Handgun Questions...

[Samuel L. Jackson]

Let me preface this by saying that I hope this thread does not turn into something belonging in the Tinderbox... I just have a few specific questions for some who might know the answers, as Google has returned mix results...

1. Open Carry in NC... Technically, it seems there is no law prohibiting it (other than on certain State Property areas and National Seashores), yet I have read the horror stories of local authorities' interpretations...

As long as you have a permit to own the gun, Open Carry is perfectly legal in the areas not prohibited by the specific laws, correct?

I ask this not because I desire to throw on one my hip and just go out on my day to day, because frankly that would, in ways, be asking for attention (good or bad)... but just out of sheer curiosity about the current laws (IE why we don't see more folks just walking around with them)...

2. Concealed Carry in NC... I know all the steps you have to go through, but was wondering if anyone had taken the class required and, if so, what it involves...

3. Sound and Recoil...

Personally, all I have ever shot is long guns, aside from a .22 handgun... How big is the difference in recoil and sound from, say, a 9mm to a .45? A .22 is nothing, but most consider them unsuitable for self defense due to the size of the bullet (even though I know it can be just as deadly, if not more so in the right situation)...

4. Ammo...

I've heard that ammo is getting harder and harder to come by... Is this the case for all handgun ammo? Is it easier to find one than the other?

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Thanks in advance...

Just to clarify the reasons I am asking...

I'm looking at getting both myself and my wife a handgun before the end of the year... For her, I'm looking at a little Sig Sauer .22 Mosquito (pink... lol) and figure that should be plenty fine for her... Hardly any recoil or noise, and a good learning handgun... I have read it has a few bugs (misfires/jams) that I would want to research more if we do end up deciding to get one...

For me, at the moment I am wide open... I like what I see from the Sig Sauer P226 9mm, but I just don't know what I want at this point... Heck, I might even just grab a Mosquito as well, although I prefer something with a little more kick and knockdown power... It just seems that .22LR ammo is still pretty easy to find from what I've read lately...

Thanks again, and hopefully someone out there can guide me pretty well...

[The Link]

There is a BIG difference in recoil between a 9mm and a .45 cal. Same with the sound. If you are looking for a happy medium between the two, get a .40 cal. Plenty of stopping power, and it doesn't kick like a damn mule (the 45 does).

[Samuel L. Jackson]

I saw that the P226 came in a .40 cal too... I was just watching some videos of it and the 9mm on YouTube...

[The Link]

The 9mm is a faster bullet, so it tends to go through people. Where as the .40 is a heavier round and tends to have more knockdown power. It all comes down to personal preference really.

[BMorgan]

Realistically, what is going to be your main use of the pistol?

If you are just wanting a plinker, I would go with a .22. (My favorite is the Ruger Semi-Auto with the bull barrel (Mark III). My wife is deadly with it, as well out to about 20 yards or more.)

For home defense/close quarter firing, it's person choice. The 9mm should be okay for defense if you use hollow point ammo. The .45 is a great round, and recoil is something you learn to compensate for with practice. Since you should be using ear and eye protection at the range, the sound shouldn't be an issue, since the only other time you may be firing without it would be in a defense situation, and you got other things to worry about besides noise.

Ammo is in short supply because a lot of the nut jobs are hording it because they thing the government is going to take it away. That and a lot of the resources are going to military contracts. I haven't been looking for ammo lately, but do note that the bigger the caliber, the more expensive the round.

One thing about home defense, you need to think about your zones of fire in the house, and know what is on the other side of the wall. Drywall doesn't stop bullets. I've kind of changed my thinking about it since I have kids. Better option in the house is a shotgun with bird shot.

As for the CCW, pay to take and complete the course, get an appointment with the Sheriff's office (I know Gaston County is about 3 months out) for your application filing, finger printing, waiver signing, pay the $90.00 permit fee, then wait the 90 days to get approved (or disapproved) by the Sheriff.

[TheSaint]

If you are buying your wife a HG for self defense, dont buy a .22. Buy her a hammerless .38.

If she had to shoot some jacked up tweeker, , he wont feel a .22. No stopping power.

I love the .40, as a caliber, but not ammo availability might be a question.

[Britneck]

I like the 9mm because its good self defense and the bullets are cheap. You can get a box of 50 for 9 bucks at walmart. Stay away from .380, the bullets are impossible to find. I see .40's all the time at wal mart though.

[Samuel L. Jackson]

Thanks for all the suggestions.. At this point, I might be considering a .40 cal for me and her both, as I found this:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/849728/posts

Granted, if some maniac is charging at her or something, a couple pops from a .22 would likely stop them... but, it appears one from a .40 will stop them in their tracks...

I'll let you know what we decide...

Oh, for the home defense, I have a 20 gauge shotty... I also have a 30-06 that I use for target shooting since I don't hunt anymore....

[88 Bronco]

Get hollow points. Modern medicine isn't able to fix what two hollow points can do when they hit center mass.

[Carolina Mike]

I had a 9mm for yrs but once I got a sig sauer .40 caliber pistol I was very happy. It may not be the best for what you need but it is a great handgun.

[SMACKDAB]

Something else to think about is rounds are never hard to find if you get into reloading your own.

Works every time. :cheers2:

[Carolina Mike]

Something else to think about is rounds are never hard to find if you get into reloading your own.

Works every time. :cheers2:

I have a friend that does that......He has LOTS of rounds and not to mention guns. If the end of the world ever happens. I'm running to his house....lol

[Hairless Cat]

A revolver is a much more reliable weapon and relatively less expensive than a semi auto. Not as sexy, not as many rounds available, but if you cant do the job in 5 or 6 shots at close range, you havent practiced enough. Unless you and she are experts with weapons, I would suggest you go with revolvers with short (2") barrels as there is much less for an assailant to grab at while youre pointing it at him.

Think reliability. The last thing you want in an emergency is a jam or the hammer falling onto an empty chamber.

[shinner]

The last thing you want in an emergency is a jam or the hammer falling onto an empty chamber.

What about when adrenaline takes over and the person rolls through 6 shots like they're shooting a SA and is now firing an empty cylinder? Think it would be better to have those extra rounds in a SA...and if you shoot your gun regularly and maintain it, you'll know what ammo cycles reliably and be less likely to jam. If you have a gun that jams no matter what you run through it....buy a different gun. I know that's no guarantee that it won't jam but SAs have a pretty good reliability record these days. How many PDs do you know of that use revolvers. All that said, my wife's gun is a LadySmith .357 that she shoots .38 specials in.