To Carry Or Not To Carry, That is the Question

In my last self/home defense ramble we started to talk about self defense when you're out and about, and I assigned you some homework; namely to check into the carry laws for your home state and/or town.  Since that time, I found out a few things that I hadn't paid enough attention to myself.  Did you know that some states require a permit to carry pepper spray and others ban it completely?  Doesn't make sense to me, but it is a prime example of why I advised you to research the laws of your home state thoroughly first.  Still, I promised we'd start to discuss carry guns in this post so let's be on with the task at hand.

Now that we're actually starting to talk guns, I have to ask yet another question or two (yes, I know.  I'm almost as bad as a college professor with pop quizzes,but hang with me here).  How comfortable are you and how experienced are you with guns?  Do you shoot a lot, occasionally, or seldom if at all?  Trust me, it does make a difference and that difference can be huge.  It all comes down to what type of gun you're comfortable with and can handle well, and how able you will be to effectively handle that gun when the chips are down.  If you're going to carry any gun for self defense, you're going to have to practice with it on a regular basis.  Why?  Because when it comes down to shoot or be shot, the only thing you'll be able to count on is what's called muscle memory.

So what exactly is muscle memory?  Do your muscles actually have memory cells built into them that will remember what to do in stressful situations?  Well, no.  Not really.  What actually happens is the same thing that happens with anything we do over and over again, such as driving a car or riding a bike.  When you first learn, you have to think about every little thing you're doing down to the last detail.  The result is that you're slow to react in a pinch because first you have to realize that something must be down, then you have to analyze what your choices are, then you have to evaluate each choice to choose the right action; and all of that takes time that you may not have.  But as you drive or ride more and more, the decisions start to become routine and start being made at a subconscious level until eventually you get to the point where you can drive yourself to work and not even realize how you did it, or sometimes even what route you took to get there. You just drive.  This is what is referred to as muscle memory, and it's the same thing boxers and martial artists do with their fighting skills.  It's also what you are going to need to do with your gun if you're really going to be able to use it effectively in any situation that may arise.  So if you're planning to buy a gun and then never go to the range with it more than once or twice a year, don't bother.  Find yourself a piece of rock about the size of a baseball instead, it will serve you just as well if not better.

If you are willing to make the time to practice on a regular basis, then things begin to come down to what you are comfortable with; but that might not be what you're expecting.  To explain why, we need to go into the physics behind the gun.

The biggest thing that takes getting used to is the recoil, or kick, that a gun has; and that comes from two things.  One is the ammunition used, and the other is the mass of the gun being used.  For the ammo, the amount of recoil it can impart is directly related to how much powder is in the cartridge.  Thus a very small caliber such as a .22 Long Rifle has so little kick it can almost be ignored as being non-excistent, while a .454 Casual or a .50 caliber such as used in the largest handguns out there carry enough kick to take even a Mr. Universe contestant by surprise. The most commonly used calibers for self defense, 9mm, .40, and .38 fall somewhere in the middle of this range.

What reduces the recoil, at least to some extant is the design of the gun. At it's simplest, the more mass the gun has the less the recoil is transmitted to the shooter. There's a multitude of ways to achieve this mass, from the material the gun is made from to the recoil springs used in automatics; but in the end it all comes down to achieving or simulating mass.

Next comes managing, or handling if you prefer, the recoil that does come through to your hands. The two biggest things that come into play here are directly related to the size of the gun, and they are barrel length and grip size. The larger they are, the easier it is to control the kick. Not sure you believe me? Think back to the first time you ever shot a handgun. Remember how the muzzle tried to rise and the grip tried to twist in your hand? With a longer barrel, you have more mass that not only helps absorb recoil but also puts more weight at the end which helps reduce muzzle rise while a longer grip that allows you to get more of your hand on it will give you a firmer grip so you can better contain and control the twisting caused by the recoil.

Of course, you the shooter have a big part to play in all this as well. Some of you will be perfectly at home with the tiny grip and stubby barrel of a modern pocket pistol while others will feel more comfortable with the added mass and size of a full sized handgun. Or maybe what feels best to you is a compact that's somewhere in between the two for size. And that brings us to your home work this week. Go on out to your local range and try out different guns of every size. See what feels good to you, and on Friday we'll start talking about the advantages and disadvantages of each type. Until then, have fun; but most importantly, do it with attitude!