Conceal to carry - if so what? Or what do you own?

[JHarris1385]

So what do you all have to say about the super cheap Hi-Points?

http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/ItemL...000&catid=3975

A 9mm for roughly a $100 can't be good can it?

[Gizmo42]

So what do you all have to say about the super cheap Hi-Points?

They are ok for range time if you dont mind getting pissed off at malfunctions or want anything accurate. I wouldnt use one for concealed carry and trust my life to it.

That Marlin is gorgeous, and not just because its my screen name...lol.

I've always loved the stock on that shotty. I inherited it from my dad and it hadnt been shot in over 30 yrs. Took it out this summer and it works great. Took that pic right after I got done refinishing the stock.

[Marlin]

I've always loved the stock on that shotty. I inherited it from my dad and it hadnt been shot in over 30 yrs. Took it out this summer and it works great. Took that pic right after I got done refinishing the stock.

Well made weapons are pretty amazing. There was a kid at the range that had his grandfather's old japanese rifle. Hadn't been fired in 40 or 50 years. Still had ammo from back then as well. he was scared to death to shoot it. We finally talked him into firing it off of a rest, worked fine. Very neat rifle.

[djvx]

So what do you all have to say about the super cheap Hi-Points?

http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/ItemL...000&catid=3975

A 9mm for roughly a $100 can't be good can it?

I see alot of Hi-Points at the gun shows, I never owned one. Google it or see if there is a Hi-Point owners forum. Ruger Makes nice middle of the road priced 9mms. You might find one out there for $250.00 or less. They're very reliable. Cheaperthandirt.com is a good place to look so your on the right track.

[JHarris1385]

What do you all think about 9mm vs. .380 ammo?

I have for some reason always liked .380 guns versus 9mm, but that is probably because of James Bond using a PPK and my dad owning a PPK/S as well.



Another topic. Have you seen/heard about the .22 conversion for Ar-15s? With a blackdog 50 round mag?
http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/ARR059-7.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOA_SJBlFoc

[Ldub]

I think that the ultimate supressor for an AR would be...



http://www.tac15.com/overview.htm

Wait for it to load, snoop the site, & see what you think...

That, & the fact that they use "whisker biscuit" in their ad text...

[VX KAT]

Ruger SR9 Compact. Its 1/2" shorter barrel and 1" shorter grip (with 10 rd mag) then the standard SR9. Loaded with Hydra Shock rounds.

The SR9c has a bit more snap then the 944 but its more controllable and much lighter and easier to conceal.

One of our friends just got a SR9c about 2 months ago and we tried it. We both liked it a lot. Didn't think the recoil was that bad at all.

What do you all think about 9mm vs. .380 ammo?

Well, one thing, the .380 ammo is a bit more expensive than 9mm

Other impressions....3 of my Berettas are .380s, and I shoot with them most of the time. Dave built a metal target stand out of some angle iron, shaped kind of like an easel. First time out with it, we both had one round hit the flat horizontal metal cross member (about 1/8"+ thick x 1" wide).....and we both were using FMJ rounds. I was blown away at the difference in damage between the .380 and his 9mm. Mine was a dimple that didn't deform the plane. While his didn't go through the metal, it left a deep deformation that also bent the bar quite a bit.

OTOH....I was watching one of those real ER shows the other night, & it got me thinking..... Guy comes in with a .22 LR shot to the butt sideways, went through both cheeks, & was basically incapacitated.

Then I thought back to the many other episodes of this show I've watched with GSWs....Usually just a single shot, to somewhere on the body or chest...and they're still basically incapacitated, no matter what caliber. So it made me think that if I ever have to, god forbid, pump a .22, or a .380 or even our new .32 auto into a bad dude...it's still going to hurt like hell and will probably slow them down and maybe even get me a 2nd shot in them.

So while the 9mm did cause a much larger impact zone & expansion, with more force.....the .380 and even the smaller calibers are going to hurt somebody pretty dang good!

And besides, now Dave has to fix the stand since his 9mm bent it up.

[JHarris1385]

What have you heard that drives the .380 ammo up so much?

Thats how I feel...if I was ever going to have to use my gun in defense, i doubt the difference in stopping power will really make a difference. Now that is not saying I would rely on my .22 vs. .380, but I assume the majority of people will go down after being shot. I could bet I would.

[Hotsauce]

The gun left at home because it showed too much through your clothes has no stopping power.

.380's are a much slimmer frame, and when 'melted' really print much less through your clothes.

John C.

[Riff Raff]

The gun left at home because it showed too much through your clothes has no stopping power.

.380's are a much slimmer frame, and when 'melted' really print much less through your clothes.

John C.

x2. My point exactly!!!

What's the difference between 9mm & .380 ACP (aka 9mm Short or Stubby)??? Mainly; velocity, because the 9mm has a longer jacket casing therefore contains more gun powder to increase velocity. The 9mm & .380 ACP share the exact same bullet. The 9mm may be a better round at a greater distance due to its velocity, but the .380 ACP will kill you just the same as a 9mm at close combat range. In fact, the 9mm may even go through the person and cause collateral damage hurting an innocent bystander.

For the sake of argument, personal carry guns are meant for close combat range (when you are threatened by a robber/mugger in close quarters). If you are trying to pick off your threat (robber/mugger) at long range; then you are now in an offensive sniper mode, not defensive (and YOU need to be arrested). If you are in a long distance fire fight with gunfire, then you need to seek cover and call the frickin' Police!!!

For close combat range stopping power, ease of concealability as a pocket pistol during the Summer, and overall lightweight-- the .380 ACP caliber is a hands down winner over the 9mm (afterall they use the same exact bullet). My ammunition of choice is the exotic .380 ACP Black Talon bullets used only as defensive carry rounds (never for plinking). If you're gonna' carry any caliber bigger than .380, then you might as well carry a .45 ACP (perhaps a small Para-Ordnance WartHog in .45 ACP). Just my 2-cents.

[Triathlete]

What do you all think about 9mm vs. .380 ammo?

One reason a lot of law enforcement agencies stopped using 9mm is you need to be aware of what is beyond the target. 9mm tends to go through and continue to travel beyond the target (person) and do collateral damage. We switched to .40cal. Does not kick to bad and will stop what you hit.

[FlyingV77]

Its all about shot placement. a .22 will stop some one faster than a .45 if the .22 hits the right spot, and the .45 doesnt.

example: a security officer i know carries a .45. he had to use it about 2 months ago. the first two rounds were torso hits, one cracked a rib, the other was in and out near the coller bone. the third hit did the most damage, as it severd the femoral artery, causing the loss of the leg. he lived.

Befor you ask, it was a justified shooting.

I would tell you what or if i carry anything But Big Brother is watching this site

[JHarris1385]

I am pleased with the responses. That is my logic in the 9mm vs. .380. I assume I am not the only one that has heard something negative with my choice of .380 over 9mm. All it is is a shorter bullet and all I say is James Bond carries a PPK.

Now I wish .380 ammo was cheaper. Why is it higher and harder to find?

[BigSwede]

.380 manufacturing is starting to catch up with demand. It still costs more than 9mm, but prices are coming down. With all the .380s being sold these days they will definitely be increasing production.

As far as concealability, I wonder if you guys have ever handled a Kahr PM9 or Keltec PF9? I have a PM9, and it is hard to imagine needing anything much smaller than that.

Regarding overpenetration of 9mm, are you guys using ball ammo? I don't think a hollow point would go through a body, unless clothing clogged the hollow point so it didn't expand properly.

[fotomaker]

I am pleased with the responses. That is my logic in the 9mm vs. .380. I assume I am not the only one that has heard something negative with my choice of .380 over 9mm. All it is is a shorter bullet and all I say is James Bond carries a PPK.

Now I wish .380 ammo was cheaper. Why is it higher and harder to find?

James Bond is a fictional character and not a ballistics expert.
And, by the way, Bond originally carried a .32, not a .380.

Today he carries a P99, which is available in 9mm and .40 cal.

.45 and .40 are hands down the best ACP defense cartridges.

If I were carrying and expected I might need to use it, I'd carry a .40.
If I were carrying, "just in case", I'd carry a .380 PPK/s with something like Black Talons.