Choosing the Best Defensive Handgun for You
There are a lot of passionate gun enthusiasts out there with a lot of passionate opinions. Those opinions are often based mainly on someone’s personal experience and preferences. Sometimes they’re helpful and informative, and sometimes they’re inaccurate and uninformed assumptions that sound helpful and informative. That’s why when it comes to choosing the right defensive handgun for you, you should take every confidently-shared, entirely-certain gun truism with a grain of salt. Just because someone recommends .22 LR ammo over anything else doesn’t mean it’s the right choice for you. You’re far better off trying out a variety of options, weighing a variety of other options, and then deciding what works best for you.
Size of the Handgun
One of the most important considerations when choosing a gun is its size. Consider the conditions in which people find themselves when using a handgun in a self-defense scenario. Hands shake, hands sweat, fine motor skills often degrade, and adrenaline is raging. Aiming is effected, guns are dropped, shots go wide. It’s scenarios like that in which the difference between a gun that felt a little bit too big and the one that felt really comfortable can make all the difference in the world.
Caliber of the Handgun
If you’re even a tiny bit familiar with gun culture you’re aware that people have caliber-loyalty that seems to rival family, country, or creed. Among the most common manifestations of that loyalty is the belief that a sidearm carrying any cartridge short of 12 gauge ammo is ineffective. In reality, a pistol chambered for .32 ACP or even a .22 LR that you’re comfortable with and can shoot with adequate skill is always preferable to the hand-cannon that kicks like a mule and makes you flinch every time you haul back on the huge trigger. If you can handle it well, fantastic. If not, opt for a more appropriate caliber you have a confident handle on.
Ergonomics of the Handgun
While the role size plays in selection of your handgun gets a fair amount of attention, ergonomics are often overlooked. A pistol that’s the appropriate size for your hand but that just doesn’t feel right is no better than one that’s too big or too small. Ergonomics can make a huge difference. Get a good feeling for a wide variety of makes, models, calibers, and styles of handguns, before settling on the one that feels the best. If you’re in a position to shoot the one(s) you like best before buying, all for the better.
Don’t Neglect the Classics
There’s no question that modern-day handguns usually boast features that an older model could never match. Double-stacked high-capacity mags, ultra-light and mega-tough alloys, and the ability to handle those red-hot +P+ hollow-point loads sure doesn’t hurt. But once again, none of those advances are worth anything close to a handgun that you’re comfortable with, can shoot well, enjoy training with, and that simply feels right in your hand. When you’re trying out different handguns, don’t neglect that emperor of ergonomics, the original Remington 51, or the thin, light, intuitive grace and reliability of the Colt 1908 (or 1903) Pocket Hammerless. After all, the classics are classics for a reason.
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