Selecting a Handgun for Personal Protection

The best type of handgun to carry for personal protection is one that reliably goes “bang!” when you need it.

With all my years of shooting experience I’ve carried everything from a sling shot to an M203 and there is one reason why there are so many choices out there…different needs and preferences.

I’d never be so presumptuous to tell someone what tool they should use to save their life. I’ll just give you some facts, insights and points to ponder that may assist you in making a decision you are comfortable with.

Semi – Auto v. Revolver

While waiting for my gunsmith to finish a little tweak to my PPK I read a headline on a magazine I’d never heard of before proclaiming “The Wheel Gun is dead!”

Really? Hmm! How about that!

While there is little doubt that the semi-automatic pistol is far outselling its older brother, the old six shooter (or sometimes five shooter) still has a place in the world.

The semi-automatic pistol has a number of advantages over the revolver:

Faster rate of fire

Easier to conceal

Faster to reload

Larger ammunition capacity

More choices/Bigger selection

The revolver has but one single advantage over its’ sexier sibling:

With very few exceptions, as long as there is a round in the chamber it will discharge when the trigger is pulled.

I’d say that advantage would weigh in more heavily than those of the semi-auto.

If you have a failure to function (a jam) after the first round you just lost the fight. The 45 9mm rounds you are packing in those three mags you have been lugging around with you are useless except to throw at your target because unless you are a highly trained law enforcement officer you will go into vapor lock the minute a bad guy gets up in your face.

While we’re on the subject, I can only imagine that you must’ve taken a seriously wrong turn that got you sucked into a running gun battle requiring 45 rounds of ammunition. I want to be the lawyer that handles the damages case against you after you spray down the mall parking lot with all that ammo.

I carry a Sig P239 8 +1 and one spare magazine. I carry the spare magazine in the event I have a failure to function. I have fired more than 500,000 rounds of ammunition in my lifetime and I go to the range at least once a week where I have someone randomly load a Snap Cap into my magazine so I can practice clearing a stoppage and changing magazines.

This exercise is more entertaining than practical because at a five yard engagement range with no cover if my gun stops making noise and the bad guys doesn’t Mrs. Fiorini will be getting that red Jag she’s been wanting with the insurance money.

Speaking of Mrs. Fiorini I have handily equipped her with a Colt Chiefs Special loaded with .38 +P rounds and one spare speed loader (more for cool factor than practicality). Here’s why:

Chief’s Special Checklist for Carry Readiness

Open the cylinder, make sure all five holes are plugged, none of the primers are dimpled, close the cylinder, stuff into holster.

Chief’s Special Checklist for Emergency Use

Remove from holster, point at center of mass, pull trigger until noise stops.

It just doesn’t get simpler than that.

I drag her to the range once a year to fire 25 rounds and give the old Chief an annual cleaning.

Revolvers don’t require a great deal of initial or recurrent training to remain reasonably proficient for personal protection. They are also not sensitive to ammunition, harsh environments and moving parts.

I’m not advocating revolvers over semi-auto’s, I carry a semi-auto but I am committed to remaining proficient with the firearm.

Semi-Automatic Pistols Require Greater Commitment

Now that you’ve decided that a semi-automatic is the way to go for you, immediately purchase 500 rounds of range ammunition and 100 rounds of the ammunition you’ve decided to carry. Take the entire mess to the range and if you experience a single stoppage in 600 rounds that is not attributable to an ammunition failure take the gun to a gunsmith. If you choose to carry it without having it worked on you’re out of your mind.

If it functions flawlessly you need to go to the range at least twice a year and burn off all that expensive personal protection ammo you bought and replace it with new stuff. A monthly trip to the range would be more helpful. Aside from personal protection, shooting is a fun and challenging sport.

I’ve had my Sig P239 for 15 years and my P220 for 25. Between both I have cycled 125,000 rounds through them and I had my first malfunction yesterday. I’m cheap when it comes to range ammo and about 10 years ago I bought 10,000 rounds of 20 year old surplus Chilean Navy 9mm ammo. The case head separated on a round. I can shoot rocks through my Sigs without missing a beat. If you can’t say that about your semi-auto you shouldn’t be carrying it.

By the way, I strip and clean my Sig once a week fired or not.

My point is that I’m very pro semi-auto but you need to make the commitment to be proficient with all aspects of the firearm.

Gizmos and Gadgets

The things people buy today! Night sights, laser pointers, optics, ported barrels all show up at the range these days. I thought there was a recession!

If you are considering cluttering up your carry gun with this nonsense why don’t you send me your money and next time I go to Atlantic City I’ll put it all on 33 black and send you half of anything I win. Honest!

First of all, if you shoot anyone further than five yards away you are probably going to jail. Next, if you take the time to check your sight alignment or find the button for the laser pointer you are probably going to the morgue.

Try this simple training exercise while you are hanging around the house. Be absolutely certain the firearm is unloaded, in fact put every round of ammo in a different room. Hang a target on the wall or use a convenient painting or the stupid looking lamp your mother in law brought over. Holster your weapon and close your eyes. Now, draw your weapon and point it at the center of mass of the target. Open your eyes. When you get to the point that your sights are perfectly aligned with the center of mass you are ready for a night engagement.

At five yards I can put all 9 rounds from my Sig into center of mass with my eyes closed every time.

A few years back I was at a public range in rural Pennsylvania and this, this, whatever he was from New York City was blasting away with his brand new 40 S&W; Glock (he had just pulled it out of the Gander Mountain bag) and not even hitting the Earth. I thought I’d be a good citizen and attempted to give the, um…New Yorker a bit of instruction. When I did my “eyesies closeies” trick for him, his chagrined reply was “Yeah, that’s easy for you; you practice all the time.” Idiot! I hope Darwin was paying attention, this guy deserved an Award.

I simply shook my head, packed up my range bag and left. He obviously missed the point as well as the target, hopefully you haven’t. Be smart, be safe!