Are there any CCW or gun geeks out there for questions?

[john999]

I got a CCW permit here in Florida because it is just so easy, and the legislature may wake up one day and make it much harder.  I want a small pistol or even revolver as a pocket gun.  Plus I like to have a full size handgun by my bedside at night.  There are just so many choices and I am not so familiar with handguns as with long guns.  I have a Remington 870 Marine Magnum 12 gauge for last stand home defense.  It kicks like a mule.  Shoot fifty rounds through that gun and you won't be able to use you arm for a week.  It is the "kill or be killed" weapon I have.    This is a much better shotgun that a Mossberg 500 and resists rust from humid climate in Florida where I live.  I don't keep it loaded.  The consequence of negligent misfire are too horrible to think about since I use 00 buckshot.   So what are favorite handguns for carry and home defense out there?

 

                       John

[GLW]

S&W 380 Bodyguard.

[rdnkjeeper]

I like the Walther PPKS in .380 or if you're look for something smaller.  I like the North American Arms 22 with the added folding handle.

[afMonkey]

My preference is 9mm for carry.  I rotate between a S&W M&P Shield, and Kahr PM9 depending on what I'm wearing.

Home is a Glock 21(45acp). Mounted flashlight is more important than the caliber in my opinion. 

 

[Slick]

comes down to what you plan on having to use it for as well as "concealed" mean concealed. Climate  (what you tend to wear) also plays into it. 

What GLW says- 380 Bodyguard, built in laser and I carry with a 10 round mag loaded with Hollow points.

Fits in my pocket although mag is longer than back to front sites  Doesn't FL have some crazy rule if carrying, it can't be open carry or stand by to get stopped and checked?

[FormerMember]

Whatever you settle on, do not shoot 9mms indoors or any magnum pistol or rifle cartridge, for that matter,  as they are supersonic rounds and will rupture your eardrums in a confined space. A .22 is especially effective with hollow points in these situations. Aim for center of mass 3+ times to incapacitate or kill. A .380 is merely an underpowered subsonic 9mm (called a 9mm kurz). It's a belly gun like a .25 auto or a 7.62mm.  I discovered early on that 9mms, unless you hit bone, tend to transit through muscle rapidly and cause less muscle trauma than larger subsonic rounds like a .45. That's why most of us switched when we got in country to .45s even though they were horribly inaccurate. The AF had those ditzy .38 M&P revolvers which were underpowered. The red clay tended to gum up semis too.  I had my  sister send me a Mod 19 S&W .357 up in Laos via the Embassy in Vientiane. I used 158 gr. JHPs and no one ever got up after being shot-even in an extremity. The beauty of a .357 was that you could always find .38 ball ammo in a pinch to use in it. My first one over there was a Karl Gustav 5 9mm (see below) that shot from the bolt open position. The first three rds usually went into the dirt as it slammed closed and climbed up. #s 6,7, and 8 always went high unless you turned it sideways. I finally switched over to a M-79 when I flew and a 12 ga. cut down shorty Remington Mod. 12 on the ground. A 12 ga.is always the best to keep penetration down to a minimum indoors. Try #2s instead of double ought. More BBs and larger field. Most indoor encounters occur at less than 10 feet. Always plug up one ear if possible to keep it available for talking to the operator on the 911 call afterwards. Advice from my cop friends- make sure there is only one story as to what happened and never shoot them in the back unless you add a few to the front before everyone arrives to discuss it and take pictures.