My new Kimber - first impressions

[Maggot6]

I was glad to be armed (even if it was underarmed). Hence the "need" for a new carry gun.

I am a Canadian, so obviously it has been drilled into my head through school that "guns are bad"...
However, I have always wondered, if you are carrying a Glock, or you are carrying a Sig, how much difference does the bullet size make? Wont it just sort of be, 9mm's of damage vs the .45's damage? If you shoot someone in the shoulder with a 9mm/.45 wont it still disable them from using the shoulder? If you have any size gun, how can you be under-armed?

Obviously I've never been shot either....

[Steelrat]

I am a Canadian, so obviously it has been drilled into my head through school that "guns are bad"...
However, I have always wondered, if you are carrying a Glock, or you are carrying a Sig, how much difference does the bullet size make? Wont it just sort of be, 9mm's of damage vs the .45's damage? If you shoot someone in the shoulder with a 9mm/.45 wont it still disable them from using the shoulder? If you have any size gun, how can you be under-armed?

Obviously I've never been shot either....

Different rounds have different capabilites. It's not just a function of physical size, but also weight, velocity, and construction. The 9mm is regarded as being less effective than .40 or .45 when it comes to stopping a threat. You want to be able to stop them as quickly as possible, and .45 does that better than almost any other handgun round.

[93civiccpe]

Different rounds have different capabilites. It's not just a function of physical size, but also weight, velocity, and construction. The 9mm is regarded as being less effective than .40 or .45 when it comes to stopping a threat. You want to be able to stop them as quickly as possible, and .45 does that better than almost any other handgun round.

The 9mm got a bad wrap because the original rounds didn't have much stopping power. The .45acp was deemed a perfect weapon for knockdown, but the round was more expensive and the magazines couldn't hold many of them. The .40 was a compromise, but most feel it still doesn't have a significant advantage over a 9mm. Anyways, a lot has changed since the earlier days. If you have the right bullets in a 9mm (hydrashock for example), then it is a perfectly fine takedown weapon. Why else would the majority of our police forces in the states use them. If you shoot a person twice in center mass with a 9mm with the right ammunition then it will be effective. Personally, I never could justify carrying around a .45 for a carry weapon. I know a lot of guys who carry small .380 pistols as carry weapons and they have proved themselves as well with the right ammunition.

Most people carrying a concealed weapon will tell you that they hope it never has to come out of otheir pockets. You never want to be in that situation, but if you ever are in that situation and have a concealed weapon and choose to use it, then you better know how to use it. I remember reading a lot of historical novels about assassins, and the primary round the assassin would use is the .22. For them it was all about shot placement and they usually only got one shot to get the kill. I'm not saying to carry a .22, but I am using this to show that if you know how to use a .380 or 9mm properly it can make a perfectly fine concealed weapon.

[Pneumagger]

Another thing to be considered is the velocity of a round. I shoot a .40 (a CZ 75) and it is a nice balance of power between a 9mm and a .45 ACP. One problem I've often heard about is the fact that .40 can and often does "overpenetrate". It is more powerful than a 9 and much quicker than a .45 and has the tendancy to overpenetrate a target and go sailing onto whatever lies behind it. Not something that is desirable. I was target shooting out in the boon docks once with a 7" thick cedar back stop. Upon inspection after a few magazines, I'd discovered that alot were making it all the way trough the stop. They were solid target slugs though...not JHP's. you can buy a rediculous amout of that cheap target ammo at dicks. like 250rnds for $15

Although I have been looking into a compensated 10mm - which is considered to be something you carry for large animal protection (like fram bears ahile hunting). I imagine that that slug would over penetrate nearly all the time though, and I hear they kick alot.

Anyone here ever shot a .50AE or .44mag - talk about power

[Lohman446]

I have a .40 actually. I like it but do not like it as an alternative to the 45 or 357 Sig - both of which have shown tremendous stopping power.

I have a 357 Sig - basically a 40 necked down to 9MM. Tremendous stopping power, tremendously quick bullet, but overpenetration is a major concern. You get the same number of shots as with a 40 with stopping power of a 45 or perhaps a bit better.

I realize the 9MM has come a long way, but I see far too many police units taking budget into consideration when selecting a sidearm. Keep in mind I was prepared to buy a 9MM or a carryable .40 when I began looking. They are good enough. I liked the .45 better, and once I had moved over in choice of handguns I do still beleive the 45 is better than the 9MM. Though I do realize the 45 is overglorified and the 9MM is under appreciated and the difference between the two is not as great as some would like you to think.

I would have purchased a gun chambered in a select few rounds. 380 was considered the bottom end. 9MM and 40 were both the "accepted" caliber going in. 357 Sig in a carryable platform was preferred but I did not expect to find it. I would ahve considered the 45GAP even though I don't like "oddity" cartridges (I make an exception for the 357SIG). The 380NAA was out for the same reason. 45 to me is always a great option, and it provides reasonably priced practice ammo.

Besides, I really liked the gun. I had it in my hand with a Baby Glock in 40, an XD in 40, and a Kahr in 9MM as my "final four" in the selection. The Kimber, for various reasons, was far and away the best choice for me once I had taken cost out of the equation.

[billybob_81067]

Most people carrying a concealed weapon will tell you that they hope it never has to come out of otheir pockets. You never want to be in that situation, but if you ever are in that situation and have a concealed weapon and choose to use it, then you better know how to use it. I remember reading a lot of historical novels about assassins, and the primary round the assassin would use is the .22. For them it was all about shot placement and they usually only got one shot to get the kill. I'm not saying to carry a .22, but I am using this to show that if you know how to use a .380 or 9mm properly it can make a perfectly fine concealed weapon.

I've always wondered why more people don't carry .22's You can kill anything with them, you just gotta shoot where it counts. I've actually been thinking about getting a .22 LR semi auto pistol to carry just because it seems like these damn squirrels/prairie dogs around here always show up when you don't have a rifle nearby.

[Pneumagger]

do they make .22 magnum pistols?

[geekwarrior]

I've always wondered why more people don't carry .22's You can kill anything with them, you just gotta shoot where it counts. I've actually been thinking about getting a .22 LR semi auto pistol to carry just because it seems like these damn squirrels/prairie dogs around here always show up when you don't have a rifle nearby.

gotta be a pretty good shot to get a squirrel on the run with a 22 handgun...maybe with a red dot or something

[Lohman446]

do they make .22 magnum pistols?

I know I have seen revolvers in that available.

[going_home]

Florida

why I had these marked and I wont have to lie.

http://www.guncite.com/gun_control_gcdgcon.html

http://www.moccw.org/map.html

I think governer Jeb just recently last year added Florida to the unrestricted states.

[billybob_81067]

do they make .22 magnum pistols?

I've seen plenty in .22 LR, but not in magnum. I have however seen an ad (a long time ago!) for a single shot pistol chambered for 22-250 and other rifle cartridges... Talk about overpenetration!!!

[Lohman446]

I think governer Jeb just recently last year added Florida to the unrestricted states.

Still required to have a permit. Thus restricted

[lather]

Hawaii may be listed as a "May issue", but in reality it is a "right denied" state.

You can apply for CCW issue via a letter to the Chief of Police, but you will automatically get a form letter denying any request for CCW.

My Glock 31 cannot leave my place of residence unless I have it locked in the trunk of my car and must be either heading to the range or gunsmith.

[Lohman446]

One reason I'm looking into the XD over the Glock in striker pistols is the fact that it has the addition of the grip saftey. Now I know that it's not a true safty in the sense that it needs disengaged, but it's just one extra level I guess. Plus, have you ever shot one? The ergonomics are really nice compared to most oher pistols. Plus, with the .45 GAP, the grip isn't bulky at all and the double stack gives alot more shots..

Consider the Taurus millenium series. I don't think they are a great price for what you get but they are nice little guns too.

[Steelrat]

Anyone here ever shot a .50AE or .44mag - talk about power

Wanna kill a bear? .500 S&W all the way.





For comparison, thats a .44 magnum on the left