Carry gun recommendations for son
Wild Turkey
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#2 son just got a "buyers" job that will involve carrying large amounts of cash cross country to make those purchases.
I taught both sons gun safety when they were young. (Shot a 2-liter bottle of Big Red with my Mountie and hot hollow point to show them how dangerous even small guns were. Bottle blowing up didn't impress him as much as seeing the bullet making a big dust cloud a quarter mile down the field. He didn't think it would have enough energy after destroying the bottle to go that far. Demonstration worked!) He taught gun safety at YMCA summer camps when he was younger.
But we've never been pistol shooters (except for my Army time and shooting expert with the .45) so I'm looking for advice from more experienced folks. After shooting the .45 I'm not much of a fan of smaller calibers, but he may be more recoil sensitive than I am and hasn't got much experience aiming guns so I'm looking for ideas of what guns and calibers to consider.
So what does the brain trust here think would be a good pistol/caliber for him to carry? And to make it more interesting he'll spend a lot of time on motorcycles.
Thanks.
Comments
First important choice he will make is to carry it and not leaving it laying around somewhere.
Simplicity and safety, a small frame .38 special, next up a good dependable 9mm or if he can handle it a 45 acp. Did I mention he needs to be proficent with what ever he chooses.
First--- he needs to check the laws in each state (& locality) he'll be going through and to.
Second --- Get carry permits that will cover him in the most states.
Third --- Hide a lock box in his vehicle for unfriendly states.
Last --- A 5 shot revolver.
A 5 shot 44 special if you want big bore. A 6 shot .357 mag works also. Nothing wrong with a compact .45 ACP.
Have him try several to see what he is comfortable with before buying.
Cross country with a hand gun??? No way. If he has a CCW, many states acknowledge out of state issue.. BUT, be prepared to do a lotta 'splainin'. Look it up. believe it or not, 17 states recognize California even though we don't recognize any of them. Some states are open carry, Nevada for an example. When we traveled across country, my weapon of choice was a Ruger 10-22 with a couple of loaded magazines and a brick of ammo - (officer we are giving our grandson this lil 22 fer his birthday!) And Ma and I each had an old H&R .38 S&W unregistered throwaway revolver for those 2 A.M. potty stops at the rest area. I strongly recommend your son get a CCW for his home state, And stay outa Illinois and New Jersey.
I love my N.A.A. .22 . Yes, I know it is a mouse gun but it is loud and the bad guy can see those hollow points in the cylinder that are gonna give him a big time belly ache. It is small enough to be invisible in my pants pocket and I can draw it out in an instant. And, if held properly it is an excellent knuckle duster.
All my truck guns are 38/357 revolvers .
from a 5 shot smith to a 6” Ruger
you know they will work every time .
tell him not to shoot a rattlesnake with a 2” barrel smith loaded with plus p and no ear plugs !!!!!
Especially tell him if you miss the snake Once and have to pull the trigger again !!!
Agree, any short barrel gun will ruin you hearing.
.22 mag out of a NAA mini gun, .40 SW out of a Kahr semi auto, or a .357 out of 6 inch anything.
I have a 642 .38 special.... But I would choose if I could a Smith and Wesson .357 hammerless... Nice gun, hit the target every time. Nothing like a good heavy revolver.
"Independence Now, Independence Forever."
John Adams
If he has to travel to New Jersey, tell him that as he crosses into Jersey on the big bridge over the Delaware River, to toss the pistol into the river.
What state does he live in?
A drinking buddy of mine (Air Force member) from the base in Africa messaged me a few years back asking me what handgun should he buy. I told him to get a Glock 19 9mm and a rigid kydex holster that protects the trigger.
Why a Glock? They go bang when you need them too. The are accurate enough, light weight, easy to conceal, and have high capacity. Most Police Departments use them along with the Navy Seals, Special Forces, and many other elite groups.
It's a good defensive caliber to start with.
I have since switched from the 19 to a 43X which has all the same attributes in a smaller even easier to conceal pistol.
He really ought to take a concealed carry class and get his CCW license.
Concealed carry class is the first step. But I understand you need to have your gun when you take the class.
Some states require you to carry the gun you qualify with.
Others you can qualify with any handgun then carry what you choose .
It doesn't matter what gun it is as long as he shoots it well. Larger guns are great for those who can shoot them well and tolerate the recoil. Lighter guns like the 642's are nice and small, but suck with anything more than standard 38's. My wife is recoil sensitive and also has some arthritis in her hand, so a small semi auto can be difficult for her. She now carries a J frame model 60 S&W. Sure it's only a 22, but 5 Stinger hollow points at point blank range will mess someone up bad.
I personally wouldn't recommend a snub nosed revolver for a new shooter. I've been shooting regularly since 1997 and have never shot snub nosed airweight revolvers well, especially past point blank range. I don't consider a "get off me gun" worthy as a primary carry for EDC.
I recommend against handicapping yourself with a slow to reload, low capacity firearm, with poor sights, that takes expensive ammo.
Looking at practice ammo prices on ammoseek dot com:
9mm $0.16 per round 124gr fmj = $8.00 box of 50
38 special $0.365 per round 158gr FP = $18.25 box of 50
45 acp $0.31 per round of 230gr FMJ = $15.50 box of 50
357mag $0.499 per round of 158gr FMJ = $24.95 box of 50
40SW $0.26 per round of 180gr FMJ = $13.00 box of 50
Start with a 9mm, put in the practice, then if down the line another caliber catches your fancy, go with it. A 22LR is another gun that is good for practice as well.
What is a good budget carry 9mm? Look at the Palmetto State Armory Dagger compact. It is a Glock 19 copy that takes Glock mags. $299 gets you a base model. $329 gets you night sights.
Here's mine with night sights:
This will add another layer of things for him to do, but I would recommend he visit a gun range where he can rent and test fire a few different firearms. What works for any one of us may not be suitable for him and only by a little trial and error will he come up with what feels good in his hands and the level of recoil he is comfortable with..
I have started out a number of newbies and inexperienced shooters this way. All of them did not settle on the same firearm.
As others said above, then take a CCW class and make time to practice once in a while after that..
First of all, forget revolvers. There's nothing wrong with them but there are way better options. Second, give up the notion that you need .45 caliber. You're giving up exactly nothing by separating ways with those two things.
Go Glock for affordable reliable accuracy. I like the 43 or the 48. Both are easily conceal carried.
Go with SIG if you can afford a little more. The P365 in its various variants are outstanding.
Or if for some odd reason you don't find that you shoot those well, or just want to consider other options:
Smith M&P 9 Compact
FN 509 Compact
or
HK P2000 SK (in 9mm).
And fiery auto crashes
Some will die in hot pursuit
While sifting through my ashes
Some will fall in love with life
And drink it from a fountain
That is pouring like an avalanche
Coming down the mountain
This is a good resource for understanding the reciprocity rules for concealed carry licenses from any given state: https://www.usconcealedcarry.com/resources/ccw_reciprocity_map/co-gun-laws/
As for the sidearm, a Glock 19 or a Glock 43x, 9mm. Both are nice little shooters that always go bang. And neither is terribly expensive.
🇺🇲 "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants." - Thomas Jefferson 🇺🇲
as someone else stated, have him go to local gun show/shop and handle few different pistols. find one that fits his hand and feels comfortable, be it revolver or semi. You are more likely to hit what you are shooting at if the pistol fits/feels good in your hand. possibly he may have to go with one each as full size pistol is easy to hide in a shoulder holster in winter with a coat on but in the summer you may have to go with an in the waistband holster and smaller pistol/revolver........
Thanks for all the comments. Son went to local gunshop/range and handled several and has picked one that he likes -- Glock IIRC. He put a few rounds through the .38 special revolver I have and decided he needs some practice before he can think of himself as a "good shot".
Holster is another problem. He'll be riding a bike part-time but will be in a pickup most of the time he'll be carrying much cash so he may have to have one for each situation.
I'll get him to read these posts and see what he thinks.
Thanks again.
For my Glocks, I use this holster:
I carry a spare mag in my pocket using this:
I carry outside the waste band with a shirt or jacket covering my gun.
PHLster or Tenicor.
And fiery auto crashes
Some will die in hot pursuit
While sifting through my ashes
Some will fall in love with life
And drink it from a fountain
That is pouring like an avalanche
Coming down the mountain
Make damn sure he knows carrying a gun with hollowpoints in NJ and he gets caught he’ll spend time in prison. He should get the Utah non resident ccw permit as it’s good in many States. A great iwb holster for the Glock is an El Paso Saddlery Summer Comfort (Galco has a similar holster). For kydex I highly recommend Blade Tech and use one. Little snubby revolvers are not great first time guns. Easy to carry but not easy to shoot well.
With a revolver, go with at least a 3" barrel for a little longer sight radius. Mine is a Colt King Cobra.
Bull crap. Not if they are shooting at you or others.
With so many states loving to "arrest" cash and legally steal peoples money it would be very wise for him to have a solid paper trail for any cash he has. Tennessee is especially bad for seizing cash from people without ever charging the driver with any infraction. I would have him check on the proof requirements of every state he will go through to make sure he does not become a victim of legal theft by the local police. It happens every day and folks seldom get their money back.
"Make damn sure he knows carrying a gun with hollowpoints in NJ and he gets caught he’ll spend time in prison.'
If he gets caught with any pistol in New Jersey it will be 3 years in the pen.
Tony Soprano [It is fiction but based on reality] got busted for possession of hollowpoints and was facing 7 years on the ammo alone. Before the trial, the witness developed "memory problems" and he refused to testify against Tony.
The Tueller drill is certainly bunk under most circumstances.
And fiery auto crashes
Some will die in hot pursuit
While sifting through my ashes
Some will fall in love with life
And drink it from a fountain
That is pouring like an avalanche
Coming down the mountain