November 27 2018

Post 1 – How To Choose A Handgun And Caliber For Self-Defense

Last updated: 4/1/14

Handgun and ammunition selection is important because guns and ammunition are expensive, and more importantly your decisions can have a profound impact on your ability to defend your life and the lives of others.
What gun you choose will be a personal choice, and will depend on a number of personal factors. Here is the guidance we provide for consideration at Live Safe Academy, LLC:

1) Guns should be mechanically safe, reliable and durable.
Buy guns made by modern reputable manufactures and choose models that are proven. The best source of feedback comes from vetting in the field by law enforcement.

2) Fit.
Guns should fit the hand so the operator feels comfortable and has control when:
a. Shooting
b. Retaining the gun from others trying to take control of the gun
c. Using the gun as an impact weapon
Ideally the primary thumb should be able to manipulate the slide lock and magazine release without adjusting the grip. The weight and balance of the gun should also feel comfortable.

3) Grip to barrel angle.
When the gun is held properly and the gun fits the hand, the barrel should naturally point where the operator looks. An easy way to test this is to ensure your gun is unloaded, stand in front of a mirror, close your eyes and point the gun at your reflection as though you are aiming the gun to shoot a threat. Then open your eyes. If the barrel consistently aligns with your eyes then the gun points where you look. If not, the gun does not fit your hand, your grip is wrong, or the grip to barrel angle is wrong.

4) Ease of use.
Guns should adhere to the “grab, point, shoot” principle, a simple striker fire weapon with a slide lock and mag release. Magazine in, magazine out, cycle slide, activate trigger, nothing else should be involved in the operation of the gun. The trigger should be short, light and consistent. Single, double, and “Double / Single” triggers are harder to use, more complicated to use, or both.

5) Low bore.
The closer the bore sits to the hand the easier the gun is to control.

Additional Consideration:
Revolvers are not the best choice as a primary gun for most people. The longer, heaver triggers are harder to operate and the 90 degree grip to barrel angle does not point naturally where the eyes look (the closer to 120 degrees the better). And while reloading is rare in real fights, and most shooting only involves a few rounds, the process of reloading a revolver is much slower and more complicated than loading an auto-loader. Most folks who carry revolvers don’t even carry extra ammunition because speed loaders, speed strips and loose rounds are less convenient than magazines. That said snub noised “hammerless” models are excellent guns that can be carried in a pocket and shot from within clothing, and can provide significant tactical advantage in many situations.

Ammunition:
Self-defense ammunition should penetrate deep into the body without penetrating through the body. How ammunition will operate in the real world can be affected by more variables than can be controlled. The best we can do is make decisions based on what is most probable, given the circumstances that are most likely. Modern bonded and DPX hollow points are the best choice for self-defense. Of the popular self-defense calibers the variation in terminal ballistics is no longer significant. What affects the body more than the individual difference between calibers is the accumulative effect of getting shot multiple times quickly. That means the focus of ammunition selection should be what caliber / brand / weight allows the greatest speed and accuracy. Another important factor is capacity. As mentioned previously, most shooting don’t involve a lot of rounds. However, the one thing you don’t want is to be in a fight is the first one who goes “click”. You don’t want to run out of solution before you run out of problem. Of the popular self-defense calibers the 9mm will be the best balance of speed, accuracy, terminal ballistics and capacity for most people, though there are several other good choices like the .357 SIG and FN 5.7×28mm. Because the difference in terminal ballistics in modern defensive ammunition is no longer significant there is no advantage to using a larger caliber like the .45 ACP, which reduces capacity, or 40 S&W, which is harder to shoot because of the greater recoil. Nor is there a significant reduction in gun size, and therefore no significant advantage, to dropping down to a .380 ACP over a 9mm.