Which Handgun Should I buy?

So you've decided to buy a handgun, oh the choices that you have. There is a huge variety of handgun styles, brands, and calibers; all of which are important. I'm going to try to make this simple for you though.

Calibers

There is an endless debate as to what caliber to use in a handgun. Most of this debate goes around how much "stopping power" a round has. Generally, the wider the bullet, the bigger the hole that it will leave in the body, the more likely the attacker will cease to be a threat. There are endless debates about this, so what follows next is pure opinion.

For semi-auto handguns, choose the largest caliber that you are comfortable shooting with. If you are comfortable with shooting pistols in 45, then fine. It's a great caliber, and it has plenty of stopping power. That said, it is murder on your hand when fired out of a small compact handgun. If you don't want to handle a 45, then get a 9mm.

For most people, a handgun chambered in 9mm is fine. Even my wife can handle shooting any of my 9mm handguns. For semi-autos, don't go with anything smaller than 9mm. If you want to get something in 40 cal, that's fine. But no 32's, 380's, or 9mm Markarov! They do not have enough power.

For revolvers, you have it easier. Any gun chambered for 357 magnum can also fire the lighter 38 special round, but not visa versa. Don't go with any smaller round than either of these, and only carry something larger if you're planning on defending yourself against bears.


Full Frame Autos

Full frame semi-autos are for people who can get away with carrying a gun on their belt, or in a shoulder holster under a jacket. If you can do this, then they can be great weapons for you. If you're buying a full frame auto, get something in 45. There are plenty of weapons makers out there that make clones of the classic "1911" style 45 that the US Army used for decades. These weapons only hold 7 rounds though. If you want a full sized auto that can hold 12 rounds, you have more choices. However, I am of the opinion that these weapons are too big to be realistically carried on a day to day basis, so I am going to recommend against them. Again, your personal situation might be different. If I was in a situation where I wanted the maximum firepower strapped to my belt, I'd probably buy one of these. Full frame autos are more accurate because they have longer, heavier barrels than compact models. Also, the heavier the gun, the less recoil you feel. Again though, it's a trade off between more firepower vs concealability.


Long Barreled Revolvers

Long barreled revolvers in 44 magnum or larger are for bear hunting, cowboy shooting, or pretending that you are Dirty Harry. They can be fun to shoot though. If you buy a revolver with a long barrel though, you probably won't be carrying it around for self defense. I own a long barreled single action revolver in 22 & 22 magnum because it's fun and it's cheap to shoot, but I wouldn't for a second consider it as a sidearm.


Compact Autos

The best two choices for concealed carry weapons are compact semi-autos and snub nosed revolvers. Both have their advantages and disadvantages. For compact autos, the first choice is which caliber. As before, I recommend either 45 or 9mm. The second choice is what type of safety device do you prefer? Some compact semi autos have a manual safety switch which prevents the trigger from moving. Others rely on a safety device which is disabled by holding the gun. This is achieved by either making a double trigger like on all Glock pistols, or as a plate on the rear handle that when depressed by gripping the gun, releases the safety. You can also choose to have no safety at all. Most compact autos have what are called double-action triggers. Double action triggers have a long, heavy pull. With these, when you pull the trigger, the first half pulls back the firing hammer (which may be concealed), and the second half releases the firing hammer (or striker system).

The next consideration in choosing a compact auto is the size and shape of the weapon. This is an intensely personal choice. You should feel comfortable gripping the weapon. If you don't feel comfortable gripping it, you might not fire it correctly. Before buying any weapon, I highly recommend at least holding it. If you can find a shop that will let you rent and fire it, then that's even better. Find something that you're comfortable with. Now here are some suggestions.

If having no manual safety doesn't bother you, and you'd like to have the smallest most concealable 9mm on the market today, then consider either the Kel-Tec P-11 or the Kel-Tec PF-9. Kel-Tec makes the smallest, lightest conceal carry handguns on the market today, and they are backed by a lifetime warranty. They are also some of the cheapest handguns on the market. The problem that I have heard about these weapons is that you need to polish & lubricate them properly in order for them to function correctly all the time. For the novice handgun owner, I wouldn't recommend them for this reason.

The next two obvious choices are the Glock 26 in 9mm or the Glock 36 in 45. They have that strange double-trigger safety (i.e. both triggers must be pulled in order for it to work) that I'm not a big fan of, but I know lots of people who love these weapons.

Personally I prefer a manual safety, which is why I own a Taurus Millennium Pro PT-111 in 9mm. They make them in 45 caliber too. The Millennium Pro is a lightweight double action pistol. It can hold 12 rounds of 9mm or 10 rounds of 45. It has a manual safety which I like, because I often carry this weapon in a pants or jacket pocket with no holster.

With all compact autos, you will need to practice with them to get comfortable and effective with them. Their shorter barrels make them less accurate, and their lighter frames make you feel more recoil. Both of these take some practice to get used to, but a few hours at the range will enable you to get proficient with them.


Snub Nosed Revolvers

Ah, the snub nosed revolver. The belly gun. They're old fashioned, only hold 5 or 6 rounds, and lack any other safety device beyond a double action trigger, but they're perfect for close range defense as a concealed carry weapon. As I mentioned before, if you get one in 357 magnum then you can also shoot 38 special out of it. So, get it in one of those two calibers.

With snub nosed revolvers, you really only have two big choices to make: whether the hammer is exposed or concealed, and whether the gun has a full grip or a short grip.

Here is what I own, it is a Smith & Wesson 642 in 38 special. It has a concealed hammer (also called hammerless) and a short grip. With the concealed hammer, it's double action only. If I had an exposed hammer model, like this Taurus Model 85, then I could manually pull back the hammer to have a shorter single action trigger pull. For comparison, here is a Taurus 444 in 44 magnum with an exposed hammer and a full grip.

The great thing about snub nosed revolvers is their size and weight. Some only weigh 13 ounces unloaded. They can easily fit in a pocket, or with the right holster they can fit in your pants and nobody can tell that you're carrying a gun. The problem with the lighter weight guns is that the recoil becomes a problem. Smith & Wesson makes a 357 magnum revolver that only weighs 12.5 ounces, but shooting 357 magnums out of it will give you blisters on your hand. A gun that is painful to shoot is a gun that you won't practice with. Therefore for most people, if you're going to get a snubnosed revolver, just get one in 38 special. Or if you are a glutton for punishment, get it in 357 magnum but only shoot 38 special out of it.

The biggest problem with snubby's is their effective range. With their short barrels (usually less than 2 inches) and light weights, they make it difficult to hit anything beyond 30 feet. The other problem is that you only bring 5 rounds to the fight. That being said, most defensive encounters take place at under 10 feet and involve less than 3 rounds.

For novice shooters, a compact auto might be a better choice because it gives you 10-12 rounds. Personally I carry my revolver everywhere, but when I know I'm going into a bad neighborhood, I try to carry the auto.

Again, this is an intensely personal choice. I've tried to give some guidance here, but the right handgun for you will probably be different than what the right handgun is for me. I hope that I've helped some people by at least pointing them in the right direction with these two articles. Before you buy any handgun, be sure to at least hold it, and if possible, try it out. If you've never shot a handgun before, find a gunshop with an indoor range and ask them about getting lessons. Buying a handgun that you'll never practice with, that sits in your closet, in its case, does you no good.

And last of all, if you simply do not feel comfortable owning a gun, then don't. Carry a knife or some pepper spray instead. Confidence in yourself and in the weapon is a must if you choose to carry for your protection.