Jackson Jambalaya

Actually you don't want a 'light trigger pull' if you keep it loaded with one racked. Go with the very small Ruger .380 for concealed carry, purse or satchel.

They were even cheaper a few months back when S&W had a $75 rebate.

9mm is marginal for self-defense. .380 even worse. However.. ANY gin beats NO gun.

9mm is marginal for self-defense. .380 even worse. However.. ANY gin beats NO gun.

Serious question: What would you recommend that is not marginal?

Good pistol. I that this one only second to my CZ-P07. The Shield shoots really nice. I suggest that you get one without the safety. Mine has it and I wish it didn't.

8:01. There is no right answer. Shot placement is most important. Ballistic improvements make the 9mm and .380 both perfectly lethal. However, unless you intend to make it a point to practice or are slight of build or inexperienced, these calibers are not for you. Why? Without proper shooting technique, a semi-automatic can be shot "limp-twisted" which can cause the weapon to not cycle properly....making it a one shot wonder. The Ruger LCR or S&W Scandium are both lightweight 5-shot hammerless revolvers in varying caliber options. While my truck and concealed carry are 45 acp pistols, my cargo pocket/summer carry is the Scandium. The guns for my wife to point and squeeze are Ruger GP100s with .38 loaded. It's all about what you can effectively use God forbid you should ever have to.

@6:12 9mm is marginal for self-defense.

Says the guy who thinks he's an expert but is just spouting rhetoric and hasn't kept up.

According to FBI Special Agent Ray Cook, the current unit chief of the FBI’s Defensive Systems Unit, the bureau, which continuously tests various types of ammunition, began considering a return to the 9mm round in 2007 in part because of advances in ballistic technology.

“During our testing, we found that the [9mm] rounds used in the Miami shootout tested the lowest on our scale,” Cook said in a recent interview at the FBI Academy, referring to the bureau’s ballistic standards and testing methods put in place following the shooting.

The new 9mm round — known to gun aficionados as the 147 grain Speer Gold Dot G2 — is significantly more effective than what FBI agents carried into the field in 1986. According to Cook, the bullet has been rigorously tested and has received high marks in the FBI’s most important category for bullet selection: penetration.

Cook says that the lighter the bullet, the faster the gun can “drive” the round into the target. For the FBI, that translates into 12 to 18 inches of penetration into the human body. The 9mm’s weight, Cook added, also increases an agent’s accuracy in a gunfight, according to the findings of a 2014 FBI report that was leaked online last year.

According to Cook, the bureau’s ability to research and test weapons in ways that other law enforcement agencies cannot gives it great sway over many police departments.

“When we do something, local departments take note,” Cook said. “They see that if it works for us, it’ll work for them, too.”

The 9mm is marginal? So that's why the military uses it? Actually, with modern bullet designs there is very little difference in effectiveness between 9mm, .40, and .45ACP; plus you get the benefit of a lot more shots with the smaller caliber.

What a steal. Gave $450 for mine, but that was during the Obama madness when every shelf was empty.

Have carried it ever since, after trying numerous other options that were too hard to conceal or too crappy to shoot.

BTW, a crappy trigger is NEVER, EVER a substitute for a quality holster and safe gun handling habits. Good gawd, man. If you're gonna randomly bump the trigger on your piece, please do us all a favor and leave it at home!

Thanks for the tip KF!


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Is the shield available without the safety? That's the only thing I don't like about my MP40. Just one more thing I don't want to have to think about when the sheet hits the fan. I may switch to the Glock 43.

@6:12 - if 9mm is good enough for the Israeli Defense Force it's certainly good enough for me. Again, weapon presentation, shot placement, and good technique will put more rounds on target and neutralize the threat. I like the Glock 43, but I've carried Glocks them throughout my entire career so I may be a bit biased...

9:06 wears cargo shorts. I bet they are the tacticool 5.11 style.

With modern advancements in engineering and increased demand for concealed carry pistols (yay capitalism!) there's a good number of 9mm pistols that are comfortable for concealed carry for a variety of builds. I have one of the earlier Shields, and it's my main carry pistol. With the proper holster it's easy to hide under an untucked t-shirt. As for folks denigrating the 9mm round...eh. I wasn't huge on them a few years ago, but I've always found 9mm handguns more reliable than the .380's I've had in terms of potential malfunctions. Plus, as others have pointed out, the round itself has improved over what 9mm's were 20 years ago. Solid pistol, good price, I'd recommend it to anybody.

This blog makes me so angry sometimes. All of you right wing nut jobs and your gun talk, blah blah blah. Hey guess what Trump voters: get all of the guns off the street and the murder rate in Jackson and other large cities in America would plummet. Its so simple; getting rid of guns will make it MORE difficult for gun violence to occur. Jesus how can so many people in our country be so dumb.

...get all of the guns off the street and the murder rate in Jackson and other large cities in America would plummet.

How would you do that?

9:13, do you have any suggestions on how we can get the criminals to get rid of their guns?

The thugs don't have carry permits, training, any respect for the law as it pertains to weapons or your best interests at heart. They also don't have a receipt from where they legally purchased the gun.

They do have an inclination to shoot first then run.

This is my CC gun. I have higher accuracy rate than with my full size M&P 45. I can hide it in a belly band holster under Nike running shorts, loose tank and dry fit hoodie or tshirt on top. It is the best one, for me.

Justice for Tyrion is a troll, ignore him.

The Shield is a decent pistol, but it doesn't feel quite as well thought out and well designed as the Glock G43. Of course, there is a definite difference in price between the two.

KF - "gun deal" should be at least a weekly post.

I have both the S&W MP 9MM (which I gave to my daughter) after I found the Kahr PM9...this is a much better CC pistol in my opinion...AND it is deadly accurate. Man, can it shoot better than most all of them.

Here's a "Glock Guy" giving his opinion on the Kahr PM9:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ipPZT8qCiM

1. As for not having a gun with a light trigger pull in the purse, um, that is why you keep it holstered, even if in a purse.

2. The S&W Shield 9 mm (model 10035) has less recoil and is more accurate than the Glock 42 (.380). The trigger pull is lighter than a .38. The .38 has a 12 lb trigger pull. The point and shoot dummy proof aspect of the gun doesn't do the woman any good if the trigger pull is so strong that it means she will miss her target.

3. Obviously there are better pistols for women and concealed carry. However, this one is hard to beat for the money. Not everyone can or wants to spend $500 on a Glock.

4. As for Mr. Miami, I used to have the same attitude about 9mms. However, the ammo has gotten much better and gets the job done. The FBI went back to the 9 because the ammo has improved.

"9mm is marginal for self-defense. .380 even worse."

Spoken like a true part-time bow and arrow salesman over at Dick's.

Accidentally deleted this one from Anonymous:

KF obviously has no understanding that any gun with a light trigger pull (also known as a hair trigger) can and will fire off occasionally when dropped, whether or not in a holster or purse. But hey,.. who the hell has ever dropped a pistol or purse?

Damn. Why even buy a Glock then?

This is the oldest question in the book. "Which caliber is best?" And you're always gonna have some keyboard experts sharing their opinion. Very few can actually explain why a .357 magnum and a .38+p can be fired from the same gun. Isn't firing a bullet caliber from a gun not designed for it a big no-no? A .38+p was originally a "heeled" bullet, with its caliber the same size as the case. But a .38+p bullet is actually .357 caliber. I'm not an expert, but I've had lots of experiences with firearms.

Back to the question - there is no right caliber. The four primary modern pistol calibers are the .380 acp, 9mm, .40s&w, and .45 acp

Now, .380's can be a blast to shoot. They're just a knocked down 9mm, so they have less recoil and can be easy to shoot for beginners. Just remember, the smaller and lighter a gun's frame - the jumpier it becomes. For personal defense, I personally wouldn't use a .380. The ballistics just aren't there for me to trust it personally. As a plinker, it's a great caliber to learn and familiarize a user.

9mm have so many pros for, and only one against. They're the most popular caliber in the world. They're small and pack a good punch for their size. Even for concealed carry, their magazine capacities are high. The only drawback would be comparing ballistics with the larger caliber rounds. But still, because of their magazine capacity on a small concealable frame, my carry gun is a 9mm - I use a Ruger LC9s.

The .40S&w was originally designed for the FBI after their agents were outgunned in a firefight in 1986 (agents were using .38+p if I recall). The FBI wanted something more powerful and were impressed with the ballistics of the pistol hunting round of a 10mm. So the chopped it down and called it a .40s&w. Ballistically speaking, it outperforms the standard rounds of .380, 9mm, and .45. The rounds are the least popular of the 4 here and tend to be the most expensive. There's also been some reports of the round not being able to chamber correctly during the cycle leading to a few instances of exploding guns..allegedly.

The .45 is what I use for home defense by my bedside. The round is over 100 years old and just proven. Any advancements in the other calibers have carries through the .45 as well. 100 rounds of practice FMJ ammo is only about $35. It's too heavy to go half a mile, but in close quarters, it's proven itself. Stopping power is much stronger than a 9mm. My fave has been a Hk, but I keep a glock 41 MOS close by.

I left off the 10mm here because it's more of a traditional hunting round. The ballistics of it will definitely put the above to shame.

But that's the basics. Biggest thing is, it's mostly about opinion - but just do your own research and try out whatever you can and see what you're most comfortable with. There really is no right answer.

Getting into the gun-nerd weeds here, but didn't the FBI try the 10mm for a bit and find that the felt recoil for that caliber was just too much for the average shooter to handle? I think I read that somewhere or another...but I could be wrong. I've also heard that more law enforcement agencies are transitioning back to the 9mm due to increased magazine capacity and advancements in the round.

It's also worth noting that the .357 was developed from the old .38 special (still a good round for personal defense), and the cartridge was lengthened so that folks wouldn't go shooting higher pressure .357 magnum rounds through .38 revolvers that couldn't withstand those pressures. Heck, some experienced shooters don't recommend feeding a steady diet of hot load .357s through the lighter framed revolvers chambered for that round, due to potential failures, although I think that's a case of somebody shooting more rounds than any 10 normal folks will ever put through a pistol in their lifetimes.

As I said above, my primary carry is a Shield 9mm, and I think it's a fine pistol. My alternate carry (depends on clothing and, honestly, how I'm feeling that day) is a snub nosed S&W Model 19, generally loaded with Remington .38+P ammo and a speedloader of .357 magnum in my pocket. With the right holster (and the right belt) it's easy to carry concealed, and having grown up as a wheelgunner, I'm comfortable shooting it.

Like the above poster said, it's what you're comfortable with. Biggest thing, as with any form of self defense, is practice practice practice. In high stress situations you're going to be relying on training, so train well, and here's hoping none of us that carry ever have to use the things.