General

[Painthappy]

Ah.. But you forget that I'm not a bad shot to begin with



Kimber 1911, 45 ACP - Old style military issue sights.
I forget how far... 15 or 20 yards away. Probably 15 yards. I shoot just a bit further then everyone else at the range. They all set up at the 10 mark, and I move it back for the challenge.

As you can see, that's about 3 or 4 magazines emptied into it.

[WilD]

I think you were just taking an opportunity to show off, but self defense shooting is more about being familiar with that particular weapon/ammo combo and the natural point of aim. For self defense, you need to be so familiar with your weapon that you point it in the direction of your attacker and hit the center of mass without taking the time to concentrate on aiming.

[pintbuster]

My old carry gun was a Taurus PT140. Same as that .45 but in 40 cal. I carried it daily for two years untill it finally fell apart. Not real accurate, and cheaply made. I bought a police trade in glock 19 and never looked back.

[THE-SHOOTIST]

I stay away from the "space-age-polymer-stronger-than-steel" stuff too. I'm an old-school 1911,ported and accurized with real sights carrier myself.

[Grendel]

Try and find a Detonics Combat Master. I've owned and shot one since 1987 with literally 1000's of rounds through it. They are a beast to control but once you get used to them very reliable. I do not have pictures of mine at work but I'll update later. Below is a good quick article on them

A Classic Returns - The Detonics Combat Master



You'll notice they are not very big but pack a powerful cartridge

[RealtorTommy]

I carry a Colt pocket pony 380..it's small fits behind my wallet or as the "name" in the pocket...it of course is the last line of defense.....

In my car...a 40 cal.....

[Mr. Furious]

I have a Tarus 24/7 Pro and I'm in love with it. I wouldn't hesitate to buy another Taurus.

.45 ACP is far too barky for a belly gun IMHO. Something in a nice 9mm that's small with a decent capacity would be good. Even .380's are pretty good for a belly gun although a little underpowered. I have a S&W Sigma .380(long out of production I believe) that is a fantastic concealed carry gun when the weather is warm and layers are not much of an option. I has a 6+1 capacity with only a 2 finger grip. Gutter snipe sights for no snags on clothes and it actually shoots really nice out to 10 yards or so. I'm sure they're dirt cheap if you can find one used that wasn't shot much as they tend to come apart after 10,000 rounds or so if I recall (probably much like your gun's problem).

[usagi_tetsu]

I unexpectedly acquired a conceal carry weapon this past weekend. My grandfather passed away last Thursday, and as we began to clean out the house, we stumble across Granpa's stash of WW2 memoribilia, including a Walther P38 9mm, a Mauser Kar98k, and the tiniest of the lot, a Mauser 1934 7.65mm (or .32ACP, for those of us not familiar with metrics). The Mauser 1934 was the Kriegsmarine duty pistol and is a very compact, hammerless semi with only two external controls: a lever to engage the safety, and a button to release the safety lever. The slide only locks back with the help of an empty magazine, and only closes when another mag, empty or not, is loaded into the well. Small, not a lot of sharp corners, hammerless - almost a perfect conceal carry weapon, especially as I'm not a hulking brute and don't like wrestling with a big heavy round in a pistol. So I've been kicking the idea around of getting my concealed license, but haven't gotten too far with it. Not that I live or work in a bad area, and really feel threatened, but I have had some of my property stolen recently. *feh*

It is interesting how the Walther P38 has many of what you would consider standard amenities on modern handguns: combo safety/decocker, dual double-action/single-action, and external slide lock. Even back in 1938, you could see the designers looking ahead to the future of semi-auto pistols.

[Schmitti]

First... that Mauser 1934.. is far too nice a collectors item to use as a cary piece. If you are going to use it for carry (holster wear, corossion from sweat oil body oil), you're going to destroy it's collective value. If you want a carry pistol buy a carry pistol.. don't use something as rare as that.

That being said... sorry to hear of the passing of your grandfather... and very nice finds.

You may want to check with your local laws to see if you need to do paperwork to transfer those into your name.. expecially if you live in NY!

Never mind the last about NY.. you're in Missouri. But checking your laws may not be a bad thing.

E

[Azzy]

IN PA there is no transfer paperwork between father / grandfather and son, and since it is probably a C&R firearm, much the same.

My grandfather has his dad's pistol in the same caliber. I was told the minute difference in the rounds will cause it to have a 50/50 chance of shooting well with .32 auto.

(His shoots nice....)

That all being said, sorry for your loss. Cherish those pieces and pass them down to your grandkids.