Ive been looking for a place to drop this collection of thoughts on the subject of choice of handgun for CCW.
If I knew then what I know now --- I would not have bought that 1911A1. It would have been a .357 DA / SA wheel. Like a Ruger GP100 or SP101 in 357 with a 3" or maybe 4 bbl. In Oct 09 I took the required class and demonstrated the required skills and received my OK CCW in JAN 10 and am now allowed to carry a derringer, revolver, and / or semi.
Long story short: I let myself get romanced by the notion of a 1911A1 for a CCW; magazine fed; rapid reloads; sights and 3 extra magazines; the Dillon 550B conversion kit; bullets & brass; jambs and hot brass down my shirt; pinching the web between my thumb and index finger; spent some extra $$ on action work, had some action work done; took it to the range several times and hundreds of rounds - but just could not get comfy with it for a carry gun too many things to go wrong and now the extractor boogers up the rim; I also wanted to be able to go CAS-Wild Bunch.
Me n the missus are wheelies. We both learned pistol shooting with wheels and are quite comfy with that technology. She on DAs and me on SAs. Both of us big into CAS for many thousands of rounds in SAs. Should have known better. Could have bought that Ruger or a pair of em, new, for the $$ that Ive spent on that 1911 so far. Coulda, shoulda, woulda - but live and learn.
Im not saying that we are to too slow /stupid to learn a new shooting iron. We are just not all that willing to put in the effort when a wheel will probably meet practical needs.
Lately Ive been thinking and reading A LOT about what would be a practical SELF DEFENSE HANDGUN. I got to thinking about overall length; weight; concealability; caliber / cartridge / energy / stopping power; reliability (jambs and clearing); how far would I be actually shooting; where I usually go on a regular basis; reloading if in a real self-defense situation; how you plan to conceal in hot and cold weather; time and ease to retrieve from concealment to on target; what if the Missus were to get her CCW; weight when out and on foot for a long time; spare ammo; comfort; holster style; where to carry; etc.
The orange ruler is 12 long.
Top is a S&W Model 14-3 Masterpiece; .38 SPL S&W CTG, 6 bbl; 38 oz empty
Middle is the full size 1911A1; 40 oz empty
Bottom is a Cimarron / Uberti Single Action .38 SPL with a 3.5 bbl; 28 oz empty and kind of representative of the relative size of the Ruger GP100 / SP101
Specs for Ruger .357 GP100; .38 / .357; 6 rounds; 3 bbl; 36 oz; OAL 8.5 bbl
Specs for Ruger .357 SP101; .38 / .357; 5 rounds; 3 bbl; 27 oz; OAL 8.0 bbl Im thinking this is the one!
If I knew then what I know now --- I would not have bought that 1911A1. It would have been a .357 DA / SA wheel. Like a Ruger GP100 or SP101 in 357 with a 3" or maybe 4 bbl. In Oct 09 I took the required class and demonstrated the required skills and received my OK CCW in JAN 10 and am now allowed to carry a derringer, revolver, and / or semi.
Long story short: I let myself get romanced by the notion of a 1911A1 for a CCW; magazine fed; rapid reloads; sights and 3 extra magazines; the Dillon 550B conversion kit; bullets & brass; jambs and hot brass down my shirt; pinching the web between my thumb and index finger; spent some extra $$ on action work, had some action work done; took it to the range several times and hundreds of rounds - but just could not get comfy with it for a carry gun too many things to go wrong and now the extractor boogers up the rim; I also wanted to be able to go CAS-Wild Bunch.
Me n the missus are wheelies. We both learned pistol shooting with wheels and are quite comfy with that technology. She on DAs and me on SAs. Both of us big into CAS for many thousands of rounds in SAs. Should have known better. Could have bought that Ruger or a pair of em, new, for the $$ that Ive spent on that 1911 so far. Coulda, shoulda, woulda - but live and learn.
Im not saying that we are to too slow /stupid to learn a new shooting iron. We are just not all that willing to put in the effort when a wheel will probably meet practical needs.
Lately Ive been thinking and reading A LOT about what would be a practical SELF DEFENSE HANDGUN. I got to thinking about overall length; weight; concealability; caliber / cartridge / energy / stopping power; reliability (jambs and clearing); how far would I be actually shooting; where I usually go on a regular basis; reloading if in a real self-defense situation; how you plan to conceal in hot and cold weather; time and ease to retrieve from concealment to on target; what if the Missus were to get her CCW; weight when out and on foot for a long time; spare ammo; comfort; holster style; where to carry; etc.
The orange ruler is 12 long.
Top is a S&W Model 14-3 Masterpiece; .38 SPL S&W CTG, 6 bbl; 38 oz empty
Middle is the full size 1911A1; 40 oz empty
Bottom is a Cimarron / Uberti Single Action .38 SPL with a 3.5 bbl; 28 oz empty and kind of representative of the relative size of the Ruger GP100 / SP101
Specs for Ruger .357 GP100; .38 / .357; 6 rounds; 3 bbl; 36 oz; OAL 8.5 bbl
Specs for Ruger .357 SP101; .38 / .357; 5 rounds; 3 bbl; 27 oz; OAL 8.0 bbl Im thinking this is the one!