This week's "Concealed Carry Corner" at The Firearm Blog is entitled: "Firepower vs Mobility vs Capacity," and examines those three categories or factors as it applies to selecting a handgun for concealed carry. The author begins his discussion:
This week, I want to look at the three common categories that most handguns will fall under and how to choose the right one. Various handguns are made for certain situations and there are different handguns out there for different intended uses. Let's take a closer look at firepower vs mobility vs capacity.
In its normal sense, firepower is "the amount or strength of military weapons that can be used against an enemy." It can encompass both a low volume of fire where each missile or projectile is individually powerful, or a high volume of less powerful missiles or projectiles. But the author of this article is using it in the sense of "stopping power": the power of an individual round. Thus, he comments:
The main point when it comes to firepower is how much energy transfer and knockdown power a round can offer. Newer rounds that have filled a role as a powerful round to carry would be the 10mm Auto or 44 Magnum that most backpackers or hikers carry, especially in western states. While there are some fantastic options in both of those calibers, it's not always easy to find a concealable option and oftentimes, if they are concealable, it means the capacity will be lower than other options on the market.
The author uses the term "mobility" to denote how "mobile" (I guess in the sense it is used in the term "mobile phone") and easy to carry is a weapon. He writes:
There's always the old saying that the first rule in a gunfight is to have a gun. While conflict avoidance and de-escalation are key, it's important to actually have a handgun on your person if you want to protect yourself. If your handgun is too heavy or cumbersome, the likelihood that it'll be left at home will significantly increase. There are plenty of people who carry a 380 LCP or something similar for its overall size, in order to have some sort of firearm on them.
Not everyone can carry a full-size handgun with a red dot and weapon light comfortably. People often prefer having a handgun that has fantastic mobility, is lightweight, easy to conceal and can be carried all day long without fatigue. These types of pistols can be thrown in a pocket easily and carried all day long without any worries. As a result, these handguns typically aren't chambered in very powerful cartridges and have very limited capacity. While there are plenty of benefits to having a highly mobile and easy-to-carry pistol, they certainly aren't perfect.
He believes this is actually the most important consideration when selecting a handgun.
Finally, he discusses capacity, meaning magazine capacity. But, as he notes, "having a full-size handgun with an extended magazine offering 18-21 rounds of ammo in your carry pistol is great, but it's not always possible to carry such a large platform concealed," adding that "[t]he key is to find something that can hold a fair amount of capacity without impeding your ability to comfortably carry." I have to agree with the author that "[c]apacity has turned into a hot topic for carry guns over the last 8-10 years," although I would also point out that the debate extends back to the 1980s (or earlier) with the introduction of the "Wonder 9's". I think, though, that capacity has become the overriding consideration for many people to the detriment of the other considerations.
While these are all good considerations, based on my lengthy experience with concealed carry, I believe the "mobility" factor deserves more weight than the other two because if you aren't carrying the weapon, the other two factors of "firepower" and "capacity" are moot.
But these three factors are not the only considerations. I've discussed it before, but I think the fit or ergonomics of a weapon are important. If you are racing the clock on presentation of the weapon-- recognizing that as a civilian defender you are probably already behind the curve when it comes to responding to a criminal attacker--you need a weapon that points naturally over one that will require you to make gross corrections (rather than minor corrections) to align the sights. Some weapons just point better than others, and it often depends on the person and even if they are using one hand or two hands. For instance, one of the changes between the original M1911 and M1911A1 was the replacement of the straight main spring housing (basically the back strap) with an arched one; and this was to fix the problem of too many soldiers shooting low.
Another factor to consider is the availability of holsters and other accessories for your weapon. I've related before that when I first started to carry a concealed weapon, I selected a pistol, purchased it, and then discovered that no one but the manufacturer made holsters for it ... and the manufacturer went out of business shortly after I purchased the pistol. I used a generic holster that kinda worked, but I learned my lesson. If you know what holster you want, check to make sure there is a model available to fit your handgun before you buy the handgun; or, at the least, see what is the general availability of holsters for the weapon you considering.
Other issues such as durability (can it handle lots of shooting without breaking down) and reliability (will it go bang when you need it to) should also be considered. For some people, the reliability of a revolver trumps most other considerations.
Finally, cost is a significant factor for most people. Sometimes a moderately priced pistol that is good enough is a better option than a great gun that is unaffordable. And don't forget to price the magazines and the availability of magazines for the weapon. An inexpensive surplus or foreign made pistol is no bargain if you can't get extra magazines for it or they cost an arm and a leg. And even some popular brands have ridiculously priced magazines. Three is, to me, the minimum number of magazines for a semi-auto pistol, giving you one in the pistol and two reloads. But five is a more reasonable number for most people because you can have your basic 1 + 2 load out, plus 2 extra to use and abuse for training and practice. Obviously, if you can afford more, then you have extras so you don't have to constantly be reloading the magazines when practicing or to replace a magazine that is damaged or lost. In that regard, you are going to want at least 10 extra if you plan on participating in IDPA or a high-round-count pistol class so you don't spend all your time refilling magazines.
Are there other considerations or factors you consider important? If so, sound off in the comments.
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