A Case for the Full-Size 9mm Handgun

[daddyo]

Yep.  I'm no longer willing to carry a 1911 IWB.  Makes my jeans too tight and need to poop.  Not willing to go up another size because it will just encourage me to be fat.

 

I forgot to mention that I only carry OWB.

[RobertNashville]

Just wait until you get into your forties. Your eyes go and you get fat. :D

Even if you don't get fat and you keep perfect sight, things start change once you get into your 40s and later...most folks under 40 simply don't understand that or don't want to!

It' not just weight because even if you keep yourself in pretty good physical shape there simply are things you either wont' be able to do or just won't be able to do as well at 40 or 50 or 60+ that, when you were 25 or 35 you would have done it without a second thought!  ;)

[dcloudy777]

I shoot full-size guns better at any range, not just long range. 

[JAB]

I shoot full-size guns better at any range, not just long range. 

 

And that, to me, is the point that the author should have focused more on in the article.  Going into the "might need to make a one-handed shot at fifty yards while riding on the hood of a speeding car and being pursued by aliens with jet packs" territory only served to weaken the rest of his (otherwise valid, IMO) argument.  It still wouldn't have convinced me to stop carrying my J-frame the majority of the time but it would have been a more solid position, I believe.

[JAB]

One secerio which is very rare may be the "active shooter" scenerio in which you may engage someone at a distance. They probably will have a superior weapon but I believe that personally it would be pure hell on my conscience if that occured and I had some ability to stop them and retreated to save my skin.

 

We all have to do/plan for what seems right to us.  I am not saying that you are wrong (I can't as you are talking about what is right to you) and maybe I am a cold hearted SOB but to adapt an analogy that is often used, I don't carry a spare tire in case someone else has a flat.  I'm not AAA.  Just because I may keep a fire extinguisher in the house doesn't mean I am responsible if someone else's house catches on fire.  I'm not the fire department.  That doesn't mean I wouldn't help if I could but feeling some obligation to do so - to the point of planning for it - isn't a part of my decision making process.  The way I see it - with a few, possible exceptions - the other adults in the room during that 'active shooter' situation each and every one have the choice to arm themselves beforehand, just as I do.  Failure on their part to choose that option - for whatever reason - does not make me responsible for their decision nor do I feel any obligation to risk my life to make up for the choice they made.  I am not the police.  My feeling is, to paraphrase William Munny from "The Unforgiven", they should have armed themselves.  My conscience would be just fine with getting me and my family/friends out alive.

 

I might feel differently if I happened to be one of the only adults in a room full of kindergartners on a field trip but imagining such a scenario - and choosing a carry weapon based on that imagining - is likely going so far into mall ninja fantasy land as to approach the ridiculous.  Such a scenario - while technically possible, I suppose - is so unlikely that, again, it doesn't register on my decision making radar.

Edited March 25, 2014 by JAB

[K191145]

We all have to do/plan for what seems right to us.  I am not saying that you are wrong (I can't as you are talking about what is right to you) and maybe I am a cold hearted SOB but to adapt an analogy that is often used, I don't carry a spare tire in case someone else has a flat.  I'm not AAA.  Just because I may keep a fire extinguisher in the house doesn't mean I am responsible if someone else's house catches on fire.  I'm not the fire department.  That doesn't mean I wouldn't help if I could but feeling some obligation to do so - to the point of planning for it - isn't a part of my decision making process.  The way I see it - with a few, possible exceptions - the other adults in the room during that 'active shooter' situation each and every one have the choice to arm themselves beforehand, just as I do.  Failure on their part to choose that option - for whatever reason - does not make me responsible for their decision nor do I feel any obligation to risk my life to make up for the choice they made.  I am not the police.  My feeling is, to paraphrase William Munny from "The Unforgiven", they should have armed themselves.  My conscience would be just fine with getting me and my family/friends out alive.

 

I might feel differently if I happened to be one of the only adults in a room full of kindergartners on a field trip but imagining such a scenario - and choosing a carry weapon based on that imagining - is likely going so far into mall ninja fantasy land as to approach the ridiculous.  Such a scenario - while technically possible, I suppose - is so unlikely that, again, it doesn't register on my decision making radar.

 

Well like i said we can't know exactly what we would do untill we were faced with that situation. I would "hope" that if that occured I would do what I could to stop it. I don't really think about it much because it very most likely isn't going to happen. I believe that if I ever get into a defensive situation where I draw and fire my handgun it most likely will be a close encounter, home invasion, car jacking ect.

[chances R]

One such scenario occurred several years ago.  Active shooter at a IHOP rest.  Shot a couple of people in a parking lot, then went inside and shot some National Guard troops having breakfast, best I recall.  There was a witness across the street, had a HCP and weapon available.  Didn't take any shots for various and 'I don't remember" reasons.  But anyhow, that is a situation where some long-range shots could have been useful.

[JAB]

One such scenario occurred several years ago.  Active shooter at a IHOP rest.  Shot a couple of people in a parking lot, then went inside and shot some National Guard troops having breakfast, best I recall.  There was a witness across the street, had a HCP and weapon available.  Didn't take any shots for various and 'I don't remember" reasons.  But anyhow, that is a situation where some long-range shots could have been useful.

 

I certainly don't believe that such things are outside the realm of possibility.  I recall the incident where a Texas man named Vic Stacy made shots at over 100 yards with a handgun to stop an active shooter who had a deputy pinned down.  However, I think that accounts of such incidents stand out because they are so rare as to be an anomaly.  In my case, such possibilities don't figure into my planning near as much as more likely, closer range self defense situations.

[The Legion]

I do carry a S&W 642 on occasion, but most of the time the smallest gun I carry is my Glock 30S.  I do carry my Wilson Combat X-Tac often and really like the feel of a full size gun.  I have a great holster for the Wilson and can carry it all day.

[Grayfox54]

I have a number of mixed feelings about this. First off, if the shooter is 50 yards away, my first plan would be to beat feet in the opposite direction. But what if the circumstances didn't allow for that option?

I have several different guns that I might carry. They range from big bore N-frame revolvers down to a tiny .25acp that I've been know to carry in certain social situations. Where you go, how you dress and what you're doing all play a role in deciding what to carry. This is a personal choice and I wouldn't dream of telling someone else what would be right for them. 

Speaking purely for myself, I prefer a larger firearm. The gun I carry most often is a Colt Lightweight Commander in .45acp. If not that, then it most likely will be a S&W Model 13 with a 3" barrel. Why these two? Because I can hit what I aim at with them. Even those are a compromise when compared to a true full sized pistol. 

To those who argue about size and weight, well I use quality holsters and belts and adjust my wardrobe accordingly and have never had any problem or discomfort concealed carrying even a large frame revolver. 

I do own a couple of J-frame revolvers and small autos and I do carry them from time to time. But in all honesty, I don't shoot them near as well as the bigger guns. 

If the SHTF, the heart starts pounding and the adrenaline is pumping, I want every possable advantage going for me that I can get. That means an accurate, reliable firearm that I shoot well. For me, little guns don't cut it.

Granted the 50 yard shot is a one in a million, maybe in a billion possibility. But even in a case measured in inches, it has to be a confidence builder to know that you and your firearm are capable of making that long shot if necessary.

[molonlabetn]

If size wasn't an issue we'd tote rifles... Realistically though, every scenario is different and equipment needs change with environment, I prefer to steer clear of 'one size fits all' solutions.

[tnhawk]

While different handguns and calibers each have their own advantages, the best gun to carry is the one you are most comfortable with.  Most of us will never need to fire a weapon in self defense and long distance shots or large capacity magazines aren't frequently needed.

[maroonandwhite]

It's more comfortable for ME to carry a subcompact single stack but I am more comfortable carrying a compact double stack. If that makes any sense. :rofl: