Help me pick a handgun, please

In My Humble Opinion
1

I’ve recently accepted a part-time job delivering medicines, including narcotics, to nursing homes. I run my route late at night and part of it lies in a high-crime neighborhood. I sometimes feel as if I have a target painted on my back—I’ve already had one confrontation, and I felt really vulnerable.

I’m looking for an easily concealable weapon, and I’m torn between an automatic and a revolver. I’d like something in the range of a 9mm, although I would consider other calibers.

Any suggestions, recomendations, etc., would be greatly appreciated.

2

Just a suggestion, Smith & Wesson Model 686 Plus, .357 Magnum 7 shot revolver. Not very concealable, but the intimidation factor…

Also, revolver upkeep is less extensive than with an automatic.

I’m sure someone else will be along with other suggestions soon.

3

I was looking at a Sig-Sauer P239 at a gunshow the other day, and I really liked it. It has a compact frame and fit my hand very well. It comes in a 9mm model. I haven’t fired one yet, but I’ll let you know when I do.

If anyone has any opinions of the P239, I’d love to hear them.

4

I think automatics are going to win for concealability, though I’m far from an expert on that matter; it just seems to me that the clip makes for a slimmer, flatter profile than a revolving chamber. Revolvers do have one very strong argument, though: they’re much more accomodating of the Glaser Safety Slug. I just don’t know models off the top of my head.

There’s a reason that the ACP 1911, after almost a century of service, remains one of the most popular pistols around. It has very high stopping power and surprisingly low recoil, and it’s insanely reliable.

The M9 Beretta 92F might also be what you’re looking for; it’s very smooth-operating and has a lighter recoil.

I’d recommend a parabellum (Luger)-style pistol or two, but I think they’re better as target pistols; they get a little finicky and they limit your choices of ammunition (more on this in a moment).

Those are reasonably bulky, though (about 8.5 inches long and about 2.5 pounds). If that’s not acceptable, and you can handle more recoil, you could go for the Sig-Sauer P 232, which is half as long and weighs a little over a pound (I forget if this is the loaded or unloaded weight). Somewhere in between that and the 1911 or M9 is the Glock 26, six and a quarter inches long and about a pound and three quarters loaded.

Take care in your choice of ammunition. A bullet that misses, of course, doesn’t stop after it misses; it keeps going, and it carries a lot of punch with it. It can go through a surprising amount of wood, drywall, sheetrock, glass, and insulation before it loses its ability to hurt people. Look into frangible bullets (the Glaser SafetySlug is the most famous, but it may have problems cycling an automatic, and it’s quite expensive), good hollowpoints (Gold Dots, Hydra-Shok, etc), and the like - things that aren’t designed to penetrate deeply, but rather to deliver a lot of damage to the first thing they hit, and then stop as soon as possible. With luck, it’ll never come to that, but you may not be lucky enough to have a good backstop; don’t bring your stopping power too low, but try to accomodate for that as much as you can.

5

We’re a Glock family. My husband swears by them. They’re extremely reliable and extremely safe. There’s no hammer to fuss around with and that kind of simplicity is important in an emergency situation.

6

A used Smith and Wesson Model 36 five shot revolver loaded with standard pressure lead hollow points. A good combination of easy to carry and shoot while still having decent power. I’d wax it with a 100% Carnuba wax once a month and wipe it down with a silicone impregnated cloth daily due to the humid climate in Florida.

7

Yes. Or a Charter Arms .44 special.

How much of an expert are you with guns? If you aren’t an expert- don’t get any sort of automatic where you have to remember to remove the safety before firing. It’s a good way to get yourself killed. Revolvers also don’t jam, stovepipe or need a lot of maintenance.

The other choice is to go with small size and prtability- a Beretta .22/.25/.32 DA auto is one gun that you’ll not have problems carrying or concealing.

Don’t worry about “knock down”. That’s only critical if you’re a Police Officer that might have to confront a crazed attacker. With robbers, just about any caliber is good enough.

8

First off, clear carrying with your employer. Then get trained. Then practice. Practice more. Then worry about what pistol to carry.

Having said all that, get a Glock.

9

Know when you can use lethal legally; carry the gun where you can get to it quickly; know how to operate it; pay lots of attention to your surroundings. Lots of practice is nice, especially getting your gun into play (do this unloaded). But, honestly, a lethal force situation is more often than not, a point and shoot situation at extremely short distances.

10

Well, I’d avoid a .25 or .32. It just seems like those are more likely to piss off then anything else.

11

lethal force :smack:

12

Any time you want to get shot with 6 rounds of either, just let me know! :stuck_out_tongue:

But seriously-hose three rounds are deadly and cause a LOT of pain. Yes, indeed, if you are a police officer, and you have a reasonable chance of needing “stopping power”, then a larger caliber is a good idea. But even a Cop willlikely not shoot a single person in his entire career. A normal citizen is unlikely to ever need to use a gun. In those few circumstances they need to, usually just bringing it out will end the encounter. In the even fewer ‘once in a lifetime’ they need to pull the trigger- most assailants will be detered with just a single shot from even a .25. A full clip will stop just about anyone but a meth head on full rampage. Now, see- a cop will* need* to confront said meth head- but the rest of us can just run away.

Those that laugh at small calibers and say “they’ll just piss them off” have never been shot. I got shot with a damn .22 short- a super puny round (one of the guys was screwing around). It was in my leg, and I was unable to do anything but curse and clutch the wound.

13

What Silenus said. The Glock 27 in .40 is the way to go. It’s small, safe, and simple, my 3 criteria for carrying concealed.

14

That being said, I think that it should be pointed out that you should not just fire and forget, no matter how powerful the handgun. Rather, in some causes, it may take multiple shots to keep a person from being able to render harm to you.

15

Why has nobody said this?

Seek other employment!
Meanwhile, get the Glock.

Practice. Be safe. Know your rights and obligations (legally).

We don’t wanna lose one of our own, after all. :smiley:

16

my personal preference is a smith and wesson model 19 .357 magnum.

i have said this before: if you can’t kill it with six out of a .357, you probably shouldn’t be shooting at it.

17

I will have taken the safety course and will have acquired a license before carrying a gun. My employer sort of leans toward encouraging us to carry a (licensed) weapon, although he won’t come right out and recommend it. As to experience, I’ve owned several automatic pistols over the years but none at all during the last twelve or so. I’ve also owned a couple of 22 rifles and one 20 guage shotgun. I don’t have any guns at all at present. I used the shotgun for hunting dove and quail and the 22 for plinking and varmits. I was a fairly good shot with the rifle, but only fair with the pistols. For whatever reasons, I’ve never owned a revolver and am sort of leaning that way now. The comment re the safety on an automatic gave me pause; I hadn’t considered that. In either case, I know nothing about the current crop of handguns and I certainly don’t know enough to judge the condition of a used one. I do have to be aware of the cost of ammunition, although I won’t allow that to be a deal breaker.

Thanks for all the responses so far and keep those cards and letters coming.

18

For simple CCP, my weapon of choice is .380 ACP. Walther and others make nice small pistols which use that caliber. You can choose a JHP, or Hydra-Shok HP as a street load.

For someone to threaten me to the point that I employ deadly force, flight isn’t an option, and they must be close enough that I can reliably fire without placing others at risk. Just MHO.

19

I’ve owned everything–and I mean everything–under the sun at one time or another, and if you came to me as a friend to borrow a gun, and taking your situation into account, I’d definitely loan you a 357 magnum revolver.

If you go to work actually thinking you may not come home, then the ability to defend yourself is top priority. To hell with looks. With this in consideration you need stopping power greater than a 9mm.

Glocks, Beretta, Smith & Wesson, and all other automatics are fantastically designed and todays handguns are stress tested to death, but automatics all have one thing in common: If you pull the trigger and hear a “click” (misfire), or if your first shot doesn’t drop your opponent and the hull jams on you, you’re going to need time to recycle the upper to bring up the next round. With a revolver, you simply pull the trigger again to get to the next round, and jamming isn’t an issue.

My Glock was ugly as hell (the top of the thing looked like an aircraft carrier deck) and looked like it was carved from ebony, but I must admit that the smooth, plain surfaces made carrying it one of the best experiences I ever had with a handgun. You can get to it rabbit-fast and it felt good on you, which is the reason I carried it more than any other firearm. Also, A Glock is arguably the toughest son of a bitch of a gun ever designed and you can abuse the hell out of one and it will fire every time. They are highly reliable, but if you get one, I’d recommend a .40 or better.

Beretta, especially the 92 and 96 models are beautiful and also proven firearms that can take a beating. For me, it’s a toss up between these models and the Glocks for reliability, but the Beretta certainly is better looking. The edge goes to the Glock for comfort when carrying.

I own a Smith/Walther SW99 that I love because it bridges the gap between the Beretta and the Glock nicely, and at .40, it will make short enough work of your attacker.

Again, I think you need a .357 Magnum Revolver. Admittedly misfires are a rare thing these days with round technology, but if I had to face the possibility of violence every single day, I’d want to know that when I pulled the trigger, the son of a bitch is going to fire. Or, I can just pull it again.

20

Looks like I might be the only one to suggest a M-1911.

I agree with everyone who has advised not to use small caliber bullets. You would want things to end after one shot, preferably yours.