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Last Updated: Aug 28, 2009 - 10:45:21 AM |
The following was previously published in Combat Handguns.
The need for a dependable and concealable handgun never goes out of
style. Many have found the S&W five shot .38 Special revolvers to
be the optimum combination of size, weight and effective caliber but
there are, I think, an equal number of users who like the handling and
operating characteristics of the small semi-auto pistol.
There's much good to be said for the little autos. They hold more ammo,
lay flatter against your body and can be reloaded more quickly than a
comparably-sized revolver. The downside is that the maximum caliber is
.380 auto which, at best, doesn't give the ballistics of a Plus P .38
Special. If the trade-off is acceptable to you, the more concealable
auto is the way to go. Recently, I've been shooting Makarovs chambered
for .380 auto and 9x18 Makarov calibers. The Maks I've shot were made
in Russia and Imported by KBI, Inc. and B-West, Inc.
I shot Federal Hydra Shok .380 rounds in the 9x18 gun. The cases bulged
and split but worked flawlessly through the gun, as did the CCI and
Norinco 9x18 ammo. (This was done under controlled conditions and is
definitely not a safe or recommended practice!)
I also shot CP Law Enforcement Specialties duty and training .380 ammo,
as well as PMC Starfire, Federal, Remington, Cor-Bon and CCI brands
through the three guns from B-West and there were no jams. None! The
guns ran all the time, every time. If you line up the Makarov side by
side with the top-of-the-line-brand pocket double-action autos such as
the Walther PP, the Sig/Sauer P230 or the Beretta Model 85 or 86,
you'll find they're all of about the same size, shape and weight. The
only guns that are smaller in this bore diameter are the AMT .380 DAO
and the new model Colt .380s.
I ran all the previously-mentioned ammo over a ProChrono chronograph.
Velocities ran from a low of 925 feet-per-second (fps) to a high of
1005 fps and this was for both the 9x18 Mak rounds as well as the .380
rounds. I did find the Mak-chambered gun to shoot more accurately than
the .380s but it had the advantage of a smoothed-up action, so the
comparison is not completely valid. The .380 Maks cost about $25 more
than the 9x18 chambering, but the advantage is that you can get good
jacketed hollow point ammo in .380. Reloading components are available
for either caliber.
I was concerned with the safety of the Mak, since it doesn't have a
firing pin safety nor does it have a firing pin spring to hold the pin
back from the primer if dropped. With a primed case in place, I
seriously and repeatedly raked the Mak on its muzzle against a work
bench. All I got was a slight dimpling of the primer. The mark was
similar to that you often find on a round taken from an M-1 Garand or
an M-14. These Maks are a good deal!
The name-brand small autos all have good track records as does the Mak,
which is still the Russian duty sidearm for both the military and the
police. I don't have any input on the "stopping" ability of the Mak
round -- the Russians view a sidearm as a badge of rank or a very last
ditch weapon. Standard .380 jacketed round nose is not considered to be
a reliable "stopper," whatever that is. I'm of the opinion that if you
have already found the need to go to the smaller caliber guns because
of life style, you've already accepted the inherent weakness of the
smaller calibers.
So check out the Maks if you want or need a small, concealable auto.
They're certainly priced right for their level of performance.
GUNFIGHTING
When the legally-armed citizen gets serious about learning what is now
called defensive pistolcraft and makes inquiry about how to go about
becoming proficient, the usual and correct advice is to attend one of
the well-known firearms schools such as the Lethal Force Institute,
Gunsite Training Center, Thunder Ranch, the Chapman Academy or some of
the lesser-known but equally-well-staffed schools. What
happens next isn't so correct. The would-be student will, in all
probability, choose a large duty-sized handgun and off to the school he
goes, leaving his everyday "real world" defense gun at home. After a
few hundred to a thousand rounds at the school, he comes back home,
packs away the training gun and picks up his daily defense gun. He is
only marginally better off now than before he went to the school. He
knows much more about gun handling, but only with the "big" gun. The
J-frame S&Ws, the Colt Detective Special, the Ruger GP101 and all
the small semi- autos are a different breed and will work "differently"
in the user's hand as compared to a full-sized gun. Recoil is
increased. Sights are decreased. The gun is just harder to control and
to hit with.
An argument can be made that the little guns (and the shooter) can't
stand up to a week's worth of intensive shooting. Well, there's no free
lunch. If you need to carry the little gun daily, learn that gun! I
would suggest one of two courses of action if you're planning to attend
a firearms school. Plan A would be to bring a spare or three of the
same gun that you use daily. You can "cheat" a bit and put bigger grips
on the revolvers to cut down on the recoil. And you can use reduced
loads. These steps can also be applied to the small semi-auto. As for
reduced loads, a good gunsmith might be able to set the auto up so that
it will reliably cycle with less than full loads.
Plan B would be to take the current "cult" gun to the shooting school, but also take your
real gun with you and arrange to shoot it part of the time during the school. Another
benefit of using your regular carry gun in the training sessions is
that you will definitely learn the gun's limitations -- a better place
to learn than in your first, and possibly last, lethal confrontation!
GEAR Simply put, buy the very best
ammunition and holsters that you can afford for your personal defense
arm. Buy top-of-the-line ammo and shoot it in the gun. This statement
isn't as silly as it sounds. I know of more than a few shooters who buy
the very best ammo to "carry" but never fire a single round of it for
practice. "Too expensive," they say or, "the high-velocity ammo will
destroy the gun." (Really? This will surely come as a surprise to
Remington, Winchester, Federal, Cor-Bon, Black Hills, CP Specialties
and all those other ammo companies.
Yes, I know. Ammunition isn't cheap, but $25 per month, the
approximate cost of a box of ammo, is cheap life insurance. You can
waste 25 bucks on a lousy meal for two each month and get nothing but
heartburn. You should be reloading for your carry gun anyway and this
assures you of a good supply of quality cases, rather than using range
pick-ups that may or may not work all the time. Next, the "'hot'
ammo will destroy my gun" argument. No quality, name-brand ammo will
"destroy" any gun. Guns wear out just like cars and any other
multi-part tool. Consider this. You buy home owners insurance, car
insurance and possibly business insurance. At the end of the year, you
know you were protected, but you spent significant sums of money and
have nothing tangible to show for it. If the handgun you buy costs $600
and it continues to work reliably for three years, you've bought cheap
insurance and still have a salvageable gun at the end. Add it up -- $25
per month for ammo equals $300 per year. A new gun at $600 for three
years equals $200 per year. Your total yearly cost is $500 --
just $41.67 per month -- for the best "life" insurance on the market.
As far as holsters go, there is a plethora of good rigs on the
market. Galco, Safariland, Bianchi, Gould & Goodrich, Milt Sparks,
DeSantis, and Mitchell Leatherworks are among the best of the best. A
good rule of thumb is that if the holster costs
less than a box of factory ammo for your gun, don't buy it! The bottom line -- don't go cheap and die; your
relatives will just end up spending the money you saved!
© Copyright 2006 by DOWN RANGE TV
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