I get a bit long winded so if your not inclined to reading... just go to another subject...
Ok, the following is all personal opinion... let's get that out of the way up front... I do not profess to be an expert on guns, the following is just some simple stuff that I hope will enlighten a few and help someone make an intelligent decision on which firearm or at least the type... to carry concealed.
My qualifications are very simple... I was in the military (USMC) for a short time way back in the 60's... I have hunted, owned and fired a very wide variety of firearms over the past 50 years... at one time I had a small gun shop... I have never shot at or hit a person although I have thought about it several times, I have been shot at but not hit several times also and that was not particularly fun...
I am a pretty good shot... (well, not pretty) for an old man... but again, these are opinions.... and this is about handguns in particular... no shotguns, rifles, machine guns, bazzoooookkkkas, mortors or any other type of weapon... just little ole handguns.
I have noticed over the years that there is an unbelievable amount of information related to guns and concealed carry... and it all, for the most part revolves around personal opinions of the author... this will be no different... however, I do not want to address the many issues of brand names, caliber, shot placement, training or even 'how to obtain a license' in your state... or any of the dozens of off shoots involved in this subject... Those are subjects that can be addressed after a decision is made to "do it".
I only want to present what I think is a very basic view of a persons initial introduction to the subject of "Carrying a firearm concealed, on their person"... and I wanted to do it with pictures... which obviously relate to me directly but hopefully will make a point in general terms... cause they are, the pictures that is... IMHO worth the proverbial '!000 words'...
Ok... I hope this is at least, interesting on the surface... My purpose here is to inform the uninformed or uneducated with a bit of bottom line info without all the other 'mumbo jumbo' techy stuff that you can get into... "Just the facts, Mam..."
Item #1: All guns do the same thing... upon pulling the "trigger", they send a projectile (bullet) out the business end that contacts something and does damage to that something. period... the amount of damage is directly related to the caliber, which I ain't gonna talk about.
Item#2: You can spend $1 to $100,000 or more for a handgun... that is your personal opinion and I ain't gonna talk about that either.
Item#3: We all have the legal right/privilege to own a firearm in this country, depending of course on where you live and whether you are a convicted felon... that is a very wide range of particulars, which I ain't gonna talk about either.
Item#4: Handguns in particular come in a very wide variety of calibers and brand names, which I ain't gonna talk about either... however, they basically can be lumped into only two varieties... as far as I know.... they are either semi-automatic or revolver... (not discussing automatic weapons here or single shot).
A revolver normally carries the ammunition (bullets) in a cylinder that is located behind the barrel and usually, but not always, holds 5 or 6 bullets (rounds), and is fired by usually simply pulling the trigger... the cylinder rotates (thus the term "revolver")... there is no safety other than "not pulling the trigger"... but that may vary also... I do not want to get too technical here.
Here is a basic revolver... a 5 shot, small concealable weapon manufactured by Ruger... oh.oh... sorry, no brand names please... just an example of a revolver... You may notice it has no hammer... this is a variation that makes it a bit easier to pull out of the holster without snagging on clothing... just one of many variations.
A semi-auto normally carries the 'rounds' (ammunition) in the "grip" or handle of the weapon in a normally detachable holder called a 'magazine', which remains in the weapon after being loaded and inserted; some might refer to it as a 'clip'... (although magazine is the proper term... 'clip' usually refers to an ammunition holder that is not held in the weapon... again there are handguns that differ here but no techy stuff please...)
Here is a basic semi-auto... this happens to be a 9mm, Taurus PT 92, AF, which can hold up to 16 rounds... again, I am not recommending a brand name, only show this as an example.
If you are considering purchasing a handgun to carry concealed, you generally only have to decide (after getting past the brand names and caliber) how large or small you want the gun to be... here are some basic pictures with few personal opinions that can maybe give you 'food for thought".
Here is a picture comparing several types of handguns you might consider... just trying to show you a visual comparison, complete with a writing pen for size comparison...
First picture... bottom right, small, 5 shot revolver, .357 caliber; bottom left, small 'sub-compact' semi auto, 6 shot, .40 caliber; center middle, mid-size semi-auto, 13 shot, .40 caliber... note the pen for size comparison... the holsters are both referred to as "pancake' since they have a "paddle" that fits inside your belt and is not attached but is able to be removed if needed... these are my preferences but there are too, too many variations of holster, which I will not talk about here, either.
Second picture... on top is a 9mm, semi-auto full size handgun; bottom is the same weapon as in the other picture in the middle... that is a mid or full size (depending on your personal definition) .40 caliber semi-auto... these weapons can of course be carried concealed but may be a bit too large for the average person to handle concealed.
My weapons of choice are in the bottom of the first picture... but I offer this as only a reference and do not recommend anything as mentioned previously.
Here is one more picture that might offer a bit more comparison as to size... my hand is neither large or small but probably rather normal... the semi-auto, for clarification... is .40 caliber, Springfield Sub-compact that retails for around $500.... I do not recommend any particular brand or caliber again.... this is personal preferences which should take into account a wide variety of information ... which I again... do not intend on talking about here...
Here is a very simple description of what constitutes the general size of a handgun... very basic, no techy stuff please...
Handguns vary in size depending on only several basic variations in design...
1. type of gun... revolver or semi-automatic
2. length of the barrel
3. size of the grip
a. this is directly related to the caliber (bullet size) and the amount or number of rounds held in the 'magazine'
b. also depends on whether the rounds are held or stacked "in-line", that is one directly above the other...
or in a "staggered" or side by side design... 'staggered' design will have a "fatter" grip.
4. one other important variation I might mention and that is the composition or material the handgun is made out of... many modern handguns are available in extremely light material... polymers, plastic, high grade aluminum, steel or variations of each will make a very big difference in the weight and thus the ease and comfort of carrying concealed... one thing to remember... the lighter the weapon, the more felt recoil... but of course if you are carrying concealed you will very probably not shoot this weapon more than a few times at the range to familiarize yourself with it and keep up with training... light handguns are not particularly fun (or should I say comfortable) to shoot in larger calibers... but I would still recommend carrying with the most powerful round your weapon can stand because after all... you are carrying for protection... and you would probably want a round that is the strongest for your particular weapon... this again is personal preference.
One last picture showing the two weapons I personally carry... not together however...
You might also want to consider a shoulder holster... which I have but never use.... of course... if your really inclined to carry something that will get attention... here is yet one more item to consider...
A .44 magnum single shot TC Contender with a 14" barrel... and a nice little knife in case the gun misfires...
(BTW, LuVonda.. that is referred to as an "Arkansas toothpick"...
or you could consider this little .44 Dan Wesson... with a nice 8" heavy vent barrel...
You didn't think I could remain serious for too long........... did you?
Any and all of this information can and should be verified with your local, legal gun shop... just make sure the shop you go to has been around a while and is operated by someone that is either recommended or has a overall good reputation...
Do not take anything I have said here to heart... you check me and the info out yourself... I only offer this as my own personal and basic information that I hope can get you aimed in the right direction.
I am fairly sure there will be other, more expert members that will comment and to them I bow out... and that's about all I have to say on that subject.
