By Kjell Rosenberg MD, Rangemaster, USCCA, NRA certified instructor<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
One of the most common themes I see on gun forums and social media pages about firearms is \u201cI\u2019m new, what should I do?\u201d Unfortunately, a lot of those folks have purchased equipment BEFORE posing this question to a credible source. There are several good instructors who have written good information on this topic. One could easily find this information by reading Concealed Carry Class by Tom Givens or any number of articles by Greg Ellifritz just to name a couple dependable sources. This article is an attempt to create a succinct \u201chow to\u201d list beginning with what to purchase and continuing through how to begin training.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Which handgun should I buy?<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
This is a far more difficult question than many people understand.\u00a0 I see all sorts of bad advice on the internet like; \u201cThe gun you have is the right one,\u201d \u201cIf it works for you,\u201d or \u201chas never failed me.\u201d\u00a0 OK, but under what circumstances has it never failed?\u00a0 What work did you do with it?\u00a0 What is the criteria upon which these judgements are being made?\u00a0 How many of those people have any expectations at all except that it goes bang most of the time and they can hit the broad side of a barn?\u00a0 Few of them. So when I say a gun is reliable, I mean that it can be fired without a gun related malfunction for a minimum of 500 rounds without maintenance and it does what I tell it to do for those rounds.\u00a0 And then I can repeat that experiment with the same results.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
The guns that I have found to be reliable and have proven reliable by other reputable instructors are far fewer than you might think.\u00a0 While certain brands will do okay and a few guns from those brands might even be reliable, the chances of getting a gun from those brands that is not reliable is much higher.\u00a0 Nothing in life is certain, so for important things we create a risk-benefit ratio and a cost-benefit analysis to help us make those decisions.\u00a0 This list is not exhaustive but in general I recommend Glocks, the Smith & Wesson M&P line, the CZp10 line, and the Sig Sauer 365 and 365 XL (not the SAS).\u00a0 Is your gun \u201cbad\u201d because it is not on this list?\u00a0 Not necessarily, but unless you\u2019ve had it worked on by a professional it might not be the best choice.\u00a0 For example, my friend John Corriea from Active Self Protection uses an HK to great effect, but the gun has been worked over by professionals to make it what it is.\u00a0 It\u2019s a good choice for him, but it\u2019s not a factory gun.\u00a0 CRR instructor Chris Cuney carries a Springfield 1911.\u00a0 If you\u2019ve ever seen him shoot it, you\u2019d be remiss if you said it\u2019s not a good choice for him, but he also carries a Glock 19 depending on the situation.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
The very first thing you need to decide before you buy a firearm is its intended use in context.\u00a0 As I mentioned above, Chris sometimes carries a Glock for its higher capacity even though he prefers the advantages of a reliable 1911 for most of his everyday needs.\u00a0 For the sake of simplicity let\u2019s assume that we are talking only about defensive handguns and our decision is only between whether to carry it or leave it at home.\u00a0 If you plan to carry it, plan to carry it concealed.\u00a0 Depending on your body size, clothing options, and penalty for being \u201cfound out,\u201d the size of the gun that works best for you will be different.\u00a0 Let\u2019s talk about my carry pistols and discuss some context issues.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
My preferred carry pistol is the 4.25\u201d Smith & Wesson M&P chambered in 9mm.\u00a0 While those guns meet my reliability standards out of the box, I prefer to increase their utility to me by making the following changes.\u00a0 First, I have the trigger improved.\u00a0 I prefer a trigger that is 4-6 pounds but with a short pre-travel and crisp break.\u00a0 These changes allow me to maximize my speed and accuracy which are key to ethical self-defense shooting.\u00a0 Next, I send it to Bowie Tactical to have the frame shortened to accept a 12 round magazine instead of the 17.\u00a0 I do this to improve my ability to conceal the firearm.\u00a0 With one round in the chamber and a back up 17 round mag concealed on my waistline, I still have 30 rounds to defend myself.\u00a0 Finally, I get better sights and a Trijicon RMR installed.\u00a0 I have two carry guns that are identical except that one has Ameriglo i-dot sights, and one has an RMR.\u00a0 I carry this set up in a Zulu Bravo Kydex \u2018Appendix in the waistband\u2019 (AIWB) holster with leather straps that completely encircle my belt and fasten at the top of the loop.\u00a0 Alternatively, I can carry them with a weapon mounted light (WML) in an outside the waistband (OWB) holster at 3:00 on my belt. I carry in a number of other ways depending on the season or activity.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
If I am wearing exercise clothing without a belt, I will use an M&P Shield9 in a ZBK holster that has a specialized metal clip which holds onto cloth as if clinging to life itself.\u00a0 Is a clip hanging on drawstring shorts as reliable as a pair of leather straps on a substantial belt?\u00a0 No, but it is still quite difficult for an attacker to simply pull the holster off my pants.\u00a0 Consider the effect of a heavy gun on drawstring pants. There are times when a smaller, thinner gun is necessary to take the place of my full-sized double stack M&P.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
(Similarly, you may be forced to wear a smaller gun than you prefer in order to conceal appropriately for your context.)\u00a0 The other thing you may need to consider in terms of the size of your firearm is your hand size.\u00a0 If you wear gloves sized Large or larger a subcompact gun like the Sig 365 may be difficult for you to run properly at self-defense speeds.\u00a0 If you wear glove sizes Medium or smaller, you may have trouble getting a proper grip on an unmodified double stack Glock.\u00a0 You could have the frame trimmed down by Bowie Tactical or Boresight Solutions or another gunsmith, or you could drop down in size to an M&P or further into Glock 48, 43, or Sig 365.\u00a0 (I prefer those guns over the Shield9 as they require less hand strength for those with small hands)\u00a0 Alternatively, the S&W Shield 380EZ is a compact sized gun that seems to be reliable and work very well for those with weaker hands or debilitating arthritis.\u00a0 In my opinion the only reason to use a .380 in today\u2019s world of quality \u201cmicro 9s\u201d like the G43 and Sig 365 is because of hand strength concerns.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
What about the good \u2018ole reliable revolvers?\u00a0 Let\u2019s start by dispelling a myth.\u00a0 Revolvers can quickly become unreliable if they are not maintained well. Furthermore, a malfunction in a revolver is a gunsmith issue not an on-site malfunction clear.\u00a0 A 9mm is nearly equivalent to a .357 Magnum in terms of energy when it is shot from a small \u201csnub nose\u201d revolver.\u00a0 Revolvers require more skill than semi-autos to use well although less skill to simply fire.\u00a0 Reloading \u201cquickly\u201d is an acquired skill and will never beat a simple semi-auto mag change.\u00a0 There are two significant advantages to revolvers in self-defense against bipeds.\u00a0 First the muzzle pressed against the attacker will not cause a malfunction like it would in a semi-auto.\u00a0 Second, if fired from inside a jacket pocket it will continue to function.\u00a0 Almost every other benefit goes to the semi-auto.\u00a0 Contrary to gun-counter-guy lore, snub nosed revolvers are not a gun for beginners, they are a gun for experts.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n
Choosing a holster is a little more complicated.\u00a0 There are key features that a good holster will have.\u00a0 First, it covers the trigger guard to prevent accidental discharges.\u00a0 We recommend holsters of kydex or heavy leather make as they are least likely to fold into the trigger guard and cause an accident.\u00a0 If the leather gets old and worn and no longer maintains the same stiff form it did when you first purchased it, its time to buy a new one.\u00a0 A holster also needs to be comfortable enough to wear.\u00a0 Almost no holster is completely comfortable\u00a0 Its a trade off between comfort and wearing a necessary piece of equipment.\u00a0 The holster needs to be readily accessible.\u00a0 If it is so secure and concealed that you cannot reach it, it will do you no good when you need it.\u00a0 Finally we recommend against holsters that utilize a trigger finger release for retention devices.\u00a0 These holsters have a very poor safety track record and we do not allow them at our courses as most major shooting schools do not.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\r\n
A holster should not move around easily on the belt or be easily removed from the belt.\u00a0 The gun needs to be where it always is and it should not be easy for an attacker to rip the whole rig away.\u00a0 I prefer leather loops for my IWB holsters and kydex loops for my owb carry holsters.\u00a0 The “discreet carry concepts monoblock” and similar metal hooks also work reasonable well when used properly.\u00a0 If you can just pull it off the belt, its not secure enough.\u00a0 Some reputable brands include Dark Star Gear, Phlster, Spencer’s Keepers, My holster Co, Tier 1 Concealed, Vedder, and others.<\/p>\r\n
For magazine pouches, I’m not as picky.\u00a0 I tend to buy them from the same people I buy my holster from because who doesn’t love a matching set?\u00a0 As long as they are sturdy, hold on to the magazine, and stay put on my belt, that’s really all I care about.\u00a0 Do you need a spare magazine at all?\u00a0 The possibility of needing extra ammunition is rare but a real occurrence.\u00a0 Having primary magazine failure is also a very real possibility.\u00a0 I recommend carrying a spare.<\/p>\r\n
Finally, lets talk about belts.\u00a0 A belt is an important piece as it is the foundation that everything else is built on.\u00a0 I have not, however, found the fancy tactical belts to be any more useful that a well built belt of “non-tactical” design.\u00a0 It is especially important for outside the waistband carry to have a sturdy belt as the holster will constantly put an outward torque on it. For IWB carry, the belt does not require as much stiffness.\u00a0 I prefer a thicker belt because I like to grab my pistol frame and my belt in the same grip when I’m trying to prevent my gun from being forcibly removed from the holster.\u00a0 a Thicker belt is simply easier to grab ahold of.\u00a0 My favorite carry belt is the durable and inexpensive 5.11 Double duty belt, but there are plenty others that will work just fine.\u00a0 I have found that I don’t care for velcro fastened belts but many people do like them.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
So now you\u2019ve chosen a firearm, a holster, magazine pouches, and a belt.\u00a0 Where do you go from here?\u00a0 The well known NRA and USCCA pistol classes or your state\u2019s required CCW courses are not a bad place to start but they are the tip of the iceberg.\u00a0 They aren\u2019t what I would consider \u201ctraining\u201d so much as an introduction to gun safety and basic handling.\u00a0 Some companies such as ours offer beginner level courses which will include the necessary items from those courses and move you forward into becoming a competent shooter as well.\u00a0 Other companies will expect you to have a modicum of experience and skill to take their courses.\u00a0 Earning a gold badge in our level 1 Pistol Mechanics class should indicate adequate preparedness to take a basic course from some of these other schools.\u00a0 Many schools have mandatory prerequisites to take their advanced classes so if there is a place you want to take advanced courses, you might want to look at those requirements before you start to pay for expensive classes elsewhere.\u00a0 We have kinks to some of these places on our website conditionredresponse.com and I\u2019d be happy to recommend additional trainers if the ones I have listed do not meet your needs.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Kjell Rosenberg copywrite 11\/2\/2020<\/p>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By Kjell Rosenberg MD, Rangemaster, USCCA, NRA certified instructor One of the most common themes I see on gun forums and social media pages about firearms is \u201cI\u2019m new, what should I do?\u201d Unfortunately, a lot of those folks have Read More …<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-792","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/conditionredresponse.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/792","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/conditionredresponse.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/conditionredresponse.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/conditionredresponse.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/conditionredresponse.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=792"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/conditionredresponse.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/792\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":824,"href":"https:\/\/conditionredresponse.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/792\/revisions\/824"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/conditionredresponse.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=792"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/conditionredresponse.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=792"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/conditionredresponse.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=792"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}