Pistols And Propaganda
Advice For Those Buying Their First Pistol
Many people find themselves the victim of bad advice when it comes to buying their first handgun. This is often well intentioned, but harmful nonetheless. Having carried a pistol personally and professionally in the US and abroad, and instructed people on the proper use of firearms, I feel as though I can weigh in with some degree of credibility here.
“Why do you need a gun?” People screech when they see you have one, want one, or are thinking of getting one. People like this exist, and they should stop doing that.
They ask an important question, though not in the way they think. They ask you to justify your choice, and it’s frankly no one’s business but yours. A better question would be “what niche is this weapon filling?”. Do you want a target pistol? A concealed carry weapon? A pistol to carry while you hike in bear country? The reason will dictate many things, and it’s important to be as specific as possible. While a pistol you plan to carry should be able to be concealed, the gun you put on your nightstand can be as big as you can comfortably schlep around the house.
So first identify what exactly you want to do with this weapon. If you want to have one pistol you can carry and also use for home defense, that’s very easy to accomplish. Just be honest with yourself about the purpose. If you plan to carry the pistol daily, consider one with a polymer or aluminum frame. It’ll be lighter and more comfortable for you. Certain models are designed for carry and will be smaller in overall dimensions. They will, as a result, hold fewer bullets.
“An unarmed man can only flee from evil, and evil is not overcome by fleeing from it.” — Jeff Cooper
The second consideration is your budget. A weapon is generally not an inexpensive purchase, but it would be a mistake to assume that quality and price are always linked. There IS a point of diminishing returns, and a newbie shooter would be better off with a $500 pistol and $4500 worth of ammo and training than they would with a $5,000 pistol.
For simplicity’s sake, I will say that almost everyone can find an excellent weapon that fits their needs for under a thousand dollars. If your budget is less than $500, I suggest buying a quality used firearm rather than a cheaper, lower quality new pistol. I’ve seen used Glocks for as little as $350 and they are excellent pistols. Once you have your purpose and budget determined, we can start getting more dialed down into the specifics.
Location, location, location. Not only a real estate axiom, but applicable here as well. Your location will factor in heavily in many ways. In Alaska, we have bears who occasionally decide to chew on people. We also have extremely free gun laws that allow us to carry what we like. So many people choose to own and carry a 44 Magnum or other large frame revolver just for when they go into the woods. The weather being what it is, people can also just slip on a flannel shirt or light jacket and cover their carry gun in town. I will not discuss open carry specifically in this post, and I generally discourage doing it. Many States have “approved” lists that they allow their residents to purchase. My feelings on this are not suitable for this post, and they are not in any way positive. If your State has a list, consult it and see what is available to you. Also consider moving to a new place.
Really.
“There is no such thing as gun control. There is only centralizing gun ownership into the hands of a small, political elite and their minions.” — Stefan Molyneux
Caliber has been the subject of debate and rivalry since forever. I will say only a bit on this. I recommend 9mm (9x19) to almost everyone for general purposes. Unless you need a specific large caliber pistol the best question to ask yourself is whether you want more or less bullets available for your use. In all of my time in the military and working in Afghanistan, I never heard anyone complain that they had too much ammo on hand.
Except the machine gunner, but you know how Joe likes to complain.
The larger the caliber, the fewer bullets you’ll be able to carry in a standard magazine. In a .45 caliber 1911 magazine, for instance, the standard capacity is 7, but many more modern magazines can carry 10 and still fit more or less flush.
A 9mm on the other hand can easily hold 19 rounds. This comes down to personal preference and ideology, but in my case I looked at my 1911 and two spare magazines and realized I was only carrying 25 rounds (8 in each magazine and one in the chamber). When I switched to a 9mm that became 55 rounds (18 in each magazine and one in the chamber), and to me that was all the reason I needed. With modern ammunition, it’s also important to remember that there is virtually no difference in performance between calibers. Modern ammunition is the great equalizer. I’ve seen many people defend their choice of being limited to six or seven rounds by saying “it’s fine to have all those bullets if you plan to miss a lot” and I think that mentality died out with Johnny Ringo. Look at crime trends in your area. Criminals are committing crimes in groups nowadays, like violent flash-mobs.
Carry accordingly.
“Gun control: The theory that a woman found dead in an alley, raped and strangled with her panty hose, is somehow morally superior to a woman explaining to police how her attacker got that fatal bullet wound.” — L. Neil Smith
Revolvers are excellent weapons, and they have their place. The pros behind revolvers: They don’t really jam, they’re absurdly reliable, and very inherently accurate. They can fire a very powerful round and still be very comfortable to hold for people with smaller hands. Those are all good points in their favor. The negatives, however, outweigh them for most reasons for me. They’re heavy, generally limited to six rounds, and slow to reload. Like really, really slow to reload. So I typically prefer semi-automatic pistols for nearly everyone and everything.
First some terminology. What do we mean when we say “semi-automatic”? That means that for every time you pull the trigger, the weapon fires one round. In the process of doing so, it ejects the empty brass, loads the next round, and readies itself to be fired. That’s it. Don’t let the American liberal news media influence you here. Likewise to politicians (who know even less and should be covered in hot tar and feathers more often) who can’t even define what the weapons are that they are trying to restrict.
So if you opt for a semi-automatic pistol, the next question you have to ask yourself is whether you want a single-action pistol, a double-action pistol, or a striker-fired pistol. For clarity, I’ll explain these.
A single action pistol must be manually cocked (the hammer pulled into a ready position) before the weapon can be fired. Then when the trigger is pulled, the hammer falls and fires the weapon. A single action. In a semi-automatic, this only needs to be done before you fire the first round. After that, it will cycle normally. The 1911 pistol is probably the best known single action, semi-automatic pistol. The benefits of this type of action is that the triggers are generally very smooth and light. The con is that you have to train yourself to understand how the weapon works and practice accordingly. On a 1911, you can carry the weapon in “Condition 1” which means that the hammer is locked to the rear, fully cocked, and the chambered round is prevented from firing by a thumb safety.
Double action pistols, by contrast, perform two actions when you pull the trigger. They first cock the hammer and then release it to fire the weapon. This is extremely common in revolvers, and in some semi-automatic pistols as well. With semi-autos, you wind up with two different trigger pulls. The long, heavy double action pull on the first shot, and then the shorter, lighter single action pull on each successive shot. The CZ 75 and the Beretta 92 are two excellent examples. Many people will lament the Single-Action/Double-Action pulls of these triggers, but in my opinion this is largely a training issue. Your mileage may vary.
Striker fired pistols do away with the external hammer altogether. In striker-fired pistols, the striker hits the primer and ignites the round. When you pull the trigger, the trigger bar gets released. The striker is now pushed forward as the power that was compressed in the spring relaxes. The most well known of these is probably the Glock. The benefit to this is a very predictable trigger pull that is the same each time you shoot it. I personally prefer other weapons, but there is nothing wrong with a striker fired pistol and you can find one (Glock, Heckler-Koch, Springfield Armory) that will meet your needs and work reliably as long as you maintain it properly.
One important caveat: If you’re buying a gun to toss on the nightstand next to your bed, you have to mitigate for the striker fired pistol and their inherent (generally) lack of external safety. If you wake out of sound sleep reach for your pistol, it doesn’t take much to fire the weapon. So if your weapon has no external safety, consider putting it into a holster, or something else to lessen the likelihood of an accident.
As for the models and makes, that could be the subject of ten separate articles. Like sports teams, vehicle preferences, and favorite running shoes, it all comes down to personal preference. Ask ten different shooters and you’ll get 26 different opinions. Yeah, it’s that bad. A few companies that tend to make excellent guns that I would recommend would be Glock, Heckler-Koch, Beretta, Smith & Wesson, Springfield Armory, and Czeska Zbrojovka (just say CZ).
Find the weapon that you like, that fits your hand well, and go with that. Hand size is an important factor in pistol selection. A small woman with tiny hands isn’t going to be able to get her mitts around the grip of a Glock 20. So don’t be afraid to ask to pick up all the guns in the store. Seriously, handle as many as you can, you may be surprised. I once bought a pistol that I wasn’t initially interested in simply because it felt so good in my hand (A CZ 75 SP01 for those that are curious). Some pistols, like the excellent Heckler-Koch VP9, have removable and replaceable grip panels to allow you to configure it to your specific grip preferences. This is one of the best developments in modern weaponry in recent memory.
An important topic that must be discussed is the way firearms are marketed and sold to women. Frankly, it’s ridiculous. As bad a reputation as mechanics have for dealing with female clients, gun stores are usually just as bad if not worse. When a woman goes into a gun store and shops around she is often met by the well-intentioned but completely wrong advice to get something “pretty” or shown a .22 caliber revolver because “that’s all a woman needs”.
This needs to stop!
If you go to a gun store and experience this, just leave. Find another one. Men treating them like children isn’t helping them.
Once you’ve settled on a pistol, it’s time to talk sundries and accoutrements. If you selected a semi-automatic, you probably got 1 or 2 magazines with it. You’ll need more. Not necessarily enough for a John Woo movie, but don’t hold back. The most likely piece of that weapon to fail is the magazine, so have extras. Two is one and one is none. I use a paint marker and mark the magazines themselves so that I can keep track of problems should they arise. A safe minimum number of magazines to start with is 4, in my opinion. 6 is better. 12 is optimal.
“If you believe in the right to life, then you must believe in the right to have the means to defend that life.” — Charlie Reese
You’ll need a cleaning kit, but for God’s sake don’t go overboard. Most people fall into one of two camps. They never clean their guns because they don’t think it’s important until the gun starts to have problems functioning, or they overclean the hell out of them because they think it’s more like what the military does.
The short answer is that moderation is key. After a range session I’ll wipe down my pistol inside and out, run a Boresnake, inspect it carefully for cracks or problems, apply a bit of oil, and then I’m done. There is no compelling reason to do a complete disassembly of your weapon after each range trip. Situation will dictate. If the gun is extra dirty, or got wet, you dropped it in the mud, or you were shooting old corrosive Soviet ammo, clean it accordingly.
With regard to gun oils, you’re going to find a million different types. I know at least one person who uses motor oil on his pistol. Others use super high speed powdered graphite from Mars (I’m exaggerating, but not by much). There is a gun lube which was super popular and revered among those in the know….until people realized it was just vegetable oil they could buy at the grocery store. So when it comes to gun oil, do your research. Any lube is better than no lube in a pinch, but do not use WD40. it’s not a lubricant, it’s a rust preventative.
I spoke to a Korean War vet once who used to use the congealed grease from his rations to lubricate his weapon, not that I advocate doing that. Don’t run your weapon dry (without lube) and don’t overdo it. A drop on any metal-on-metal contact spot is enough.
If you’re shooting and oil is spraying into your eyes then you went too hard on the lube, my dude.
PRO-TIP: Get a good pair of shooting glasses to protect your eyes. Forget foam insert ear plugs. If you’re buying a pistol, spend an extra $75 and get some good quality electronic earmuffs. They’ll allow you to hear your what’s being said around you and still muffle the gunfire. This becomes important when you go to a class, or need to hear commands at the range. Don’t forget extra batteries. Buy them and throw them in your range bag.
If you plan to carry, you’ll need a holster. Personally I like Kydex, but some people prefer leather. Get one specific to your gun. Many towns have businesses that can custom make them, and I encourage this. Like most gun owners I know, you’ll likely wind up with a box of holsters for various situations and various weapons. Avoid SERPA holsters. They may or may not suck and many people may or may not have shot themselves because of the awful design. Frost Modular Systems out of Anchorage, Alaska makes all of the holster I used for my daily carry when I lived in America. I am not affiliated with them in any way, but they make a damn good product and I can recommend them 100%.
Safariland makes some of the best retention holsters on the planet also. Give them a look.
Also, don’t neglect a proper gun-belt if you plan to carry the gun. Your back will thank you later.
I would be remiss if I didn’t touch on ammo selection. For target practice, just run whatever is cheap, though it would be a good idea to ensure the same bullet weight as your self defense ammunition. A 115 grain bullet will perform differently than a 147 grain bullet. So practice with the weight you carry whenever possible. Ball ammunition gets derided quite a bit, but it has sent more people to Jesus than just about anything else. It is effective, but it’s not optimal for most conditions.
I suggest people find out what their local Law Enforcement carries and use that. The police run their ammo through enough tests that they know it works. Also, if things get litigious after a shooting and you’re carrying some kind of exotic “exploding meat rocket” bullets, the prosecution can paint you as a bloodthirsty whackjob.
And they will.
Whatever carry ammo you decide on, buy an extra box and run it through the weapon before you carry it on the street. The first time you pull your weapon in a gunfight is not the time to find out that it doesn’t run reliably through your pistol.
In closing, just because you have a gun doesn’t mean you’re armed. It doesn’t mean you’re safe or effective. The best thing you can do when you buy a gun is to get training. Good, quality, rigorous training. This is what separates the wheat from the chaff. Good training is the most important investment you can make if you plan to immerse yourself in the gun culture. Your mind is the ultimate weapon, after all.
All else is supplementary.
