Sidearm choice- for the wife.

[jmgratz]

Looking at the .22 for self defense due to number killed I would say find an RG-22 that you can buy for about $29.95 cause that is what killed a number of poor folks I saw killed. Most LEOs could probably attest to the same. But for stopping power there is a reason that LEOs carry 40 cal and 45 cal. Back in the day it was .357 magnum but it was upgraded to 40 cal. Keep in mind the 380, 38, .357 and 9 mm are all basically the same size bullet but the case in different in size. I would say carry what will work best for you, something that you are comfortable shooting and capable of carrying without an accident.

 

[avvidclif]

Looking at the .22 for self defense due to number killed I would say find an RG-22 that you can buy for about $29.95 cause that is what killed a number of poor folks I saw killed. Most LEOs could probably attest to the same. But for stopping power there is a reason that LEOs carry 40 cal and 45 cal. Back in the day it was .357 magnum but it was upgraded to 40 cal. Keep in mind the 380, 38, .357 and 9 mm are all basically the same size bullet but the case in different in size. I would say carry what will work best for you, something that you are comfortable shooting and capable of carrying without an accident.

20mm is a good stopper, maybe. It depends on the condition of the recipient. True story, a drug high guy tried to run over an officer. The officer put 6 rounds of 44 mag HP in a group the size of your palm over the heart. He still drove 1/2 mi before expiring. That's a lot more knockdown x6 than anything discussed here.

Moral of the story is do the best you can and hope for the best. Whatever you carry be proficient. One 22 round in the center beats 10 9mm or whatever sprayed around the neighborhood. Practice, practice, and more practice. Make shooting a natural instinct, not something you have to think about. Twice in the body, once in the head is a good mantra "IF" you practice it(and I taught it). Otherwise it sounds good, that's all.

May you or your spouse never have to be in the situation you need a gun for protection.

 

[JanAndBill]

As the previous posters have said it's better to be proficient in whatever you have. On the scene of a domestic a few years back where the woman had emptied the clip of her 9 mm at her husband. Fortunately he only had a flesh wound. Someone commented to the woman on the amount of shots fired that "you could have killed him", to which she replied "I was trying but he kept jumping around to much!!!!" Such is the point, your target is not going to be standing still.

 

[jmgratz]

20mm is a good stopper, maybe. It depends on the condition of the recipient. True story, a drug high guy tried to run over an officer. The officer put 6 rounds of 44 mag HP in a group the size of your palm over the heart. He still drove 1/2 mi before expiring. That's a lot more knockdown x6 than anything discussed here.

Moral of the story is do the best you can and hope for the best. Whatever you carry be proficient. One 22 round in the center beats 10 9mm or whatever sprayed around the neighborhood. Practice, practice, and more practice. Make shooting a natural instinct, not something you have to think about. Twice in the body, once in the head is a good mantra "IF" you practice it(and I taught it). Otherwise it sounds good, that's all.

May you or your spouse never have to be in the situation you need a gun for protection.

agreed

 

[Lynn1130]

http://www.gunsandammo.com/gun-culture/9-misused-gun-terms/

This is not a diss to anyone here but I see so many incorrect terms used when talking about firearms. Particularly "clip". So I attached the above as an educational piece for all of us. Magazine is the proper nomenclature for that thing that goes up into the grip of a semi-auto handgun.

 

[Diamondjim]

May you or your spouse never have to be in the situation you need a gun for protection.

After carrying and being licensed since '79, we hope we still never are in a situation, but I'd rather be prepared than not.

I love my EDC Ruger SR9c, my wife too has some issues with upper body strength so I started her on a small boat anchor gun (55 year old HEAVY METAL .380). It's still in great shape, but the slide spring is "broke" in, and she found it easy to rack the slide, but too heavy to carry etc.

Just picked up a Bersa Thunder 380 which I absolutely love. Think my DW will like this much better when gets back to the range. She will not be doing any shooting for a while, unfortunately. On our trip south (home) as snowbirds this fall, she HAD to have some coffee at a Pilot Truck Stop while I was pumping diesel. She headed to the truck and fell, on her left elbow, and broke it in three places. After her second surgery and more PT we're hoping for the best.

I reload my own, we practice a lot (normally) with a variety of loads.
The advice here is just that, but it can give you some place to start thinking what you want to do.

 

[Lynn1130]

Consider this when deciding. Magnum rounds are just that magnum. They travel at speeds faster than non-magnum. So--sometimes they are traveling so fast that they do not have time to expand when they hit something/someone and they travel right on through. This means that they do not do what they were intended to do. Open up and create a lot of tissue damage. So the perp just keeps coming. On top of that the shooter may kill someone behind the perp rather than the bad guy.

Back to what I said in another post. Magnum= big bang, lots of fire and loss of night vision. Not to mention recoil and jump.

 

[avvidclif]

I didn't mention all 6 rounds were grouped on his heart. ME said it was a piece of hamburger. This was also over 40 years ago and bullets have changed a lot since then.

 

[Bob&Patty]

Patty does not have a problem with our 1911 ACP (real one built in 1916) or my 1847 Walker 44-40. The issue is the recoil on the 1911. The Walker has very little recoil....but its six and done, single shot and weighs in at just under 5#s. Fun to shoot, takes 5-10 minutes to reload. It's very loud and the slow moving lead balls make big holes, just not very useful in the 21st century. We had thought about a 25 caliber something, but I guess the ammo is getting hard to come by. Any thoughts on that?

 

[Lynn1130]

A 25-06 maybe but a .25 is in MHO pretty much worthless for self defense unless it is a round that has a lot of powder pushing it. A friend had a .25 semi-auto in a dresser drawer that somehow or another went off unintentionally and the bullet did not make it through the side wood of the drawer. Probably a fluke but they are not much in the way of powerful.

 

[danemayer]

... A friend had a .25 semi-auto in a dresser drawer that somehow or another went off unintentionally and the bullet did not make it through the side wood of the drawer.

Must have been a fully automatic weapon.

 

[Lynn1130]

Why would it be full auto? If it were cocked, the safety is off and the hammer comes down it goes off. Not sure what full would have to do with it. I don't know the circumstances but I do know it was semi-auto.

 

[olcoon]

In my past life, I had the occasion to "meet" a young man who had a goofy eye, and an odd spot on his head near the eye. During our discussion, I learned that he was involved in a drug deal gone bad and was shot point blank in the headwith a .32 cal. handgun. The bullet hit his skull and followed it around, in the process messing up some nerves which caused the goofy eye.

INMHO, yes you can "assist" someones demise with the small caliber firearms, but you can also do it with a slingshot & a rock (David & Goliath sound familiar?). But personally, for myself, if what I carry doesn't have some power & meat behind the punch, it is saved for the range or the bunnys.

 

[danemayer]

Why would it be full auto? If it were cocked, the safety is off and the hammer comes down it goes off. Not sure what full would have to do with it. I don't know the circumstances but I do know it was semi-auto.

Sorry, I didn't mean for anyone to take it as more than a humorous comment. Should have added a smiley face.

 

[Lynn1130]

Ok, LOL. I did not take offense. Just could not figure out how it could be an auto from that info. I was thinking too literally.