On the Caliber War

I think we all hear a lot about the caliber war. What is best? Does (fill in the blank) have enough 'stopping power'? Does (fill in the blank) have too much kick? Will (fill in the blank) be better than (fill in the blank)? Does it even matter?

I'll admit it: I'm a 9mm person, myself. Oh, I know that .45ACP or 10mm might have a 'better' reputation as defense rounds and I can't tell you the number of times someone has said: 'you should get a .44 magnum for your carry gun'. Well, maybe. But I have my reasons for sticking with 9mm. Just as others have their reasons for whatever caliber they are sporting. Here's what it really boils down to for me:

Is my chosen round is used by military and/or police?

If so, it probably has enough power for any situation I'm going to get into.

Am I comfortable shooting this load?

.44magnum might be great, but the last time I shot one of those, it kicked like a mule and my hand was sore for a week. I won't practice if it's no fun.

Does my chosen ammo come priced reasonably enough that I can afford to practice?

For some, this is not a big deal, for anyone on a budget, it is. If your ammo is too expensive for you to practice with it, then you might be better off shooting a .22 at the bad guy. At least you'd hit him.

Do I have reasonably good performance with this ammo?

Facing the facts, sometimes we just don't shoot as well with certain loads/guns. Those shouldn't be our primary defensive tools.

If you answer yes to all of these, then whatever you picked is just about fine. Maybe the holes aren't as large as some, but they will end up where they need to be and that's what really matters.

Review: NRA Women on Target

NRA Women on Target Course

Taken: mid July.

Level:                    Beginner, entry, never handled a gun before.

Lecture:         (4)   Solid 3+- hours providing a good grounding in safety, operating mechanisms of firearms, and some very basic fundamentals of sight picture and alignment, grip, and the like. The lecture portion could have used a little more time.

Range:          (5)   A full afternoon of gun handling time. Each shooter has a personal coach to ensure a smooth experience. Shooters rotated stations, allowing them to try many types of guns.

Materials:      (3)  Ours were photocopied handouts. They served the purpose but are not conducive to flipping through at a later date.

Equipment:    (5)   A very nice assortment of firearms available to try. Ammunition provided. All are in .22lr caliber, although at the end of the afternoon a .38 special revolver was brought out for anyone interested.

Value:            (5)   Tuition was $10. An excellent value for everything that was included.

Recommended For: Women who have never handled a gun before, or have not done so in many, many years. If you've shot in the past, you may want to consider another course.

Total Score: 22/25  (88% for those who prefer things that way)

Opinion: Back when I took it, it was exactly the right thing for me. I wanted to handle as many different firearms as possible and this class provided that opportunity. The environment was very safety conscious but otherwise relaxed and low key. A good introductory experience for first time firearm handlers. If you want to introduce your damsel to shooting, this isn't a bad option, especially since she won't be intimidated by the pistol champ at the next bench.

Oh yeah: This is not a self defense course by any means. It's simply an introduction to firearms. Concealed carry doesn't come up. 

A new month, a new series of articles.

In an effort to make myself slightly useful to the community that reads these rambles, I am planning on writing small reviews of the classes I take. When I was starting on this quest to concealed carry, I did a lot of reading and wondering about what classes to take first. Most everything I read was good but it didn't really help me decide what to start with or where to go from there. Hopefully, these small reviews will provide something of a trail to anyone else in a similar position.

I will review each course based upon the following 7 criteria, with a score of 1 to 5, 5 being excellent and 1 being below expectations. A course may receive a score of N/A in a category if it is not applicable. In my reviews, I will attempt to keep focused on the material presented, as different places and instructors may heavily color the overall impression of the course. So, without further ado, my system:

Level: entry, intermediate, advanced, etc.

Lecture: what material is covered in the class via speaking or presentation. Higher scores for material that is clear, practical, and relevant to firearms and safety.

Range Time: the time, number of rounds, coaching, and so on. Higher scores for safe, skill building time.

Materials Provided: Texts, manuals, handouts, useful things to take home. Higher scores for materials that are useful for future reference.

Equipment Provided: ammo, weapons, holsters, variety of equipment, etc.

Value: cost versus returns, I'll try to list the price of the course here as well, but these can vary depending on season, location, and registration discounts.

Recommended For: who I would recommend the class for.

Opinion: my personal rant and rave about the class, not included in scoring.

Excluding Level and Recommendation, this gives us a maximum of 25 points.

In my rating scheme, I will take into account how accurately the advertising reflects the course. For example, if a course says you must provide your own handgun and 200 rounds of ammo, then they might get a 5 in equipment provided, even though they didn't provide anything.

Hopefully this all makes good sense.

Reviews will appear the first week of each month, if there is to be one that month.

I try to attend several courses every year but if there is one in particular that you would like reviewed, let me know and I'll see what I can do. 

Similarly, if you offer courses and want me to review yours; a tuition break would be a great incentive!

If you have any questions about my reviews, comment or e-mail me and I'll do my best to answer them.