You’ve never own a firearm but now your considering investing in one for the primary purpose of defending yourself and your family. Going through life, each day you become more concerned, fearing that the poverty and the violence of criminality that it stokes like wind to fire might catch up you. Looking at your wife and children, you make a decision that BGs’ must go through hell if they think they victimize you to the detriment of your family’s future. Not only do you decide to buy a gun, you’ve resolved to carry daily.
First task at hand is choosing the appropriate gun. There’s a wide selection to chose from; the affordable Chinese clones to the perfect out of the box masterpiece every gun enthusiast dreams of owning. How do you decide what’s right for you?
Perform a reality check with the basic question, “Who are you?”. What is your occupation, what is the acceptable clothing decorum in your line of work, do you sit in the office at any given work day or are you a field person constantly on the move, is travel a given in your job, do you normally carry a case/man bag, what do you usually do on your days off, what is your non-work day preferred attire. Remember one must carry concealed (that means no one can tell that your armed) and that the FA must be within your reach should #*/@ start to happen (which means it must be with you at all times). Should you prefer a pistol, an extra mag is a must … not because you’ll need all that ammo but rather most operational problems are usually mag related so a replacement is a must should you encounter a failure.
The insights generated from your reality check may now be used to define the specs of that ideal carry gun. For example: people who prefer casual, light clothing and not comfortable lugging a fairly large bag would normally stay away from full size FAs; people who usually spend most of their day sitting in front of computer wouldn’t have to consider the weight of the unit compared to someone who is constantly on the move or spends a lot of time standing about such as cite inspectors. Best thing, get a piece of paper and write down your preferred gun specs: Overall length, height, thickness and weight. Would you prefer a wheel gun with its inherent advantage of not having to clear a failed round? Or would you go for a pistol because the shape is much easier to conceal since it is essentially flat not having a cylinder; or maybe because reloading is much more simple, the extra rounds more “organized” within a mag.
Next, consider what caliber you prefer: the legendary 45acp that usually stops a threat with one center of mass hit; maybe the 9mm with the current high tech improvements for penetration or expansion (which would usually allow for more ammo within a similarly sized mag) or a .380 common to pocket guns. Maybe you like the power of the 357 mag which you may load with 38s’ for affordable practices at the range. Or would you like a mouse round such as the 32 cal, 25 or rim fire 22? Doesn’t exactly have much power but the small package is a guarantee you’ll have it with you at all times; maybe even in trunks lounging by the pool.
Your preferred gun specs plus choice of round would likely limit your FA choices significantly. For example: You desire a FA that’s no more than 5 inches long, 4 inches tall, 1.25 inches thick (or less) that is light for whole day carry (you’ll probably go for polymers) utilizing nothing less that a .380 and no larger than a 40cal. Research the possible choices for those specs and caliber preference: Taurus TCP, Ruger LCP, Kel-tec, Kahr PM9 or PM in 380, Bersa cc .380, Ruger LCR, J-frame SW, Snub-nosed Charter Arms … make as comprehensive list of options as possible.
Now you need to determine availability and affordability; make a table: Unit, Where Sold, How Much, Remarks/observations/special notes. Take time to visit as many gun stores as possible … phone inquiries are useless if you’ve never actually seen and felt (held in your own hands) the units you are asking about. Don’t rush this process … a solid decision is only possible with hard data … bawal hulaan, bawal assumptions … each data must be precise and verified.
So you’ve done your homework … you’re now a certified amateur in gun research . Buy a couple of bottles of your favorite brew and put on your thinking music. Lock the room and take your favorite corner for pondering. Study your data one unit at a time … don’t rush, be very deliberate. Mark units with (x) when you think it’s no longer an option; mark (?) if its worth re-thinking and (+) if it’s definitely a good choice. You’ve shrunk your list even further … how many left? 3? 4? 2?
Final step … try to get range time for each of the very few choices left … some ranges rent out units … some units you’d have to source from or through friends (friends of a friend). Gastos ka konti but I swear it will all be worth it. Don’t settle for anything less than 20 rounds for each unit left in your list of choices. 5 rounds slow deliberate aimed fire, 5 rounds smooth sight acquisition from the low ready position, 5 sets of double taps. Rate each choice as you get to experience them. I’m confident you’ll realize your optimum choice … now you definitely know what you want.
Time for that last most crucial step …. gather your wits, bring a financial plan of what expenses to save on and possible sources of funds … take a slow calming smoke of your favorite cigarette … then with all the confidence a man can muster, tell your wife, “Honey, may I buy this toy? Pictures would be good at this point.
POST SPECIALLY PREPARED FOR NEWBIES DETERMINED TO BUY FA FOR DAILY CARRY (hope this helps bros and sis).
This is a guest post by mandaragit. The article originally appeared on PinoyGuns.
Choosing the right firearm really depends upon your lifestyle. I started with a SW Model 10. 38, then switched to the Colt Gold Cup, both of which I carried in a bag. However I soon started to realize that I could not always carry such a large bag (and Gun) everywhere, which essentially defeated the purpose of having a gun, which was to make it available always.
So eventually I switched to the Glock 19 and the Browning Hi Power, two smaller pistols but with greater firepower. Either was light enough to be carried IWB the entire day discreetly. And since I was an office person and had to attend several meetings daily, the lighter wight of these pistols made me feel much more comfortable.
After about 12 years, as I grew older, I looked for something less obtrusive, and which would interfere less with my lifestyle. The arrival of the micro Ruger LCP fit this purpose. Now I could carry all day long discreetly, comfortably, and without hassle of knowing that I did have a gun with me. Of late, I decided on carrying my little “elsiepea” in a small discreet camera case with my wallet and 3 spare loade mags.
Some would say that i carry a pea shooter gun. But, I follow a simple rule: “the 380 that you have in your pocket is far more potent than the .45 you left at home.”
So ang ibig sabihin bro, habang tumatanda paliit ng paliit yung baril, hehehe! Malamang in 5 years naka .22 lr ka na north american arms, hahaha! : )
Pag Senior citizen na, yung .17 Taurus Revolver hehe!
I also own a NAM in .22 MRF, ‘serves as my “church gun”. It is a.k.a, “desperation gun” as it is very hard to hit anything with i beyond 5 meterst, so one has to be familiar with its capabilities and limitations.
Now being a senior citizen, I took a hard, second look at my trusty S&W M10. it now serves as a tool vs. possible serious domestic intrusions. Very user-friendly. for everyone in the house. With its butter-smooth action job, hand-filling grips, stoked with 200-grain LSWC + extras in two speedloaders. I guess that will do the job, unless the BGs are armed with something heavier.
Funny how my trusty M1911A1 GM gets “heavier over the years” 🙁
I pity my former Commanding Officer, now 68 and long retired and not in the best of health. He says he can no longer rack the slide of his M1911A1. So, he also reverted to a revolver. Oh, well, I can be the “willing heir” of his M1911 if he no longer needs it 🙂
I admit that my athritis will be severe over the coming years and racking the slide of my 1911 will be but a dream than a reality. I will entrust my security with my taurus 7 shooter chambered in 38 special. However being a double action revolver, the trigger travel is quite long and I am afraid I may not be able to pull it fast………or perhaps a modified glock? a trip to my favorite gun smith is a necessity.
I’m now 62 and have a Colt M1911A1 Gov’t Model series 80 as my carry. Having a poor eye sight, i have a hard time seeing the diminutive front sight and aligning it to the rear sight. So i have the front sight fitted with fiber-optics and the rear sight replaced with a low rider mcormick. The fiber- optics greatly enhanced the visibility of the front sight and makes alignment quicker and better. A-zone hits at 7 meters is more populated than before.
siguro tutuo nga na habang “nagkaka-idad” eh we tend to prefer smaller, more compact units which are ideally light but utilizing formidable cartridge (38, .380, 9mm and 45acp) within a minimum of 5 rounds.
buti nalang ito rin thrend sa USA with the rise in ccw … now there are a lot of good choices such as but not limited to Ruger LCR, Ruger LCP, Taurus TCP, Kahr PM.380 / PM9 / PM45, Kahr CW.380 / CW9 / CW45, Keltec and whole lot more.
the .380 is not a mouse round … considering the average size of Filipinos, a quality .380 with good expansion should resolve most problems we might come across.
personally, I invested in a PM9 for my coming twilights years (half a century egg nako next year); with the currect bullet technology expansion would approximate the 45 acp hardball. note bad at all.
> considering the average size of Filipinos…
The average Filipino might be small but remember the legend of why the .45 caliber cartridge was born. Apparently Col. John T. Thompson decided that the US Army needed more power because the savage Filipino warriors just wouldn’t go down! 🙂
Having said that, I agree that an easy-to-carry .380 is much more versatile than a .45 that’s so big you end up leaving it at home.
I hope Glock makes a pocket pistol similar in size to the the ruger lcp. I’m sure it’s gonna be a big hit. They can call it the Glock 16 PM for “Peewee Model”, hehehe!
It is what hits that counts. About 30 years ago, a BG out on bail tried to pump 8 rounds .45ACP FMJs at an off duty cop who previously arrested him. Fortunately, the BG was armed with a M1911 that was modified to fire full auto. The first round hit the cop at the lower torso, a non-mortal hit. The recoil pushed the pistol up, so the second to the 8th round went harmless up the air. The cop was able to draw his cheap, personal weapon: an Arminius revolver in .22 MRF, fired all eight rounds at the BG. With all hits at the “A-zone”, the BG went down and never reached the hospital alive.