by ke7zem » Wed Aug 24, 2011 9:06 pm
all in all it comes down to preference and efficiancy. Some like the full 5 inch M1911 .45 cal (like I do), some like the Glock 19, which is a compact version of the Glock 17, in fact, it's barrel is only .5" shorter than the 17 chambered in 9mm. Hi cap mags and hot self defense loads make this a good choice. I have the Glock 22 gen 3 chambered in 40 S&W which is a GREAT intermediate round from the 9mm to the .45 and is what most Government agencies and police agencies shoot, there is a good reason for that. All in all I encourage people to look at some actual cases of recorded episodes of self defence, what kind of gun and rounds they had, how many shots they had to fire (if any). A good source that I found is the American Rifleman that comes every month as part of my NRA membership. They have several real stories about people who actually had to defend themselves. The reason I say this, if you don't know all the laws pertaining to self defense with a gun in your state, you could be the one behind bars!!!. any gun that holds and shoots ammo is a good self defense gun. noted in one case, an eldery women heard someone brake into her house, she picked up a single action revolver chambered in .22LR and she shot at the intruder 3 times, she might have hit him once and he fled the scene only to be caught later on. The idea of self defense is NOT to go Rambo and kill someone because they broke in your house, you use enough force to end the threat and that's it. Otherwise you can be charged yourself! I read about a case that a criminal broke into someones house, or was on there property unwanted and the home owner used a gun against him, the criminal took this man to court and won a civil case. You can find all the details in issues of the American Rifleman. For my home protection I have an M1911A1 .45 with 3 mags full of SJHP Golden Sabre rounds, a Mossberg 500 pump action 12 gauge shotgun with a pistol grip and 18.5" barrel with the tube loaded with six, 2and3/4" 000 buck, a surefire 200 lumen flashlight ready to go. when I go out i have a Beretta Model 84FS chambered in 9 short with 13+1 in a belt holster and another 13 round mag in my pocket. That is more than enough to protect myself, my family, and friends from any would be robber. If he has a gun pointed at your face and wants your car, you give it too him, it doesn't matter if your carrying a Colt Delta Elite in 10mm, if he has the drop on you it's over. If my wife or children were in the car, I would fight to the death to save them, if he wants my car, my wallet, take it, it's too late. If he has a knife, that's a different story, bring a knife to a gun fight and see what happens.. The best self defense and safety is awareness, and its in your own head. think ahead, plan ahead, avoid any suspicious situation, your not supposed to be out there with a chip on your shoulder looking for a fight, if you are that type, your giving the rest of us a bad name.
sincerely,
Richard