CHOOSE YOUR WEAPON

A handgun should fit like a glove

Alright, especially the guys have very strong opinions about self-defense handguns.  I could rant about bein’a staunch patriot for our Right to Bear Arms and the politics of women being justified to carry just as men rant in favor of the big guns — I’d just bore y’all.  There’s a lot of folks interested to look, buy, if not to carry, at least to own a good handgun for home defense — for ‘just in case’.

Being a repost of the article written by Richard Nance | July 16th, 2014. This post is merely some useful info I found for inexperienced buyers mostly for potential conceal carry, and getting accustomed to a handgun.  I am a beginner with handguns, by no means expert so please do not misconstrue this information as a professional opinion.   And make no mistake — yes, a handgun is a weapon.

I have open-carried a revolver on occasion, primarily going fishing in remote spots, legal in Missouri.  I learned how Missouri laws apply for conceal-carry in CCW class.  To me, packing a gun is very serious, nothing to take lightly.  Again I am a bit close to soapboxing here…  I’d simply rather avoid trouble if possible, and not be in a slummy area that makes your skin crawl or circumstance to deem it so necessary to pull out my gun against someone.  Yes, I would certainly do so IF my life were in danger.  Nonetheless, wearing that gun is not done as nonchalantly as I wear my hat.  For one thing, I’m an excellent shot; I shoot instinctive so it’s a very good bet any perpetrator in my face would end up dead or at least in a hospital with a doctor attempting to save their sorry ass.  Second, it would be a real nightmare to kill someone, even accidentally.

I guess I conceded I would not hesitate to kill when someone tried to break into my home at midnight two years ago.  My dog growled, I jumped out of bed, grabbed my shotgun and next thing they heard was the loud universal sound of my shotgun action slammed shut.  They ran off — my blood boiled instantly — it pissed me off — I felt the rage to kill that intruder.  Police never showed.    (I hadn’t ever stowed away my 870 after turkey hunting, so it was handy in that moment.)
Growing up in more congenial times, but times have changed, those ‘wrong side of the tracks’ are at every turn.  For months nowadays I’ve shopped and discussed all my options with my husband and his buds, my neighbors, and read many comments and respect your all’s opinions.  I’m still trying to figure out my comfort zone in my ‘weapon of choice’.  But the manly men, rough-n-tough-guys can kindly give it a rest here…this is more for those dudes and dudette gun-owner-wannabes than the guy with the .357 in his backside.

So, shopping for a Conceal Carry handgun can get overwhelming.  I’ve test fired different models and calibers to decide which one to use.  It’s daunting.  I rarely use other articles; but reading reviews for several conceal carry guns, I came upon this magazine article with the Sportsman Channel’s videos geared at such help — it’s the most common sense I’ve read thus far.

The dominant fact is your own handgun should fit like a glove… hopefully after soaking in all this info, I’ll be more confident with knowledge from handgunsmag.com, an excellent source for finding that self-defense handgun that’s comfortable and doesn’t have the recoil of a 50 cal. machine gun.  My goal is to handle my handgun with the same confidence as my 870 Remington. 

View these SPORTSMAN CHANNEL’S mobile videos of Handguns and Defensive Weapons show, with expert guidance of many scenarios, including tips for gals using the Smith and Wesson M and P Bodyguard and other home defense guns.

Forget caliber, brand and all that stuff.  The first important step in buying a defensive handgun is find one that fits.

Grip. One of the fundamentals of marksmanship, it's a determining factor in your ability to shoot, operate and control your handgun. Since grip is the interface between you and your gun, it’s important to select a handgun that fits your hand properly. A gun’s weight and caliber are also important considerations. One thing is certain. When it comes to defensive handguns, one size does not fit all.

When you get behind the wheel of a vehicle you haven’t driven before, you’ll probably adjust the seat, rear and side view mirrors and maybe even the steering wheel. This not only ensures a more comfortable driving experience but also actually makes for a safer one.

For instance, you can more easily bring the vehicle to a stop when you don’t have to stretch to reach the brake pedal. In the same vein, if you have to duck your head to avoid the roof while in the driver’s seat, you’re likely to fatigue more quickly than if you were comfortably seated. Obviously, there are countless other examples of ergonomics improving driver comfort and performance, but you get the point.

In some respects, the automotive industry is light years ahead of the firearms industry. Only recently have major gun manufacturers offered options to accommodate different hand sizes. Now, thanks to reversible or interchangeable backstraps, a pistol such as a Ruger SR45 or a Smith and Wesson M&P can easily accommodate the vast majority of hand sizes and shooter preferences right out of the box.

Still, some guns are no better suited for a particular shooter than a Smart car is for an NBA center. For example, if you have hands the size of a catcher’s mitt, a pocket .380 like the Ruger LCP may not be the best choice.

On the square range with paper targets and relatively little stress, shooting a handgun accurately is challenging. Add to the mix the adrenaline dump you’ll get if and when you’re fighting for your life, and it’s easy to see the importance of having a handgun that you don’t have to struggle with.

The starting point
So how can you tell if a handgun is the right size for your hand? When you hold a handgun, place the web of your hand as high on the backstrap as possible and align the gun with your forearm. Gripping the gun in this manner helps tame recoil because the force is absorbed by the skeletal structure of your arm. It’s important to note that even with a two-handed grip, the gun will come out of alignment to some degree (unless you are shooting from a Weaver stance, with your shooting arm at near full extension and your other arm bent).

When a gun is too big for a shooter’s hand, the tendency is to change the orientation of the shooting hand in order to reach the trigger more easily.  Unfortunately, this invariably results in the gun’s recoil being absorbed more by the thumb than the large bones of the arm.

“Absorbed” can be interpreted more like “bites”.  I tried a Glock 9mm and holding it the same as I had the Glock G42, its recoil bit my thumb badly.  Whereas the Taurus 9mm PT111 was perfect in my palm and finger reach.  Not only could this be annoying and prove injurious in the long run, but it also inhibits your ability to effectively control recoil, which means it will take you longer to get back on target after firing. And without a proper grip, you won’t be able to move your trigger finger independently of the rest of your hand, which is an integral component of accurate shooting.

Like grip, trigger control is a fundamental of marksmanship. When your handgun’s sights are properly aligned and overlaid on your target, you will hit what you’re aiming at unless the gun moves as you press the trigger to the rear. Therefore, when shopping for a handgun, make sure you can comfortably reach the trigger without having to shift the gun in your hand.

I watched a demo on a show then experimented and yes, this works: “While this is largely a matter of personal preference, the pad of your index finger—between the tip and the first joint—is probably the most common finger placement for shooting a semiautomatic pistol.  If you can easily reach the trigger while holding the gun in the prescribed manner, you’re on the right track. There is some dissension as to what specific part of your index finger should be in contact with the face of the trigger.

However, if you’re shooting a revolver or a semiautomatic pistol with a relatively heavy double-action trigger, you may need to insert your finger up to the first joint in order to have enough leverage to repeatedly fire the weapon.”

Here the proper gun grip for the semiauto is shown.  The gun is in the ‘V’ created and firmly into the web of your hand.  Newer compact revolvers are cupped neatly in the palms. 

  crossed thumbs           both thumbs forward