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The Shooter’s Log is often asked about the ‘best’ handgun load. Unfortunately, many correspondents fail to share the intended mission of the load. The mission has a strong influence as to the desired bullet weight, velocity, and penetration. As an example, you may be perfectly happy to run the .44 Special or .45 Colt with a 255-grain SWC at 700 fps for cowboy action or target practice. If hiking in country in which the big cats or bears may be more than a nuisance, the same bullet up to 1,000 fps would be a better choice.
As far as handling and ergonomics, the AR-15 and AR-10 are brilliantly designed and function the same. Some new shooters may not realize that the AR-10 7.62x51mm rifle actually came first. In fact the AR-10 .308 rifle competed with the FN FAL and M14. In the end, the rifle was downsized into the .223 caliber AR-15, which was a response to the AK-47, but that is history and we are dealing with differences in application today.
Not long ago, the conversation turned to shotguns at the gun shop. While even the folks that are not the ones we call “gunny” know the merits of a shotgun for home defense, there are many opinions on the proper load and the best shotgun. However, the shotgun is only the launcher, it is the load that does the damage.
While hollow point or expanding bullets have been the standard for personal defense for decades, they are far from perfect. There has been a tremendous amount of development in ammunition during the past few years. Among the most interesting of these has been the advances in nonexpanding ammunition. These loads are intended to produce good wound potential for personal defense without the problems of jacketed hollow point manufacture and performance.
Purchasing an AR-15 rifle was far simpler when the only choice was Colt. Later, we had Armalite and a few others. Today, I cannot count the makers. Some are genuine manufacturers and others are small operators putting together rifles from outsourced parts. As long as the parts are high quality, that is fine. There is a lot of talent in the business. Diamondback’s DB15 exemplifies such talent.
Personal defense ammunition doesn’t always have a valid understudy for training. A high velocity loading may strike to a different point of impact in relation to the point of aim compared to a standard velocity, training load. SIG Sauer has developed a line of ammunition that is well suited to personal defense and training. The line is called 365 after its successful compact 9mm handgun.
The Pachmayr Guardian grip is among the most interesting yet and certainly the most innovative. The design is simple enough. This spring-loaded extension rocks into place and allows firing the pistol with much more comfort. A rough analogy is the difference between the flush fit and extended grip offered with compact self-loading handguns.
The primary requisite to hitting the target is being able to identify the target, acquire the target with the sights, and hit the target after getting a good sight picture and properly pressing the trigger. It is simple, but it isn’t easy. Crimson Trace Lasergrips go a long way toward closing the accuracy gap.
The question is, when the man says to choose your weapons, what is the choice? The real question must be what is the threat. I think most of us realize we need a handgun to always be with us and a long gun to even the odds and provide real protection. For a long term prepper to cover the needs and situation from a fixed base, the list is longer.
If there is anything I have learned in 40 years of shooting, it is if you buy cheap, you buy twice. When it comes to optics many that are OK for informal target practice and others are suited to some forms of competition. However, if you need a quality holographic sight for critical use, few if any, have stood the test of time as the EOTech sight has.
