OKLAHOMAN
Member
Dee and I are about to take hand gun courses in safety and concealed carry . I'm looking to purchase two guns one for Dee who has very small hands and myself who also has smaller hands.
The question of concealed carry is in response to self protection. That being said, it then becomes an issue of understanding the difference in caliber and quality. There are no end to small firearms in small caliber but do you want to risk your life on them? The answer is then a matter or marksmanship and the right caliber weapon. If you are very proficient with firearms and your marksmanship is very good, the caliber is of less importance as you will be able to hit what you aim at. If your marksmanship is less than stellar, you need to consider higher caliber weapons for "stopping power". If you shoot a very large man with a very small caliber weapon and hit him in non lethal areas, he could conceivably be shot numerous times and continue to charge you. If however you are a good marksman and can hit vital areas at will this is less of a problem. Higher caliber weapons with the proper ammunition is crucial.
Build a good fundamental knowledge of firearms overall to build upon. Youtube would be a great source but nothing will beat hands on training with a good and reputable instructor and then lots, and lots of range time practicing shooting. I have spent a lot of time with my wife, kids, and friends helping them learn about firearms.
It is troubling that we live in a world where such actions are required for self protection but when you have people who will even go into a church and begin shooting people, or a restaurant, or a shopping mall, or just about anywhere then yes, it is time for self protection.
Feel free to call me or PM me anytime my friend and I hope that my two cents worth has helped.
My personal opinion is your fear is a tad misplaced for a number of reasons. First, relatively few people carry, even where concealed carry is legal so your fear of a dozen people pulling to return fine is probably never going to happen. There is no evidence that I know of that someone (anyone) is more likely to be shot by a legally possessed and carried firearm than by one in the hands of a criminal. If you watched the Andy Griffith Show, you will recall that Barney Fife always handled his firearm safely and never took it out where it would have put anyone in danger. In fact, he rarely drew it at all outside the "office".The question of concealed carry is in response to self protection. That being said, it then becomes an issue of understanding the difference in caliber and quality. There are no end to small firearms in small caliber but do you want to risk your life on them? The answer is then a matter or marksmanship and the right caliber weapon. If you are very proficient with firearms and your marksmanship is very good, the caliber is of less importance as you will be able to hit what you aim at. If your marksmanship is less than stellar, you need to consider higher caliber weapons for "stopping power". If you shoot a very large man with a very small caliber weapon and hit him in non lethal areas, he could conceivably be shot numerous times and continue to charge you. If however you are a good marksman and can hit vital areas at will this is less of a problem. Higher caliber weapons with the proper ammunition is crucial.
Build a good fundamental knowledge of firearms overall to build upon. Youtube would be a great source but nothing will beat hands on training with a good and reputable instructor and then lots, and lots of range time practicing shooting. I have spent a lot of time with my wife, kids, and friends helping them learn about firearms.
It is troubling that we live in a world where such actions are required for self protection but when you have people who will even go into a church and begin shooting people, or a restaurant, or a shopping mall, or just about anywhere then yes, it is time for self protection.
Feel free to call me or PM me anytime my friend and I hope that my two cents worth has helped.
Nicely stated. I'm actually more concerned about being shot by a panicking, ill trained, self protector in their first situation, than a criminal. I've seen people handle high stress situations so poorly with no firearms involved, I shudder to think about them with a gun. Barney Fife comes to mind. Since you bring up the mass shootings, I really dread the situation where two dozen people in the crowd pull firearms, to return fire. With my advancing age, my ability to be able to drop to the floor quickly is starting to slow.
Take her and let her decide what she likes. Let her make decisions. Let her handle the different styles. Let her shoot them and let her decide what she likes. Then after deciding on what she likes, take her to the range and let her shoot her gun. See, the key is her and her decision. I don't care how much you spend, what brand you buy...if she is not happy, she will not take it.
A range that will offer different guns to shoot and helpful suggestions/instruction is best.
Ownership is everything. If she owns it, then she will carry it. If she thinks it's "Your gun", then in time it will sit in a drawer/safe ect anyplace other than with her and you have defeated the reason for gun ownership.
The only problem I see with that is that potential assailants might mistake it for something else rather than a gun, and while a gun would stop them a compact or cell phone or any of the many other items she might have in pink won't.Take her and let her decide what she likes. Let her make decisions. Let her handle the different styles. Let her shoot them and let her decide what she likes. Then after deciding on what she likes, take her to the range and let her shoot her gun. See, the key is her and her decision. I don't care how much you spend, what brand you buy...if she is not happy, she will not take it.
A range that will offer different guns to shoot and helpful suggestions/instruction is best.
Ownership is everything. If she owns it, then she will carry it. If she thinks it's "Your gun", then in time it will sit in a drawer/safe ect anyplace other than with her and you have defeated the reason for gun ownership.
That is a very good point !! If it is registered in her name, it is her gun, and she is more likely to be interested in shooting it !! Now if you order it in pink, it will really be her gun. Don't snicker, I have seen them and the owners are very proud of them. It's not how mean the dog looks, it's how deep he can bite !! Jim S
The wild west lives on:biggrin: Does anyone take self defense classes any more??? Just thinking out loud. Where is Meaggie when you need him:biggrin:
The wild west lives on:biggrin: Does anyone take self defense classes any more??? Just thinking out loud. Where is Meaggie when you need him:biggrin:
That is ironic coming from someone that lives in NJ.
I suppose you are the kind of person that brings the knife to a gun fight.
It is peaceful here my friend. I don't go to gun fights.
The one thing I have not seen anyone mention, if you are put in that situation and say you are lucky or unlucky enough to shoot that gun can you or will you have the mentality to live with the consequences??? Look how many service men and women come back broken. These are trained pros.
Hey I am out of this topic. I was making light on the heels of what Skippy said. This is serious stuff and you better know what you are doing. Living in the a rural area is a whole lot different than living in a large city.
Problem is Skip that moving ain't always a viable option. Particularily since the housing bubble burst her in 2008. For instance, we (spouse and I) can afford to live where we are but can't afford to sell. Now we don't think (at this time) we need to keep a gun around to defend ourselves...but the demographics are changing pretty fast here and who knows whether it will be as safe in 5 years as it is today.Roy, want my advise?
My wife and I both carried guns when we lived in South Africa.
My Best advise is;
If you live in an area where you think you may ever need to use a gun to defend either yourself or Dee,, then move.......:wink:
I agree with you there...I used almost all reloaded wad cutters when I was target shooting my .357 Magnum because of the cost of a box of factory loads. And, that was beteen 1976 and 2000 when ammunition was a lot cheaper... I lived where I could shoot in my back yard though so there were no range fees.I used to be required to wear a gun on the ships I served on, and having never shot a handgun before, I bought a 9mm Beretta like the one I wore at work so that when I practiced, I would be practicing with the same gun I wore at work.
Over the years, I have changed jobs, and no longer have to wear a gun, but still want to keep up my skills. However, the price of ammo has more than doubled in the last few years. So, going to the gun range with 2 boxes of ammo(100 shots), range fees, etc - I am looking at over $30 - a little steep. So, I recently bought a 22 pistol, which uses ammo that is affordable to buy, and easy on the budget. even if you go to the range once a month or more. I know a 22 may not stop a meth crazed home invader, but I will have practiced enough to hit where I aim.
The moral of the story is: the price of the gun is just one expense of owning a gun. Consider the cost of ammo, and it's availability as well. Plan on finding a nearby gun range (there is a public city range near me), and practicing your skills. I see law enforcement officers at the range quite often - so if they practice, so should I.