 |
| English: Desert Eagle Pistol beside Speer box of 325 Grain Hollowpoints (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
With all of the voices crying in the internet wilderness about one firearm thing or another, making a decision on which one to purchase is next to impossible. And don't bother asking for advice, especially online, unless you are well enough versed in the lingo and culture to wade through the garbage to get the real facts.
In my conversations and searches, I've found that about 1 in 20 conversations about self defense weapons has any valuable information. The rest are not so much an open sharing of information, but more of a "my gun's bigger than your gun."
So, if you're trying to decide the best carry gun for you, you're probably going to have to make the decision all by your lonesome. So here are some things to think about when choosing your carry firearm:
1. Will you carry it? It's sounds like a great idea to go buy a giant gun and go with the bigger is better crowd. Granted, some of those cannons do pack a punch. They also cost more to practice with. They also can be very difficult to carry and therefore you may not carry it. Believe it or not, a gun in the safe has very little self defense value.
(Unless maybe you end up in a situation where you can swing the safe at an offender.)
2. Can you afford to practice with it? Awesome! You bought a 50cal Desert Eagle for self defense. I'm curious, where did you get the loan to buy practice ammo? If you cannot afford to become proficient with it, then you are doing yourself and those around you a great disservice.
3. Is it reliable? Do some research to find out if many problems have been reported with a particular weapon. Again, you will have to weed through the fluff. Some Rambo's will immediately discount any weapon that jambs one time.
4. Can you find someone to work on it if need be? There are some oddball guns out there that not even the gunsmith has heard of. It may be cheap, but it may be cheap for a reason and getting it fixed may be more hassle than it's worth.
5. Can you find ammunition? The ammunition shortage has gotten better, but it's not great. Check around in stores and online to see what calibers are available.
These are just a few things to think about. Go into more than one gun store and feel it out. Check their selection, prices and staff. Go to the place that is the most helpful, you can afford and they make you feel all fuzzy and warm.
Brodie
