carry gun

  • Carry gun calibre comparison

    Posted on 25. Mar, 2009 by Runcible in .380 ACP, 9mm, carry gun, concealed carry

    I already own a .45 ACP; while it's great for home defense I can't imagine lugging it around on my belt all day. So I've been trying to decide for myself whether to purchase a .380 or 9mm caliber handgun for carrying purposes.

    I found this terrific article by Dick Metcalf, who's the Technical Editor at Shooting Times:

    When it comes to personal-defense carry, most people buy little guns. The single largest category of handguns bought in the US during the last 10 years has been small, short-barrel, pocket-size defense models-autoloaders and revolvers alike. Overall, compact concealment-size handguns account for more than 70 percent of all current civilian handgun sales, and autoloaders account for approximately 75 percent of that number (according to the most current BATF statistics). In terms of caliber selection (not counting the sub-effective .22 and .25 chamberings), the two most popular choices within this dominant portion of the overall handgun pie are the .380 ACP and the 9mm.

    My research has helped me settle on a 9mm.

    [9mm Versus .380 ACP For Self-Defense]

  • Kel-Tec PF-9

    Posted on 02. Apr, 2009 by Runcible in 9mm, carry gun, concealed carry, Kel-Tec PF-9

    keltecpf9.jpgI fired my new Kel-Tec PF-9 today. I bought it last week from Gary's Guns & Transfers and then today I took it out to Dominion Shooting Range to put a few dozen rounds through it. I fired nine magazines; I had one failure to fire but no feed problems. I attribute the failure to fire to a bad cartridge, because after I waited 30 seconds and ejected the round, the next one fired without a hitch.

    Though it proved reliable, the PF-9 is not a smooth gun. My marksmanship with it is significantly inferior to my performance with my steel-frame .45 ACP and with a Glock 9mm I've fired. At seven yards I only hit center mass on the target about 2/3 of the time. But I'm OK with that. With practice I'll surely get better, and the PF-9 cannot be beat in terms of ease of carry and power.

    The advantage of the PF-9 is that it's very light and reputedly the most slender-framed 9mm handgun ever made. It's small enough to serve as a "pocket gun" but still formidable enough to be a primary self-defense weapon.

    I'm happy with the purchase and I'm confident that with marksmanship practice I will make my PF-9 a truly effective self-defense carry gun.