A few words on choosing a defensive handgun

A lot of people come in to my store, and ask me what is the best handgun for them to carry. Often, they are shocked when I or my staff don’t pitch them a certain brand or type of firearm.( Let’s be honest, we all have our favorites) We tell potential customers there are some basic questions that they should ask when considering carrying a certain type of firearm.

1. Is it safe? Meaning is this something you feel would be safe to operate and or carry on your person in public. Some people don’t feel that a simple trigger safety is enough, and require their own firearms to have an external safety.
2. Is it simple to operate? In any stressful situation, fine motor skill goes out the window. Guns like Glocks, or Springfield XD’s are very simple to operate under stress. A Colt 1911? Not so much.( For the record, I am known to carry a 1911, but I also spend a lot of time putting in extensive training with the platform, so ease of operation isn’t an issue).
3. Does the weapon have natural pointability? This means if you pick up a Glock 19, drive it out, and find yourself staring at the top of the slide instead of having the sights line up, it’s probably not the right gun for you.
4. Is it comfortable? Guns are like underwear. It’s a very personal choice what you decide to shoot and or carry. We are all built differently, and what I find comfortable, others might not and vice versa. Don’t worry about what your buddy likes, or what the guy behind the counter is carrying. Find what works for you, and your ergonomics and you won’t go wrong.

Now that we have discussed what to look for in a carry gun, let’s look at some options the industry has to offer. We will mainly be sticking to larger manufacturers, due to ease of availability for holsters, extra mags, and reliability

Glock 19

Let’s start with the Glock 19. Lightweight with 15 rd capacity, this gun comes with 2 mags for the gen 3 model, and 3 mags plus interchangeable back-straps for the gen 4 models. Glocks are known for thier reliability; however I personally find their ergonomics to be quite lacking. The back-straps on the gen 4 do aid in getting the gun to fit your hand, but shooters with smaller hands may still find the grip a little too large. Glock does offer most of their models with optional night sights, at an extra charge, but standard models come with the factory day sights. I’ll just go ahead and get this out of the way, the factory sights suck. They are made of cheap plastic, and do not hold up well to abuse. The trigger pull is decent for a factory gun. Mine breaks at around 5.5 lbs. Perfect for a carry gun. The frame texture feels to be lacking, which some may like, but I prefer something a little rougher. All in all the 19 is a good gun, which needs a little work. If you are like me you won’t mind having a few extras done to your firearm to make it your own.

Glock 19

Glock 19

Springfield Armory XD/XDm models have an extra safety feature built into their guns by way of a grip safety on the rear of the pistol. They also offer certain models with a external thumb safety, something Glock does not. The standard XD offers a 16 rd capacity( one round more than Glock),  the XDm models boast a 19 rd magazine, and match grade barrels. Just like Glock, their factory sights aren’t that great. Trigger pull breaks at about 5.5 lbs as well making it perfect for concealed carry. Some of the other features with the Springfield models, is they all come with mag holders, and a holster. While I have yet to find a use for the factory holster, it is there.  The grip on the XDm model is far more aggressive than its Glock counterpart, and comes with interchangeable back-straps.

Sig Sauer P229

Sig Sauer P229

Sig Sauer P229

I’m a huge Sig Sauer fan, for a duty pistol, or bedside pistol, especially the P229. Promoted as their carry model, this gun is anything but lightweight. The 229 boasts a 15 rd magazine, and a very comfortable grip.  The bore axis is high, but surprisingly does not affect the handling of the gun like you would think. Sig offers no safety features on the 229, however it is a Double Action/Single Action unlike the previous pistols mentioned.  After chambering a round, the shooter may then depress the de-cocker lever located on the left side of the pistol to bring it back to a DA trigger pull. To be honest, it takes two men and a boy to fire this gun in DA.  The trigger pull on the one tested was a heavy 12 lbs. Those models featuring the SRT trigger do have the nice feature of having a very short reset, and a crisp single action pull from the second shot on. The sights on the 229 are absolutely amazing. Made out of steel, and hosting tritium inserts makes this gun perfect for low light defensive deployment.

Stay tuned for future write ups on other great gear.  Now keep it safe, stop reading this, and get out and train!