Tag Archives: personal protection

The Danger of Derringers

Posted on by Melissa

I’ve noticed that a popular gun among women has been the derringer because of their small size and easy carry ability. Derringers are usually about the size of a person’s hand. I do not recommend most derringers to anyone except collectors. Most derringers do not have a trigger guard, making it very easy for anything to bump up against the trigger and setting the gun off.
derringer

Fortunately, a lot of derringer manufacturers have been making their guns with trigger guards. If you’re set on a derringer, look for one of these. However, these guns are so small that their ammunition capacity is anywhere from 2 to 5 rounds, and the ammunition sometimes is uncommon therefor hard to come by. The newer derringers come in more common calibers, but the antique ones can come in .41 or .32 caliber.

So if you’re looking for a small gun for personal protection, do yourself a favor and go to your local gun store (that you trust) and talk to the owner, or contact your local firearms instructor and see if you can try out some small guns. If you want to know what small gun I like, see my post on the Sig Sauer P238!

Gun Control Means Having a Good Grip

Posted on by Melissa

I wanted to take a moment and put in my two cents on the major shift in the anti-gun rhetoric since the tragedy in Connecticut. Unfortunately our country has become divided in yet another issue. Obviously I am widely against more gun control; more gun control will not stop these senseless shootings. Do you really think these psychopaths that are killing innocent and unarmed people will stop if there are more gun laws? Do you think they won’t be able to get guns illegally? Even if (and this is a big if) criminals couldn’t get guns anymore, they would find another way to spread chaos. The same day as the shooting in Connecticut, a man walked into a school in China with a knife and stabbed 20 children.

I actually do agree with one gun control law that should be passed. I feel that the gun show loop-hole needs to be closed. For those of you who don’t know what that is, the gun show loop-hole means anyone can walk into a gun show with a gun slung on his or her back with a sign that says “for sale.” Someone can walk up and buy the gun without a background check. Now as a responsible gun owner, I will not sell a gun to anyone without a background check, unless I know the person and trust that person. Not all gun owners feel that way though, and many guns get sold without background checks. By closing the gun show loop-hole, it could stop people who are ineligible to own guns from easily buying guns at a gun show.

At this point, the liberal media has whipped the anti-gun rhetoric into a frenzy. It is very rare that you hear about a gun saving a life in the national news. Did you hear that an undercover police officer in San Antonio stopped another possible movie theater shooting? Probably not. The main thing fueling the fire within the media and Washington DC is fear. People fear what they don’t understand. The liberal media and the anti-gunners in Washington don’t understand the gun community whatsoever and have no interest in sitting down and learning a little something. They think that a concealed weapons permit holder is liable to just whip out their gun whenever they are in a small altercation because they are pissed off. They also don’t understand the guns themselves. Have you seen some of the things Dianne Feinstein wants to ban? The one that I really don’t understand is front pistol grips on the AR-15. Because by having a front pistol grip, you can kill a lot more people if you don’t have one. Oh wait, that’s right, a front grip has nothing to do with the power of the rifle! It’s ergonomically more comfortable for people who prefer it, and can actually give you more control over your firearm. Doesn’t more control mean it would be safer? So to Senator Feinstein and all the others who want to ban our guns, please take the time to learn about the equipment you are trying to ban, but most of all, talk to the people it would affect the most: the American people.

My Review of the Sig Sauer P238

Posted on by Melissa

I’d heard a lot of good things about the P238 lately, so my husband and I decided to check one out. When I handled one at the gun store, I was really impressed with how easy it is to pull back the slide. I could literally do it with two fingers, this from a woman who has always had trouble with semi-automatic pistols. I was intrigued to say the least! I looked at some reviews online, and discovered very little complaints, with the exception of some stove-pipe issues. (Stove-pipe is a type of malfunction that after firing a round, the gun fails to eject the spent casing hard enough and it gets stuck in the ejection port, jamming the gun.) I had been interested in a gun I could carry concealed, and the P238 was looking like a good option. I really wanted to shoot it before I bought it, since it came with a pretty hefty price tag of $635. I called up a range in Denver where you can rent guns and shoot them on their range. Unfortunately, they don’t have guns less than 9mm to rent, and the P238 is a .380.

 

So  I decided to take a chance. I was able to sell a gun I had, but didn’t like all that much in order to put some money towards my new toy. Once I sold my Springfield, I went over to the Shootin’ Den in Colorado Springs to get my P238, which I named Rosie due to the rosewood grips, and also after Rosie the Riveter.

I finally found some time that Rosie and I could get to know each other better. The weather was in the 50′s, and I convinced my husband to go to the range with me to try the two new additions to our family. Did I forget to mention that we also are the proud new owners of a Thompson semi-automatic rifle? To those of you who like 30′s gangster movies and shows, that’s a Tommy gun!! It’s not a fully automatic one from the 30′s; those cost about $20k. Ours is a reproduction in semi-auto.   We got out to the range, and I could hardly contain myself. I hadn’t gone shooting in quite a while, and I was excited to shoot the P238 and the Tommy gun. My husband had some trouble at first with the Tommy, because one of the magazines was a little damaged, but once he figured that out and used the other magazine he had, he started having a blast (literally!).

Anyway, back to Rosie. The Sig P238 has a 6 round magazine that was very easy to load. No painful thumbs here. I had dry fired it before we went to the range, and the trigger pull is so much lighter than some other .380′s that I’ve shot. Once I started firing it, I was amazed at how low the recoil is on this gun. It’s a small gun, perfect for concealment, but it has a steel frame, which makes it heavy enough to absorb the recoil. I knew after the first 6 rounds that I was in love and had absolutely no buyers remorse. I let my husband try it out as well, and he really liked it too. Between the two of us, we shot a little less than 100 rounds, and I only had one stove-pipe malfunction. I would say compared to any other gun I’ve shot, that is not abnormal. The only complaint I had about this gun is the ambidextrous safety mechanism. It’s very easy to disengage, but to engage the safety, I have to break my grip on the gun.

In my opinion, this gun is perfect for women who have trouble with semi-automatic handguns. It’s small, has a very easy slide, light trigger pull, and low recoil. I will be recommending this gun to any of my female students, or any man who asks me what handgun is best for women.

The Corner Shot

Posted on by Melissa

My husband is an NRA Training Couselor, so he teaches instructor workshops to teach people who want to become an NRA Certified Instructor. It’s a two day class, and it includes range time. Since I’m a Range Safety Officer, he usually asks me if I can come and keep an eye on his students on the range. Last week he had a class, and I asked him if he wanted my help. He said sure, he then told me that one of his students is a Corner Shot instructor, I said I’ll definitely be there!
What is the Corner Shot? It is an amazing rifle developed in Israel that allows a shooter to be safely behind a barrier and engage your target without putting the shooter in the line of fire. I say rifle, but it’s not exactly a rifle. It’s really in a category of its own. It’s a device that holds a Glock 17 and a camera on the front and a small monitor near the rear. The front pivots left or right. Instead of looking down iron sights or optics, you look at the monitor, which is surprisingly accurate.
It was a once in a lifetime experience to shoot this firearm that is only used by military and law enforcement. It was very awkward at first, because when the Corner Shot is angled and you fire it, the recoil is not up and to the rear. It’s up and to the side, so it torques you a little bit. But it makes up for the strange recoil in the fact that you’re only technically shooting a 40 cal Glock pistol, so it has very little recoil. After firing a few rounds, it became very front heavy. The device itself is not that heavy, but then add the Glock 17 with a high-capacity magazine to the front, and that’s where most of the weight is. A traditional rifle is weighted so most of the weight in over your hands, so it’s balanced very well. The Corner Shot isn’t balanced well, mainly because it’s function over comfort. Which is fine, because if I was going into battle, I would definitely want this firearm so that I don’t have to be in the line of fire!

Shoot like a girl if you can! My second trip to Frontsight

Posted on by Melissa

What an awesome week! I just got back from Frontsight Firearms Training Institute. This time I went with all “my boys,” my husband, brother-in-law, and 17 year old nephew. My husband took the four day tactical shotgun class, and my brother-in-law, nephew, and I took the four day defensive handgun class. If you’ve followed my blog before, you’ll know that I’ve already taken the two day defensive handgun class from Frontsight. The four day class goes above and beyond the two day class, and I was excited to review the skills I learned from the two day class, and to learn more advanced skills.

The neat part about this trip to Frontsight was that I was able to experience how easy it is to travel with guns. We had 3 pistols and a tactical shotgun with us. We were traveling with a lot of gear, so we were quite a spectacle! We had the shotgun and my Glock in a (very heavy) rifle case. Each of us had a suitcase, and we also had two carry-ons. We had the other two pistols in a hard sided case in one of our suitcases. You must have the guns in a hard sided case, and they must be padlocked, not TSA locks. So all we had to do was go up to the airline’s ticket counter and let them know we were traveling with firearms. The ticket counter lady’s reaction was the same as if we’d told her we were traveling with clothing. All we had to do was fill out a form that went into the cases, and the lady just wanted to see that the actions were open and the guns were unloaded. Then TSA takes them and x-rays the cases, and then they take the guns and put them in the belly of the plane. The only slight restriction is that you can only have eleven pounds of ammunition per piece of luggage. That’s it! We decided to buy the ammo in Las Vegas so we didn’t have the extra weight, since we needed 600 rounds each, and my husband needed 500 shotgun shells.

The class itself was intense. Our days started at 5:30am. We stayed in Las Vegas, so we had to drive about 45 minutes to get out to Frontsight, which is near Pahrump. We had to be at the range at 8am, except on the first day, we had to be there at 6:30am for check-in. We were on the range from 8am to about 5pm. There were forty students in our class, and we were divided up into two relays. One relay would be shooting, while the second relay lined up behind them acting as coaches. This made the range very safe, with twenty sets of eyes plus our instructors and our rangemaster. The only time someone got hurt was if their gun bit them, so a Band-Aid fixed that right up. Or, if it was me, I was in a hurry doing a tactical reload, and my magazine bit me, and I have a nice blood blister on my thumb.

Out of the forty students in our class, there were about ten women. Not to brag, but the women were out-shooting the men most of the time! At one point, we had a steel target competition. This included a hostage target, and two other “bad guys” behind him, all made of steel. Steel is extremely fun to shoot, because it moves when you hit it, and makes a very satisfying “tink” sound when you hit it. Most of the women in our class out-shot the men in the steel competition. Our rangemaster’s best quote for the entire class was “Shoot like a girl if you can!” Unfortunately I didn’t do as well in the competition, but I only lost because my opponent shot the bad guys faster, but I didn’t shoot the hostage, like a lot of people did!

The best part of this trip to Frontsight was going with my family. Even though my husband wasn’t on the range with me, I got to spend time with my brother-in-law and my nephew. It made our class so much more enjoyable, because we all get along really well. We had a great time on the 45 minute drive back to Vegas because that was our “debrief” time. We would talk about “that guy” on the range, or the funny things our rangemaster said. We also heard about what happened in the shotgun class from my husband. I was so proud of how much my nephew took in all the information and improved his shooting in four days. My brother-in-law wasn’t too shabby either, the last drill we did, he shot five shots within the size of a quarter. This is my biggest tip about going to Frontsight. If you can go with family or friends, it makes the experience more fun.

If you are planning a trip to Frontsight, here are my best tips:

Frontsight is in the middle of nowhere. During lunch, you do not have time to get lunch anywhere except right there. You can order lunch from their food company, but if you are with a large group and are there for four days, it can get expensive. We bought a $6 Styrofoam cooler, and every morning we hit Von’s (aka Safeway) and stocked up on bread, lunch meats, cheese, fruit, chips, drinks, and ice. It was so easy, and much cheaper. Now if you’re by yourself or with one other person, and just want to buy lunch, order it ahead of time; it’s very tasty.

Make sure you bring a lot of high SPF sunscreen. I used 70 SPF. You will be in the desert sun almost constantly. You need to apply in the morning, and reapply often. So have the sunscreen with you in your range bag, along with nail clippers and a nail file. Whether you are a man or woman, you WILL break a nail, if not a couple. Have the nail clippers so you can cut it down so you’re not scratching yourself or catching it on clothing.

Pay close attention to what clothing you bring. Wear high neckline, close-fitting shirts. A couple of women on our range were wearing V-neck blouses. Needless to say, they caught a lot of very hot brass down their shirts. I wore a high necked shirt, and I still caught a piece of brass down my shirt. It will probably still happen, but you’ll lessen your chances. In terms of pants, I suggest tactical pants. I bought 5.11 tactical pants because they are sturdy, and they have lots of pockets, which you will need in the class for storing extra magazines and loose ammo. Check out www.lapolicegear.com, they have lots of styles and sizes, including pants specifically for women. If you don’t want to spend the money on tactical pants, at least get cargo pants. Make sure to wear sturdy, comfortable shoes. You will be on your feet for eight hours a day and they will get dirty. I wore my combat boots, and they worked out great.

My biggest tip to anyone who is going to attend any class at Frontsight for the first time: Go there as a blank slate. I don’t care if you were Army Special Forces for 25 years, go there open to all of their training, and try their way first. If it doesn’t work for you, fine, you can switch back to your training after you leave. If you go there closed minded and don’t want to try any new techniques, there is no reason for you to go, so save your money. Frontsight is the best firearms training you can get in the civilian world, no matter if you are brand new to shooting, or if you have several decades’ worth of experience.

If you’d like to see the pictures from our Frontsight trip, head over to my Facebook page and “like” Women With Firepower.

Gun Selection: Ladies Choice!

Posted on by Melissa

When a woman goes to buy her first gun, she usually tries to get the advice of her boyfriend/husband/father, because she assumes they know what is best for her. More often than not, I see men suggesting a gun that they think would be right. This is admirable, but misguided. Buying a gun is like buying a mattress. No one else can tell you what you need in a mattress; you know what you need to feel comfortable. It’s a very personal decision, and you should try it out before you buy. It’s the same with a gun; no one can tell you what would be the most comfortable for you, and I would highly suggest you try out a gun before you buy it if you can.

There are several factors you should consider. The first thing you need to decide is how you are going to use it. Is it for sport or for personal protection? If it’s for personal protection, is it for your home, car, or to carry on your person? Answer these questions first, and then you can move on to the next considerations.

Your next consideration is if you want a revolver or a semi-automatic. If your gun is for self-protection, your best bet is probably a revolver. Revolvers don’t take a lot to operate, and when you’re in a high-stress situation like defending yourself, the less you have to think about, the better. Semi-automatics have a magazine to worry about. You have to make sure the slide is racked so you have a round in the chamber. You also may have a safety that you have to make sure is in the “fire” position. Revolvers are pretty much point-and-click.

Something to also consider is caliber. I’ve heard so many men who say you need “knock-down power” so you have to go with a large caliber. This is not necessarily true. What you must realize is the larger the caliber, the stronger the kick. If you’re not comfortable with the recoil of your pistol, you most likely will not practice. Practice is more important that “knock-down power.” If you practice with a .22 caliber, which has very little recoil, but you can place your shots exactly where you want them, you will probably stop the threat. However, it may take more shots to stop the threat. What I want to stress is that you don’t have to get a .45 caliber that you’re afraid to shoot to stop the threat.

The last thing I think you should consider is size. I’ve seen so many women get a gun that is small and cute. The smaller the pistol, the less mass it has to absorb the recoil. Smaller guns can be pretty painful to shoot! Large pistols will have less recoil, but can you conceal it comfortably if you are carrying it on your person? Or will it add a bunch of extra weight to your purse? Look for something in the middle, but also make sure it is comfortable in your hand. I have shot pistols that are the same size, but the grips were different, so one was a little uncomfortable for me.

I can’t stress enough to try before you buy. There are a lot of ranges that will let you rent guns, and some will let you try several out in one session. If you don’t have access to a range like this, ask your friends if you can try out their guns. Most guns are pretty expensive these days, so be sure before you drop the cash!