Guns for protection

[phorner]

Tuga,

A 22 can be fun to plink around with, and surely is cheap to shoot, but I would not depend on it to save my life.

At a minimum, a personal defense hand gun needs to be a .38 calibre.

There are several high quality guns chambered for .38 special or .380 auto.

Perhaps you should visit a range where you can try out several guns. Try a revolver vs an auto and see which feels more accurate to you. Try different calibres and see how they feel.

[Jerry Winchester]

Tuga,

I'm with Paul. You shoot someone with a 22 and they get pissed off and come whip your a$$. Not good.

[Denny]

To best answer your question, look at the history of law enforcement weapons. Many years ago the 38 was the choice of most police departments. Then came the 38 special which evolved into the 357 magnum. Then the semi automatics came on to the scene and and the 9mm was the most popular.

After many shootouts in which the good guys were carrying the 9mm and the bad guys were not stopped immediately, there was a movement to go to a more powerful cartridge. The FBI did extensive research and decided that the 40S&W was the round to use. That is now one of the most popular rounds used by law enforcement. During all this time thought, many of the elite forces were carrying the infallible 45 which was the major US military sidearm for many years. This was a single action pistol. There now is a multitude of double action gun available in all calibers and this style is the most popular for the average person who does not do a lot of shooting.

If the 22 were a real good bad guy stopper then most law enforcement agencies would use it just from the cost factor. But they don't. The 22 is not adequate in a gun fight. You never take a knife to a gun fight and the 22 is one step above a knife!

My favorite is the 1911 45.

[tdelorme]

Jim C. made mention of this hand gun several days ago. If I were a new shooter looking for a firearm to carry in my bus, The Judge would be at the top of my list.
http://gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewIte...Item=125661370
http://www.holsters-and-more.com/ima...urus_judge.jpg

[JIM CHALOUPKA]

Tuga, you need bullet mass to get the job done. Knock down power.

22 not good for self defense!

If you want a hand gun, I recommend the taurus in the following link. You would load it 410 buck shot alternating with 45 cal.
The model chambered for 2.5 in shells is adequate and cheaper, there is however a new model in 3.00 in.
The recoil is minimal and has a soft comfortable grip.
I have the 2.5.

http://www.taurususa.com/products/pr...egory=Revolver

If you want a shotgun I recommend the Renington 870 Express synthetic folding stock. Very well made and proved in service for many years. Not overly expensive either. When I bought mine, I was told that this gun is legal in all states and is considered a sporting armament even if it does appear to be at first sight. Use buck shot also.
http://www.remington.com/products/fi...ding_stock.asp

I agree with Denny, that the venerable model 1911 in 45 cal is also an excellent choice.

JIM

[jelmore]

If you want a hand gun, I recommend the taurus in the following link. You would load it 410 buck shot alternating with 45 cal.
The model chambered for 2.5 in shells is adequate and cheaper, there is however a new model in 3.00 in.
The recoil is minimal and has a soft comfortable grip.
I have the 2.5.

We have the Taurus .38 special loaded similarly. Really should get some practice in.

[merle&louise]

Thanks for the replies, looks like I need a gun with more knock down power. The gun I purchased is a Walther P22 semi automatic with a 10 round clip.

What is the difference in a "stinger" load and a regular 22 cal load? Does it have more powder or more lead or both?

Denny,

You bring up a very good point; look at what law enforcement uses! I think I will be buying a new gun and will use this one for target practice.

[flyu2there]

While I still believe that a good old 12 gauge with double ought buck is the best self defense weapon around anywhere, if you must carry a pistol get one that is easy to handle and get some training and lots of time at the range.

Understanding that bullet mass is important, it is more important to be accurate and the bigger the projectile the less accurate you will be, especially as a novice. The 22 target pistol will do the job, especially if you really know how to use it. Personally I have a S&W 9mm M and P that is fairly easy to learn and shoot with accuracy and a Sig Sauer P220/45 which is a handful and a bit more challenging to shoot accurately. Big caliber short barrelled weapons are the worst for comfort and accuracy, try a Glock 45 should you want a graphic demonstration.

Should you choose to upgrade, I would recommend a name brand (Smith/Wesson, Colt, etc.) and a weapon that is still in production. These guns all need some maintenance and all need routine cleaning, if you lose a spring or screw out of an out of production weapon you may play hell trying to find another.

While the Gun Broker is a very good resource, I would advise against buying anything from that source unless you are very familiar with the weapon offered. Go to your local gun dealer and find something that you like and is comfortable to handle, to disassemble, and to shoot....then and only then it is safe to go to the Gun Broker.

[gmcbuffalo]

As flyu2 said a 22 will get the job done if you have the cool to be accurate, ie head shots.

Todays criminals are most likely trying to get money to drugs, so they can be hard to shot. This where mass comes into play. The Colt m1911 45 cal was adopted by the US Army because it spot a drug crazy HUD in the Phillipines.

The other thing have you every heard of a police shooting where they didn't empty the magazine into the Perp? They practice and they also need more than one shot.

If I was going to add one more handgun to my collection it would be the "Judge", 410 shot for two legged snakes and no leg snakes, plus a 44 cal round for stopping power.
GregM

[FLY-N-LOW]

I agree with the GMC BUFFALO

the Judge is a nice piece of metal to have
and it will take some stuff right out. Good weapon of Choice for the Bus on the Road Trips along with a Back up Handgun, I prefer 40 to 45 cal range though, and with lots of Range time getting off accurate shots isnt a problem.

I have a small arsenal of personal weapons, and find most of the comments here to be true to some degree, but they all depend on the exact situation
one is confronted with at the time.

I keep an 8 round Double Buckshot 12 ga. pump on my side of the bed along with a .40 cal in the headboard with 15 rounds and a spare clip ...

The Ruger 10/22 semi auto is fun, cheap to shoot and will take out a few things in the front yard, and if that dont work the AR-15 ( Colt L.E. 6920 L.E. ) will.. any further out than this and out comes the 30-06 or 7mm ...

If you want to see the Judge in action google it and watch the video as it is pretty impressive...

If you want ultimate indoor protection, look at the Beretta Extrema II 12 ga. shotgun, it will unleash 12 rounds in under 1.75 seconds..google it and check out the video... now after watching the video imagine having either slugs or Double 00 Buck shot in it...this works well for the Car Load of Would be Thieves that show up in the middle of your drive way in the middle of the night ... 12 rounds of buck shot will not only take out the occupants of the vehicle but will take out the vehicle as well ...

The Judge is just the right size to have in the Bus and will provide that comfort zone for those of us traveling in the Buses with coverage to spare.

Good luck with your choices and Remember to Protect your Second Amendment Right ...

If you think finding common ammo is difficult, then dont look for any Semi-Auto Stuff or even Auto stuff....

One source you may want to check with on AMMO is GT Distributors they have a store in Austin, TX and Chattanooga, TN and sell mostly to Law Enforcement but will sell to the public, they carry a nice line of weapons and ammo for very very good prices... google them and check out their web site.

Stay Safe & Enjoy !