No, I’m not much of a gun guy. I’ve shot revolvers, pistols, rifles (both hunting style and defense, what they call assault rifles, style), and shotguns. The only one I own, though, is a Walther P22, which is a .22 caliber pistol, and pretty small. I purchased it in 2008, and go out and shoot a few times a year. I typically keep one mag loaded, though, it doesn’t stay in the pistol. It’s right next to it, and can be loaded fast. There’s no need to pull the slide back, it will load with the first trigger pull, though, that first pull is much tougher. Double action.
I wanted to get a 9mm for more defense, and because I’m going to get a concealed carry permit. .380 weapons are less expensive, but, interestingly, the ammo is more than 9mm. I went to Cabela’s (if you have one, ZOMG, huge number of choices, and the ammo is a great price. I got a box of 100 Winchester .22 for half the price anywhere else has it, including WalMart). I probably checked out about 8 different ones in my price range. I was looking for under $400, but, was willing to go up to $500. I really wanted one with a manual safety, the only one that felt good had a safety that was almost impossible.
It came down to a Glock and the Ruger, I kinda liked the grip and weight of the Ruger
I’ve shot it twice so far using range ammo. It has great action. Very light trigger, very little recoil. I could hit what I was aiming at…well, I was going just to the left, but, had the same issue with my Walther. Not sure if it was the new grip, how I was holding it more with left hand, or, need to get shooting goggles with bifocals built in. One mag holds 10 and the other holds 12. Here’s the wild thing
The one on the right is the Ruger, the other is the Walther. The Ruger easily fits in to the Walther case. It is slightly thicker, and the grip is slightly thicker. With the mag in the grip is longer. It is easier to drop a mag. With no hammer there’s barely any difference for recoil. The one really nice thing for the Walther is the front of the trigger, easy to get a finger secure on it. Not many have that. It is a bit easier to hit the slide lock on the Walther, have to break in the Ruger.
Now time to get a CCW. What do y’all have?
Colt .38 Police Special revolver
Good selection on both of them. The Walther is a solid plinker and anything by Ruger is a high quality firearm that will last longer than your own lifetime.
I also bought a firearm this weekend. The gun show was in town. Girl friend’s mon hates snakes and wanted something to hold them off while gardening. Found a nice 9mm Glock-clone used for $250 and a few boxes of birdshot rounds to go with it. She should be happy with it. GF also wanted a shot gun for home defense. (not like she will ever need or use it), so I got her a cheap Turkish 12ga semi-auto bullpup model. Just something to keep in the corner collecting dust and make her feel safe.
Remember the ruger has a spring made for recoil of a 9mm. It is always going to feel stiffer than the one in the walther p22.
DeWalt P2201
I purchased a sig Sauer p365 w/manual safety. I agree with the previous poster pointing out the feature. I read a review on the gun and it said if you buy your gloves I the kiddie section, this gun is for you. Well, I do/can. It cracked me up. I love the gun so far. I also got a vanish holster that is sweet. Have a good one.
Oh, and I have constitutional carry.
I have several pistols based on the 1911 design. 1911’s have what I would call redundant safeties (1. the grip must be pressed, and 2. the safety released before the trigger will depress). Of course the most reliable safety is awareness and keeping the finger off the trigger until ready to fire. Of mine, the smallest is a Sig .380, which is good for Summer carry as it doesn’t print in lighter clothes (it lacks the grip safety). Other times when I can wear heavier clothes I go with my Rock Island .45, which is significantly heavier, but feels great to shoot because that weight helps soak up the recoil.
Seems like a good time to buy right now as ammo has mostly recovered from the highs of the KungFlu Era.
@sigma,
You left out the “California safety”. Locked in a safe in your basement, with the ammunition locked in a safe in someone else’s basement, and each safe has a 2-key modification so that one person alone can’t open them.
My EDC is a Kel-Tec P-40 with an Armalaser T-14. DAO, so a thumb safety is un-necessary. I kinda like having 10 shots of 40 S&W in a package the size of a PPK. It’s not for everybody, but it works for me. It rests nicely in my front pants pocket in a Remora pocket holster. When weapon size isn’t an issue, there’s the Glock and clones, primarily for mag capacity and ergonomics…
Very nice, all. A lot of nice variance.
Our esteemed host wrote:
It’s a sad fact that Carolina requires a concealed carry permit. It’s a ‘shall issue’ state, so as long as you meet the requirements, the county sheriff has no choice but to issue the permit.
Kentucky is better: while you can apply for a concealed carry permit, you are not required to have one. I can see the value in getting a permit, so that you can carry your weapon in states which do require the permit, but I am appalled that a permit is required at all.
I’d definitely get the state issued for travel, though, the minute I am about to drive out of Va into Maryland I’d have to secure it in the trunk with mags separated. Also, taking the class to learn the laws from pros. I’m always concerned about open carry, because it’s a pain to determine where it is and isn’t allowed. I used to open carry when walking on the greenway, it is isolated and rarely any people. And I know there are coyotes, fox, and other wildlife. But, not it is banned by Raleigh.
According to conserva-lore, citizen guns prevent millions of crimes each year!! Yet our violent crime rate is amongst the highest of all developed nations! Clearly the answer is we do not have ENOUGH guns in the hands of citizens!! More guns, fewer crimes.
We have several firearms at our house and have NEVER had a break in of any sort. All the guns are in two steel gun safes locked up in the basement.
About 25 years ago I was carjacked at gunpoint, but the St Louis police caught the punks and recovered my vehicle within 30 minutes. The gunsel had what looked like a .32 revolver in my face.
Dear Chicken Little:
So you believe that having fewer guns for self defense would result in less crime.
Is that like banning birth control will also reduce STD’s and pregnancies?
Cap’n Shit for Brains,
You make less sense with each typing.
It works for every other developed nation on Earth.
Stolen birth control pills don’t cause STD’s and pregnancies. Stolen guns DO result in more violent crime.
Dear Chicken Little:
“It works for every other developed nation on Earth.”
So exactly does that work???
So if we just got rid of ALL guns we would have LESS crime??
Cap’n Shit for Brains: So if we just got rid of ALL guns we would have LESS crime??
The evidence shows the homicide and suicide rates would be significantly lower.
So exactly does that work???
Ostensibly, potential criminals have reduced access to firearms, too. Many suicides are actions of passion and pistols are very effective.
Does that make any sense to you?
Dear Chicken Little:
So you believe that having fewer guns for self defense would result in less crime.
Is that like banning birth control will also reduce STD’s and pregnancies?
To each his own but if you want home defense, purchase a short as possible 20 gauge pump shotgun and load it with buck-slug-buck.
With no choke it will throw a nice pattern at around 15′ and won’t exit the house and harm someone next door. Plus, it is small enough to allow small people to handle it and not fear the recoil.
I note that because most people, myself included, can’t hit a person 12′ or so away with any accuracy and expectation of stopping the attacker when under a great deal of stress, fear and confusion.
JL,
For all your increasing belligerence, on the occasional topic you are correct, or nearly so.
If one is so Chicken Little frightened all the time that you feel compelled to leave firearms laying around, use a 12 or 20 G semi-auto tactical shotgun. Kids are less likely to kill themselves and their siblings with it than with an unsecured pistol. And as you pointed out, you’re more likely to hit the bad guy with buckshot than a single projectile. A 12G semi-auto with low-recoil 00 buck is recommended but low-recoil doesn’t work in all semi-autos.
For whatever reason, homes with firearms have 41% more homicides than homes without. It could be because homeowners with guns live in more violent neighborhoods.
Residents with handguns are 6x more likely to die from suicide than handgun-free homes. Residents with always loaded handguns are 9x more likely to die from suicide. New England Journal of Medicine, Vol. 327, No. 7; August 13, 1992
We know, we know… conservatives do not trust egghead research on firearms deaths because the researchers are communists who want to take all guns from American patriots so they can control the masses.
Statistically, handguns in the home do not keep you safer.
Dear Chicken Little:
“A 12G semi-auto with low-recoil 00 buck is recommended but low-recoil doesn’t work in all semi-autos.”
Semi-auto’s jam. Pumps don’t. 20 g’s much cheaper and work well.
Around 25000 people killed themselves with a gun in 2020.
“Of the 393 million firearms in the U.S., only 6.06 million of them are registered. According to the Pew Research Center, handguns are the most common type of firearm among gun owners. About 39% of men and 22% of women say they own a firearm.”
That’s 0.00006361323%. Doesn’t look like a problem worth government intervention to me.
“Residents with handguns are 6x more likely to die from suicide than handgun-free homes.”
Yes, there has to be a gun around before people can use it.
https://www.statista.com/statistics/258916/number-of-firearm-suicide-deaths-in-the-united-states-by-gender/
https://www.google.com/search?q=how+many+guns+are+registered+in+the+united+states&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS1069US1069&oq=how+many+guns+&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUqBwgJEAAYgAQyBggAEEUYOTIHCAEQABiABDIHCAIQABiABDIHCAMQABiABDIHCAQQABiABDIHCAUQABiABDIHCAYQABiABDIHCAcQABiABDIHCAgQABiABDIHCAkQABiABNIBCTE3NTI5ajBqN6gCALACAA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
“Of the 393 million firearms in the U.S., only 6.06 million of them are registered. According to the Pew Research Center, handguns are the most common type of firearm among gun owners. About 39% of men and 22% of women say they own a firearm.”
That’s 0.00006361323%
Are you 100% sure a p22 will load a round with a pull of the trigger after you insert the mag? I do not recall that being the case with the one I had.
Yup. The Walther P22 has double action. I’ve tried it at the range. That first pull is a hard one, afterwards the hammer is enabled for each following shot. Better to rack it
A few things to consider. The 45 acp and the 40 calibers will penetrate less that a 9 mm.
Multiple testing shows a 9mm will out-penetrate nearly every weapon in the pistol range, which is why most militaries use 9mm for their weapon of choice.
The downside is that if you full metal jacket a 9 mm, you are liable to penetrate eight walls and likely hit innocents and get sued out of your wits for defending yourself.
Hence, a lot of people like the 40 and 45’s, which tend to mushroom and penetrate less.
I use a 9mm Glock 19. There are many, many good guns on the market. Double action means your safety is your finger it uses a striker plate that sits in front of the firing pin so even if you drop the weapon, the pin cannot strike the primer unless you have the first safety trigger pulled and held to release the striker plate.. very ingenious way of having a safety without having to fumble for a safety in a heated life or death situation.
My home defense is a Benelli Super Nova pump shotgun with a pistol grip. Bird Shot does the trick, does not penetrate walls very well, and you are certainly not going to blow the neighbor’s head off across the street. That said, I love shooting pistols, and they make a great home defense weapon IF you are highly trained.
I shoot all the time. I can hit my targets in the head at 25 meters 95-100 times. But those targets are not moving and are not shooting back….hence the bird shot pump. Don’t let bird shot fool ya. Birdshot is going to drop anyone with the first round and if they survive, there are always 3 or 4 more to finish the trick without killing the neighbors dog or children.
9mm is a great choice if only because they ammo isn’t as expensive as every other choice. And while getting shot with .22 LR would ruin your day, I don’t consider it a self-defense round.
And while Cabela’s prices are good, it is hard to beat some of the on-line ammo stores. Even with shipping being extra, it is usually much cheaper to order by the 1000 rounds. Or at least 500 rounds or so. (Shipping costs on a box of lead are not to be underestimated.)
Yeah, using the .22 for self defense is always iffy, but, when someone has a gun pointed at them they aren’t necessarily seeing the caliber. Just the gun pointed. Unless it is a .45 or something huge.
It was $15 for a box of 50 range rounds.