I think sports is the best place to start a discussion about handguns. Target shooting is an Olympic sport.
happy jack wrote:
sparks:
Some friendly advice.
If you liked the Glock, you might not like the S&W Sigma. I don’t know how much you know about auto pistols, but the Glock is single-action only, and the Sigma is double-action only. The Glock and the Sigma are both striker operated – they have no hammer that can be cocked. When the Glock is in firing condition, the striker is held back under tension, and it takes only a light pull (3-4 lbs.) of the trigger to fire. After firing, the striker returns to the tensioned position and all that is needed is a light pull for all subsequent shots. With the Sigma, you will need to go through a longer and considerably more resistant trigger pull (8-10 lbs.) in order to fire, because the striker in the Sigma comes back to full untensioned rest after each shot. Both are in roughly the same price range, I think, so it’s a matter of personal preference as to single-action vs. double-action.
I bought a Sigma .380 not long after the Sigma line was introduced in 1994. After firing only about 1000 rounds through it, the ridge on the underside of the slide that strips the individual cartridges from the magazine began getting flat and misshapen. It looked like it was only a matter of time before it would stop stripping cartridges altogether. I contacted S&W and was told that, in the early days of Sigma manufacture, a different and less durable alloy was used for the slides. There had been many other complaints about the same problem from other customers, and a new alloy was soon incorporated. To the best of my knowledge, that is no longer a problem. S&W is a class company, and they gave me a full refund on the Sigma to use toward the purchase of any of their other products.
If you are looking for a revolver, I would recommend any of a variety of S&W’s. My personal favorite is the 5-shot Centennial 640 .357 magnum with concealed hammer and 2-1/8 inch barrel. Easily concealed and, due to no external hammer, can even be fired from within a coat pocket – there is nothing to snag. It is rough with .357 ammo, however, so I usually load it with .38 +P hollowpoint.
Although I’ve never tried one, I’ve heard good things about Taurus revolvers, too. You mentioned the Taurus Ultralite, but don’t let the word ‘Ultralite’ mislead you into thinking that it will be easier to handle – quite the opposite is true. The lighter the gun and the shorter the barrel, the greater the perceived recoil. The Taurus Ultralite is somewhere in the 13 oz. range, while the S&W 640 weighs 24 oz. With +P loads, the S&W still has a decent kick to it, so I can only imagine that the kick from the Taurus will be much greater. I haven’t been to Deb’s in a while, but I was told that they rent out guns. Try the two side by side, if you can, and then decide. The heavier gun is more cumbersome for personal protection carry, but it should be much easier to control while firing. I guess it depends which feature is more important to the individual shooter.
Long story short, I like a Glock 26 (Baby Glock) 9mm or the S&W 640 while on the road, but at home, you can’t go wrong with a Mossberg 500 pistol-grip 8-shot 12 gauge, lovingly stoked with 00 buck. You may not even need to fire that one – the sound of a shell being racked into the chamber might send an intruder running.
Strangely enough, this is probably the fifth or sixth request for advice I’ve heard, in as many months, from someone wishing to purchase a handgun and/or obtain a CCW permit for the first time.
Mere coincidence, or could it have something to do with the jackass in the White House?
Thanks for the advice,Happy. I already own a Mossberg 500. I bought it used at Deb's and it is quite a bit of fun. We went to Deb's yesterday and rented a Glock and shot 100 9MM rounds. It was a blast. Both my wife and I are going to purchase new handguns. We are limiting ourselves to buying a gun made in the US. I don't know where Glocks are made but I don't think it is here. The S&W is made in Massachusetts.I know that's kind of old school, but that's how I feel. Have you tried any of the guns with lasers? They are hot. I really would prefer to keep politics out of this discussion but there are two things driving up gun sales. The first is the fearmongering regarding the Democrats taking away people's guns. IMO, some of that is coming from the NRA and the gun manufacturers themselves. There's no recession or layoffs if you are making or selling firearms. Second, due to the recession, crime is rising. It has always risen when unemployment rises.