Looking for a new home defense/carry gun

[MikeNH]

One shot stops are a myth with any handgun round and a 1911 would be one of my last choices as a carry gun, I love them, but more as a range gun than a carry gun.

 

 

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[TimmyG]

Love my glock 27, even better is its very popular so finding a holster that fits you and the gun is much easyer then some others

 

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[The Duke]

After a 20 year career in the CIA I can assure you that one-stop shots are not a "MYTH!" The 1911 45 cal. has protected millions of Americans for more than 100 years! One-stop shots can be executed with something as small as a 22 cal. if placed properly in the brain! With a 230 grain hollow point 45, shot placement is not as critical. In case you miss with the first you always have eight more! You always carry a 1911 with one in the chamber, because there is no chance of an accidental discharge. Many even carry them "cocked and locked" because you still have two safeties to defeat!

[MikeNH]

After a 20 year career in the CIA I can assure you that one-stop shots are not a "MYTH!" The 1911 45 cal. has protected millions of Americans for more than 100 years! One-stop shots can be executed with something as small as a 22 cal. if placed properly in the brain! With a 230 grain hollow point 45, shot placement is not as critical. In case you miss with the first you always have eight more! You always carry a 1911 with one in the chamber, because there is no chance of an accidental discharge. Many even carry them "cocked and locked" because you still have two safeties to defeat!

 

 

 

You didn't work for the CIA, at least not in the manner you imply. And yes, a headshot will stop someone in one shot but the chances of pulling that off in a stressful situation are about nil- which is why you aim for center of mass. And the only way to carry a 1911 is cocked and locked with a round in the chamber, anything else is stupid and dangerous.

[The Duke]

After a 20 year career in the CIA I can assure you that one-stop shots are not a "MYTH!" The 1911 45 cal. has protected millions of Americans for more than 100 years! One-stop shots can be executed with something as small as a 22 cal. if placed properly in the brain! With a 230 grain hollow point 45, shot placement is not as critical. In case you miss with the first you always have eight more! You always carry a 1911 with one in the chamber, because there is no chance of an accidental discharge. Many even carry them "cocked and locked" because you still have two safeties to defeat!

 

You didn't work for the CIA, at least not in the manner you imply. And yes, a headshot will stop someone in one shot but the chances of pulling that off in a stressful situation are about nil- which is why you aim for center of mass. And the only way to carry a 1911 is cocked and locked with a round in the chamber, anything else is stupid and dangerous.

 

Wow! I new you guys in MI were smart, but I didn't realize how "smart!" You seem to know more about me than I do? I guess my career in the "Intell" field was wasted! Please let me in on what you have done-or do to make you so "smart?"

[MikeNH]

I'm calling BS because I simply do not believe you. People who work/worked for intelligence agencies or other sensitive jobs don't often advertise the fact. The fact you think a head shot is something someone can reliably achieve in a self-defense situation is borderline absurd.

[kstruckcountry]

I do it all the time... On Halo

[The Duke]

I'm calling BS because I simply do not believe you. People who work/worked for intelligence agencies or other sensitive jobs don't often advertise the fact. The fact you think a head shot is something someone can reliably achieve in a self-defense situation is borderline absurd. You still didn't tell me what you did to get so smart? I guess you don't watch Fox News or have never heard of Micheal Schuer? Just so happens he was the head of the CIA "Bin Laden" group! What do you think happen's after "WE" retire? I along with many others are proud of our careers, keeping "smart" people like you Safe, so you can show just how smart you are, by posting derogatory comments on the internet.

 

[Spurshot]

I carried a 1911 in .45 acp for over 10 yrs while off work at my local airport, since it was in a city that routinely hit the top highest violent crime list, often the #1...Compton, CA. I would work on my plane late evenings and weekends, alone most of the time. Gunfire heard around the airport was routine, as in every night, multiple times a night. There was one murder on the airport during my time there as well as multple shootings. It was, and still is, the wild wild west. You can bet I carried chambered, cocked and locked.

 

I also dabbled in PPC shooting back then to develop good habits and instincts. During that time, I carried either a fullsized 1911 or a Detonics compact 1911. I had to point it (one or another of my handful of 1911 guns) at someone twice. Neither time did I ever want for a different gun. Both guns had been tuned for reliability by me.

 

I did work for half a dozen local gunshops in the Los Angeles south bay for 5 years. I loved doing 1911 work. I could make a good living on trigger jobs and ramp and throat/port work. A tuned 1911 is a formidable weapon...reliability tuned. Accuracy tuning on a self-defense gun is largely a placebo for the owner. Most modern manufactured guns are accurate enough for self-defense work. Paper punching little groups makes people feel good, but doesn't have much to do with saving your arse.

 

I've shortened 1911's as small or smaller than a Detonics before that gun or any that size 1911 was available, which is a pretty significant engineering problem. It ain't just hacksawing off the barrel. The whole recoil spring system was redesigned with a progressive telescoping system.

 

I'm still a fan of 1911's. I have nothing bad to say about the design. Some of the various makes...on the otherhand, leave something to be desired. I recall owning a couple AMT stainless 1911's. They were really terrible. Relibility was non-existant. The slide on the early models would gall and jamb solid. The first one I had jambed so solid, using a large wooden mallet with the gun in a gun vise, beating it apart was the only way to get the slide to move. Later versions used different alloys for the slides and special grease that they preached. Junk.

 

But my recent need for a compact road gun, after my Detonics was stolen, led me to a Sig P239 in 40 S&W. Compact, and good power, excellent quality and reliability right out of the box. I've become comfortable with the DA first shot. I like the gun. No lasers, no red dots, no tritium sights, no rail mounted lights, nada. Just a clean gun that goes bang. I don't feel the gun is lacking in any area for my needs. I highly recommend one.

[Jackalope]

That model Glock you say feels big is smaller, thinner than most compact pistols. The 1911 is going to feel huge if you think the Glock is big. Stay away from .45acp, no matter what make it's going to be much thicker than that G23 you have. If it's thickness you are worried about and think the Glock is to thick, you are down to smaller "pocket guns". Try a PM9, they are great little guns. How about a S&W bodyguard?

 

 

That was kind of my thought as well. It seemed to me that the O/P was just all over the place. Mossyoakglock says the G23 .40 is too big, but then says he'd consider a .45. And in the same sentence, says that he'd consider a 9mm or even a .380. Personally, I can't imagine even having the same conversation about a .45 and a .380. I don't know that I'd even discuss a 9mm and a .45 in the same light.

 

I guess my point here is to ask, "What is the objective?" Are we looking for something smaller and lighter than the G23? Are we looking for more stopping power? What are we going for here because the O/P confused the hell out of me.

[BlackZ71Silverado]

Wow! I new you guys in MI were smart, but I didn't realize how "smart!" You seem to know more about me than I do? I guess my career in the "Intell" field was wasted! Please let me in on what you have done-or do to make you so "smart?"

 

 

Which field office did you work out of? Where did you go for training? I know people, and closely associate with them several times a month. I may know you or someone you used to work with. CIA is a Govt. job, why only 20 years? Which weapon(s) were you issued by the agency?

 

I am calling BS as well. If you did work for that agency, you would not have typed "intell" because you would have been used to 20 years of "INTEL" with only one "L". Your one stop shot explination also is someting from a movie screen. I can tell you with 100% certanty that it is highly unlikely, that's why we are taught "double taps" in training, but you would know that after 20 years.

 

Not a good way to start off on a forum by attacking someone.

 

 

To answer th equestion which gun, that;s going to be personal pref. and you will get 100 different answers. Go out and fire some different ones at the range and pick one that is comfortable.

[JACOBE9]

The Smith & Wesson M&P shield is a great pistol in 9mm its slim but not too small where you lose it in your hand. It’s a little too big to put it in a jean pocket but still very nice. I also like the rock island armory 1911 sub-compact 9mm shoots well and does not break the bank. They run around 350 to 400.

[fm2176]

For something inexpensive and reliable, my Kel-Tec P11 is still going strong after over ten years. I even abused it some firing some old hard-primered surplus ammo years ago. Some rounds took two or three trigger pulls to fire, but the pistol held up fine. In hindsight, that probably wasn't a smart thing to do, though.

 

As for the 1911, I have a Para-Ordnance that combines some of the best features of the original Browning design with a few updates of sorts. It is a Light Double-Action (LDA) and despite being Commander-sized it has a thirteen-round magazine. It can also take the 14-round mag of the larger P14.

 

My carry gun of choice until it was stolen was a S&W Model 19. I'll be getting another four-inch barreled .357 in a year or so, as I like the combination of reliability and stopping power.

 

Of course, a gun on the person is worth two in the safe, so my near constant companion is a Kel-Tec P32. It is easy to slip into a pocket and forget until it is needed, and with the pocket clip it looks like just another knife. Eight rounds of .32 ACP JHPs and an extra magazine or two should be enough for most encounters.

 

I'm just one guy, and I listed four of my favorites. The OP's best bet is to try out different models at a shooting range, and if possible to borrow a couple different guns from friends to see how they "fit" him or her. I've tried asking for or giving advice on a number of forums, but when it comes to gun preferences, to each his own. I've yet to see a unanimous agreement on the best carry gun/cartridge/etc.