Texas Department of Defense command. I also carry six extras in a small leather pouch in my pocket, and I have a couple of speed loaders that I sometimes carry in urban environments. There are a number of revolvers on the market that are suitable for concealed carry. I am, as I write this, testing a Smith & Wesson Model 325 in .45 ACP. It holds six rounds in a “clip” that looks like a star. It has a 2 1/2-inch barrel and is made of a super-lightweight alloy. The sights are not adjustable (a point I find disappointing), but it is a very accurate gun and the clips make for the fastest reload I have ever seen in a revolver. Jerry Miculek, the fastest man ever with a revolver, uses a similarly equipped revolver for his shooting demonstrations, and you have to watch very closely to see him reload. Of course, he has fired a million or so rounds to become that proficient. The best rounds for the concealed carry revolver are, in order of power, the .38 Special, .357 magnum, .45 ACP, .44 Special, and .45 Colt. The .44 and .38 Specials can be fired in .44 and .357 magnum guns, thereby reducing muzzle blast and recoil while increasing control and, gen-
erally, accuracy. However, there is an equal loss in power when the specials are used in place of the magnums. I recently tested a Smith & Wesson Model 329 Night Guard. It is a .44 Magnum in the ultra-light Scandium alloy used by S&W. The recoil with a fullhouse .44 magnum is pretty grim, but when used with 200-grain Winchester .44 Special Silver Tip hollow points it is much tamer and more controllable. Since the .44 Special is one of the finest manstoppers ever developed, this makes a dynamite combination. A new addition to the self-defense lineup is the .327 Federal Magnum. It is said to have more manstopping power than a +P .38 Special, but I am doubtful. Still, for someone who is recoil sensitive it is a valid choice, and it does have considerable power behind the little bullets. I have given this advice before, but here it is again: If you are new to shooting, have no great love of guns, only want a gun that is well-suited for personal defense, buy a revolver. You simply cannot beat a revolver for that first five or six shots. Since the average gunfight is over in three shots, you
should have enough firepower in that cylinder to get the job done. If not, well, the fat is surely in the fire and you had better have a Plan B. As for which revolver to buy, I won’t presume to advise you to purchase a specific gun, because there are many good choices, but I will give you a couple of hints. It needs to be as powerful as you are capable of handling in rapid fire. If that is a .32, then get a .32 magnum. If it is a .38 Special, get either a .38 or a .357 magnum. The .357 magnum is one of the best manstoppers you can buy, but it loses some of its wallop in the short barrels of concealed carry guns. The best reason to buy one is that you can carry .357s in the gun and buy or reload .38 Special wadcutters for practice. Or, if you so desire, you can carry .38 Special +P or +P+ loads. The point is that the .357 magnum is very versatile. Also, if you like the bigger calibers, as I said above, the .45 and .44 caliber guns are available and pack a huge punch. I am growing quite fond of the M325 Night Guard in .45 ACP that I have been carrying for the last week or so. It uses the standard star
Suppressors
neighbors will definitely know you are up to something. Subsonic specialty ammunition is available for most pistol calibers and even .223 and .308 but it won’t cycle in your semi-automatic rifle and will have as little ballistic effectiveness as a flying crochet needle. But with new loads, such as the .300 AAC Blackout, chambered in an AR-15-style rifle will cycle with 220grain ammunition at a subsonic speed. These bullets drop like a rock, but they sure are easier to throw. The first advantage of a suppressor is of course sound suppression. Most high-end suppressors allow the shooter not to need muffs or plugs while shooting. Some folks may still prefer to use ear protection with centerfire calibers, but I find it isn’t necessary. It makes a social shoot much more enjoyable because you can carry on a conversation while shooting. This quieter report is also an advantage in a tactical situation. Firing an unsuppressed weapon in a
close quarter area such as a residence will result in hearing loss and reduced situational awareness. Further, the noise suppression is also a training aid when introducing beginners to shooting sports. Shooters who flinch because of noise, muzzle blast and recoil will find themselves shooting a much tighter group with a “can” on the end of the barrel. Another tactical advantage is the elimination of the muzzle flash. The unburnt powder that would normally light up the darkness like fireworks is almost completely eliminated with the suppressor. A can eliminating this flash guards your night vision by preventing the temporary blindness from muzzle flash. It is also a lifesaver for SWAT entry teams when raiding a drug lab or crime scene where flammable substances are present. Suppressors also will help reduce recoil because of the extra weight at the end of the barrel as well acting as a
t Continued from page 36 because although the muzzle report itself Story is very muffledJump the main sound you will
t Continued fromcrack pageofxxthe bullet hear is the ballistic itself. Physics do not allow an object traveling over the speed of sound to be silent in the atmosphere, and the ballistic crack can be surprisingly loud. The best comparison of a bullet’s ballistic crack is about the same as the muzzle report of a standard rifle fired .22LR. Any cartridge firing a bullet over roughly 1,100 feet per second will produce this unsuppressible crack, therefore sounding a bit louder than Hollywood’s deceitful sound effects. If you shoot lower velocity calibers that are below the speed of sound, such as a pistol .22LR and .45 ACP you will have a major reduction in sound signature comparable to a pellet rifle. But cross the supersonic threshold, and the 38 |
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