Jonnin

I do not have one, picked one up is all. If you can get one for $350 (rumors of sales for the holidays, but I havent researched this) or so, its probably worth it. They were pricy last time I looked, and I felt that the price was largely an overpriced built in laser sight system on what should be an inexpensive gun. So, I would say, if the price feels right, it seems like a nice CCW piece.

Oh. Hmm. Have you googled holsters for handicapped shooters? There may be something there. That or a custom one, or heavily modified existing one, are all I can think of. I do not know of one designed this way "as is".

if its really what you want, those black nylon holsters that velcro shut can be flipped over. Getting it out fast isnt going to happen, and eventually the velcro will wear out if you use it too much, but you can use anything similar that has a secure strap to seal the gun in place with a strong, positive ability to stay that way all day without fail. Second, you could have someone make (or you could adapt something) that is gravity bound to hold it barrel up. You would then have to pull the gun by its barrel or trigger guard, and do some very fancy dancing to get it properly in hand before use. This also seems a bit odd. I sometimes carry a pistol barrel up in my pocket, and can pull it free by hooking my finger around the guard then shifting it to the correct grip, but that is very different from the small of your back (and the gun must be of a type that you are comfortable getting that near the trigger while its pointed at your own head...). For a small, light gun you could still do it this way, if you practice it. Still, even with any of the above thoughts, its just not as natural as a grab the handle/draw/done method. Its potentially dangerous if you use the wrong type of gun for a trigger guard draw, and its not handy for any other method of draw. Why exactly are you looking at this, whats the gameplan?

Its going to depend on the gun at hand. A number of .22 pistols won't even cycle with real ammo, some of them only work well with bigger ammo (like the mini-mags) -- my little S&W escort won't accept any sort of cheap ammo (and sometimes even the better stuff jams it). The same is true of other calibers to a lesser extent, some guns need a more powerful round to cycle properly esp. when new(and some junk guns wont cycle no matter what you do). A 1911 .45 with a target or lighter recoil spring might cycle while a really strong compact one may not. I think any handgun could be modified to work with blanks, but out of the box, its going to be hit or miss for which ones will work. I would suspect the same to be true for any sort of semi or fully auto rifle, etc, that its just going to depend on the model and design.

I went back and read it much more carefully. The study seems to be objective, a backyard sort of testing not one done to promote anything. Just a here is what we did, here is what happened sort of thing. If its hype, its pretty well disguised, as he offered several options on different bullet weights and types for various needs, across several brands. So much for getting a 223 to go thru a cardoor/etc because the handgun wouldnt, haha. I need a range where I can shoot at junk, these "paper targets only" rules prevent me from testing anything. Sigh. Maybe I should reverse that, keep the handgun for penetration .... Now I really don't know what to think, we got high speed rounds cutting thru metal and objects that stop a handgun round cold, then we have handgun rounds going thru other stuff that the high speed ones will not... I think I am going to take a deep breath, focus on not getting attacked, use whatever I can lay to hand if I am, and call it a day!

ah, I see, I misread it. Shows what I get for skimming while I work...

Yea, I live out away from this type of concern and its just me and the wife. Its not something I have had to think about enough: if cornered in my bedroom at night for example, a round would have to pass 2-3 interior walls and 1 exterior wall unless the guy was climbing into my window (second floor). If cornered downstairs, the bulk of it is underground and the one side that is not doesnt have a home in line of sight. The only way I could shoot into another home would be by aiming at it, and even then, I would be hard pressed to shoot through my window and into theirs. So long as a brick wall will stop the rounds, I am OK. Having a hard time convincing myself that a bullet that cannot go thru regular dry wall would stop an intruder though, its just an odd concept to me. I cant see myself using something like that, or needing to. It would take a lot of hands-on to convince me that this stuff works.

I like the subcompacts because I like to at least have the option to pocket the weapon, nothing more. If that is not a goal, they have little advantage for conceal, as you said. A gun that I cannot at least fit in my pocket (never mind the print) will never be my chosen CCW, though I have a number of them for range duty and a couple stashed around the house in strategic places. On the flipside, there is little advantage in having a bigger weapon either. The good subcompacts that I have tried and own shoot well; several of them see a lot of range time because I like the way they shoot. A number of them are uncomfortable handbusters too, but the designs of the last decade have really started to mature into small guns that are also fun to shoot and no longer prevent practice due to discomfort. The only real reason to have a bigger gun (apart from personal preference) is if you want a 45, the really small 45s all have some sort of issue/compromise and the middle sized ones are still fairly large.

I think you just explained excessive force as is used by the court system. "He was too much deader than needed, just lightly dead would have been good enough." Seriously though, TB isnt an exact enough science to be able to say that. With the exact same shot placement and number of shots, can you really say the 223 is more effective (kills more often under identical conditons)? Are you assuming the 223 will tumble or fragment or bounce (they do some nasty things at times)? Was the 45 a JHP that expanded or a flat nose/wadcutter or a nato JSP? Also, its the old question of energy vs momentum. The 45 has a lot more momentum, the 223 has more muzzle energy. I am not going to try to claim either one is better, I think either will result in fatal wounds if fired 3-5 times into someone's chest, I am just curious as to how you can justify this blanket statement (if you were serious). The 45 will go thru drywall, too. If the requirement is a round that will NOT, special ammo will still be required. I was thinking more along the lines of "house" than "apartment". I would think a street sweeper shotgun might be in order, with a light load of steel birdshot... I agree Jamie, guess what I was trying to say is if I busted out my .223 it would be to either make a long range shot (over 100 yards) or to try to punch thru a door/wall with it (which almost anything I have can do just as well, as you said, but I respect the cutting power of the 223, I have cut a piece of rebar (holding up my target) in half with it while most other stuff I have tends to bend/dent the metal). I would not use the 223 if the opposite effect were desired. I guess if I had this special ammo, that would be a neat choice, but I would feel like I lost most of the "perks" that I got a 223 for in the first place. You are right about the thompsons, that was a bad example. Honestly, I am not sure what I would use if penetration of drywall would be considered a bad thing, like in a small apartment complex. Special ammo would be needed for any gun I possess if that is the criteria, I am satisfied if it doesnt penetrate the exterior walls (and most of mine will not do that, only the rifles or the 223 pistol).

Uninstall is so simple. If you guys have any computer know-how, consider instead hacking the software to randomly generate the lat/lon instead. Your boss will be amazed at how you are so productive, able to go to mexio, paris, and tokyo all on your lunch break... The boss cannot as you about it, as that gives him away, all he can do is stew over it. Its an invastion of privacy: companies CAN do this if the employee is informed of it and signs a paper to waive the right to protest. If it is simply installed without a policy, its grounds for a lawsuit, IMO --- you might have that angle checked out.

Im a little confused as to why one would use a 223 for defense if worried about penetration. To me, its ability to cut thru some cover is an advantage that, once taken away, turns the weapon into a much weaker gun that has only one advantage anymore (extreme high capacity possible). If you want a high capacity gun that won't penetrate too far and is good for defense, get one of those semi automatic tommy-gun clones instead. It would be a better weapon for home defense if worried about shooting thru a wall, and if you need more than a 50 round drum, you have a serious problem (one way or another, either an army is after you or you can't shoot very well).

the sig is an amazing shooter though. The LCP trigger is harsh (relative..!) and the sig's 1911 breech design makes it lighter on recoil. A light trigger and low recoil, I can empty the gun into a 5 inch group at 25 feet. The long/stouter trigger pull and rougher recoil of the LCP pull me way off target and I cannot shoot that gun rapidly & accurately at defensive distances. Thats just me though, I do not handle that style of gun well under stress and your experience with them may be totally different.

CZ makes excellent guns. This 380 is built off the tried and true makarov design, which IMHO is one of the best designs of all time. Its simple, accurate, reliable, rugged, and about the only drawback is that its big compared to a modern 380. You can get a cz -82 makarov instead, actually, for about the same price, and thats a slightly larger caliber in the exact same gun, if that is of any interest to you. The ammo is cheaper than 380 but harder to find, you will want to order it online. I prefer the mak to the 380 apart from the aggravation of hunting down ammo, and my mak is my favorite range gun (I no longer carry it, I can get a .40 caliber in the same sized gun now).

Exactly where I was going with it. Take Jamie's excellent example: he was not far enough gone into the reflex mode to actually shoot -- that is where you want to be. The guy who would have pulled the trigger in that situation, that is where you don't want to be. The thing here, IMO, is how you train really. If you train to draw and fire in a single motion, that would probably lead to a problem. If you train to draw, prepare(safety off or whatever as needed for your gun), and aim in a single rapid motion, that should be safe, your gun is out and aimed and the brain kicks in for a "now what" right when you need it. IMO anything you train/repeat to death will become a reflex/reaction and training extensively to pull/fire is just downright unsafe (however you may choose to do a few draw fire exercises--- note how fast a running attacker can close upon you). It should be clear the difference between a couple of exercises vs doing the same motion 50000 times until you can do it in your sleep. As far as it goes, being aware of your gun at all times is a good thing. You do that, and you may think of yourself as a novice, but you won't drop it, you will notice if its not there (fell out of the holster or pick-pocketed or whatever horrible thing), you wont forget & grab a beer, etc. Becoming so used to carry that you forget its there isnt in your best interest IMHO -- better that the gun is a little uncomfortable (mentally or physically) so you are always at least a little bit aware of it.

I like the ideas, esp reputation instead of post count. Every system has its flaws though. Reputation allows someone to put a negative tick on someone else for personal reasons, not because of a specific post, and I have already seen a few places where 2 folks get into it because they dislike each other more than because of the topic at hand. There may have to be limits on reputation granted/removed somehow. SME are a good idea as well --- however the implication from the initial post is that anyone not a SME is ignorant, not sure how that will play out. There is a middle ground between the expert and novice which this system does not account for. Perhaps this should be a tiered thing, rather than binary, in the long term. Quality of info is a great concept, however you choose to implement it. I know I have found my share of bad info on the web & learned the hard way a few times, and any way others can be spared that sort of thing is great.

Yes, no, maybe? If you plan to get into an old school wild west cowboy gunfight, maybe its important to be able to have the fastest draw and fire possible. I tend to agree with you, however: I want to be in control when deadly force is on the line, not on autopilot --- IMHO that is how the wrong people get shot, like a kid with a toy gun. The last thing I *ever* want to have happen is to draw and fire without realizing it. Thats going too far. As close as you can get to this is fine, so long as your brain is still connected to it, but the moment you can draw and fire without knowing you did it, thats the moment you cross a very dangerous line. Once you can do that, will you draw and shoot in a moment of anger, or if you hear a loud noise, etc? Are you going to open up on a kid with a balloon that popped, or a firecracker, or a tire blowout, etc? How would you know, your brain isnt connected to the action! I think you have the right idea, quick and trained but a decision, not a reaction.

Compacts that are 7+ inches long, maybe this word does not mean what I think it means =) I dont have enough experience to help you with your key needs, unfortunately. The size/conceal issue is one you have to figure out yourself anyway: everyone has different ideas and needs for that, have to pick the gun up to see if it works for you. I also cannot comment on reliable, as I have only borrowed most of the 45s I have shot and its not enough ammo types and shots to say anything. About all I can say is that HK 45c should qualify for the fun to shoot/range gun portion of your needs. The forward grip gives it a unique feel that I really liked when I tried it (not the 45c, but that design is found on many HK). For a lighter gun, they feel good when fired, unlike most light guns in big calibers.

Sig can be gulity of that too. When my p238 was very new, it kept hanging open with rounds in the clip, a call to sig got me "its you: you hit the slide stop with your thumb as you shoot". Turns out, it needed a bit of repair. I never called them back after proving that it was not *me* (by shooting another one 25 times without incident) -- I just had my local gunsmith fix it. So I cannot be too hard on their customer service, I never called them back for the follow up conversation and will just assume they would have had me send it in & fixed it for me. But any company out there has praise and horror stories depending on who you ask and what forums you read.

These guns are huge, how big is your 1911?? The sig, for example, is over 7 inches long, yet you cited wanting to conceal it. I know that people do conceal big guns, but are you sure that 1 more inch or less in length is really going to do that much for you (or is your 1911 the largest one out there??). The HK is almost 7 inches long. I guess I am asking, what did you want again? I see almost no advantage of these weapons over a big 1911, you would carry them the exact same way (probably IWB in the small of your back?). They are, IMO, too large for frontal IWB carry (or on the extreme edge of too large anyway) or for under-arm carry unless you always wear a coat or something. If you are set on one of these guns, go for it, I do not know enough about any one of them to comment. But if you are looking to carry a big caliber weapon concealed, IMO these are no better than your 1911 (carry it and save $$ or buy one just to have a new toy, whatever). I would consider a small 40 caliber, or 10mm (trouble is, not many on the market), or 357 sig (nice but an odd caliber), etc in a just over 6 inch platform. I have not made up my mind about the small .45s, but you can find a few of those in a smaller gun as well. Is your goal concealed carry, or to get a new weapon from a wish list, or do you really see a large difference in the relative sizes of these guns vs your 1911? I need more info before I can make any helpful comments.

The great thing about a 1911 is you can safety-off, cock as you draw instead. Takes a bit of practice, but its not hard to learn this method. The sig hammer is a little stout and need to be pulled very far back to do this, and its half-cock is almost at the hammer down mark so it does not help much to half cock it. I personally think this is more risky than cocked & locked: don't start the hammer back move until the gun is pointed safely at the target in case it slips... The safety takes a good amount of force to move. More than the trigger takes to fire, at a rough guess, or as much, a good 3 pounds of force at a rough guess. Its not going to slip off in your pocket unless worn out or modified. Its as likely to go off as the LCP is to have its trigger pulled from inside your pocket. All I can say, is if it makes you nervous, is to pick one up at a store & test out the hammer and the safety to see how difficult they are. IMO the gun is very safe using either approach and its only drawbacks are 1) the price tag and 2) they can be a little strange until broken in, about 300 rounds before mine smoothed out and functioned 100%.

My wife just got a stainless colt gold trophy, about $1000, and its pretty darn nice. Its lightweight and very accurate with a very good trigger, all right out of the box. At shortish ranges (20-30 feet) it is capable of sending a full clip through the same hole. I do not have a long range where I can really test it at this time. We both really like this gun, the only complaint I have so far is that putting it back together after cleanting, there is a spring in the grip that makes putting the slide-lock pin back in a little difficult. Not having a ton of 1911 experience, I do not know if that is a common design, it looks to be the backside of the spring for the safety.

Check the triggers, the khars have a better one IMO than the other brands. You can get a pinky finger extension for nearly any gun, its a magazine thing not a gun thing, and you can buy extensions to add to a mag floor plate.

Tired of not knowing, I tried to look it up. As best as I can tell from the web (for what *that* is worth): Half cocked was apparently the first revolver safety, to remove the hammer pin from the cartridge primer, you pulled it back a little bit so that dropping the gun would not fire it, and supposedly a dropped gun with hammer full back would catch on the half-cock sear because the trigger was not pulled, to prevent a full-cocked droped gun from going off. This design was around even in the mid/late 1800s. After that came the blocks, bars, etc, which seem to have appeard around 1890 and were in widespread use by WWI. These desigs were refined to what we have now by WWII for the most part. So, to get an unsafe revolver, you have to dig up something fairly old, with the surplus army pistols being one of the most common unsafe designs (?) --- and that one, if I am not mistaken, does have the half-cocked "safety". Feel free to fill in anything that I missed, as thats just a wad of possibly wrong web stuffs.

Nice gift indeed. The sort of thing you have to know the person for, but when its appropriate, its a great idea. I thought you were asking, so my suggestion was going to be "ammo" (what to buy for someone who has all the guns...).

Yes, 70 years ago or whatever it was, a hammer that was also the firing pin (the hammer comes to a sharp point which strikes the primer directly) can be made to fire by pounding on the hammer (which is, after all, the firing pin and is, after all, touching the primer). I have exactly one gun like this, and it was made before WWI --- I think the last of this stuff was maybe 1950s or just before? I would not carry a gun this old anyway. Not only is there the drop danger, but some of these guns cannot handle modern +p defense ammo.