Handgun Preferences

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skyline

skyline

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Nov 21, 2006
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Northeast Texas
Looking to get a new handgun for the wife and I to share. Basically home defense only. Not for concealment. We're looking at a Glock 9 mm, a Smith & Wesson M&P 9mm, and a Springfield XDm 9mm. Any opinions? Any other options that we should be looking at?
 
44 Wheel gun they always work when you need one, nothing worse than an auto that doesn't get shot and cleaned regularly for hang ups. Better yet for the house a good twenty gauge pump with a 20 inch barrel.
Everyone understands the language a pump speaks.
 
home defense, Id pick 12g with #7-9 shot. Safer for those in the house, everyone knows what a shotgun racking sounds like, and with the shot in it, will still get the job done at close range.
Now, of the pistols listed, I like the glock, but would go with the .40 instead of the 9mm. The ammo is more expensive, but the stopping power behind it is worth it. Unless you plan on plinking with it as well. If thats the case, go with the 9mm.
Personally, I like the 45 over the 9 or the 40
 
Caustic Burno":2yczmal1 said:
44 Wheel gun they always work when you need one, nothing worse than an auto that doesn't get shot and cleaned regularly for hang ups. Better yet for the house a good twenty gauge pump with a 20 inch barrel.
Everyone understands the language a pump speaks.
Click to expand...

I'll have to back CB on this statement. I have a 44mag wheel gun for house and the wife carries a 38sp 2 1/2 in barrel (i think never measured it) also wheel gun loaded with wadcutters. There's also a 12 gauge pump leaning in the corner of the bed room.

Cal
 
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44 mag w/wadcutters for inside the house? It'd go through a person, through multiple walls and could still kill your horse. Almost the same with a 12 gauge. Far too powerful for indoors without an extensive remodeling afterwords. Me? Take a .38 or 9. Not as likely to go through walls but certainly not after going through a person. Good shot placement. I'd prefer a 20 gauge pump. Cause what I really want is for the person to leave quickly before I get into a legal problems. Right or wrong you'r going to be answering many questions. If there are additional unintended deaths, game over. If I have no choice, pointing a 20 gauge at the short distance inside my home, I'll "stop" them even if I'm 3 inches off the bullseye and don't have to worry about others in other parts of the house. :cboy:
 
a 38 or 9 fmj with a through and through shot will go through a wall a heckuva lot easier than a 12g with #7
 
For a handgun, self defense: .40 cal is good choice. 9 mm also good. Both need quality ammo, and preferably JHP (jacketed hollow point) for good expansion. Do not use FMJ as they tend to hit and keep on going...

Shotgun is also good choice. 20 ga is nice middle of road without too much recoil. I wouldn't use anything smaller than #4 shot; and if you're sure of your target, choose #3 buckshot.

Semi-Auto is excellent choice for ease of rapid shots. Wheel gun takes a lot more pressure on trigger and you only have 6 shots, and usually more recoil. Unless you're very qualified I'd avoid a Glock since they have a unique safety feature that IMO is not "positive" lock.

Whatever you decide on choose a piece, probably that costs in excess of $500. You want want high reliability. Do your research. Best guns IMO are Glock, S&W, Kahr, H&K, Baretta, Para Ordnance, Sig Sauer, and related.

Also, PRACTICE, PRACTICE! With any new handgun, target practice at 7, 10, 15, 25 yards. Minimum proficiency would be around 200 to 300 rounds. Practice regularly.

IMO, any handgun smaller than 9mm (unless you are a crack shot to a critical organ) is just going to make the perpetrator mad (e.g., .32, .25, 22 cal (or) birdshot in a shotgun (unless you're close and hit them dead center with the full load).

It is your life! Buy the best you can and the best ammo you can. You want the piece to go "Bang" the first and every time...
 
Thanks for the advice. I've got a couple of shotguns next to my side of the bed. My wife wants something smaller and handier for when I'm out of town. One of her best friends was broken in on about a month ago with her three small girls in the house and husband out of town deer hunting. Fortunately, they had an alarm system and the guy ran when it went off. My wife has always been concerned, but this really got her attention. I took her to a introductory handgun course yesterday and she did great. She learned safety issues, got to handle a bunch of different sizes and shapes of revolvers and pistols, and was able to shoot 3 or 4 to see how they felt. The trigger is too hard on the revolvers for her. So she likes the semi-autos. The 9 mm seemed like a good caliber for her and we do plan to practice a lot. We've joined the local gun club that has a bunch of different pistol and rifle ranges and a couple of trap/skeet ranges. It's only $75 per year - best deal I've found in a long time. And my wife seems very motivated to practice. (I must say that I had mixed feelings when I saw her put a grouping of 10 into a circle about 4" in diameter from 7 yards with that 9 mm Glock. I may start sleeping with one eye open.) :) The only problem with the Glock was that the handle is so wide, it puts her trigger finger a little short of the trigger. Not the best fit for her.
 
skyline":2wm7arzf said:
Looking to get a new handgun for the wife and I to share. Basically home defense only. Not for concealment. We're looking at a Glock 9 mm, a Smith & Wesson M&P 9mm, and a Springfield XDm 9mm. Any opinions? Any other options that we should be looking at?
Click to expand...


To actually answer your question. The XD is an excellant handgun they are very reliable and hold their value well. If the cost of ammo is a problem buy the 9 otherwise the 40 is more effective and I know women who shoot them just ifne. If you wife has any weakness in her hands of wrist the 9 might be a better choice.
 
I apologize for not sticking to the choices you've listed, but I'm not crazy about automatics either. My wife has a Ruger SP101 357 here at the house and she carries a S&W 642 38. She's of a moderate stature and the S&W fits her perfect, plus it's ultralight and the recoil is very manageable. I wasn't sure what she'd think of the double action only but she loves it. We bought two 642s at the same time, paid $450 each back in the spring.
 
My wife can;t rack the slide on a semiauto larger then a .22, not enough hand strength or hand size. After replacing the spings in a 642 she has no problems shooting it (DAO). She also has a proeblem with a lot of semiautos with limp wristing them so they don;t cycle reliably. The 642 is for carry, she also has a Security-six for everyday around the house use.
 
Get her a little 9 mm auto....just right for the ladie's hands and will do the job. Wife has one and picked it herself after going to an "instructional course" and she just said it felt right and it was the one she could hit with the best.
 
tom4018":146clh66 said:
I wanted a 9mm and ended up buying a Springfield XDM. Probably only shot a 100 rounds thru it but I really like it. I have always been found of autos but revolvers are simple in design. I read this about the Springfields.
http://springfield-armory.primediaoutdo ... tory11.php
Click to expand...

Tom, that's good reading. I hope to take better care of ours than that, but it sure is good to know it will fire after all that abuse. :) Do you have the 3, 4 or 5" barrel version?
 
skyline":29dlf2ii said:
tom4018":29dlf2ii said:
I wanted a 9mm and ended up buying a Springfield XDM. Probably only shot a 100 rounds thru it but I really like it. I have always been found of autos but revolvers are simple in design. I read this about the Springfields.
http://springfield-armory.primediaoutdo ... tory11.php
Click to expand...

Tom, that's good reading. I hope to take better care of ours than that, but it sure is good to know it will fire after all that abuse. :) Do you have the 3, 4 or 5" barrel version?
Click to expand...

4.5 inch barrel.
 

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