Hopefully you know it was a joke....right? Actually more of a dig to the people who think they need a Glock 19 and 7 mags for their daily carry.
The second thing you need to do AFTER training and qualifying for your CFP (as it's called in my state) and BEFORE you start concealed carry is select an insurance company that specializes in self defense coverage, including attorney fees, medical and liability. My wife and I carry separate $5,000,000 policies paid on a yearly basis. Also select an insurance provided attorney and develop a relationship so he's inclined get out of bed at 3 AM if you need him. Also, should you ever be involved in an incident, cooperate with the police but DO NOT GIVE A STATEMENT until your attorney is present and after you've discussed it with him. Be polite but this is vital. Most Agencies allow their sworn officers up to 48 hours before they are required to give a statement and NO agency can restrict their officers from their Union Rep and Attorneys. Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk
Back to the original question: When I was a young man many years ago first learning to shoot a handgun, I learned on a Smith & Wesson Model 10, K-frame tapered barrel 6", with the plain fixed iron sights. Not mine, a friend's. Later on, I went into a career as a police officer and in those days at my department you were required to carry a 6-shot revolver that could shoot a .38 special cartridge, limited to Colt or Smith & Wesson brands, 4" to 6" barrel, which at my fairly small department, you had to provide yourself. I chose a S&W Model 66 4" which is a .357 but per departmental rules, carried it with issued .38 special rounds. Over time my skills with it improved, and eventually I qualified as a Distinguished Expert, which just meant that you shot a 97 (out of 100) or better on three consecutive qualification courses. So a few years later our department implemented a policy where senior patrolmen would do a 6-month stint in the detective division, which was plain-clothes (coat and tie) so I bought a S&W J-frame model 60, 2" barrel. This was in the early 80s so it was a steel frame. My qualification score with that pistol dropped to the low 70s, which was sufficient for qualification but truly horrible compared to my normal shooting. And that required that I put the larger Pachmayr grips on it, which kind of defeated the whole "concealment" idea. I ended up selling that gun and replacing it with a 2 1/2" barrel S&W Model 66, K-frame round butt. And my qualification scores went right back up to the mid to upper 90s, even using it with the stock grips and a Tyler-T adapter. I have been out of law enforcement now for over 25 years, so regular qualifications are a thing of the past. And I still prefer a good S&W K-frame over anything else for some relaxing range time. About 10 years ago I purchased a S&W 642 J-frame that came new with a factory trigger job. It cost a bit more, but that plus the improved boot grips made a huge difference! I can shoot it pretty well at what you'd call self-defense distances, out to 15 yards at least. I don't worry about the 25-yard range stuff we used to have to do for qualifications. My eyes aren't what they were then anyway, and as regular citizen and non-hunter, I will have no need to shoot a revolver at something 25 yards away anyway. But I still shoot better with a Model 64 K-frame 2" than I do with that J-frame, and better still on a 4" K-frame. So with that as my background - I would personally not recommend a 2" J-frame as a first gun, or a gun to learn on, unless it is going to be your only gun ever. In which case, spend plenty of time learning good skills and you will eventually master it.
I totally agree with this 100%!!!!! Theres nothing like a well broken in S&W K frame. A smooth lockwork that engineers at Glock can only dream about. The best shooting handguns on earth are the S&W models 15 and its stainless version the 67, and the model 19/66. The model 66 was Mr. Bill Jordan's creation for the working lawman.
USCCA seems to be popular among the guntubers and seems to be pretty reputable. https://www.usconcealedcarry.com/ Is USCCA worth it? https://gunnewsdaily.com/uscca-review/ I'm thinking of going with them myself.
What? No back up gun and magazines for the back up gun? Because as well all know, two is one and one is none. lol
A bad Idea?.. I would say no, its not a "BAD" idea. Average parameters of the armed citizen self defense encounter: singular attacker few rounds fired at close range duration of a few seconds no reload There is no guarantee that your fight will fall within the statistical parameters but I accept for the purposes of reasonable preparations, that it will. No matter what kind of gun you select, I think that everyone should be properly trained.
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Yeah, the 1911 and Beretta M9 are GREAT pistols, but that size and weight puts a lot of people off for a carry gun. A pocket pistol, on the other hand is much less obnoxious to carry, and it conceals so much better. The smaller CCW sized guns will almost never shoot as well as the bigger service revolvers and service pistols. People willingly sacrifice more powerful ammunition, better sights, better ergonomics, and better recoil management to get a weapon that carries more easily. The bottom line is that it's not that hard to learn to shoot a J-frame .38 special (as long as it's not one of the ultralight monstrosities). But you can't really turn a giant handgun into a pocket pistol. And the pocket pistol that is in your pocket 100% of the time is infinitely better in combat than the super-duper combat pistol that you left back home because it was too heavy and hard to conceal.
THIS!!!!! Almost without exception, muggings, assaults/strong arm robberies, car jackings, rapes/sexual assaults, all take place at arms length of even less. And almost without exception, there will be no call to shoot at 25 yards. For actual real world self defense, leaving out Hollywood fantasy, a small pocket pistol like a Ruger LCP, S&W J frame, will be all that you need if you do your part! That means pick a small handgun that you can carry all the time, and practice a lot. When you get tired of practicing, then practice a little more. When you get good enough to pull it form a pocket, shoot and hit a target at 3 to 5 yards by fast point shooting Jim Cirillo style, your good to go. But, we're talking a lot of practice over a few months to get that good with what you carry. Won't matter what gun it is, just be sure you can use it effectively. A small revolver is a great defense tool. At this point in my life, I don't even own a semi. All my handguns are small pocket size revolvers. A S&W J frame, a Ruger LCR, and two North American .22 mini revolvers. When we moved to Texas in 2015, and both the wife and I got our CCW, I sold off my range toy guns. The guns that were just too big.heavy/bulky to carry all the time. The kids got a few, the rest sold off at gun shows. Now I only have the small guns that I shoot weekly, if not more, and as a result no matter what gun I carry that day, its a gun that I've practiced with just a few days to a week ago. The Ruger LCR is carried a lot, but the NAA mini revolvers are carried every single day, day in and day out. Get up n the wrong and pants on, the gun is already in the pocket. A spare mini is put in a IWB at appendix carry, giving me two of the little guns where I can access one easy. I love revolvers. No fail to feeds, no fail to ejects, and if I get a dud round, just pull the trigger again. No tap-rack-bang drill that you are not going to have time for in a close range fight with a mugger/car jacker. The little gun in the pocket is going to be there when the 'other' gun is home or in the car.
Wow ... excellent advice in this thread. Personally I Hava a CCW and EDC a S&W Mdl. 642-1 and a Sig Mdl. P238. The simplicity of the revolver is unsurpassed per reliability, concealment and ease of use with proper training. I usually carry both when I am able. Extensive training is imperative along with good CC liability insurance if you decide to carry concealed.
circumstances dictated that my only firearm for 25 years was a taurus 85, five shot, 38sp, steel, j-frame, 2” barreled revolver. it served me well. i concealed-carried it occasionally under a jacket or guayabera shirt. i like revolvers because the grip can be easily swapped out, and wild to mild ammo can be reliably used, to suit your taste. the revolver’s manual of arms is intuitive. with practice speedloader reloads can be somewhat speedy. revolvers aren’t perfect. if they fail it’s catastrophic at that point in time. capacity is limited. i suggest a taurus 856 2” or 3” barrel, steel model as an all-around starter sidearm.
