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Does Size Matter?

There are two age-old questions (1)“Does size matter?” and (2) “Quantity is more important than quality”.

 

I got my CCW permit over 10 years ago and ran out to purchase the first gun that felt good in my hand. It happened to be a Ruger P95 9mm. This is an excellent handgun, but is very large and heavy. I did like the idea of having 14 shots as opposed to the 7 or 6 shots in the 1911s that I had been shopping.  I found that in the first few months it was not very heavy, as I was thrilled with the newfound freedom. After the newness ran out, practicality showed up. I was not carrying the gun around, as it was too heavy. While I was not carrying the gun I had a few problems with deer poachers and was in fear of my life with out any way to defend myself. Running into a deer poacher who has a heavy rifle in the off season on your land is not a good thing. This prompted my next phase of pistol purchases, which was moving to a lighter and smaller Springfield Arms 1911 Commander. This fit the bill for being smaller in size while having a bigger bullet for more stopping power. This has been a great solution for most areas when you can wear a coat or deep conceal holster. There are now times where even this is too heavy. I have since purchased a North American Arms 22 LR Derringer with a holster grip. This slides into my front pocket and can have quick access. When it is clipped in my front pocket, you would think that it is a pocketknife or phone. It is comfortable and has become my primary gun for warmer weather.

 

I believe the answers to the two age-old questions would be (1) Size matters in gun and bullet size. There is a balance that must be achieved between stopping power and the ability or desire to carry the gun. If the gun is too big you will find your self not carrying the single thing that may save your life. Secondly: (2) Most self-defense situations are at close range and are fewer than 3 or 4 shots. This adds validity to the quality of the shot. Having a well placed 22 LR is better than not having a gun at all. Having a well-placed 45-caliber bullet is even better. In this day of everyone being sued or law enforcement officers going to jail when they are doing their jobs, it is better to shoot as few times as possible to save your life.

 

Happy trails and keep the lead down range. - Clark

 

 

North American Arms

 

 

Springfield Arms

 

 

Ruger

Posted on Tuesday, September 30, 2008 by Clark

3 comments (Add your own)

1. DAN wrote:
I have been seeing a lot of downsizing lately. Is the casual CCW person just getting old? Shooting someone with a .22 will kill them but will it take them out of the action before they can kill you?
DAN

October 6, 2008 @ 10:25 AM

2. Grant wrote:
I agree there has to be a balance between comfort/availability and having something that has some stopping power. What I have found works well for me is a .40 Cal Glock. I carry a Glock 23 in a Bladetech IWB. But in some situations if that is not practical, I carry a Glock 27 in a pocket holster in my front pocket. I like the Glock 23 /27 combo because they both use the same ammo and even the same mags, along with the fact that they operate the same and the training is identical besides the practice of the presentation and re-holstering.

October 10, 2008 @ 5:21 PM

3. Brandon wrote:
I ran across this forum actually shopping for a conceal carry weapon or looking for some recommendations and partly for the reason Clark mentioned in the first post, because of weight. However, I find it isn't so much the weight that I find instrusive, it's the ability to conceal the weapon so that on the surface one doesn't appear armed or look particularly noticeable in some way that may indicate one is armed. Consider your dress style at it's most revealing so to speak. If you wear well fit clothes, shirt always tucked in, etc. etc. your availabillty of options is more limited. I myself would not want to trust a .22 in a surprise situation. I don't think there would be enough time to land a precision shout to achieve the desired effect and it may simply not have the power needed to do the job. Everyone handles pain differently. There used to be a theory behind why police officers used to carry .38 caliber weapons as standard issue instead of the larger caliber weapons now in use. The theory was that a .38 caliber hits harder than a .22 caliber but isn't so powerful that it will go through an individual and hit whatever or whoever is behind them. Basically a liability issue. So I would agree that a .22 is better than nothing, but going by the theory mentioned above something close to a .38 should do the trick better than a .22 and limit unintended damages. Single stack magazines, use your hand grip and what feels comfortable and managable to determine shot number. If your worried about shots buy a couple extra magazines. I would also recommend hollow point ammunition. If the bullet hits right it spreads out and stops faster = even better chance the bullet won't penetrate and hit something or someone besides the intended target in the backround. Good luck.

October 18, 2008 @ 4:17 AM

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