Protecting yourself with a 9mm handgun
By MARJ LAW
It has been difficult to write this week because I’m horrified at the assassination attempt on President Donald Trump. Whether you like him or you don’t, the attempt brings into focus how vulnerable we can be.
Women who have lost their husbands after many years of marriage can feel vulnerable in their homes. At night, in the dark, they hear a sound. Is it the house “settling?” An animal outside, foraging for food? Or is it someone who knows she is alone, and is trying to break in?
Or is it the person who travels by car or truck long distances? Who can you trust when your car breaks down by the side of the road, and someone stops by to “help” you?
And what about a store owner, who obviously keeps cash behind the counter? Is the person who just walked in with his hand reaching under his shirt scratching an itch, or reaching for his gun?
Do you feel safe when you’re part of the congregation in church? I’ve heard at least one local church has taken security measures.
Over the past 16 years, Joe and I have come to the Wakulla County Sheriff’s Office range on Wednesday mornings around 10 to help people understand the rules of the range, along with ideas on how to keep their guns safe at home from friends, family members, and others who come to their homes.
After watching many videos of this frightening event targeting our president, I’m happy to know that none of the people we’ve worked with have ever drawn their gun in anger. They’ve never pulled their gun to “solve” an argument or to threaten another.
The only real anger I’ve seen happened once at the range. At that time, the range was “cold,” which means that people get behind the red line on the cement floor. They are away from the shooting “bench” where guns and ammunition are placed. When the range is “cold,” no one is allowed to even touch their gun or their ammunition. This is why, when the range is “cold,” it’s safe to go downrange to put up targets.
The anger? Well, one of our members was downrange. She put up her target and started back to the pistol shooting area. Another shooter decided to shoot before she had returned.
She yelled that she was still downrange, and when she returned, she was very upset. In no uncertain terms, she reminded him the reason for a “cold” range. When she was sure he understood, she waited for the rest of us to call the range “hot.” Then she, trembling, packed up her gun and ammo and left for the day.
I don’t love guns. I wish many of us don’t have a need to feel safe. However, a lot of us here in Wakulla County do own guns. So, it’s important for us not only to feel safe from others, but to make certain our own guns are safe from other people. We need to know how to lock up our guns at home. How to know and act safely with our guns at all times and at any range. Gun ownership is a tremendous responsibility.
I am fascinated about how guns work. Most especially, I like to find handguns that are user-friendly. I’m not talking about big ole Dirty Harry-type guns. I’m talking about guns that have easy trigger pulls, and trigger pulls that have reasonably short travel distances. Most of all, I look for guns having light recoil. If you have carpal tunnel syndrome, arthritis or other hand/arm problems, recoil is a prime concern. And most of us prefer a gun with controllable recoil as we get older.
Grip is another factor in being able to shoot. The gun you choose must fit well in your hand. You need a good grip to be able to control your gun.
Joe and I have “favorite” guns to shoot when we practice at the WCSO range. Joe has big bones and large hands. I have small bones and small hands. It’s not surprising that our favorite guns are very different.
We both like 9mm handguns for defense, but we like different aspects of our guns. Joe needs a bigger grip than I do for his larger hands. Joe prefers hammer-fired handguns. He declares they have better triggers than striker-fired guns. His P365 has a flat trigger. He likes that.
Well, I prefer striker-fired handguns. I think they are softer-shooting guns. I like a small grip and find a curved trigger is more comfortable.
Joe’s favorite compact gun is his Sig Sauer P365 Macro X-Comp. Versions of the Sig P365 have been very popular. This particular version is 6.6 inches long and has a 3.1-inch barrel. It weighs 21.5 ounces and can hold 17 rounds in its magazine. The slide on the P365 is a bit longer than the barrel. It has a couple oval holes in front which help to reduce muzzle flip.
My fave is the Kimber R7 Mako. It is 6.2-inches long and has a 3.39-inch barrel. It weighs 19.5 ounces and mine came with four 10-round magazines.
All my fingers fit well on the Mako’s grip. It’s a bit short for Joe. His P365 has a longer grip and he needs it for good control.
Last Wednesday, we decided to shoot our guns. We do have a continuing friendly rivalry going. We plan to shoot his P365 against my Mako as they are similar in size.
“My P365 is hammer-fired and has a much better trigger than your Mako,” he says. “We’ll shoot better with the P365.”
“Striker-fired is the way to go,” I retort.
Joe shoots my Mako first. Drat. He hits the X-ring with his first shot. Then he gets two more shots respectably on target. And the 4th? Oops! It flew off to never-never land!
I shoot next. My shots are on target, but I don’t get an X-ring. Drat again. Okay, so he shoots my Mako a bit better than I.
Next, Joe shoots his P365. He gets an X-ring, and then his three other shots hit the target.
My turn. Keeping the muzzle facing downrange, I pull back the slide and flip over his P365. What do you know, but a striker nestles in the back of the slide.
“Oops! Yep, I forgot that one is a striker-fired gun too,” he admits.
I shoot two X-rings and get two more on the target.
Well, that’s not great. He shoots my Mako better than I do, and I shoot his P365 better than he does.
“Your Mako has a red dot reflex sight on it. That gives your gun a leg up,” he says.
“Well, your P365 has the compensation holes on its slide. That gives your gun a leg up,” I grin.
The good news is that we can defend ourselves with either gun if we have to.
But I never want to be in that position.
Marj Law is the former director of Keep Wakulla County Beautiful who has become an avid shooter in retirement.