Intend to buy first CCW in next month or so

[SmokeyCity]

I have a gun buddy who has a vast collection. He has been nudging me towards 2nd amendment enlightenment for a while and finally I got my CC permit and took him up on his offer to let me shoot any/all his guns.

Now that I have my CCW the first task is to find the right CC pistol. I shot a Keltec PF9, Walther PPs .40, Glock 23, Kahr PM9 and several others I cant even remember.

After a few boxes of ammo he said its time for the litmus test which will tell me with certainty which pistol is right for me. I went back and shot 3 mags from each gun. Each *MAG* was shot rapid fire - or at least as soon as I could regain the target - at 27 feet at a 11 x 15" target with a 2" sollid black circle in the middle.

First mag both hands, 2nd mag strong hand, third mag weak hand.

Of all the pistols, the Walther PPS performed the best for me. With a two hand hold I put all 7 on target, and did same with dominant hand. Weak hand hit 5 out of 7.

None of the other guns came close to that for me. I asked why this gun was so much better for me. He said its all about the trigger. The Walther has a .31 inch travel which is very short. The reset is even shorter. For some people having that short travel and lack of slack after the fire makes all the difference.

Personally he does not like the Walther as much as his Glocks. He shoots a Glock very accurately.

He also told me that in a defensive situation you rarely get to shoot from a sandbag or have a still target that will wait for you to stage the trigger to make up for that long DAO travel in most pistols. For this reason a defensive pistol should be the one that you can rapid fire the most accurately and that caliber is far less important.

I am wondering if the PPS .40 shoots well for me, would the .9mm shoot even better since it has less recoil ?

Does anyone know of the PPS 9 trigger is identical to the .PS .40 trigger? The Walther Website does not give a clear answer and they have not responded to my email queries.

Thanks for any advice you have.

 

[SmokeyCity]

The Keltec, Walther, Glock and Kahr series of pistols do not use clips to load ammunition, they all use magazines. IIRC, the only pistol that used a stripper clip was the WWI era mauser broomhandle.



Not a problem, and welcome to USA Carry.

I edited the offending term. Actually I know the difference and I see that correction being made about every third post on other forums.

Im kicking myself for accidentally typing it and forcing the clip/mag police to to come out. :=)

 

[RobertSlaughter]

For this reason a defensive pistol should be the one that you can rapid fire the most accurately and that caliber is far less important.

I might not agree with the full implications of "rapid fire", but I will agree based on all I've read that it takes multiple shots on target to defend yourself. And by "on target" i don't mean 'somewhere on the body', but that 2-inch circle centered on the top third of the torso. I do not believe there is a one-shot-is-one-stop caliber in a pistol.

I am wondering if the PPS .40 shoots well for me, would the .9mm shoot even better since it has less recoil ?

The best way to find out is rent one and shoot it. My guess would be yes, but without empirical evidence its just a guess.

Thanks for any advice you have.

 

[Lowjiber]

I am wondering if the PPS .40 shoots well for me, would the .9mm shoot even better since it has less recoil ?

The PPS .40 is an excellent weapon. I'd stick with the .40, if it were my decision.

By the time the recoil is felt, the larger round is already on the target.

 

[SmokeyCity]

The PPS .40 is an excellent weapon. I'd stick with the .40, if it were my decision.

By the time the recoil is felt, the larger round is already on the target.

Im leaning this way since the step down to 9 only buys me one more round. Im guessing that with a practice I can tighten that group a lot.

 

[cardinalfan]

Reminds me of George Carlin "drive on a parkway, park on a freeway" "it's not a near miss, it's a near hit"