100% agree. you both need to be very familiar with the weapon before you start to carry one. Be confident in your skill to use it. You don't want to become hazard waiting to happen.
The only real gun "safety" you need should be between your ears. All modern striker fired pistols will not go bang unless the trigger is pulled. BTW, a good holster that covers all of the trigger is your second line of defense.
Buying, owning and carrying a gun for self defense doesn't end after the purchase of the firearm. As others have mentioned training, a good holster, strong belt, practice, and more Training are all things to consider. If you plan to conceal carry I strongly recommend of waistband carry. Either inside or outside. This wear a good strong belt and well made holster shine. As for guns and caliber, 9mm is hard to beat. Ammo is cheap and a very effective self defense round. Being cheap means you will practice more. I really like my Smith & Wesson M&P Shield it is pleasant to shoot and very accurate. I find its size to be perfect for me. Will it be for you, that is why it helps to rent a few of your possible choices before buying. The biggest baddest gundistrict.com available does you no good if you don't carry because it's the biggest, heaviest most Un comfortable thing around. Good luck in your endeavor.
My two cents worth, Try before you buy - some of these pistols have such a heavy pull that a lot of the gals and men cant adequately control the weapon and fire it due to the trigger pull. If ya can't control it during the trigger pull ( if you can even pull it) you sure are not going to be able to hit anything. Maybe even better is one of the various electric shocker units small easily deployed to disable attacker- non lethal for the most part. As far as home defense Shotgun and buck shot the still the best choice ( pump gun) 18" barrel ( only because that is the minimum legal length with out bumping into the National firearms act of the late 30's) no choke, inside minimum penetration of walls and such unlike various pistol rounds ( ya I know it isn't a cc item but the op mentioned the small ones at home). Outside much better chance of connecting with intended target particularly in a stressful situation. It takes a lot of practice to become good with a pistol a little less with a rifle but still a bunch ( we are not talking Holywood BS here troops) and even more to do it under duress. These 3 sentences are the best advice anyone can give you The number one thing to do first is to know your Local laws inside and out hence my reason for stating the electric unit. The cc permit is but a tiny fraction of the overall picture. Think before you act. In many areas deadly force will get you a permanent stay at a semi local fortified retreat. The litigation side will completely trash the rest of your life even if you come out on top.
One thing not touched on that to me is very important. That is, you have a weapon for protection, now how do you plan on protecting? For example, suppose some idiot comes into your home, especially when 4 females are there or potentially there. Do you shoot to wound? Like I hear, "I'll shoot him in the knee." Or do you really mean business. Remember, if the idiot is armed, he won't be interested in wounding and if he is wounded, it will not stop him. Are you up to the challenge? I certainly hope so.
Yep. The .380 has a pretty heavy trigger pull. Good point to bring up. A situation I have thought about many times over the years and hope to never encounter. But if it should ever come to pass, I will not be looking to wound. That knee is too skinny to aim for in the heat of the moment.
Your biggest target may not be a sheep either. Maybe it is a 250lb meth monster that was visiting the neighborhood. 9mm minimum I say. Also, for novices of handguns (me included though I have handled firearms regularly for 35 years) a mechanical safety should be a required feature of any gun you purchase. Trigger safety guns are always live. Regardless of what others may say, if you can touch off a round by your finger hitting the trigger, the gun is not safe. Those trigger safety guns are safe from falling and going off. That is about it. Any novice will inherently find their index finger near that trigger when it should not be. Therefore the gun would be unsafe if loaded in the hands of a novice, imo. Think of pulling that gun out of a holster in your waistband. Is it possible that the force required to do so would cause a person to grip the gun in a way that puts a finger near that trigger? Cops that carry these guns and are trained make this mistake. Just youtube it. For clarity, a trigger safety has a center lever in the trigger that must be depressed in order for the trigger to activate the hammer as it crosses the fire point. If the side of the trigger is the only contact point, it should not fire. Many of these guns have grip safetys as well which are additional moving parts on the back of the grip that must be depressed to allow the hammer to fire. This is a normally "live" gun when a person holds it and squeezes the trigger. A mechanical safety is a button or lever that must be moved to a different position and thus allows the trigger to engage the hammer. Safety on; no ability to send a round. Safety off; live gun. I chose the Beretta 92FS 9mm because it was military proven, was 9mm and ammo was easily obtained for fair cost and it has a mechanical safety. I am not at ease around any loaded trigger safety gun. And remember, all guns are treated as loaded.
You are so right! Here is my short and sweet answer.. my doors on house are unlocked.. why doors and windows in house are large enough for people to walk thru rock break window reach in open door not hard.. keys are cars tractors etc.. all insured steal them they are replaceable.. not worth human life.. mess with family.. (wife, kids dog) they are not replaceable.. my response will be extreme and they will be protected..
Start with this while you are finding what works and what does not for you and your wife. Then apply all the following as it applies to you and your family. Pistol selection is a lot like Sthil vs husky vs dolmar vs echo. Pick a name brand (in no order) Glock, Springfield, Smith and Wesson, Sig that fits you and your budget what works for you may not fit your wife. Don't buy a cheap gun!!! Carrying a pistol is a important decision, training is more important than anything else as it teaches safety, situational awareness and can help prevent the problem. I don't think this is the place to get into the discussion regarding "constitution carry" vs "shall issue" and "may issue" state law. Let's instead focus on protecting who and what we love and what works and what doesn't. Caliber selection 9 mm versus 45 versus 380 is a personal preference in general the heavier the pistol the lighter the recoil but harder to conceal and carry. I would not carry any ammo that I had not seen tested with the FBI gelatin test to ensure adequate without excessive penetration http://www.luckygunner.com/labs/self-defense-ammo-ballistic-tests/ I would look into USPSA as well as IDPA competitions as they are designed around practicing shooting multiple targets with both shoot and non-shoot targets great practice and fun to boot! Carry style I like IWB and OBW depending on activity and dress for women take a look at "the patriot nurse" Striker/safe action pistols vs traditional pistols with an external safety I like both, but my nightstand/bump in the night gun will always be in a good holster that covers the entire trigger and have an external safety due to potential to get dropped, knocked off by children in the night etc... It does not come out until they are in bed. My personal choice for this is a 1911 style with an external safety as well as a grip safety, very difficult for anyone to accidental discharge this pistol. In conclusion buy a quality pistol, quality ammo, obtain quality training (not your neighbor's cousin who is a police office was in the army/marine etc), practice and stay safe!
My advice to people wanting a first handgun is always the same. Get a revolver. Learning how to use one is very easy. Something like a Smith & Wesson J-frame or Ruger LCR in .38 special is compact and simple.
Good points, but so many people get hung up on a mechanical safety. Many a revolver had been carried for many hours without a mechanical safety. Everyone thinks it a must on a semi auto. A well made striker fired semi without manual safety is just as safe as you the shooter are. 1911,different story. Once again this is why training/practice is so important.
At work we switched from a traditional double action with safety/decock to a striker fired pistol with no external safety about 7 years ago. Accidents went down drastically because operation of the guns was simplified.
Not less safe, but by design that is where I am a proponent of a manual safety. The 1911 was design to be carried round in chamber, cocked & locked.
For me a .380 is the absolute smallest caliber I will even consider carrying for personal protection. I utilize a Ruger LCP when I need the smallest gun if I am worried about printing. I love my Glock 42 and 43. 99% percent of the time I have my Glock 43 on me with a second mag for backup. If you are worried about safeties pick up an XDS in 9mm where you have a 1911 style grip safety as well as a trigger safety. I may be the odd man out by I prefer no manual safety. I train for if I need a gun including loaded draws from a concealed carry holster. If I feel threatened enough to pull my firearm chances are I will be pulling the trigger as soon as I can clear the holster and have it on center mass and the last thing I want to worry about is trying to find a safety. Milliseconds can matter in these situations and if you do much reading you will realize these situations s usually happen quick and fast. If someone is on top of you or charging chances are you may be shooting one handed at point blank range as quickly as possible. This is one reason I practice one handed shooting while shoving a target backwards and don't want to worry about finding a safety with one hand. If I sound cold and harsh it's because it's a serious matter. If you aren't prepared to do what needs to be done if/when your life is in danger and you pull a gun the odds are it will be used against you and you will be dead! Get training and practice until it is second nature! When seconds matter the cops are 10 minutes away! Here are some stats to think about. Concealed carry shooting statistics from a Beretta E-book on concealed carry "... SOME STATISTICS 55% of gunfights take place 0-5 feet. 20% of gunfights take place in 5-10 feet. 20% of gunfights take place in 10-21 feet. (ETA) – 75% take place within 10 ft. 95% of gunfights take place in 0-21 feet. (Source- FBI) The average man can cover 21 feet of ground in 1.5 seconds. The average man cannot draw a gun from concealment in under 2 seconds. The average gunfight is over in 3-5 seconds. 3 to 4 shots are usually fired. Most gunfights take place in low light conditions. On average, one shot in four strikes someone." In my opinion target shooting at paper is good but actively practicing for the above situations and making sure you can hit center mass during all of them while your heart rate is up is better than just shooting paper in a relaxed environment. Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk
