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I have watched for some time on this forum where people have very strong feelings and opinions about what is the greatest personal defense handgun. I�ve been doing quite a bit of thinking on this matter and I may just write an article on the subject for ShootersJournal.net. But I was wondering if anyone could tell me about your preferences for a self defense pistol. Doesn�t have to be just one gun. But tell why. What you require in a personal defense pistol and what you really don�t care about. I�ll start off with an example.

Primary carry gun / home defense gun:

1- LW Commander: In either .45 ACP or .38 Super. Reasons:
- Reliable
- Powerful
- Ergonomics
- Accurate
- Flat
- Light Weight
- Easily Customizable

I�m not going to make any outlandish claims that the LW Commander, or even the 1911 is the greatest pistol in the world even though one could make such a case and back it up. But MY LW Commander isn�t built to any military spec, is not used by any military or LE Agency that I�m aware of, and I really don�t care. The design is very proven, and my personal gun is very proven; that�s all I need. I�m not at war and I never will be. My gun will not be subjected to extreme conditions or circumstances. It will be maintained fairly well, and shot on a regular basis. It gets dry fired EVERY day of the week. For ME, it�s an excellent carry piece.

I have carried a lot of pistols over the years. When I was doing executive protection, often I�d find myself in a position where I had to carry what was handed to me, so I learned to be proficient with a wide variety of guns, and learned to trust them. It doesn�t have to be the greatest pistol that ever was, it just has to get the job you ask of it done.

I may follow up with some rather pointed questions about your thought process in choosing your trusty Roscoe; please don�t be offended, I�m just trying to understand.

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I have, over the years, went through swings in what I feel is the best gun for me. I started out as a 1911 fan, and still am. I do not feel, however, that the 1911 is the optimum platform. They are expensive, harder (not hard) to maintain, and have limited capacity.

I have settled on the M&P 9mm. With modern bullet technology, there is not enough difference in terminal performance between the major defensive calibers to warrant argument. They all work, and they all work well. With a 9mm, you gain capacity, reduced cost in ammunition, and an easier to shoot gun.

In my opinion, the optimum defensive pistol today is a medium frame, polymer, high capacity 9mm, such as the Glock 19 or M&P 9. I carry the M&P9 Pro, but I have uniformed daily carry to contend with. I like the way the 5" Pro shoots, and I have long since overcome my phobia toward the 9mm.

That being said, I dont fault anyone for carrying a 1911, as long as it is a quality piece, such as yours. They are no less lethal than they were when designed. The only thing that has changed since its introduction is that other, more viable platforms have arrived. The very fact that just about every defensive gun is compared to the 1911 is testament to its abilities.

The only caliber I do not care for is the .40 S&W. Truly, and answer to an unasked question.

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I carry an LC9 in a pocket holster loaded with Corbon DPX's, simply because I don't like carrying a holster or IWB. If I did I would probably carry something like yours.


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I have basically settled on 2 types of firearms for ccw. One is an LCP with CT laser, it gets carried when it's to hot in MS. to carry much of anything else, or as a backup to my primary gun. My primary gun these days is a XD 45 Compact carried in a Crossbreed Supertuck IWB. It holds 11 rounds fully loaded. I have carried a 1911 over the years, and may again at some point.

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The poly guns have moved into first place due to light weight, reduced maintenance and reliability. I never liked condition one personally in my pants so favor a DAO or striker fired gun.


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I have carried a handgun for most of my adult life and always made sure I was proficient in its use, both as a Peace Officer, member of the military and now a retired old fart! I will always be armed till the time comes when I am no longer able or competent to do so.

I am to the stage in life where all I carry anymore is "get off me" type guns. The ability to be completely concealed while still readily available for instant use is my main criteria. This is last ditch stuff for me, the FINAL OPTION as it were.

NO handgun is a perfect 1 shot stopper as in totally incapacitated, that is the function of the shootee. Some people will fall down damn near dead and wail like a banshee if hit with a .22 rf. Others will absorb a massive amount of big slugs and keep on coming, then there is the whole drug thing.

I will avoid any confrontation like the plague if at all even remotely possible. I do NOT go to areas that are likely to put me in a bad situation willingly. If cornered I WILL EMPTY whatever I am carrying into the aggressor/aggressors and still be ready to fight for my life tooth & nail or di di mau if I can.

If I KNEW a gunfight was coming I would have a center fire repeating rifle and cover!

I really think that the whole SD with a handgun thing is all over the place and it comes down to where you are, situational awareness, mindset and common sense, caliber and platform is secondary to the proceeding IMHO.

As has been said many times on these pages: "Any gun when you need a gun is better than no gun."

It also beats hell out of harsh words.


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My wife carries a Berreta 92 in a Gun Totin Mama's purse loaded with the same Corbons I use. I know it's a big pistol for a 9mm, but she shoots it well and it conceals easily in the purse.


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1. Dependability.
2. Reliability.
3. Durability.
4. Shootability.
5. Concealability.

Caliber means much less than the above.

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I wouldn't recommend a 1911 style pistol to anyone, in any caliber, because you've got to flip a safety off to use it. When the chips are down, I don't believe the majority of people will have the necessary motor skills and practice to remember to do it quickly and properly.
A DA/SA or DAO semi-auto or revolver would be my suggestion.

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Originally Posted by T LEE
I am to the stage in life where all I carry anymore is "get off me" type guns.

Most all of the active-duty LEO's that I associate with carry just such a gun when they're not working.

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Not I. I carry a gun that I would want to fight with, whether on or off duty. A small bit of inconvenience and discomfort is a small price to pay for ability.

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Factors one should consider for an Immediate Defense Firearm (ie: one that is apt to be carried on the person or kept close at hand in the home):

1. Absolute reliability, every time one pulls the trigger. Not just for the first shot, but for every shot that follows.

2. Simplicity of operation. The hand gun must be capable of being immediately brought into action with one hand.

3. Ergonomics. It must fit one's hand, and provide maximum controllablity when fired.

4. Power. But not so powerful as to be difficult to control for second and subsequent shots.

5. Size. This is only a consideration if carrying concealed; depending on one's manner of dress, and the occasion when the handgun will be carried, there is no "one size fits all" option and one may have posses more than one defensive handgun to go about armed at all times.

6. The 3AM factor. This refers to the ability to seize and immediately fire the handgun at 3 o'clock in the morning, when roused from a deep sleep, and with an intruder already in your bedroom.

With regard to the above it is obvious that selecting a single IDF will involve numerous trade outs, and these trade outs will be based on personal bias as much as personal experience. For some a .22 caliber single action revolver my be the preferred firearm, while others may believe that only a massive .50 caliber semi-automatic pistol will fill the bill.




Last edited by Old_Writer; 10/20/11.

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Originally Posted by supercrewd
The poly guns have moved into first place due to light weight, reduced maintenance and reliability. I never liked condition one personally in my pants so favor a DAO or striker fired gun.


+1

I love, love, LOVE me some 1911. I don't carry it.

Why?

Weight and size. For me: The lighter and smaller, the more I'll carry it. This, in turn, means I�m protected more of the time.

9m is the smallest I carry.

Why a 9m?

The heavy HP bullets from most manufacturers penetrate in excess of 12in. (I don't care about the size of a wound channel.. or as I put it: how dead someone is.) .380 may get there, but I�m not convinced it is there yet. And I can carry more 9m than 40 or 45.

Price also played a role. I don't know why, but for me $550 was ok for a CC firearm, but $850 wasn't. I don�t' really feel like my CC is a throw away, but I don't want to lose my USP? Maybe I thought about wear and tear from carry?

Like I said, I can't explain it. But the price of the handgun was in my equation.


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Originally Posted by WTM45
1. Dependability.
2. Reliability.
3. Durability.
4. Shootability.
5. Concealability.

Caliber means much less than the above.

File this under the irony of diversity of thought vs. confrontation please.

I was perusing the "Cooper Comments" from the commentaries web site the other day and ran across his assessment of the purpose of the defensive handgun. His listing is not entirely the inverse of yours, but close:

The first requirement of a defensive sidearm is stopping power. The shooter must have the best possible chance of terminating the action with one well-directed shot. (It may be pointed out that even more important than stopping power is the need for the weapon to go off when the trigger is pulled. I will have to admit that, but I do not think that failure to fire on the first shot is a problem of any great consequence in current manufacture.)

The second requirement of the defensive pistol is reliability. It must continue to function after the first shot, even though this should not be given great importance.

The third requirement is handiness. If the piece is uncomfortable to wear and to use, it will not be present when needed.

Despite the foregoing, we see a great deal of emphasis placed upon "accuracy." Now certainly a shot which misses its target does no good, but nearly all defensive pistols available today are quite capable of placing all their shots in the center of a man's chest at defensive distances. Correspondents continually write me about systems they might use to increase the accuracy of their defensive pistols, as if they could appreciate the difference between a 3" group and a 5" group at 50 meters! Accuracy increments of this sort are absolutely irrelevant. But the majority of "gun writers" do not seem to see it this way.

And then there is a matter of magazine capacity. "If my piece holds twelve rounds, while yours hold only ten, I win." Here again we are dealing with irrelevance. The highest score I have ever heard of in a pistol fight was five, and that victory was achieved with a 7-round magazine, without reloading. Our late companion Bruce Nelson was once asked in the course of an interview at a police station if it was not a good idea to carry a P35 because of its high capacity magazine. Bruce's response was, "Well, sure, if you plan to miss a lot."


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As much as i like the 1911 it isn't my first choice for a carry gun, but very close just because they feel so good in the hand. I truly believe the Glock 19, and the Smith M&P or the best options in carry guns with their high cap mag's and i believe the 9mm with the loads you can get today rival the 45 ACP in stopping power and with less recoil. The M&P has become my favorite because it fit my hand better than any of my carry gun and i shoot it very well. No matter which handgun you choose to carry it should be 100% reliable with the ammo you choose to carry. My carry holster is the Crossbreed Super Tuck


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I never cared for the 1911. I had a Colt 70 series for years but never could grow to love it. I also don't like striker fired semi-autos. For me, the old SA/DA semi auto is the best. I carry a H&K USPC in 40 S&W, but the 45 ACP caliber would be fine, also.

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Originally Posted by Triggernosis
I wouldn't recommend a 1911 style pistol to anyone, in any caliber, because you've got to flip a safety off to use it. When the chips are down, I don't believe the majority of people will have the necessary motor skills and practice to remember to do it quickly and properly.
A DA/SA or DAO semi-auto or revolver would be my suggestion.
I challenge you to present any evidence other than your opinion to back that up. Pistols with safeties have been working in the real world for the better part of a century. Clearly you prefer a gun without a safety, but to say they're a hindrance or danger just doesn't match the reality of the real world.

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Most are better off with the manual safety. The best manual safety is on the 1911 and the worst is on the Beretta 92.
When i carry my 1911 the safety is off before it clears the holster


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WOW! What a great thread, and some terrific posts in here. Thanks, Kevin (we REALLY need to get you on board with the Raiders!)

T.Lee Your post was classic. I find myself much in the same boat these days.

I am 'only' 51 years of age and still big and strong - 6'3" 245lbs with thrice weekly trips to the gym - BUT I am also on a medical leave sabbatical for a while and with five bulged disks, four impacting my spinal column, not so well controlled hypertension and a growth on my Pituitary that makes me often feel weak and exhuasted so I am, as some have said here often, 'too damned old to take an ass whippin!' from a gaggle of punks yet I still have the manliness or heart in my inner being to dive in regardless of the personal costs involved if a bad deed is in front of me i.e. an innocent is in grave danger. SO..... for me, I have been searching for 31 years of carrying a handgun for that 'perfect' weapon. If it is cool enough out to be wearing a vest or jacket I have oft carried some kind of aluminum framed 4 inch 45 but find that too much of the time they are not on my person when I am out and about. I have my KAHR arms CW40 stoked with PD only +P Black Talons back from a freind that was my daily carry piece for a long time and it has been on my person a lot of late but I am probably going to end up with two carry guns when money allows. 1) a polymer framed micro 380 like the LCP loaded with Buffalo Bore +P 95 or 100gr ammo and then another aluminum or polymer framed 4 inch 1911 in 45 0r 10mm for carry when I can make it work and for backwoods cruising. 255gr +P ammo in it for bear country and +P Hornaday or Speer Gold dots for urban and Suburban carry.

Packability has shown ittself to be a BIG deal over the years, and it is far better, as I see it, to have a 380 in your hand than a full custom race gun 45 back in your car or on your dresser when the bad guys are at hand. As TLee said, if one KNOWS that a gunfight is imminenet, one should have a good long gun at hand. Pistols and revolvers are only for unforseen emergency situations. My .02 FWIW.

Last edited by safariman; 10/20/11.

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Originally Posted by KevinGibson
But I was wondering if anyone could tell me about your preferences for a self defense pistol. Doesn’t have to be just one gun. But tell why. What you require in a personal defense pistol and what you really don’t care about.


After trying out a lot of different options over the years, I've settled on a three gun rotation. They're all Smith third gen hicaps. Sorry for the clutter, they're starting top left, then angle down and across.

5904 (w/ 5906 top end) night sights and lasergrips for holster carry and nightstand.
6946 fiber optic front side for clip-draw appendix carry
5906TSW night sights lasergrip light for nightstand

They all work all the time (they're third gen Smiths after all), they fit my hand nicely, they operate similarly, I shoot them well. They all use the same mags, as does the Marlin Camp 9 in the bedroom closet.

The 6946 is as small as I care to go for a carry gun, and since it conceals so well in my pants, there's no problem there.

The 5904 (aluminum frame) is light and comfy for long term carry.

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