Choosing a Gun
The handgun is easily the most effective self defense tool in the world, and we encourage mature adults to think about carrying. However, it is not the right choice for all people or all situations. It isn't appropriate for less intense conflicts, and it might not stop an aggressive attacker. In many cases and for many people less lethal weapons are a better choice, and might even be more effective. There are several issues that you need to work through before making the decision to purchase and carry a gun for self defense.
- Is your lifestyle compatible with carrying, or are you willing to change it so that it is? There isn't any point in spending hundreds of dollars on the gun, training, safes, etc., if it just ends up stowed away. It is only useful if it is on you when needed.
- Are you willing to accept the responsibility? The chances of accidentally killing someone with a gun are extremely small, but it does happen (you are actually about 100 times as likely to kill someone with your car). If you don't have or carry a gun, then you eliminate that possibility from your life. If you like shooting but don't have the right lifestyle for carrying, then maybe recreational target shooting or hunting would be more appropriate.
- Do you have "what it takes" to kill someone? Don't answer that too quickly. Under what conditions would you actually point a gun at someone and pull the trigger? You'd better have a very clear answer before you make the purchase. For me, it would be if the lives of my wife or children were at risk. That includes burglaries, home invasions, adult assaults, assaults with a weapon, kidnapping, and the like. But taking a person's life, even a very evil person's, is no small thing. It is an action that, if you have a healthy psychology, would rightly haunt you for the rest of your life.
- Are you willing to go to jail for a very long time, perhaps the rest of your life, if you use the gun in self defense? This happens sometimes. If you can't accept that, then don't carry a gun. The famous cliche that "I'd rather be judged by 12 than carried by six" sounds brave and obvious, but may be a lot harder to live with than you think.
- Are you willing to go through the work and expense that will be necessary to keep it secure in your home? There are many stories about tragic accidental shooting in the home, often involving children. The truth is that many times more people die each year from doctors' accidents, but either way, you need to keep the gun secure at all times, and that takes work.
- Do you suffer from depression, irrational behavior or extreme mood swings? Have you considered or attempted suicide? Then don't get a gun, especially if you are a male.
All that being said, the other side of the argument is pretty straightforward: "When seconds count, the police are only minutes away." If the kinds of emergencies for which self defense guns are needed could wait minutes, then there'd be no need for guns. You could just call the police. Many people jump immediately to buying the gun once they realize its necessity for self defense, but you really should first consider how far you want to go with this decision. It is our belief that, if you are going to "go gun" that you should go all the way. That is, if you are getting a gun for self defense, that means it is on your person or within reach (in your control), loaded and ready to fire at all times. Emergencies can develop in seconds, and you usually will not have time to leave the scene, go to a safe, dial in the combination, extract the gun, load it, and return to the scene. Many people have been assaulted, raped or killed while their gun lay just a few feet out of reach in a drawer or unloaded in closet, safe, or even in the car. When you really need a self defense gun, you need it now, this very second, not two minutes from now, and not in the next room. This is the fundamental reason that we recommend a small handgun over a shotgun -- you can keep a small handgun on you at all times.
All adults in your household should be trained in its use, and any children should be properly exposed to it and instructed not to touch it, but to go get an adult if they see a gun. When they are the right age and maturity, then mom or dad can teach them how to use the gun safely; target shooting and hunting are enjoyable activities for many families with children.
Choosing to get a gun for self defense is an expensive, lifestyle-changing decision. The gun, itself, is often the least expensive part of the adventure. In many ways it is like choosing to purchase a poisonous snake or dangerous guard dog. The responsibilities and costs go way beyond just going to the store, dropping a few hundred dollars and getting the animal. You are choosing to purchase a machine that can easily injure or kill you or someone else on accident if it is mishandled or left out. If you aren't willing to embrace this level of responsibility, then a self defense gun is not the right choice for you.
Terminology
Following are some terms that newcomers sometimes find confusing.
Barrel is the metal tube down which the bullet travels when it is fired. Most barrels have spiral grooves in them that cause the bullet to spin.
Bullet is the piece of metal that is fired from a gun.
Caliber refers primarily to the diameter of the bullet.
Cartridge is the unit that comprises of the bullet, gun powder and primer held together by a metallic case. A cartridge can also be referred to as a round, ammo or ammunition (the latter two usually being plural). You don't load bullets into a gun; you load cartridges, rounds, ammo or ammunition.
Chamber is the reinforced area that holds the cartridge to be fired. In a revolver, the revolving cylinder is a set of chambers -- one for each round.
Magazine is the device used in semi-automatic pistols to hold the cartridges. It is not a "clip."
General Process
- Choose the frame size to carry. For concealed carry this is usually a subcompact or smaller.
- Choose the most powerful round you are willing to practice with in that frame size.
- Find the manufacturers and models that are available meeting the above criteria.
- Select the one with the best options for you.
- Get trained and legal.
- Get complementary equipment like holsters, tactical lights and safes.
The following paragraphs expand on these considerations
Frame Size
Guns come in many different sizes, by which I mean the size of the gun's frame -- not the size of the bullets it fires. The frame is the main structure of the gun; it houses the gun's moving parts. The size of the frame you choose will depend on your size, hand/arm strength, and desired use of the gun. Larger people tend to prefer larger guns, usually referred to as tactical or just standard size frames. But if you are buying it for concealed carry, then you will want a smaller frame size; these usually go by the term compact or subcompact. For example, my 9mm is available in a large variety of sizes. I carry the subcompact, which has only a 3 1/2 inch barrel. It is available in versions that are twice this size and several steps in between.
Frame size can impact the caliber that you are comfortable shooting. The larger the grip area and the heavier the gun, the easier it is to shoot large caliber and high power rounds. For example, a full size 357 with magnum (high power) rounds can be a handfull. If the same rounds are placed in a lightweight, compact frame, it will be downright unpleasant to shoot and very hard to control (I've seen guns actually flip out of people's hands when fired). For this reason, it may be best to first decide on the frame size and kind of gun -- revolver or semi-auto -- before deciding on the caliber.
If you like target shooting, larger guns are generally easier to shoot accurately, too. The longer the barrel, the easier it is to line up and hit a target using the sights.
Revolver or Semi-Automatic
Revolvers have a cylinder that stores the cartridges. As the trigger is pulled and each shot is fired, the cylinder revolves, bringing the next cartridge in line with the barrel and hammer. It is a very reliable, proven design. You can put six rounds in a revolver, put it in a drawer, leave it there for 50 years, and odds are very good that if you have to pull it out and shoot all six rounds will go boom. It is also a little more bulky, and generally carries fewer rounds per pound.
Revolvers come in two general "actions"; single or double. A single action revolver must be manually cocked before each shot; pulling the trigger then releases the hammer and the shot is fired. In a double action revolver pulling the trigger both cocks the hammer and then causes it to drop (most double action revolvers can be manually cocked and then fired like a single action gun).
Modern semi-automatics are excellent machines, too. They are loaded by placing the rounds in a "magazine" that slides up into the handle. The magazine is spring-loaded. As each bullet is fired, the gun ejects the empty cartridge out the side of the gun and pushes the next bullet out of the magazine and into firing position. Semi-autos are usually flatter than a revolver and therefore easier to carry, yet also hold more rounds. My 9mm subcompact carries 17 rounds, whereas my larger 357 revolver carries only six (of course, the 357 is substantially more powerful, but the bullets are roughly the same diameter). The only thing "wrong" with semi-automatics is that they are more complicated. There is more "stuff" that can go wrong. It very rarely does, but it can. If you get a semi-automatic, you must take extra care to learn its operation inside and out.
Some semi-autos have hammers like revolvers, usually external. Others have a mechanism with a similar function but a different name: Striker. Some have a "decocker" that allows the hammer/striker to fall without firing the round in the chamber. Some semi-automatics are double-action for the first shot. Others require that you cycle them for the first shot. In practical use the difference is not very important.
Neither is perfect in the sense that it is impervious to failure, but revolvers have a well-earned reputation for simplicity and reliability. However, some semi-autos have proven records too; they've been run over, left in mud, frozen, etc., and still fired.
Single Stack versus Double Stack
In addition to caliber, semi-automatics are available in single-stack and double-stack versions. This refers to how the cartridges load into the magazine. A single-stack magazine carries fewer bullets -- sometimes only half as many as a double-stack -- but is much thinner, allowing a single stack gun to be roughly 25-30% thinner than a double-stack, and much thinner than a revolver of similar caliber. For example, many single stack 9mm guns carry about 8 shots, but are an inch or less thick. My double-stack subcompact 9mm is roughly the same length and height, carries 14 rounds, but is about 1.2 inches thick.
If concealment is a critical factor, or if you intend to carry on the ankle or in an unconventional position, then a subcompact single-stack semi-automatic is a great choice. Also, single stacks are often easier to hold for people with smaller hands.
Safeties
A "safety" is a mechanism intended to prevent unintentional discharge of the gun. A few obvious principles will practically eliminate the possibility of an accidental firing from your life: A gun is a simple machine; you, the operator, are the most important safety. Don't handle the gun when you have been drinking or your judgment is clouded. Don't handle the gun unless it is time to shoot something, and keep your finger the !%&@ off of the trigger until the gun is on target and it is time to shoot! When cleaning the gun or practicing (dry), remove all ammunition from the gun and the immediate area. Never trust your memory about whether the gun is clear; always double check.
Different kinds of guns have different kinds of safeties.
Revolvers generally have no external safeties. They fire when the hammer falls, either striking a pin which then hits the primer, or striking the primer directly. The internal safety mechanism is usually a bar that prevents the hammer from falling unless the trigger is depressed. In addition, revolvers generally have substantially more "trigger pull" -- the spring resistance of the trigger -- and greater travel -- the distance that the trigger must be pulled to raise and release the hammer.
Semi-autos have a variety of safeties, internal and external. Internal safeties, like on the revolver, are intended to keep the gun from firing unless the trigger is actually pulled. There are three common external safeties; a trigger safety, backstrap or grip safety, and thumb safety. Most semi-automatics have at least one of these:
- The trigger safety is a small lever built into the trigger. The intention is to prevent the trigger from activating by kinetic energy such as might be experienced if the gun is dropped. This safety was popularized on the Glock semi-automatics and is now found on many models and makes.
- The backstrap safety is a lever built into the back of the handle. It is depressed by the palm of the hand when the gun is held firmly. This safety is popular on 1911-style semi-automatics, and on the XD series of guns from Springfield Armory.
- The thumb safety is a lever within reach of the thumb when the gun is held properly in the hand. The thumb can activate or deactivate the safety. This safety is popular on 1911-style semi-automatics and those that have an external hammer. Newcomers often confuse a decocker and the thumb safety. The thumb safety is on the frame. Decockers are on the slide. Sigs have a hammer-drop lever that is on the frame.
Some guns have additional safety measures. For example, some will not fire if there is not a magazine inserted. It isn't really a safety, but some newer semi-automatics include indicators that show external signs if there is a round in the chamber or the gun is cocked and ready to fire.
For your own safety, you should always assume that the safeties could fail at any time and assume that there is a round in the chamber unless you can see that there clearly isn't. Never, ever point a gun at someone assuming that the safety will prevent it from firing (a more assertive way to say this is that you should simply never point a gun at someone unless you would be justified in shooting and killing them at that very moment).
The smaller the gun, the fewer safety mechanisms it usually has.
I know of no instance of a gun firing while held securely in a properly-fitted holster. There are plenty of reports of accidental firing while drawing -- finger slipped onto trigger -- while holstering -- finger or another object jammed against trigger -- and while just handling the gun sloppily.
See our student manual for drills to develop good habits for gun handling and avoiding accidental firing.
Caliber
If you are going to carry, once you've selected the frame size and type of gun, select the largest caliber that you are willing to practice with regularly and can shoot with decent accuracy. ('Caliber' refers primarily to the diameter of the bullet. All other things being equal, larger calibers guns have more power, do more damage, and require more strength to control.) Being a good shot makes a difference, but you don't have to be a sharpshooter. Most self defense shootings take place at unpleasantly-close range. Being able to hit a bullseye at 25 yards is irrelevant. The question is can you draw rapidly, under stress, and hit a piece of paper a few yards in front of you with 2-3 shots in just a couple seconds?
People argue passionately about which calibers are most effective, but caliber is only one of many factors. The critical factors are:
- Its intimidation factor -- any gun is more intimidating than no gun, but some are more intimidating than others
- Your skill at hitting the intended target when under stress
- The type of ammunition
- The number of rounds it carries
- The caliber
- The gun's reliability and simplicity
But caliber is an important consideration. The smaller the caliber, the more rounds you can usually pack into a particular gun, and the easier the gun will be to handle, but the less powerful each shot will be. Given a specific size frame, it might hold six 45 ACP rounds, eight 40S&W rounds, or ten 9mm rounds. A typical 45ACP bullet delivers kinetic energy almost equivalent to a 9mm (yes, really). Assuming effective hollow point rounds that stop the bullet in the body, this means that a 45 is not a better choice than a 9mm for the simple reason that you have more ammo in a 9mm gun of the same size. A 40S&W, however, has substantially more kinetic power -- around 25% more -- and may be a better overall choice. The drawback is that, with the additional power, it will also be more difficult to control. You might consider the net power that could potentially be delivered. The following chart compares possible total energy transferred from guns of similar frame size (Glock subcompact models with total height of approximately 4 3/4 inches including magazine, listed in order of difficulty to handle due to individual shot power, assuming a 3" barrel):
| Caliber | Capacity | Bullet Weight (gr) | Muzzle Velocity (f/s) | Energy per Round (Joules) | Total Energy per Mag | Cost per Round | Momentum per Round (kg x m/s) |
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