GeekLethal: Latest Convert to the Europellet
There are three ways that I never imagined I would begin a Ministry post:
“After the first time I docked my yacht in Barbados, I vowed it would be the last.”
“This is my cock. There are many like it, but this one is mine.”
“I ditched my .45 for a 9mm.”
I don’t own a yacht, and my emergency plan to convert my wheelbarrow into a small boat will not yield a seaworthy vessel. I do have a wang, yet prefer not to write about it- for everybody’s sake- whenever possible.
But I did get rid of my .45. For a 9.
Before anyone gets all goofy on me, hear me out. Losing a red-meat, by-gar Amurrican round like the .45 ACP in favor of something European was not a decision I undertook lightly. But it was the right choice, and I think you’ll agree.
My first handgun was a S&W 686P, a 7-shot, .38(+P)/.357 with a snub 2.5” barrel. Really sweet, smooth as silk. It was rated for the +P and heavier rounds (200grain+), but I found that lighter .38 loads were ideal. Anyway, I got rid of it because I needed some dough, but didn’t miss it (much) because it was too fat and chunky to carry concealed anyway. It was a fine weapon, just not ideal for me.
A quick aside about concealed carry in the Bay State: strictly speaking, open carry is *not* illegal in MA, but this white boy isn't gonna be the test case. I have never, ever seen anybody walk around with a visible weapon on his hip (barring a uniformed person with a duty rig). Ev-ar. And since agents of the state hereabouts are not above making up gun laws as they go, it's better for everyone to just keep your shit under wraps. So concealed carry was foremost in my mind, a weapon I could carry wherever I was permitted to do so.
Next in line was a S&W 4006, a full sized auto in .40. As a lefty, I liked the ambidextrous controls, I liked the size and weight, but it was a touch too big to carry concealed- I bought it as a duty weapon when I was moonlighting at ArmCo- and frankly I wasn’t keen on the cartridge. I felt .40 had a little too much snap to it; it seemed to flip the front sight more than I could control. I’m sure I could have trained to greater proficiency, and would have if it was the last weapon on Earth- there’s just too much choice though to settle for good enough.
I moved up to a .45 when I traded the 4006 for a SiG-Sauer P220. At first I found the furniture a little awkward for the southpaw, but got myself together in fairly short order- still plenty of room for improvement, mind you. The round gave a solid thump in the palm when fired, and I never felt the weapon to be quite as light in the muzzle as the .40 was. Terrific duty weapon, good round, all was well.
Except that I couldn’t do a thing with it off the clock. Yes I *could* carry it concealed, inasmuch as I could physically put it on my hip and wear a low coat over it. Kinda like the way you can transport a canned ham by stuffing it down the front of your shirt- no one’s real sure what’s in there, and no one’s gonna ask, but it’s obvious there’s something going on in there. That’s what it felt like trying to conceal the P220.
In time that brought me back to my friendly local purveyor of deadly machines, and a choice between a 9mm Sig P239, a compact Glock in .40 (I forget the model now), or a NIB Smith M&P compact also in .40.
I went with the Sig.
But all told I think my reasoning is valid. I ended up with a weapon I can actually leave the house with. Ammo is cheap and plentiful. The weapon design is familiar, as it’s basically a cut-down P220, and is robust- probably overbuilt for the round. It fits my hand well, and feels OK in an IWB holster.
None of my sound reasoning of course will deter those of you who want to jack me up for going Euro. To you I say this: the zombies will not care what size projectile is tunneling through their cerebellum.
on
| § 14
§ 14 Comments
[ You're too late, comments are closed ]
Not that there's anything…
Not that there's anything wrong with that. Unless some Moro guerillas attack you, and your puny gun can't stop them.
You are so gay.
You are so gay.
B--- S---. Zombies hella do care about the size of the exit wound. You don' t leave a skull-hole you can fit your fist through, you're leaving enough brain to drive the fell carcass toward you.
Heh. Moro guerillas...
I, frankly, love this post. It is good to get your gun vibe on. Speaking of open carry...
Open carry is legal in VA (as you might imagine). And once, when I was a young villain (probably aged 10 or so) I was playing in my suburban (milquetoast-y) white neighborhood with some friends. Along comes this young (late teens early 20s) fellow with a revolver tucked carelessly into his belt. Of course, being interested kids, we followed this guy down the street hounding him with questions about his gun. He just ignored us and walked on. All badass like. I ran home and told my mom about the wonderful experience I'd just had. Needless to say, she wasn't pleased and called the cops. Later a police officer came by the house and said that they found the kid about a mile away. They spoke to him and eventually let him go. No criminal record, not brandishing, didn't seem to be doing anything except walking around with a gun. That was when I learned that VA was okay with open carry...
If they are undead Moro guerillas, I will be able to outrun them; no concerns there. And if things get real tight, well, you forget that I will be fighting under the protection of Saint Mossberg.
Maximum Leader- would you have gone with the Glock? I almost did, and the shop owner swears by them (interesting, as he worked for Colt for about 115 years).
No Glocks for me I'm afraid. Although everyone I know who has ever had or used one likes them. My handgun collection is antique and historic mostly. I have a WWII issue Webley & Scott revolver (.38 not .455). I've got an East German (Stasi issue in fact) Makarov 9mm. And my fav is a Ruger Vaquero (.45 Colt). I wouldn't mind getting a 9mm Beretta or a Springfield M1911 model something (that is to say 9mm or .45). But, right now I need a good shotgun. So I am beginning a little slush fund for that.
You know, ML, the day I got my 9mm I almost bought a Makarov as well for the misses- the price was right, and it was compact and light enough for her. At first she was glad I didn't, but since has kinda wished I had.
I handled Beretta 92s a little but I think they are too big- why do you need something almost as big as a 1911 to throw a 9mm? But you're a big dude, so maybe it would fit your body well; with me, it would be the canned ham syndrome I mentioned in the post.
As for shotguns, as I said I am a true believer in the cult of Saint Mossberg- I went with a Model 500 Mariner- but I think just about any reputable manufacturer and model is sufficient. Mossberg vs Remington discussions move quickly into Ford vs Chevy-type terrain, and is not really helpful.
One thing we talked about here many many moons ago was not to dismiss 20 gauge off the bat. You get...oh, what was it, 75% of the bang and half the boom as 12, something like that- plenty for zombies or goblins. I went with 12 though because this model had the compact size and low-maintenance finish I liked. None of it though is really take-out-a-second-mortgage expensive.
Those Ruger Vaqueros are really kinda spiffy.
Back before I got my .45, I…
Back before I got my .45, I was test-driving a vareity of guns. Although there was nothing specific I could point at, I just didn't like them. The 10mm S&W just felt rickity - like it would start rattling if I shook it.
I have a Remington 870 in 20 ga, and a double barrelled Savage Arms 12, so I am more or less set on the shotgun front. My next purchase, should my wife allow it, would probably be a long arm. (I can't use the zombies excuse anymore - she says if the three guns you have already don't stop the zombies, it won't matter. Mrs. Buckethead sadly lacks a fine appreciation of anti-zombie tactics.)
I'd really like to get a Garand. (I'd really, really like to have a collection of all of St. Browning's major designs.) But the other thing I've always been pining after is a matched set of Walker Colt revolvers. I think those are some of the most beautiful guns ever made. I'd even take replicas - the real ones are staggeringly expensive.
Our deputies duty weapons are Glocks. Other than that, I don't have much (if any) experience with handguns. I wonder what a taser would do to a zombie?
There's nothing wrong with 9mm, except it isn't .45.
Why are some of the comments truncated?
B,
You've been longing for a brace of Walker's finest since I met you. Pony up and get them...you'll feel much better.
Sunrunner,
I think it would depend on how decayed his nervous system was.
But if it didn't leave a smoking hole through his brainpan, it's not gonna help.
Ted, which comments looked…
Ted, which comments looked truncated, and what browser were you using?
I went shopping for new weapontry last month. Due to the long permitting period in NJ for a pistol, I bought a .40 carbine instead.
I think my Hi-point carbine is the perfect Zombie gun. Ammo is plentiful, the long barrel puts more velocity on the .40 than a pistol, and I can do headshots all day at 50 yards without destroying my shoulder or wrists.