Posted: Mon Mar 26, 2007 5:10 pm Post subject: Re: Best Pistol Caliber for Self Defense
I dunno.
I can deliver 10 40SW on target pretty darn quickly... hard to beat combined with it's small size & light weight.
After all, I hope I never have to use the damn thing, so comfort is a factor. You won't consistently have access to an uncomfortable pistol, because you'll hate dealing with it.
At close range though everything is deadly done right.
Quote:
That's nice PacketSniffer, but do you know how to shoot?
Some... Many folks here grew up hunting for food including myself, so you learn to shoot. Not that we were poor or anything, but you can fill a freezer full of meat pretty quick hunting, & if you're not rich... well you get the idea.
Us poor, dumb ole boys gotta eat ya know.
(And keep England from invading of course) _________________ "When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours." - Stephen F Roberts.
Posted: Mon Mar 26, 2007 5:19 pm Post subject: Re: Best Pistol Caliber for Self Defense
.40 SW.
Ammo should be available, since it's a popular round for police departments. There is a higher 1 shot kill probability than with 9mm - though, for the life of me, I can't find a link to a citation. There was a bank robber just north of San Antonio that sucked up 22 rounds of 9mm before he died - that's a problem.
LateStarter makes a point - whichever round you choose, it's best to develop sufficient familiarity with the weapon that you can field strip and reassemble it in complete darkness. Practice makes perfect.
Joined: Apr 06, 2005 Posts: 987 Location: 38 km west of Warsaw, Poland
Posted: Mon Mar 26, 2007 5:21 pm Post subject: Re: Best Pistol Caliber for Self Defense
Loki wrote:
lateStarter wrote:
I'm just glad I am living in a country where there aren't alot of guns floating around. WTF do we need guns for anyway?
Oh gods, here we go again. More "wisdom" from Europe.
No. That's not what I'm about. I can appreciate the need for some self-defense weapons given where we find ourselves in this day and age. I actually enjoy target shooting. There is absolutely no way I would live in the US (I was looking at TN) without a serious arsenal. Even here in Poland, I will try to get a firearm, even if it is just a rifle or shotgun. I think it is a bit easier to justify here if you live in the country (damn foxes keep killing my geese!).
I'm just questioning the whole gun mentality thing. Why? How many people die every year in the US as a result of firearms? Is there a war in the US? _________________ Remember, with globalisation "everyone is a winner" in the "race to the bottom". - rogerhb
Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. A.C. Clarke
Posted: Mon Mar 26, 2007 5:36 pm Post subject: Re: Best Pistol Caliber for Self Defense
I recently went through some handgun training. The instructor said that the most common calibers he sees are 9mm and 40SW.
I really like a nice 357 single action revolver for old times sake, just the sound of it will probably scare off the bad guys. However for more practical purposes my vote is for the 9mm. Light recoil to stay on target, ubiquitous ammo, and training with it won't break the bank.
As others have pointed out, doesn't really matter if you can't hit anything though. Someone who knows how to work a SA 22 would me more effective then some dood who has a 50cal magnum that sits in the case all the time.
Joined: Sep 02, 2005 Posts: 2876 Location: In a Nigerian compound surrounded by mighty dignataries
Posted: Mon Mar 26, 2007 5:57 pm Post subject: Re: Best Pistol Caliber for Self Defense
Kingcoal wrote:
Here's a site: Link where a guy likes to hunt Javelinas with combat handguns (it takes all types.) He compared the 9mm and .45 auto and found that he gets similar knock down power with both calibers with the right loads.
Shooting pigs with a 9mm? Yikes! I'd never dream of using a 9mm on a hog! We have a pig problem on the ranch, and that's putting it mildly. Usually we manage to clear out two to six every time we go up there to work . They have this tough layer of 1/4 inch gristle from the neck to the loins. Very tough customers. There is only one firearm I would use on a pig for a one shot kill, and thats a scoped .30-30 rifle at 50 plus yards. I have seen a 300lb pig absorb several rounds from my grandad's service Colt.45 in the gut or brisket up close, they just get mad. Once I tagged a one hundred lb pig in the gut with a 165 grain .357 hollow point. Then I watched it take off in brush. It was a clear gut shot and it died eventually. I know because the coyotes found it at 4am. In my non expert opinion: a high velocity rifle round is what takes them down with one shot rather than a pistol round. _________________ In other words, it's a huge sh*t sandwich, and we're all gonna have to take a bite.-from Full Metal Jacket
Joined: Sep 30, 2005 Posts: 439 Location: Baltimore County, Md
Posted: Mon Mar 26, 2007 7:10 pm Post subject: Re: Best Pistol Caliber for Self Defense
you can get a police trade in g 21, send it to robar for a grip reduction and put arredondo base pads on your mags for about $600 or so. Maybe $700 in a very blue state. That would give you a very reliable.45 acp handgun capable of holding 17 plus 1 .45 ACP hydroshocks, and it is dishwasher safe (top rack ponly !).
thats how i roll for zombies.
btw
LOFL at the European bagging on american gun culture. Shouldn't you be out redistributing wealth you don't have ?
Joined: Aug 07, 2005 Posts: 302 Location: Columbia, MO
Posted: Mon Mar 26, 2007 8:07 pm Post subject: Re: Best Pistol Caliber for Self Defense
I have one of THESE, and while it may not be particularly concealable, packs quite a punch (e. g. will defeat most under-clothing body armor), plus it can use common AR-15 high cap mags. Plus it's really fun to shoot. It's LOUD though - hurts my ears even through 24 db earmuffs.
For a pistol round I like the .357. Comparable muzzle energy to the .45 and reliable expansion with good HP's. I have a Taurus 8 shooter which is a very nice and accurate revolver. I'd imagine in any home defense situation in which I needed more than 8 rounds, I'd be toast anyway...
Joined: Mar 26, 2007 Posts: 30 Location: L.A.'s suburban wasteland
Posted: Mon Mar 26, 2007 9:23 pm Post subject: Re: Best Pistol Caliber for Self Defense
Had to de-lurk for this one.
I voted for the .38 because it's light-weight and relatively quiet, but still powerful enough to get the job done.
I almost voted for the 9mm due to green_achers mention of replenishing supplies (9's are more plentiful here in the L.A. suburbs than .45's).
I wouldn't go with a bigger gun. Fast accuracy will get you further in a gunfight than excessive power. With pistols, it's all about close engagement, i.e. the few personal conflicts in between knife-range and M16A2-range.
Posted: Mon Mar 26, 2007 9:30 pm Post subject: Re: Best Pistol Caliber for Self Defense
lateStarter wrote:
Is there a war in the US?
Yes.
If you doubt it, go for a walk in a park - in San Antonio, you'd best not do so after 9PM due to the curfew. Too many people robbed, hurt, or killed.
Or go for a walk near the housing projects. Not smart.
Or get a job in a convenience store. I suggest you pay in advance on your life insurance.
Or sit at home. There are more home invasions these days.
Or talk to people who dress-down to go to the grocery store in order to lower their profile.
Yes, there is a low level war in the U.S. And I expect it to get worse.
BTW - regarding guns and ammo - one can get a nice little lever action carbine in .357 magnum. The combination of revolver and carbine in the same caliber has some benefits. _________________ Dieoff. Fun to watch. Better with hot buttered popcorn!
Posted: Mon Mar 26, 2007 10:01 pm Post subject: Re: Best Pistol Caliber for Self Defense
I want to know who the two people are that voted for 45 GAP. Are you really shooting it, or did you just not read the poll correctly. Come on. Speak up. Don't be timid. _________________ "I was born in a deep forest
I wish I could live here all my life
I am made from stones and roots
My home, these woods and roads
All my life I loved this sound
Of the woods all around
Eagles fly where the winds blow free" -Korpiklaani
Joined: Aug 19, 2004 Posts: 1682 Location: Republic of Texas
Posted: Mon Mar 26, 2007 10:54 pm Post subject: Re: Best Pistol Caliber for Self Defense
smallpoxgirl wrote:
it's really shot placement not caliber that is the most important factor. B: The most important factor in shot placement is training and practice. C: 9mm is the cheapest, thus affording the best ability to train with it.
You got it.
The 1mm difference in the width of the wound channel is FAR less important than hitting a major artery or nerve center.
What increases your odds of a good hit? More wound channels.
What increases the number of wound channels? More shots, well placed, due to more training.
With 9mm I can afford to train more. Followup shots are faster. I can shoot 15 times without reload versus 10. That's a 50% increase in wounding potential.
One-shot incapacitation is for Hollywood. In real life human animals usually require multiple shots to achieve incapacitation, good 'ol 'Merkin .45's included.
In real life human predators often work in packs.
The ability to shoot more people, more times is a very good thing.
9mm
---------------------------------
SPG, last month I built up one of these kits for a retired lady-friend of mine who lives alone in a rural area.
That light-weight barrel is schweet. Very handy and quick. Now I now wish all my AR's had light-weight barrels.
She has that, plus a few loaded 30-round mags riding bedside. She's small, so it's much easier for her to swing this than her old 12ga. pump. It's so light, short, and handy she loves it.
If you don't have one of these, you really should get one while you still can. _________________ Conform . Consume . Obey .
Since our government actively subsidizes increasing the birthrate of violent people like those in the video, I don't believe my need self-protection will decrease in the remaining 40 years of my life.
Banning guns only removes them from law-abiding citizens like me. The people in that video would still have them since they don't much care what the law says. I would be disarmed. They would not. Does that sound like a good thing? _________________ Conform . Consume . Obey .
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