Which Weapon?

There comes a time when you'll have to make a decision on whether or not to shoot somebody in self defense. When that time comes, will you have 100% confidence in yourself and your weapon to do so? .

What's the best firearm for you? There's some factors you should consider before buying a firearm. When will you use it? Where will it be used? What will it be used for? And most importantly, are you comfortable shooting it?

For starters, the first consideration of any of these factors is whether or not the weapon feels right in your hand. If you aren't comfortable shooting a large caliber handgun, then downsize to something smaller that you can be comfortable with. The last thing you want on your mind when you have a threat in your sights, is how hard the weapon will kick. The size of the grip is also a huge factor. If you have small hands, you don't want to carry around a large frame, double stack magazine handgun. You would be better off with a small/medium frame and a single stack magazine like a Kahr 9 mm. Some people I know will buy a handgun just because of the brand or because of the caliber. WRONG; WRONG; WRONG! Here's an example. A buddy of mine goes to the local gun dealer and tells the clerk, "I want to buy the best pistol you have." Well, guess what. Who's to say what the best pistol for him is. Is it a Glock? What if it doesn't fit in his hand comfortably. Is it a Ruger Red Hawk 44 Magnum? What if it's to powerful and kicks too much. The best advice I can give to you the reader is, get out there, take some pistol classes, rent some different models and calibers and find what "fits and hits". Regarding "knock down power", if you were to shoot me in the stomach with a 22 long rifle round, I would probably think twice about mugging you. Okay, I know, there have been cases where a drugged out maniac got shot 25 times and kept attacking. Well, all I can say is, he was still being shot with .45 ACP hollow points. So, my point is, buy and carry (make sure you follow your local and state laws when carrying a weapon) what is comfortable for you. If you made the mistake of buying something that isn't right for you, take it to the next gun show and get some trade credit for something that fits better. There have been hundreds, if not thousands, of ballistics test conducted to find the "ultimate" round. I don't think there will ever be an answer for this. From the books that I've read and the articles in magazines and online, the 38 Special +P hollow point is supposed to have the best "knock down power" and the least amount of "shoot throughs". (The round exiting and hitting another object behind the target.) There's also been cases of a store thief being shot point blank in the chest from 2 feet away, and looking at the clerk for a couple of seconds, telling the clerk he shot him, then finally collapsing. There's alot of damage he could've inflicted in those couple of seconds. The scariest part; there were no traces of drugs or alcohol in the robbers blood. The point I'm trying to get across to you is, it doesn't matter what brand or caliber you carry, as long as you are comfortable with it, and you can hit your target when you need to.

As far as the question, where are you going to use it; you need to decide on where this weapon will be used. Is it just for home defense? Plain and simple; buy a shotgun. There is no scarier sound than a pump action shotgun being cocked . If a 12 gauge kicks to much for you, then buy a 20 gauge, but no matter what, have a pump action shotgun in your home for home defense. The spread of the shot can cause massive damage in a confined space, like a hallway or small room. The idea of a shotgun in a home defense scenario is that you don't need to aim, just point and shoot. I don't care what people say about 00 buck, slugs, or even bird shot. Load your shotgun with either a bean bag or rubber ball round as your first shot, then follow up with bird shot. The reasoning behind this is, you give the thief a verbal warning that you have a shotgun and that you will shoot if he doesn't leave. If he fails to leave, shoot him with the non-leathal round. If he fails to understand how serious you are after that and he remains in your house, shoot him with the birdshot in the middle of the chest. Some people will argue with me about a "warning shot" but with the legal system the way it is, wouldn't you rather to go to court saying you gave him 2 different kinds of warning, before having to use deadly force? Also, mount a tactical flashlight to your barrel, that way you can leave the lights off in the house, and when you approach the threat, you can switch on your light which will temporaly blind him and give you the advantage.

Regardless of your beliefs on deadly force and gun ownership, think about how you would feel if somebody you love was murdered because you didn't want to own a gun. Can you live with that guilt? What if your life is the one in danger? What if it's your child? There's an age old saying that I live by everyday. "I'd rather be tried by 12, then carried by six." If you don't understand what that means, email me at live2see_tomorrow@yahoo.com and I will be more than happy to explain it more. Until next time, buy a gun so you can be prepared to live to see tomorrow.