Which Handgun to Purchase and in what Caliber?

I’m approached quite a bit about which handgun should I purchase or what caliber should I get.  My best answer is catch me at the office some time or lets go shooting and see what works for you but let’s take a bit more general view of the subject.

 Handgun:
I look at handguns like any other tool I use and obviously I wouldn’t use a wrench to drive a nail and I would use a hammer to tighen down a bolt.  You have to pick the right gun for the right job and to do this lets answer a few questions,

1. Does it need to be concealed and if so where and how do you plan on conceling it at?
2. What is your level of expertise with guns?
3. What are you going to be shooting?  (People, skunks, targets????)
4. What distance do you expect to be shooting from?
5. Are you shooting at night or in low light?
6. Does anyone else in your house hold have handgun?  If so what Brand, Model and Caliber is it?

Let’s break down each point and see what we come up with.

For the sake of the argument we will assume you are concealing and you are a business person who wheres business causal or suit and time most of the time.  Suite and tie would allow you to carry just about anything you wanted to but when the jacket comes off now we have a problem.  Without the jacket you are looking at something small that can be carried IWB (Inside the Waste Band) and shirt tucked in front of it or in the pocket with a pocket holster.  I don’t recommend a ankle holster at least for your primary gun since it is very hard to get to and puts you in a awkward position to get it out of the holster.  It might be good as a third and last chance weapon but that’s about it in my book.

So, which gun?  Here’s a few that will get you started, there are lots of others so do your research:

Sub-Compact Guns

• Glock 27 (40 S&W)
• Glock 26 (9x19, 9mm)
• S&W M&P 40 3”(40 S&W)
• Springfield XD40 3”(40 S&W)
• Khar PM40 (40 S&W)
• Khar TP9 (9x19 9mm)
• Ruger LCP (.380)
• Ruger SR9 (9x19 9mm)

 Compact Guns

• Glock 23 (40 S&W)
• Glock 19 (9x19, 9mm)
• S&W M&P 40 4”(40 S&W)
• Springfield XD40 4”(40 S&W)

The Glocks have the best out of the box trigger of any that I’ve shot but can be a bit bulky when concealing.  The Sub-compacts are great little guns but remember the smaller it is the more it will kick and the shorter the sight radius so they can be a but harder to operate.  For me I’ve found that best compromise is the Glock 23 in 40 S&W with a backup of a Glock 27 also in 40 S&W.  Now when I can’t wear something on the belt I then switch to a S&W M&P 340 hammerles snubbie in .357 Magnum/.38 Special.  It makes a great backup gun but it can kick like a mule and at distance exceeding 5-10 yards I have trouble hitting the target accurately.

Ammunition:
Generally speaking I follow Col Jeff Cooper’s rule when picking a self defense caliber it must start with a 4.  However the 9x19 or 9mm and the .380 with a good modern self protection  ammunition can be an acceptable choice if that’s all you have room for.  Be ware though , the little guns can kick like a mule even if they are using the smaller cartridges and they are harder to aim at distance more than 5-10 yards.  I strongly advise against a new shooter starting with one of the smaller .380’s for this reason.  The goal in a self defense shooting incident is to stop the aggressor from attacking and murdering you so we need to do this in as few shots as possible.  All pistol rounds are insufficient for a one shot one kill every time so we fire in 2-3 round bursts to increase our odds of stopping the BG.  The bigger the bullet and the faster it starts opening up once it’s inside the body the better the chance of stopping him quickly.  This can be a real problem in the winter when several layers of clothing are worn so one of the smaller calibers may not even make it to his body.  Even  the larger rounds can slow down and even be stopped if sufficient clothing is worn.  So what it boils down to is use what your must, try to get the largest round you can, buy the best Personal Protection Ammunition you can get then shoot in in bursts.

Which holster?
This subject can be tough one since everyone is different and there are so many guns out there and the situation also dictates how you carry.  First thing is you must carry your gun in a holster of some type, I don’t care where it is.  The trigger must be protected to prevent a negligent discharge.  This is especially true for those that carry a little pocket gun in their pocket.  For One or In the waste band I like Kydex holsters which are sometimes mounted in a piece o leather.  They allow drawing and reholstering much easier and reduces the chance of a ND which by the way can ruin your day.  Next I like the leather holsters and there are allot of good holster makers out like Milt Sparks, Galco, etc….  If you are going to use a leather holster when you get it it will need some loosing up so just take the holster and start bending and working it till it’s ready to take your gun with the proper amount of resistance for retention.  I like the Blackhawk Serpia Retention holsters but as time gos we are seeing some accidents with them and I’m beginning to see that maybe they aren’t all they are made out to be.  I have some Comp-Tac holsters ordered and I’ll write a review of them after I’ve had a chance to work with them.

 What’s it all boil down to?  Do your reserch, figure out how you are going to use your gun(s) and buy the appropriate tool for the job.  Talk to friends, find out what works for them, go to The Shooting Bench’s forumsor other shooting forums and read what others are doing and ask questions.  After all this you just got to try it since everyone is different and what works for me might not work for you.  Good Luck and if you have questions or comments please leave them here so we can all learn.