Another question...this time to pistol owners

[Apache Warrior]

Yes the glock has a trigger safety, but what I did with my daughter while she grew up was try and educate her on weapons and it scared the heck out of her after the first demostration with the water jug and a JHP 9mm.

In reality the safety is not intended to make a firearm safe for kids, no matter where it's located. That is the things I despise, trigger guards.

I agree DougBob 100%. My son was trained and educated about guns. He knows what they can do and knows they are not toys. What always concerned me was any of his friends. Some people think that ignoring gun safety, with children, keeps them safe. Unfortunately TV and Movies make kids think of guns as toys.
I believe you should teach children gun safety and let them shoot under proper adult supervision. Respect and education for guns, not fear or ignorance, promotes gun safety.
Apache

[mapes]

Ahem I have to clear it with the wife still sooo...... cue trombone noise whaa whaa waaaa.

No I haven't made up my mind so much. I'm not so much looking for defense but, I wouldn't mind having something that could serve in such capacity if the fecal material hit the fan. I do live across from the a graveyard you know

CCW is not going to happen I tell you that right now. Kids are not an issue since I don't have any. I'm intrigued by the .40 round. I haven't shot one before. The pistols that I've shot are

Colt 357
S&W 44
Kimber 1911 in 45
P228 Sig in 9mm (I think thats right)
Some cheapo .38

The 9mm stuff seemed anemic. The 357 was fun. The S&W 44 was a blast actually. It hurt like hell to fire it cause it had a small hard grip. Felt like someone hitting your hand with a hammer. I was surprisingly accurate with it. The .38 was meh....


Heres another question what about revolvers? Anyone shootem here?

[Apache Warrior]

Revolvers are fun too. Semi-autos are faster to reload and clips hold more ammo though. Although a speed-loader will make reloading revolvers faster. If you reload is is easier to police your brass with a revolver.
Do what most gun freaks do get both.

[MR_MADHATTER]

I have owned a S&W 59. A fun gun, but perhaps not the most reliable or effective. Felt good in the hand, very accurate, and it had a 15 round mag.


I traded in the 59 for a S&W 686 with 6" barrel. 357 Mag is a very effective round (and you can shoot cheaper .38 special for practice). Also felt good in the hand (with Pacmayer grippers). An intimidating gun. Just showing it can put a stop to the situation. I had a chance to use it when I lived in Tucson, AZ. A couple of knuckleheads kept comming to my front door at about 2:00 AM. They claimed they were looking for a friend and were convinced that they were in my apartment. No matter how many times I sent them away, they kept coming back. I watched through the peephole as they returned. This time I was waiting in the doorway with the shiney 686. Needless to say they didn't return. I always kept it loaded with silvertip hollowpoints. (in case of werewolf attacks)


The 686 was eventually replaced with the Baretta 96FS. This is IMO the finest gun I have ever owned. Again, always loaded with silvertips. Easy breakdown, safest gun on the planet, extremely effective .40 ammo, feels natural in the hand. If I have anything negative to say about it...expensive$ (but worth it), a little heavy (but that makes it steady).


I also had a S&W model 22 for a short time. Piece of @#&^! I should have gotten the Ruger Mark III.

[Apache Warrior]

I also had a S&W model 22 for a short time. Piece of @#&^! I should have gotten the Ruger Mark III.

+ infinity.
Apache

[Skud]

I still have a SW 686 with a six inch barrel. As Apache said, it is a sweet shiny gun, and you might one day want to own both a revolver and a semi (or more, lol...if ammo wasn't getting so damned expensive). I thought about trading it up for a 629 classic, .44 mag, until I saw that a box of 20 rounds was around $35. The revolvers will be more accurate (first shot), longer barrel with less movement, but they won't throw as much as quickly.

[mapes]

Damn trying to go shooting with a coworker after work this week. There is no ammo to be had anywhere!

[DougBob]

Damn trying to go shooting with a coworker after work this week. There is no ammo to be had anywhere!

That's what I'm talking about. I read something somewhere about they thought it may also be these greedy bastards trying to buy it up and resell it for a higher price.

[{CLR}geneSW]

Lets just say we run through brass like dogs after a cat.

[Apache Warrior]

Psst......Reload.
Apache

[mapes]

Psst......Reload.
Apache

I did Apache. Just to have stuff to shoot I made about 120 rounds of 308. However I was hoping to try out some my coworkers pistols.... I'm not setup for 9mm and 45acp. In fact its even worse than that....I'm outta of IMR 4064

[Apache Warrior]

If they have ammo for their pistols, are they willing to let you pay them for shooting their ammo?
Apache

[JohnyRico]

I have a S&W .40 and I have hollow point rounds for it. I made my decision based on I wanted to be able drop anything with 1 shot within my own home.

[Storm_Shadow]

Ahem I have to clear it with the wife still sooo...... cue trombone noise whaa whaa waaaa.

Ah, the wife. Mine is still none too impressed with my recent purchase (even though it's just a Walther P22 for plinking), but there you have it. In considering a viable HG for home defense, consider if your wife's permission is needed to protect her if the need arose...

I have some trigger time with 9mm and .40 Cal models (Beretta 92FS, Glock 17/23, S&W M&P, Sig 226), and hope to try out a few more in the near future (Beretta PX4 Storm, FN Herstal FNP). The shooting range here has numerous models to 'test drive', and they maintain some ammo stock for the models they rent. In general, I could not determine a significant difference in recoil between the two calibers, though .40 slaps a little harder, perhaps. Accuracy has tended to be good, as they've all hit what they were being pointed at.

There are a LOT of model options out there, although options in California are significantly limited from a model and capacity (limit 10 rd mags) if you are not LE. If you enjoy shooting in volume, the 9mm is certainly the most common and by far the most affordable center fire out there. Some opt for it because it can be very effective with HP rounds AND mag capacities tend to be high (except for in CA).

Otherwise, caliber is a good place to make a determination before moving on to looking at models. And in general, it will come down to feel and personal preference in the end. (naturally, I have suggestions of models to try)

[Skud]

Any closer to a decision, Mapes? Or maybe you have to do community service time in Cali before buying the gun, huh?