Part 1 is here

Part 2 – Firearm Options

I understand the legal, safety and training covered in Part 1…but now what?

Help!

Now, I am confused! There are so many firearms, calibers, types etc. I do not know where to start! When I see a gun store or look in an ad it is all so confusing!

Your Intended Use

By now you may have an idea of what you would do with your firearm. Consider what you want to do with it for example: self-defense, concealed carry, hunting, sporting, target shooting etc. Thinking about this will help you decide what firearm is right for you.

Home Defense

Let us look at the scenario of home defense. Everyone wants to be safe in their home. Many want the ability to protect it and their family. So, what are possible options for home defense?

First let us define some firearms terminology.

A handgun is a firearm that is small and compact, designed to be fired from one hand and has a barrel length under 16 inches. Most commonly people refer to it as pistol or revolver. Pistols typically have barrels that range from 2-5 inches. Pistols have a rifled barrel that has spiral cuts or ridges inside it. The rifling spins the bullets like a football stabilizing them in flight.

 A long gun includes rifle or shotgun. Rifles are designed to be shot from the shoulder, generally have a barrel longer than 16” and have a rifled bore. Shotguns can be shot from the hand or shoulder and have a barrel length of 18” or grater and have a smooth barrel (not rifled). There are other specific classes of rifles and shotguns regulated by the National Firearms Act of 1968 which we will not cover in this post.

Home Defense options

1. Handgun is portable, easy to use and can serve a variety of uses. Handguns make excellent home defense guns and are well suited for this task. In addition, if you chose to later protect yourself on the street with a concealed carry license, a handgun is used for this purpose. Handguns are also easy to secure from children or untrained individuals in your home.

2. Shotgun. You have probably heard of a “12 gauge” or seen and heard a pump action shotgun on TV. Shotguns make an excellent home defense tool and are accurate at short to medium ranges. They are harder to secure than a handgun making it more difficult to access from secured storage. Shotguns are also harder to maneuver and handle inside your home.  The shotgun can intimidate some new shooters as well.

3. Rifle. Most rifles are more powerful than a handgun, are designed to shoot at greater distances. Rifles are effective when properly used, however they are powerful and harder to handle inside a building or home for most people.

Caliber

The next term we need to discuss is caliber. This generally refers to the size of the cartridge being fired in inches, millimeters, or gauges. These measurements refer to the diameter of the bullet inside the cartridge with a few exceptions. Pistols and rifles usually use calibers and shotguns generally use gauges except for the smallest size shotgun called a .410 which refers to the size of the hull of the shot shell.

Handguns for Home Defense

A couple of good home defense caliber choices for a first-time gun owner include 9mm and .40 caliber. These are both easy to shoot and offer stopping power needed on a subject. By stopping power, I mean putting all the energy from the bullet into the bad guy to stop them from hurting you or your family. There are many other choices, but these primary calibers will offer lighter recoil (the energy of the firearm “kicking” back on the shooter). By far the most common pistol cartridge in the world is the 9mm Luger also called 9mm Parabellum and 9x19mm. The .40 S&W has held a top spot for law enforcement for many years though its use is declining it still holds the edge in stopping power. The FBI developed it in conjunction with Smith and Wesson for Law Enforcement in 1990.

Criteria for choosing a first handgun

  • simple
  • reliable
  • fits in your hand
  • consistent trigger pull
  • striker fired (meaning from a spring and not a hammer)
  • 9mm or .40 caliber which is effective with minimal recoil
  • large enough to shoot and train with
  • compact version that small enough you could carry it concealed
  • capacity should also be large enough to take care of an incident. Some states do limit those sold to only ten rounds in a magazine.
  • No external manual safety, only passive safety features. A manual safety usually takes more training to use correctly and can create a false sense of security

Buying the best firearm, you can afford is something you should think about. Some may not have the luxury of buying any firearms in my suggested lists. It does not mean there are not good choices out there, but you get what you pay for. I am brand agnostic and receive no compensation for any of these recommendations. I would rather have less expensive firearm than none at all, then sell it and trade up to a better one as I could. I have chosen sized firearms which are considered “compact” slightly smaller than a full size but also would serve as a concealed carry gun later if you so choose. Other folks may tell you to only buy a full-size firearm.

The most important things to think about when selecting a firearm is reliability and fit. If the firearm does not fit well in your hand then it will be much tougher to shoot it effectively. Secondly, you want the most reliable firearm possible. The last thing you want is a firearm to fail you when your life is on the line. All the firearms listed below are quality reliable pistols. Remember, no one else can tell you what the best firearm for you is. They can make some recommendations but always make an informed decision based on your personal need.

Some Suggested Pistols in 9x19mm and .40 S&W

Sig Sauer P320 Compact (available in 9×19 and .40 S&W)

Most Sig P320 comes with night sights out of the box that will glow in the dark. Secondly, it is a completely modular pistol allowing you to later re-configure it into another size firearm without the purchase and hassle of buying another gun. The P320 is also the base model for the US Military M17/18 pistols. It supplies a very crisp trigger that is smooth and quite easy to shoot. It has a higher bore access than other firearms in this list which can lead to more muzzle flip, but it is controllable. The P320 changes to multiple configurations with the simple change of the grip module and/or the slide. You can go from a compact to a subcompact and even change caliber between the 40 and 9mm by using a Caliber X-Change Kit. The P320 was adopted by several State and local law enforcement agencies. The P320 comes with an optional thumb safety so be sure of the model you purchase. Typical price points are around $600 but can vary widely depending on model and options.

Glock 19 (9×19) or Glock 23 (.40 S&W) both Gen 5

The Glock 19 and Glock 23 Gen 5 have vastly improved trigger that is much cleaner than prior models. It has a better grip with the lack of the “finger” holds in the Gen 4 and seems to fit a wider variety of hands. The Glock 19 handles well, is easy to shoot and has a lower bore access from barrel to grip creating less felt muzzle flip. The Glock 19 and 23 can be ordered with night sights, but it is not standard on all models. It has the largest adoption by police departments in the country. Thes typically run between $500-600.

Springfield XD (Defender in 9×19, others in 9×19 and .40 S&W)

The XD was made for the Croatian military and it is built like a tank. Originally, imported as the HS2000, its now imported by Springfield Armory. I have seen XDs at a shooting school that claims to have near one million rounds though them and are still shooting. It is a reliable clean shooting gun with a good trigger. The older model comes in at a much better price point than most of the guns in this list. It is likely the best value on this list as the XD Defender Service Model can be found for about $300. The defender is only manufactured in 9×19 currently. The newer XD-M is offered in both calibers, would also make an excellent choice.

The XD also offers a few more differences from other guns in the list. First, it has a passive back-strap safety which must be depressed by gripping the gun before it will fire. Secondly, the XD has, a striker cocked indicator which will tell you if the trigger has already been pulled. There is a tactile loaded chamber indicator on the top of the slide.

Smith and Wesson M&P M2.0 4” Compact (9x19mm and .40 S&W)

The M&P 2.0 comes with a crisper feeling trigger than the 1st generation in my opinion. The M&P is carried by a wide variety of Law Enforcement Agencies in the US. This is an excellent choice and had changeable back straps for hand size like the Glock. Be aware the M&P does come with an optional thumb safety so be sure to know the model you are buying. I have often seen price points between $450-600

Heckler and Koch VP-9 (9×19) VP-40(.40 S&W)

H&K is well known for quality weapons. The VP series is no exception to this. A high-quality firearm, that is well designed for self-defense. The VP series is offered with a traditional push button magazine release like all the others in this list.  It is also offered with paddle release on the bottom of the trigger guard. If you choose this model be sure you like the release as you cannot convert it later. I personally prefer the push button as its consistent with other firearms so if you ever change it will be similar. These are often between $700-800

None of those fit my hand, what should I do?

If none of those options fit your hand. They seem too “big” or “blocky” there are some slimmer choices available. Single stack magazine firearms are smaller thinner versions. You need to find the firearm that fits YOU best. The Sig in this list is not a single stack but is much narrower than other double stack magazines. The grips tend to be less blocky on all of these firearms. There are some options with smaller grips and comparable size that may fit the bill for smaller hands.

  1. Smith and Wesson M&P 9 EZ (a hammer fired pistol)
  2. Glock 48
  3. SIG P365 XL
  4. Khar CT9

For defensive use, a good rule of thumb is it needs to be larger than a 4×6 postcard. In other words, picture the gun laid on its side on a post card. Some of these guns because of their smaller size may feel like they have more recoil. Going smaller than that 4×6 makes a firearm much harder to train with as well as shoot.

There are many excellent choices of firearms so do not limit your choices to the ones I listed. These are my opinion based on my experience. These are all pistols I would be comfortable with having at my bedside if I had to defend my home.

Suggested Revolvers

Revolves are simple to use hold and reliable. They only hold six rounds and do take longer to reload. A revolver offers a long stiff trigger pull but its consistent with each round. Revolvers in .38 Special or .357 Magnum are appropriate choice. A .357 Magnum can shoot .38 Special shells as well. Two Good options with a four-inch barrel. Simple and reliable.

  1. Ruger GP100
  2. Smith and Wesson 686

Hammer Fired Pistols

Earlier I recommended striker fired pistols. There is nothing wrong with hammer fired pistols.  One of my favorites is a Sig Sauer P229 however, if you get a double/single action where the first trigger pull is much heavier and harder to pull than all following shots. This type of pistol can be harder to master. There is also double action only pistols which fire much like a revolver with a long heavy trigger pull. There are other advantages and disadvantages to hammer fired guns which I hope to cover in future posts. If you find one that fits your hand and needs go for it.

Part 3

–Castle

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