Gun Digest’s Choosing a Handgun for Self Defense eShort. Massad Ayoob
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lower the hammer when the shooting is done. Of course, the same companies – plus Smith & Wesson and many more – offer double-action autos with steel or aluminum frame construction, too.
Two approaches to making 1911’s butt less protuberant in concealment. Top: shortened Officer’s frame on Colt CCO. Center: “Bobtail” configuration developed by Ed Brown, shown on his Executive model pistol. Below: standard size 1911 frame for reference, here a Smith SW1911. All 3 are 45 ACP.
S&W lightweight Centennials have been the choice of experts for deep concealment for more than half a century. Top: Original Centennial Airweight, circa 1953. Center, Model 442, early ’90s, with Eagle grips. Below, Model 340 M&P, with factory-furnished Hogue grips, introduced 2007.
A classic favorite among American shooters is the single action semiautomatic, typified by the 1911 pistol that has been popular since the eponymous year of its introduction. To be ready for immediate, reactive self-defense, the 1911 type handgun has to be carried cocked and locked (hammer back, thumb safety in the “safe” position) with a live round in the chamber. This alarms some people not in tune with the tradition, and there is no shame for those people to simply go to a double action or striker-fired handgun instead. The 1911 was popular for concealed carry from the beginning because it is extremely thin for a gun of its power level, and is therefore very comfortable to wear inside the waistband or even in a shoulder holster. The most popular chambering is the one this gun was designed around, the 45 ACP (Automatic Colt Pistol), but enthusiasts have bought them in 38 Super, 9mm, 10mm, and other chamberings. The 1911 was designed by firearms genius John Moses Browning, who before his death did the initial design work on another famous weapon that bears his name, the Browning Hi-Power. Even slimmer, and capable of holding 14 rounds of 9mm Parabellum, this high quality weapon has something of a cult following in the CCW world.
Revolvers have earned a reputation for good reliability and have been around since the year 1836. A swing-out cylinder double action design is the easiest handgun for new shooters because of its simple “administrative handling,” the routine loading and unloading, checking, and cleaning that accompanies all responsible firearms ownership. Its “manual of arms,” i.e., its physical operation, is without parallel for simplicity. This is one reason most experts recommend the double-action revolver as a “starter gun” for new shooters.
Model 642 Airweight 38 Spl. may be today’s “best buy” in a carry snub, opines author.
642 with Uncle Mike’s grips and pocket holster, backed by Speed Strip, and loaded with 135-grain Gold Dot 38 Spl. +P is an excellent everyday carry snubby set-up.
Revolver or Auto
As you assess your particular balance of needs, you’ll find some stark differences between the attributes of the double action revolver and the semiautomatic pistol. Let’s go for a quick overview.
All autoloading pistols have long bearing surfaces between slide and frame, making them sensitive to proper lubrication. They are also depended on clean, pristine magazines with unfatigued springs. Thus, auto pistols are more maintenance intensive than revolvers, which can be left unlubricated and at rest literally for decades with no degradation in function. Military spec auto pistols such as the Glock, Beretta, SIG, etc. have large tolerances between the moving parts, allowing them to function when sand or dirt get in the mechanism; the more finely fitted revolvers may choke if dropped in a sand pile or immersed in mud. Thus, while the revolver is more forgiving of lack of routine maintenance, the automatic is more forgiving of field abuse.
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