Tuesday : July 22 : 2014

Home : Subscription : Archives : Contact : RSS

 

Around the Water Cooler: Ruminations on Handgun Selection

Close examination shows a "paddle" in the face of this G17 trigger. Having your finger on the trigger - or allowing the drawstring in the hem of your windbreaker to get in the trigger guard - is the quick way to a bad day when reholstering.

This is the age of people asking "what gun should I buy?" It seems that huge numbers of people have a sudden interest in the ownership of firearms, specifically handguns. As Stephen Wenger says on his website, ". . . I also believe that handguns are Americans' primary defensive firearms."

I concur and the questions I receive usually hover around "which handgun." We need to fold operating systems and nomenclature into the safety aspect of handguns. Had you asked in 1877-1880 or so about which handgun and shouldn't I have the Army's standard handgun, I may have pointed out that the operating system on the Single Action Army is a problem if you intend to carry the piece fully loaded. In fact, most handguns of the time were problematic in that respect.

The 1911 and variants have a thumb safety and a grip safety - belt and suspenders. Disassembly for cleaning is straight forward and requires no press of the trigger.

Loaded with six rounds, if that 1873 Model P was dropped and landed on the hammer spur, things would get loud. Depending on your proximity to the line of travel from the muzzle, you could well be perforated. It's happened a number of times. Smart users put five beans in the wheel, lowering the hammer on the empty chamber.

Currently we have "modern striker fired pistols." These are popular, one of the more popular being the product of GLOCK. It's been noted by many that numerous accidents have happened with the GLOCK, often with cops handling them. The most common patterns of mistake are re-holstering the gun and preparing for disassembly of the gun.

If you reholster any pistol with your finger on the trigger - or something getting tangled up in the trigger guard - you're doing it wrong. Muzzle off target, finger off trigger. I know the movies too seldom show that. When you see the flagrant Rule 3 violations on screen at least tell yourself that the person in violation is a moron and make the mental correction in your head.

This SIG SAUER M11A1 is a double-action/single action design. Longer, heavier triggers don't make guns safer and require some dedicated practice to master. It also requires no trigger press for field stripping.

As to disassembly, the rules are easily followed. First, all guns are loaded. Often, we have the user rack the action vigorously then remove the magazine.

Stop.

You just refilled the chamber.

Remove the supply of ammunition. Clear the chamber. Lock the slide open, checking visually and physically.

Of course we have to take tension off the striker to allow disassembly. I normally recheck again after the unloading process (it's that OCD), point in a safe direction (Rule 2): Pressing the trigger shouldn't result in loud and embarrassing noises. If it does - safe direction - there may be minor property damage and NO personal injury. That beats the FBI agent at the local police range (not here and not recently) who drilled his thigh with a GLOCK 22 - his issued heater. We never allow the muzzle to cover anything we don't want to destroy and he could have clipped the femoral artery.

Yes, there are guns that don't require a pull of the trigger to disassemble. Is that enough to recommend them over guns which do?

Not for me, but you have to answer that question for yourself.

-- Rich Grassi