has anyone here that owns a gun ever had to use one for any kind of self defense? please describe if you have
I don't think that's very polite. Think about the kinds of circumstances under which someone would have to defend himself with a gun (I'm married; ANY thoughts of someone being violent toward my wife make me hurt inside). It's probably the kind of thing a person aims to forget, not to recall and retell in all its faded glory. ~ dan ~
Im sorry if I offended you. I dont mean to pass any judgment with my question of any kind. My experience with guns is extremely limited. It is purely a question of curiosity. If you do not want to describe thats ok a simple yes or no would be fine by me.
The Desert Eagle .50 is on the top of my list to buy when I have $1500 to spend. Looks like it would be a nice toy. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYAear1C3Jo For now I'm sticking with the 9mm because its cheap to shoot. Later I may consider a larger caliber to carry but for now a 9mm hollow points will do the job. Plus my brother gave me some really good 9mm hollow points that he cant get anymore. Lets try to stick to 9mm talk for now.
An ex-military friend of mine still has his AK-47 from Iraq (I guess they're still legal under certain circumstances). I think it would be fun to shoot it, though I never have.
The last 9mm I owned was a Ruger p82 ( used to be called Sturm Ruger). I was very very happy with that gun,. It performed well, shot a very tight pattern, and was very durable. The 9mm still packs a punch, and with hollow points, even more. it is cheaper to shoot as 9mm ammo is the most common, the most popular and the most manufactured ammo on the market. Its really cheap at Walmart, and thats a good thing when you're need to buy a couple of hundred rounds for the gun range. Actually, a 9mm is a very good compromise of many of the weapons discussed above in this thread. It is certainly a step up from your Kel Tec conceal carry, which I'm assuming is a .380. Heck, I'd hate to get hit with either of those two. In addition, 9mm gives you a very wide selection of manufacturers and guns to select from. I'm assuming you haven't purchased one yet. Glock, Sig Sauer, Ruger, High Point, S&W, and others all make very good 9mm guns, many of which you could also holster and carry, but they won't fit in the little hidden drawer underneath the cup holders in the Prius like your Kel Tec will. Anyone else have a 9mm? If so, what kind, and how do you like it?
Have you checked out the Bersa Thunder .380 CC? I also like my S&W Model-60 in .38. Both are good for pocket carry. I like the reliability of a revolver, but the Bersa is a great little auto for the money. Here's a little more info: http://www.gunblast.com/Bersa_380CC.htm
I actually have two Bersa .380's. I think they are great! I keep one for the holster for CC and the other in the desk drawer in my office. The are small enough to carry comfortably, carry a big punch, and are very very reliable. I can certainly recommend these as well.
Well I narrowed it down to 3 in this order. Glock 26, S&W M&P 9mm compact, XD sub 9mm. I did not like the XD safety on the grip and I did not like how you field strip the M&P. So I'm sticking to the G26 as my first choice. The other guns mentioned were either too expensive or I did not like some of the reviews. Over all the Glock looks to be the gun I will go with. After doing research on these three guns it looks like most of the models from these manufactures have the same grip size especially the Glock line of guns. I know my local shop has some Glocks in stock so I will stop by and see how well they fit my hand and how well I can access the slide and magazine release. Also after doing all this research I found that I may upgrade to a G30 later on. I'll just have to find someone with a .45 that will let me try it out and see how well I can handle the recoil. Thanks for everyones input.
Aah, America.. I've heard there's so much 9mm ammunition available that it's cheaper to buy than hand load the stuff; whereas I save nearly 50% by hand loading. At 192 rounds for an NRA Action shoot, that 50% adds up quick! TheForce: from what I've seen, I believe Glock make two sized grips; the standard sized 9mm and .40 and so forth (Glock 17, 35, etc) are all about the right length and about double-stack width. Then the compact guns (19, etc) are about1-2 fingers shorter. But you can buy magazine bases that have pinky finger sculptings so even the shorter grips are tolerable. Although I'd be the first to admit I haven't seen everything Glock does (the 17L, for example, is one fine and yet weird-lookin gun ) Good luck with the whole hand gun thing, and may you never need it.
Not unless the laws change up there. I can use my CC license in 25 states as of this post and WI is not one of them. I can however transport the the gun up there as long as I follow the laws. Yes the compact Glocks have a shorter grip in length but like you said I can always get an extension for the magazine. Thats what I plan to do if needed. I don't think my local shop has any compact Glocks in stock but I can estimate the grip length from what I have seen.
Just got my G26 today and it all looks and feels good. I think I will have to get an extender for the magazine for that extra finger grip. I have not shot it yet but I think the extension would make it more comfortable. I got the glow in the dark sights which are pretty cool. Something I did not know about them was that they are always on and need no batteries. They use a radio active gas that makes them glow green and last for 10+ years. Pretty cool. Now if I could just find a full auto switch on the black market for cheap. You know just for fun shooting. I cant wait to try it out. I also cant wait for my Kel-Tec P-3AT and my license to come in.
Congrats Dude!!! sounds like you've found the right gun! Do you have the trijicon night sights? or the fiber optic sights? My sig has the factory sig night sights, and it is pretty cool to see them glow at night. Enjoy !!
Tritium sounds about right. Yet another thing they won't sell down here. Uses radioactive decay + a dye/phosphor to glow in the dark. The radiation is minuscule - just don't eat it and you'll be fine You'll have to tell us how your new toy behaves at the range; and how comfortable it is to drive a prius while carrying. Any other stories about using a gun I don't think we need to hear <whistles innocently> - especially stories about hurting Ducks! Glock is quite adamant that the G18-style fully-automatic operation is not compatible with the G17 frame. Of course, according to the inter-net-web, all it takes is a 6mm (1/4 inch) long piece of plastic in the right place. but a full-auto Glock just sounds dangerous. 1800rpm from a 4" barrel, anyone?
The only downside with the use of tritium sights is that in a decade you'll want to have them replaced at an irritatingly high cost. The heavy hydrogens (deuterium, tritium) are relatively short-lived and won't power that night glow forever. I still suggest a laser sight, especially if one from (for example) lasermax fits internally. ~ dan ~
Sounds like a great way to run out of ammunition. Better have your aim right the first time, because otherwise, you won't have a second chance - you will be out of ammunition. A better approach seems to be the two round burst model. And that doesn't require any kind of extra-legal modification.
In addition to the high cost of replacement tritium inserts, there is the sighting-in process, which is more involved, given the 'non-adjustable' nature of the inserts.
Well I tried out my Glock today and I really like it. I only had time to fire about 50 rounds before it got too dark but I got the feel of the gun so I know what to expect from it. I was able to group the rounds with in a 10" area from about 20 feet. I thought I did pretty good. I do have some small issues that I can just get used to. 1. My right thumb gets rubbed against the frame and makes it a little sore. This also happened with my first paintball gun. I got used to it then and I can get used to it now. No biggie. 2. The shock from the gun on my trigger finger makes my finger sting a little. I contribute a little of that to the design of the safety trigger. Again no biggie. 3. The grip is one finger too short for me but I can keep the gun under control. I think I will get a finger grip for the clip to help out on this. Again no biggie. These are just small issues that wont really matter if I ever have to use it to defend myself. I don't think I will get the .45 version of this gun because I don't think I wold have a good grip on it but then again I have never shot a .45 to know what kind of recoil it would have. Over all I give it 9 out of 10. Just waiting for my Kel-Tec and my license now.