Thursday, September 10, 2009

Ask Professor Know-It-All...

As I look around the gun blogosphere in its many incarnations, between the forums, chat rooms, private blogs, group blogs, etc., it strikes me that there are several "universal questions" that come up over and over. These same questions, often asked by novices to the shooting sports ("noobs" if you will), are almost always met with derision, scorn, and/or outright hostility - mainly because we've heard the same question about fifty times prior... This is not the way we want to handle the noobs if we want them to stick around, so I thought I'd offer a Q & A session to answer the recurring questions we all face.

I'll offer a general answer first, then my own personal preference second. Here we go!


Q. What's the best gun for my girlfriend/wife/best friend's mother/invalid uncle/etc.?

A. The idea of there being a single "best gun" - period - is misguided at best, outright dangerous at worst. Couple this with the idea of it being for someone else and you're condemning yourself to failure before you even start. The best way to find a gun for YOU is to shoot as many as you possibly can - go to a range and rent; find someone in your area with that gun; attend as many open houses and shooting events as you can.

Having said all that, a 4" barreled revolver chambered in .357 Magnum comes pretty darn close to the perfect "do it all" firearm. It's small enough to be concealed; offers enough muzzle velocity to hunt medium-sized game; will reliable put down two-legged varmints; and with low-power .38 Special rounds is a pussycat you can plink with all day.


Q. What's the best "carry gun"?

A. See the above. There's no single "best" anything; there is only what is best for you personally. Carry guns by their very nature have to make fundamental compromises for size, weight, and capacity - sure, we'd all love to carry double-stack 14 round .45 ACP autoloaders or large-frame Magnum revolvers, but concealability and weight play important roles in being comfortable with a gun you'll carry to save your life. Going the other end, a tiny, light gun chambered in a meaningful caliber is going to hurt like hell to shoot, meaning you won't practice as much as you should. If possible, shoot and carry any potential carry gun before you buy - my gun safe has numerous safe queens to attest to there being no single best carry gun.

Once again, with all that said, there's a lot of things to like about the Airweight .38 Special revolver. You can get a shrouded hammer model that will fit in a pocket and not snag on the draw, yet still has the option of single-action shooting if you prefer. The light weight and small size means it can be comfortably carried in a pocket or an ankle holster. And the .38 Special chambering, with +P capability, leaves plenty of room for different loads for practice, self-defense, or plinking.


Q. Glock or 1911?

A. This is a matter of faith as much as it is what do you want the firearm to do. Most 1911s will not take the kind of punishment a Glock can; conversely few Glocks offer the accuracy of a decent 1911. They're very different platforms with little overlap - sure, there are Glocks built for racegun shooting just like there are 1911s for concealed carry, but both cases are the exception rather than the rule.

Personally, I like both platforms. I'll admit a slight bias towards the 1911, with the caveat that I've been shooting 1911s for 15 years and Glocks for only 1. I like the durability of the Glock as well as the "meh" factor - if, G-d forbid, I ever need to use my pistol as intended and it gets confiscated for "evidence", I won't lose any sleep over it. Change "Glock" to "Colt Gold Cup National Match" and I'll cry myself to sleep just thinking about it...


Q. Which is the better caliber, 9mm vs. .45 ACP?

A. The 9mm has gotten a poor rap due to its being used by NATO troops in its FMJ form. .45 ACP, even in "ball" ammo, offers reasonable takedown potential based on the large size of the bullet and the large wound channel it creates. 9mm offers a smaller bullet traveling much faster - if the bullet chosen is a hard mass that doesn't change size, it can often pass through with minimal damage. With modern JHP ammo and +P power factors, the 9mm round packs plenty of punch. In the FMJ guise it's still the least expensive centerfire round out there, meaning it offers more bang for the buck and you can shoot more (i.e. achieve better accuracy).

I'm an American, born and raised, and I lurves me the .45 ACP (G-d's own caliber). That said, I don't feel the least bit undergunned with a high-capacity 9mm; however given the choice between my SW99 compact 9mm (10+1 rounds of 9mm +P+) or my G30 (10+1 rounds of .45 ACP 230 grain goodness), I'll take the Glock every time.


Q. Which is the better battle rifle, the AK-47 or the AR-15?

A. Once again, what you want to do with the rifle is critical to the choice. The AK-47 is built to looser tolerances, so it will function better when dirty, dusty, filled with concrete, etc. The AR-15 might be a little more finicky, but it is also far more accurate, allowing longer-range shots to be made with confidence. The 5,56X45mm round is often derided as a "poodleshooter" round (meaning it's too small for anything other than small annoying canines); however I have yet to meet anyone who will volunteer to be shot by one...

I have one of each, and if pressed to choose between one of the other would lean towards the AR simply because there are far more options available for that platform.


Q. If I'm faced with a goblin/multiple goblins, would I be better off firing a warning shot first?

A. "Warning shots" are the kind of thing that get good, honest citizens sent to jail. If the threat isn't significant enough to shoot immediately, then don't shoot. End of discussion. This isn't the Hollywood romanticized old west where the white-hatted good guy can shoot the gun out of Snidely Whiplash's hand. This is real life, which has real consequences, and even in the most conservative of areas, if you get hauled in for discharging a firearm without clear and immediate threat to your life, you're in for a world of hurt.

Don't do it. SRSLY.


I think that's enough questions for the first round of Q&A. What other burning questions would you like Mr. Know-It-All to answer?

That is all.

15 comments:

wolfwalker said...

What should I look for in a "learn to shoot" instructor and/or class? Price, subjects covered, etc?

Sevesteen said...

Glock vs. 1911: If you do not already know your answer to this, do not try to get a 1911 on a Glock budget. It is possible, but you will not get all the advantages of a *good* 1911 without a lot of luck..

As a beginner to riflery, my inclination is towards the AK, with the difference in cost spent in practice ammo. Once I reach the limits of the AK's accuracy, I may re-evaluate.

If faced with multiple goblins, a shot to center of mass of the most dangerous looking one is the best warning to the rest of them...

As far as training--try to find a local gun forum. You are not likely to find many bad reviews, but if you pay most attention to the top picks of people who have taken multiple classes, you will probably do OK.

Bruce said...

Ginger or Mary-Anne?

(I have yet to meet a guy who picks Ginger over the innocent farm girl from Kansas)

Atom Smasher said...

1) 638 Airweight: Jay - one of the big factors for me settling on a revolver, and the 638 in particular, was the long hard DA trigger pull. Never having carried a gun before I wanted some insurance that I had eliminated the "pencil left in pocket snagged against dust mote in air trigger pulled BANG where's my femoral" problem as much as I could. OOB, ain't nuthin' getting that trigger or hammer back short of a deliberate finger.

2)Ginger: I used to be a Mary Ann guy - I have a weakness for brunettes even - but over the years I've come to appreciate just what a slinky, experienced, throaty redhead could contribute to life on a semi-deserted island. So yeah, Ginger.

James R. Rummel said...

wolfwalker left a comment...

"What should I look for in a "learn to shoot" instructor and/or class? Price, subjects covered, etc?"

Any course that is approved by the NRA will provide what you need. The only confusion might come with figuring out if the course is for total novices, or if it is intended for people with some shooting experience.

How do you find out if a course you heard about offers what you need? Simple enough! Just call up the instructor or shooting range that offers the course, and ask. Everyone was a beginner at one point in their lives, and they'll be glad to make sure that you are steered towards the right course.

If you want to find a class that is held in your area, follow the URL below.

http://www.nrainstructors.org/searchcourse.aspx

Mike W. said...

Here's another one "Will +p or +p+ blow up my gun?

I see that one asked alot.

Jay G said...

Mike W,

That's actually not that terribly unreasonable, IMHO.

I've had to contact S&W on a couple of my revolvers for .38 Special (bottom line: If it doesn't specifically say ".38 Special +P" on it, don't shoot it).

Andrew said...

Here's a question that I ask and answer my students:

Q: If you knew that you were going to a gunfight, what gun would you take?

A: If I knew that I was going to a gunfight, I wouldn't get out of bed.

Newbius said...

Andrew said...

Here's a question that I ask and answer my students:

Q: If you knew that you were going to a gunfight, what gun would you take?

A: If I knew that I was going to a gunfight, I wouldn't get out of bed.

Corollary: And, if you HAVE to get out of bed, bring ALL of them. If you are in a fair fight, you were using poor tactics.

Bruce B. said...

Jay-

For the true newbies, define the acronyms/abbreviations you use:

JHP - jacketed hollow point bullet
FMJ - full metal jacketed bullet
ACP - automatic centerfire pistol cartridge
etc.

I'm as guilty of acronym/abbreviation speak as anyone. We use them without thinking about it but one who isn't familiar is left searching for definitions

Jay G said...

Bruce B.,

That's an EXCELLENT idea for it's own post...

TOTWTYTR said...

When asked what the best gun to get for a girl friend or wife, I usually say it depends on how good looking they are. The better looking they are a better trade you'll get.

Just kidding.

TNProgrammer said...

Nitpicks:

Bruce: ACP = Automatic Colt Pistol, not centerfire.

Jay: AR-15 + AK-47 !=
"Battle rifles." They're too small a caliber to be rated as such.

Mike W. said...

+1 on the abbreviations. I'm guilty of that as well.

Another is the whole "magazine vs. clip" thing. Outside of a few exceptions it is called a magazine.

Carrying a spare mag is also often a topic of debate. I really don't get that one at all. If you're already packing is an extra mag really that much of a hassle?

Rick R. said...

Q: "What load should I carry in my {insert favored caliber here} {insert favotred gun here}?"

(This is also relevant to the "What caliber should I carry?")

A: The first thing to remember about handgun stopping power is. . . ALL HANDGUNS SUCK.

Some suck less than others. With modern design hollowpoints or jacketed hollowpoints, the all "service caliber" * ones suck pretty much the same. Sure, a .357 Magnum 125 grain JHP is better than a .38 Special 158 grain HP, but not by a whole lot.

Ditto for the variety of load choices between various flavors of hollopoints in each caliber, with one screaming exclusion -- save the subsonic 147 grain JHP 9mm loads for the suppressed 9mm HK MP5s. That is, after all, what they were designed for (primarily for accuracy, not wound effects).

If you try and stick within close proximity to the bullet weight of standard "ball" round for your chosen semiauto pistol, almost any modern American JHP load will do about as well as most others in that caliber. A lot of skull sweat went into figuring out the sweet spot in terms of bullet weight for your blaster -- unless you're ready to repeat the experiment and reinvent the wheel, just hop on and ride. It ain't that big a deal -- because ALL HANDGUNS SUCK.

(Of course I write this as a firm believer in the .357 Magnum and .45ACP as my primary carry calibers. But that's more for the rabbit's foot effect of the calibers, rather than any logical belief that a 9mm with a box and a half of +P+ JHP stuffed into the grip is somehow a wimpy airsoft gun.)



* Side question: "What's a 'service caliber'?"

Answer: Basically anything in widespread police or military use from .38 Special on up, with .380ACP and 9mm Makarov straggling right behind the pack.