What to look for in a second handgun
By MARJ LAW
What are you carrying?
“You’re not quite a newbie, but you are looking for another handgun. What’s important to you?” I ask Joe that question, and he tries to think like an almost-newbie, or what he will want to keep in mind.
“Most important is ammunition,” he says. “Ammunition can get expensive, and some of it is even difficult to find, even if you can afford it.
For instance, while you might pay $22 for 50 rounds of 9mm, you might pay $50 for 50 rounds of 10mm. Personally, I don’t want to spend $1 per round. And .22s and 9s are popular rounds. They are easiest to find and also least expensive. Not to say they’re not expensive. Recently, the price of ammunition has come down, but it was high in the more distant past. So, I’ll suggest buying a gun that takes ammunition readily available and cheap.
Furthermore, if you have a 9mm gun already, you might want to consider purchasing another 9mm handgun. This way, you’ll need the same ammunition for both.”
“Ammunition is the most important consideration in your book?” I’m surprised. “When people ask me about handguns, the first question is about recoil. People, especially mature people over 50-ish don’t want to have to manage much recoil. To me, the recoil factor is much more important than availability or cost of ammunition.
Recoil isn’t all about the caliber of a gun. Some 9mm handguns have a lot of recoil; others don’t. Partly, this is due to the size and weight of a gun. One with more mass generally has a lighter recoil. Also, Smith & Wesson makes a line of EZs that have much lighter recoil than most other handguns. Even men with strong hands and lots of background agree that this line has a reduced recoil.
I bet that if you ask Mr. or Ms. Newbie what they look for first, they’ll say the gun with the least recoil.”
“Well, it’s not most important to me,” he says firmly.
“That’s because you’re a big strong guy,” I return.
“Yep,” he smirks.
“What’s next on your list, big strong guy?” I’m wondering.
“Sights are important,” he replies. “I like big white dot sights. They’re easy to see and easy to align to the target. Two big white dot back sights and one big white dot front sight are the best. I like the fiber optic sights too: specifically, the red and green fiber optic sights. They are also clear and easy to see.”
“Really? You prefer them to the red dot reflex sights? The ones you mount on top of the gun and aim the red dot at the target?”
“Not all guns are capable of having a red dot. You have to have a rail on the gun or a special mount to go on the gun to accommodate the red dot. Not all guns have a rail or a special mount for the red dot sight, so you can’t use a red dot with them.”
“What about grips? Are they important to you?” I ask as he’s about to go onto a long discussion of screws and blue over red Loctite for the mount.
“You know we both prefer our guns to have palm swells in the grips. I don’t like some of the baby Ruger LCPs. They have flat grips. I feel like I can’t get a good grip on the ones that are flat-sided. If you can’t get a good grip, you don’t shoot so well. So, a firm grip is next on my list.”
“Next on my list is recoil. People I speak to want as light a recoil as they can find.”
“You’ve already mentioned recoil.” He thinks my memory is going bad.
“Yep. I think most people want a gun that’s easy to shoot,” I return. “Who worries about sights when they’re experiencing a lot of kick? Next on my list is recoil.”
“Well, next on my list is availability of after-market parts. They can be less expensive. You may want a different trigger or sights. You may want to change your grips to ones with different stippling or color.”
“Recoil is most important,” I argue.
“Color is important. Not just for fancy grips, like the ones you find on Esmerelda’s site. She has some attractive carved wooden grips. A real man doesn’t want pink, red or turquoise grips. Grips should be black or camo-colored.”
That real man argument again. How superficial can you get?
I agree with him on this point, but not about the “real man” factor. A brightly-colored gun may draw attention to it. If Mr. Bad is threatening, you don’t want color to point his eyes in your direction.
“Recoil is more important than any color,” I maintain. “And you haven’t mentioned take-down. Some guns are a bear to field strip. And you have to take down your gun to give it a good cleaning.
What about if you have a 1911? For these, you need a wrench and a paper clip. Don’t ask about the process of taking it apart. Suffice it to say, these guns can be a bear to fieldstrip.
On many striker-fired guns you pull and lock back the bolt, then you turn a lever on that bolt downward in a 90’ angle. At this point, you release the slide, and gently roll this assembly off the lower part of the gun.
Take down is important, but recoil is even more so.
“Now that we’ve chewed over the question of what is most important in looking for in a second handgun, have you changed your mind?” I ask him.
“Nope. Ammo is still on the top of my list.”
Oooooo-key dokey. He’s wrong. When looking for your second handgun, the amount of recoil should be first on your list. Find someone who has this gun you think you’d like, and ask to take it to the range to try it out.
Shoot.
Does it have a lot of recoil?
Yes? Head for the hills.
Marj Law is the former director of Keep Wakulla County Beautiful who has become an avid shooter in retirement.