Handguns, which one is right for me?

People often ask me, which handgun or caliber of handgun is the best.

I'm afraid that there is no easy answer to that question. It depends on what you are going to use the handgun for, your physical makeup and your own personal preferences.

There are two types of handguns, revolvers and pistols. Revolvers have a revolving firing chamber; pistols have a firing chamber that is part of the barrel. Semi-automatic or auto-loading pistols fall into this second category as do single shot pistols.

Advantages and disadvantages:

Revolvers:



Advantages:
Simplicity of design.
Easily to load.
Ammunition generally cheaper than semi-auto ammo with lower power loadings for practice.
Generally, physically stronger design that will take more abuse without damage.
In the event of a misfire, trigger may be pulled to fire the next round.

Disadvantages:
Takes longer to load.
Holds less ammo than newer semi-autos.
Generally harder to conceal than semi-autos.



Pistols - semi-automatics:


Advantages:
Slimmer design for easier concealability.
Modern semi-autos have up to three times the load capacity of a revolver.
Can be loaded very quickly.

Disadvantages:
Complicated design can lead to loading malfunctions.
Requires more training than revolver.
In the even of misfire, bullet must be cleared from gun before the next round can be fired.

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Caliber:

Caliber is the designation of a bullets size but may have little to do with its actual size and is little more than a name designation.

For instance, 9mm, .380, .357 magnum and .38 special; all use the same diameter bullet and often bullets of the same type and weight but the bullet cases are all different in length and configuration. The diameters for all those calibers are .355 to .356 inches. The .357 magnum and .44 magnum are actually just slightly longer versions of the .38 special and .44 special.

Any handgun in any caliber is better than no handgun at all providing you know how to use it.

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Accuracy:

It has always been my experience that any given firearm is capable of far more accuracy than the person shooting it.

More than 80% of all defensive firearm use happens within less than 10 feet of the target. When you first start your training and practice, concentrate your practice at this distance.

The secret of accuracy is trigger control And trigger control is achieved by firing or dry-firing. The best results are achieved by dry-firing a double action* revolver. Newer semi-auto pistols that allow double action fire may also be used.

Dry-firing will damage a gun unless it is loaded with dummy rounds called Snap Caps.

The advantage of dry-firing is that you don't burn up a lot of expensive ammo and you don't have to be at the range to practice. I used to practice dry-firing setting in my recliner taking aim at the clock on the wall.

To dry-fire, load your weapon with snap caps, (it only takes one for a pistol capable of "double action" fire for revolvers you must have one for every cylinder hole), take aim at your target and slowly pull your trigger while concentrating keep your weapon on target. If you have never did this before you will be surprised at how much you gun moves around while you pull the trigger.

Even avid shooter are surprised by their increase in accuracy after learning trigger control by dry-firing.

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Conclusion:

The "best" is what's best for you, what fits your hand comfortably. I prefer the .45 ACP in either the larger or smaller frame models.

For personal protection, I recommend a medium caliber medium power weapon with experienced people using the magnum calibers if personally preferred. I recommend provenly functional hollow point ammunition for 9mm pistols. (Not all semi-auto pistols will function with hollow points and some cheap hollow points won't function in any weapon at all).

Double action, means that pulling the trigger "cocks" and "fires" the weapon as opposed to "single action", where pulling the triggers, "only fires the gun", and cocking is achieved by some other means.