Handgun Recommendations and Advice...
- Thread starter gibson_es
- Start date
Try the judge and some others before you decide. It fills a cool niche but it is big and heavy for what it offers.
I'm going to side track into gun philosophy for a minute...
The Judge is a gun that you can't buy in California unless you are one. My buddy was looking for one in the past. Not allowed.
This is the kind of monster gun that's okay if you keep it in your desk, but you don't want to carry it on your hip all day.
If you think you want the judge but can't get it, you might try something that my old boss did.
He had a big .44 revolver " for night work". He loaded a shotshell in the first chamber and hollow points in the rest.
Is advice was to shoot with the shotshell and when you hear somebody squeal you know where to put the next round.
Maybe this also means that if you can hit someone with a shotshell while they're far enough away, you can slow him down enough to get good aim with a real bullet and put it where it matters.
Anyhow this is not my personal advice. This is just something I was told by an old timer who is long gone now.
The Judge is a gun that you can't buy in California unless you are one. My buddy was looking for one in the past. Not allowed.
This is the kind of monster gun that's okay if you keep it in your desk, but you don't want to carry it on your hip all day.
If you think you want the judge but can't get it, you might try something that my old boss did.
He had a big .44 revolver " for night work". He loaded a shotshell in the first chamber and hollow points in the rest.
Is advice was to shoot with the shotshell and when you hear somebody squeal you know where to put the next round.
Maybe this also means that if you can hit someone with a shotshell while they're far enough away, you can slow him down enough to get good aim with a real bullet and put it where it matters.
Anyhow this is not my personal advice. This is just something I was told by an old timer who is long gone now.
I've run my S&W M&P Shield 9mm through four 8 hour defensive courses which involved pistol retention (wrestling for it), running and gunning, countless draws from concealment, shooting out of a car, shooting off of my back on the ground, shooting standing up, shooting retreating, night shooting and use of flash lights, shooting around barriers, etc. Gun is a beast and very accurate for a 3" barrel. Conceals very well and thin so it doesn't print much.
Long Island CCW laws suck the fattest hog but I do carry where legal.
I've carried a S&W 642 38 special ankle carry and wasn't a fan of the gun. Bit snappy and a palm stinger.
I have a Glock 19 that I compete with and it's solid but did have a fatal malfunction where the slide stop spring ejected during the end of my run and bricked my gun. $10 fix for an out of spec spring.
I have a Dan Wesson Valor 1911 which shoots like a damn dream and can put 4 shots into a 1" square at 5 yards and all you see is one hole. That's a heavy piece and I wouldn't consider carrying it unless it was time to patrol in social melt down (with a 10 round mag).
I'm in the market for a 9mm 1911 and/or.... probably and.... another ankle gun.
I'm torn between the Dan Wesson Pointman 9 or the Dan Wesson Guardian in 9mm
And I'm toggling between the Kahr CM9 and the Beretta Nano for the ankle carry
Long Island CCW laws suck the fattest hog but I do carry where legal.
I've carried a S&W 642 38 special ankle carry and wasn't a fan of the gun. Bit snappy and a palm stinger.
I have a Glock 19 that I compete with and it's solid but did have a fatal malfunction where the slide stop spring ejected during the end of my run and bricked my gun. $10 fix for an out of spec spring.
I have a Dan Wesson Valor 1911 which shoots like a damn dream and can put 4 shots into a 1" square at 5 yards and all you see is one hole. That's a heavy piece and I wouldn't consider carrying it unless it was time to patrol in social melt down (with a 10 round mag).
I'm in the market for a 9mm 1911 and/or.... probably and.... another ankle gun.
I'm torn between the Dan Wesson Pointman 9 or the Dan Wesson Guardian in 9mm
And I'm toggling between the Kahr CM9 and the Beretta Nano for the ankle carry
For revolver carry I like the ultra lites in 357. The 357 rounds sting like crazy. The .38+P is very manageable and 38 special rounds are easy peasy.
Actually I like pretty much anything in 357mag. I like the abilty to shoot cheaper and easier recoiling 38 special for plinking or target. It's very versatile caliber.
Well I've done it and it's a lot of fun, but it is a little hard on the gun.
I wouldn't do this with my everyday carry pistol, but I would get a different used gun for range fun & maybe not a very expensive one, but one where you didn't care if the barrel was not Primo,
A lot of what determines the best carry pistols for you, I think, is your physique. I have a large friend & he's perfectly comfortable with carrying a 45 acp concealed, in shorts and a t-shirt.
Hell, with his gut he could hide a pair of forty-fives under there.
I need something powerful but smaller, and if it hurts my hand when I fire it, well that's a small price to pay for self defense.
Now I know a guy who carries a scandium five-shot .357 revolver as a self-defense gun. It's more reliable than an automatic, they say. It's a fabulous and expensive little gun, but he's a little larger than I am & I still prefer the 9 millimeter compact for its shape, though it is no smaller really.
bwalker
.410
I CC an M&P 9FS with a TLR1s. It has a manual safety but I only have it engaged if I have to leave my pistol in my car. When I get back to my car I holster it and disengage the safety. There is always a round chambered. I'm 5' 10" and 180 lbs. and it conceals fine with a loose fitting polo shirt or t-shirt.
Bobster
.30-06
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That's what my wife wants. Heck, I'd like one too!
Close... $300 on ammo and $200 on qualified instruction. Therefore you wont waste $200 on ammo from crappy shooting foundation.