It will be interesting to see what SgtMike88Ret has to say.

I lived in the San Diego area for about ten years when I was young.

I am not LE but was in the US Army for seven years and have been interested in the subject for the last 40 years. I have owned handguns in: .22, .380, 9mm, .38 spl, .40 S&W, .45 apc, .45 long Colt, .357 mag, .41 mag, and .44 mag. Self protection has been my primary interest. I have owned shotguns and rifles along the way. I have no loyalty to any brand of gun or caliber. If anything better comes along I?ll drop what I have and get what works the best.

Shotguns and rifles are deadly but not good for home defense. It is very hard to negotiate rooms and doorways in a dark house with a long gun. It is too easy to have the barrel where the bad guy (BG) can grab it. Having been there; one of the most stressful/dangerous situations is a knock on the door in the middle of the night. You are not going to answer the door with a shotgun or rifle in your hands. It is easy to hold a handgun along your leg (out of sight). If you are in contact range a long gun will be hard to control. A handgun can be held close to your side (chest) and fired out of reach of the BG. A quick push and retract with your weak hand will put the BG where you want him. If the BG is able to grab the front of your handgun: take a step back and the muzzle will be pointing where it will do the most good.

I hate handgun advice to new shooters. They always recommend something the new shooter will transaction out of. Why not have them start with guns we end up with? Look around at the people you see everyday carrying handguns: the police. What are they carrying? Glock handguns. Why? They are simple and reliable. What caliber are they using? .40 S&W hollow points. Why? It gets the job done. If it?s good enough for the people that are in danger of getting in a gunfight everyday it should be good enough for us. I use the Glock 23.

What about light? A tactical light mounted on the rail of the Glock is a wonderful thing. I use an M3. Before you shoot you have to identify your target. The ?I didn?t know it was the drunken neighbor? will not cut it in court. Second, it will temporarily blind the BG while you take care of him. Tritium night sights can?t be beat! Focus on the front sight and concentrate on the trigger pull!

Like the man said: "shooting skills are perishable." If you don?t practice you will have false confidence about your skills. 50+ rounds once-a-month is a good minimal skill maintenance level. Professional training is great if you can get it. If not, get some videos on self defense with a handgun.

What about storage? Get a small document firebox. Line it with foam and keep your handgun loaded and locked up.

For fun and practice you can get an Advantage Arms .22lr slide adapter. I have one and it works great! Accurate and reliable! <img src="/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />



What does Mr. Ritter carry? A Glock 22 .40 S&W. on your own