Recommend a concealed carry gun...

[TripleR]

OP- Thank you for posting this thread, I am looking for the same thing. I haven't shot a gun in 45 years and that was a 32 caliber flint lock my father made. I looked at revolvers as they are reported to be more reliable, but I found I had issues with the sights and my bi-focal glasses and they didn't work for me. The S&W 9mm Shield is at the top of my list at the moment but I am still looking and rereading the advise given here.

While we were trained to use our sights, one of the things our trainers did was to tape over our sights and have us begin shooting a silhouette target beginning at contact range then back up in three yard increments to see how far out we could make consistent hits. Most were really surprised. I shoot equal groups with my G27 or J Frame S&W, not as well as my Model 66 or G23 but acceptable.

Just keep in mind, most and/or all conceal able handguns are not all that enjoyable to shoot. You want to practice with them, but it is also nice to have a "real" gun as well. Being out of shooting/new shooter, it would be nice for you to be able to fire a few hundred rounds at least to get back into the swing of things, and firing say 1000 .357 or .38+P from a very compact, very light conceal revolver might not be what you would call "fun".

I agree completely and would even add in a good .22

Agreed, if you are just starting to shoot again, you need a full size handgun, Whether auto pistol or revolver. Any full size will be much more pleasant to shoot, much easier to produce accurate groups, and less recoil impulse generally. Carry guns are made to carry a lot and shoot little. Full size are to shoot a lot and carry very little.

Of course money may be a problem, and you gotta do what you gotta do, but having more than one handgun is not just an extravagance, it is a practicality.

Yep, for me shooting a small handgun was essentially a chore I had to complete while I enjoyed full size guns.

 

[MossRoad]

I've got two Hi Standard .22 revolvers, each are 9 shots. The snubby has interchangeable cylinders for .22LR and .22 magnum. The picture shows the snubby with the magnum cylinder installed.

And here's an old Hi Standard add. 3 good reasons... :laughing:

 

[Texas Dawg]

It's called Point Shooting and you don't use the sights.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Point_shooting

While not as good as the real thing, this would be a way to get in some practice on a regular basis.
http://www.cabelas.com/product/lase...ader%3BSearch-All%2BProducts&Ntt=laser+target

 

[jlgurr]

While not as good as the real thing, this would be a way to get in some practice on a regular basis. http://www.cabelas.com/product/laserlyte-174-laser-bull-s-eye-kit/2208264.uts?Ntk=AllProducts&searchPath=%2Fcatalog%2Fsearch.cmd%3Fform_state%3DsearchForm%26N%3D0%26fsch%3Dtrue%26Ntk%3DAllProducts%26Ntt%3Dlaser%252Btarget%26x%3D10%26y%3D6%26WTz_l%3DHeader%253BSearch-All%252BProducts&Ntt=laser+target

That would be fun! My CHP instructor suggested dry firing with a penny on the gun to work on smooth trigger pull.

Sent from my iPhone 2.0 using TractorByNet

 

[coobie]

Agree, I have a Winchester 9422m, my favorite rifle. While hard to find .22 magnum rounds there are many choices from 30gr, 33gr, 40gr, and if you find them all the way to 80gr. A revolver in that caliber would be a great addition to the perfect ranch rifle. For self defense I might recommend a revolver in .410 shot. Some very nice things happening in that caliber. HS

Still like more information and pics of the 80 grain 22 mags you speak of.....

 

[RoyJackson]

Thanks Roy. That's what I was thinking about

I practice this...and at a range of <10 feet. I'm not overly concerned what part of the assailant's body I hit, as long as he's stopped.
In a real life scenario, at real life self defense ranges (distances), I think one will have no time to use the firearm's sights.

 

[Smallplot]

All good info here. I personally don't like pocket guns because pockets move and holsters attached to the belt don't.

I picked up the Glock 43 a short time back but usually carry a full size Glock. With concealing a firearm the wearer is usually more noticing of bumps than the average person. Today people carry so much there are usually bumps here and there anyhow. Others new to carrying will also be watchful of others until they begin to feel comfortable, then they don't notice as much either.

Get what you feel comfortable with because if you don't feel comfortable with one particular firearm, you will leave it at the house. Then if you would need it, it would be worthless. Back to the reason I carry my full sized. That is what I am comfortable with.

 

[Deerherd]

Still like more information and pics of the 80 grain 22 mags you speak of.....

I saw testing that used up to a 90 grain bullet in a 22/22 mag style case. They just shortened the case to keep the overall length the same. These were subsonic rounds used in a suppressed firearms that required a special rate of twist barrel to fly without key holing.

The heaviest bullet in a rim fire that I know of that is commercially available is the Aquilla 60 grain in a 22 short case, made for subsonic velocities in a suppressed firearm. The bullets are almost as long as the case!

 

[IXLR8]

I doubt that the sights on a semi-auto will be any better than those on a revolver. They are quite similar. The real problems with your eyes. It happens to all of us as we get older.

I looked at several semi-auto's, the sights on them were large enough so I could see them. They were the 'night' sights and fairly large. On the revolvers I looked at, the rear sight was just a V or U shape cut in the barrel and was hard for me to see. With the revolver I had a choice of looking at the sights or the target... I couldn't see both. With the semi-auto's, I could still see the sights while focusing on the target. The laser sight added about $100 to the price of the gun, from the factory, aftermarkets seemed to be a little more. I plan on using the gun to help reduce the rodent population so sighting is important to me. But thinking about it I agree that in a situation where I NEED to defend myself, or a loved one, then there might not be enough time sight in on the target. So learning "point shooting" sounds like a very good idea.

 

[teejk]

I looked at several semi-auto's, the sights on them were large enough so I could see them. They were the 'night' sights and fairly large. On the revolvers I looked at, the rear sight was just a V or U shape cut in the barrel and was hard for me to see. With the revolver I had a choice of looking at the sights or the target... I couldn't see both. With the semi-auto's, I could still see the sights while focusing on the target. The laser sight added about $100 to the price of the gun, from the factory, aftermarkets seemed to be a little more. I plan on using the gun to help reduce the rodent population so sighting is important to me. But thinking about it I agree that in a situation where I NEED to defend myself, or a loved one, then there might not be enough time sight in on the target. So learning "point shooting" sounds like a very good idea.

To your last point some experts also recommend practicing with a single hand grip instead of the conventional 2 hand. There I think the smaller calibers might have the advantage. Popularity of the 9mm seems to be increasing. Not as much knock-down power but a friend of mine questioned the need for a big bore if people are afraid to shoot them.