can put a .22 or .38 snub nose in your front pocket, a handkerchief between the weapon and outside of the pants and no one will know it's there.

You will be required to take a weapons course prior to obtaining a license to carry, different from your firearms identification card. They will also have to do an interstate records check and check your Mass records back to 1960(?). Not all the old records are computerized so this can take a month or two. If you really Have nothing to do go to your city hall or court law library and read Chapter 140 of the General Laws.

Finally, if you get the Class A license it?s storage is very important, very restrictive. You?ll need to get a trigger lock and some kind of strong box to put it in. Depending on the town you live in it can be almost impossible to get a ?protection? license (unless you?re a cop). The next lower level is ?All Lawful Purposes?, several restrictions on that. Sometimes when you'd like a handgun for protection it would violate the restriction on your license. The lowest level and most commonly issued is License to Carry ?Target and Hunting?. If you are not going to or from the target range or the woods where you have a hunting permit, in the eyes of the law you do not own a handgun license and the one year in jail law kicks in. It?s a violation of the law if you stop for bread and milk on the way home from the range and have the hand gun in your vehicle or on your person.

You might also want to check with the local cops, different departments and different courts have different interpretations of the law.

Stay healthy,
Andy

[SparrowHawk62]

Well Andy has made some good points. I'd stay away from a .22 of any type. It's not a man stopper, it shows an intent to do harm more than defend. (Yes, this has been proven in NY courts!)
Smallest carry gun I've used/carried is a .380 Browning Double Action or BDA. A used one will run some bucks. Nice .38, a Ruger SP 101 this small gun is one solid weapon and can handle +p loads with no problem.
Carry methods vary greatly, I don't know how many weapons you've carried before. I carried while in uniform so the weapon was in a duty belt. Off duty I always carried in a thumb break holster on my strong side. Small of the back, ankle, shoulder rigs all take a lot of practice to use properly. If you're not going to practice drawing and shooting from these types of rigs don't get one.
A pump shot gun is good for home defense if you have the room to use it. It's tough to go around corners with it or clear a room quickly. But racking that bad boy is often enough to stop most bad guys cold in their tracks.
I'm just giving you my opinions, I've carried for some 18 plus years. In those years I never drew my duty weapon, off duty I only drew a weapon one time. (Guy pulled a knife on me, when I went to help him after he drove off the road.)

[revwardoc]

I certainly appreciate all your advice and I will use it to futher research my desired end.

Andy, I've got a class A license. In my town, unlike others in the People's Republic, they don't skimp on such issues.

I once worked at a small company where a fellow employee had an arms dealer license. One day he showed up with 10 AK-47's complete with bayonet and 100 rounds of ammo, for $300. While I believe in the 2nd Amendment, I personally didn't feel that I'd ever need such a weapon. He did sell all of them and several of us went out to a range and test fired them. Lots of fun!