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trip to the pawn shop
buschmaster
Member Posts: 14,229 ✭✭✭
wanted to go to a gun store to check out a P3AT. one of the best gun stores around here is, surprisingly, a pawn shop. this one has a good selection and good prices.
first thing I noticed on the counter was a G27.
I got a G23 because the 2-finger grip on the G27 handles recoil well enough, but it's too damn squirrely. the gun always twists itself to the right. sometimes up or down too. twice as bad when your palms are sweaty. that just doesn't work for me. you can use a longer mag and a spacer, but after trying out the G23 there's no comparison.
I checked out their G27 and G23 side by side and discovered where the difference comes from. it's not because of 2 fingers but entirely due to the short butt.
you can try this with a G23 if you don't have a G27. put your fingers on the last two finger grooves. the butt goes right in the pit of your palm and wiggles around. that's exactly what a G27 feels like. squirrely. a mag with a pinky extension won't help at all to fix that problem.
holding a G23, the butt is anchored firmly on the heel of your palm. much better control.
the salesman and I were talking about IWB holsters. he says he just sticks it in his pants on the hip, supported by his belt. showed me his G27 that he carries like that in Condition 1 all day. well! I don't wear a belt and tried it anyway. works great. a holster might be better to keep it from sliding up and out of your pants, but that's not likely to happen.
next up, they had a G42. that was really nice. if I wasn't concerned about size that would be my choice for .380.
then they had a G43. some of yall had wondered just how big those are. well I laid the G43 on top of a G26, and they are exactly the same dimensions, except the muzzle was 1/4" shorter at most. maybe 3/16". so I can confirm, that's what it is, same as a G26 but single stack. (and minus finger grooves) it didn't feel cheaply made, as some have said.
I went to check out the P3AT. I like that better than the Ruger LCP because it has a decidedly more positive grip due to aggressive knurling, which is a huge consideration most people don't think about. your hands sweat when holding on to a gun in your pocket. and it weighs 1.1 oz less, and KelTec switched to a new type of external extractor spring, which I figured there must be some good reason for doing that, and Ruger hasn't so the KelTec must be better somehow.
anyways next to the P3AT they had a P32. that was a dilemma.
the specs on the P3AT says it weighs 8.3 oz. a P32 weighs an amazing 6.6 oz. picked them up and couldn't feel a difference. I'm sure you would feel some difference when it's in the pocket of a light coat, which may matter if you really want to go incognito. any other type of carry and there's no difference.
laid one on top of the other. same size. one thing I like better about the P32 is the roof-slanted slide. the muzzle would snuggle right into the corner of a pocket, where the P3AT's square muzzle and slide aren't so accomodating.
the sights are a totally different setup. the angled slide is milled down to create a front sight. the rear sight is just a recess, and since the slide is milled down, you align the front dot directly over the rear dot, and the outline of the slide forms a triangle. this is great on a mouse gun.
I think the .32ACP cartridge is adequate for light defense duty. it's a deterrent; nobody wants to get shot. when it comes to Bad Guys that don't mind getting shot, the .32 and .380 both depend on shot placement so that's a wash. the larger caliber of the .380 makes only a marginally larger wound channel. so in my opinion, the only real difference between .32 and .380 is penetration. that does make a difference. a 130 ft-lb 72 grain bullet won't penetrate as well as a 150-175 ft-lb 90 grain bullet. that matters for penetrating bone or making oblique shots that take some distance through soft tissue to do anything. otherwise I would have no problem using .32ACP.
as it is, the slight difference in weight doesn't justify .32 instead of .380, unless the extremest of extreme concealment is called for. I don't think I'll ever need that, so I would rather have a P3AT.
and that's how it went at the pawn shop today.
first thing I noticed on the counter was a G27.
I got a G23 because the 2-finger grip on the G27 handles recoil well enough, but it's too damn squirrely. the gun always twists itself to the right. sometimes up or down too. twice as bad when your palms are sweaty. that just doesn't work for me. you can use a longer mag and a spacer, but after trying out the G23 there's no comparison.
I checked out their G27 and G23 side by side and discovered where the difference comes from. it's not because of 2 fingers but entirely due to the short butt.
you can try this with a G23 if you don't have a G27. put your fingers on the last two finger grooves. the butt goes right in the pit of your palm and wiggles around. that's exactly what a G27 feels like. squirrely. a mag with a pinky extension won't help at all to fix that problem.
holding a G23, the butt is anchored firmly on the heel of your palm. much better control.
the salesman and I were talking about IWB holsters. he says he just sticks it in his pants on the hip, supported by his belt. showed me his G27 that he carries like that in Condition 1 all day. well! I don't wear a belt and tried it anyway. works great. a holster might be better to keep it from sliding up and out of your pants, but that's not likely to happen.
next up, they had a G42. that was really nice. if I wasn't concerned about size that would be my choice for .380.
then they had a G43. some of yall had wondered just how big those are. well I laid the G43 on top of a G26, and they are exactly the same dimensions, except the muzzle was 1/4" shorter at most. maybe 3/16". so I can confirm, that's what it is, same as a G26 but single stack. (and minus finger grooves) it didn't feel cheaply made, as some have said.
I went to check out the P3AT. I like that better than the Ruger LCP because it has a decidedly more positive grip due to aggressive knurling, which is a huge consideration most people don't think about. your hands sweat when holding on to a gun in your pocket. and it weighs 1.1 oz less, and KelTec switched to a new type of external extractor spring, which I figured there must be some good reason for doing that, and Ruger hasn't so the KelTec must be better somehow.
anyways next to the P3AT they had a P32. that was a dilemma.
the specs on the P3AT says it weighs 8.3 oz. a P32 weighs an amazing 6.6 oz. picked them up and couldn't feel a difference. I'm sure you would feel some difference when it's in the pocket of a light coat, which may matter if you really want to go incognito. any other type of carry and there's no difference.
laid one on top of the other. same size. one thing I like better about the P32 is the roof-slanted slide. the muzzle would snuggle right into the corner of a pocket, where the P3AT's square muzzle and slide aren't so accomodating.
the sights are a totally different setup. the angled slide is milled down to create a front sight. the rear sight is just a recess, and since the slide is milled down, you align the front dot directly over the rear dot, and the outline of the slide forms a triangle. this is great on a mouse gun.
I think the .32ACP cartridge is adequate for light defense duty. it's a deterrent; nobody wants to get shot. when it comes to Bad Guys that don't mind getting shot, the .32 and .380 both depend on shot placement so that's a wash. the larger caliber of the .380 makes only a marginally larger wound channel. so in my opinion, the only real difference between .32 and .380 is penetration. that does make a difference. a 130 ft-lb 72 grain bullet won't penetrate as well as a 150-175 ft-lb 90 grain bullet. that matters for penetrating bone or making oblique shots that take some distance through soft tissue to do anything. otherwise I would have no problem using .32ACP.
as it is, the slight difference in weight doesn't justify .32 instead of .380, unless the extremest of extreme concealment is called for. I don't think I'll ever need that, so I would rather have a P3AT.
and that's how it went at the pawn shop today.
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