stogiegila
Member
I think I have finally seen the light. When I first started out with handguns, I felt the 9mm was more than sufficient for my needs. I felt that since I was a novice without any previous experience combined with the fact that there are many LEO that carry the 9mm, it should be fine for my needs.
I would continually remind myself, “hey, I wouldn’t want to get shot with it”. Well after experimenting with several different model guns, I fell in love with my G26. This baby Glock had everything I could ask for. Simplicity, ease of use, accurate, reliable and shoots 9mm all day long with no problem. It’s also fairly easy to carry.
Well after reading all the thread wars regarding calibers and stopping power, I dabbled into the 45acp arena. I always admired the 1911. A don’t know squat about the different generations or 1911A vs whatever, but the overall appearance of the gun was always very appealing to me. I started with a SA GI model. Sure it worked fine and to me at this early stage the 45 was a cannon. Well I quickly fell out of favor with this gun and sold it. Still yearning for the 1911, I subsequently purchased the S&W sc commander size. This was more to my liking. Stainless, and smaller, it still had the basic 1911 look and was a fine weapon. Unfortunately, the few times I tried to carry it, it just didn’t feel right. I disagree that the only issue regarding carry size is the grip length. Having a short toro and preferring to carry IWB, the barrel length combined with the grip length still gave me problems. Also I still wasn’t comfortable shooting 45s. I still preferred my G26.
Well still struggling with the bigger is better theory, I finally got a Colt Defender. This is the best of both worlds. 1911 looks, smaller and easier to carry but still a 45acp. Over time I have gotten more accustomed to the 45 recoil and while still not as comfortable as my 9mm, it’s not as much of a cannon to me any more. To date I really like this gun and am finally converting over to the “I’d rather have a .45 over a 9mm” logic. I’ve read and seen a surprising number of incidents in which people have been hit with either round and still didn’t go down. I guess my lack of experience and too much TV led me to believe that any caliber bullet would stop a person in his tracks. While it may be true that even a .22 has the ability to be lethal, I’m now believing that under less than ideal circumstances, the larger the hole, the better the chance of stopping the threat. It took a while, but it finally sunk in and made sense to me. Especially when I line up a 9mm and .45 cartridge next to each other.
So now my problem is, I finally got my Don Hume holster (IWB) for my Colt and have carried it a few times, feeling very secure. It’s light and thin and comfortable, except for the sharp metal edges rubbing against my back, especially the serrated hammer. I carry at around 5:00-5:30. I guess I made a mistake by not getting a holster with a body shield, combined with a little to much love handles. But this wasn’t needed for my Glock as the smooth plastic never bothered me. So anyway, its time for another holster search.
But now I’m also thinking is a Glock G30 better than a Colt Defender. The G30 is slightly bigger, but easier to carry being polymer (no sharp edges) and has 10 rounds vs 6. So is more that much better? I have to admit I love Glocks, but do like the Colt. I can’t afford both, nor do I need two. The classic 1911 pride of ownership vs the functionality and reliability of Glock?
Sorry, for rambling, but I just wanted to share the thought process and transition of a novice’s
I would continually remind myself, “hey, I wouldn’t want to get shot with it”. Well after experimenting with several different model guns, I fell in love with my G26. This baby Glock had everything I could ask for. Simplicity, ease of use, accurate, reliable and shoots 9mm all day long with no problem. It’s also fairly easy to carry.
Well after reading all the thread wars regarding calibers and stopping power, I dabbled into the 45acp arena. I always admired the 1911. A don’t know squat about the different generations or 1911A vs whatever, but the overall appearance of the gun was always very appealing to me. I started with a SA GI model. Sure it worked fine and to me at this early stage the 45 was a cannon. Well I quickly fell out of favor with this gun and sold it. Still yearning for the 1911, I subsequently purchased the S&W sc commander size. This was more to my liking. Stainless, and smaller, it still had the basic 1911 look and was a fine weapon. Unfortunately, the few times I tried to carry it, it just didn’t feel right. I disagree that the only issue regarding carry size is the grip length. Having a short toro and preferring to carry IWB, the barrel length combined with the grip length still gave me problems. Also I still wasn’t comfortable shooting 45s. I still preferred my G26.
Well still struggling with the bigger is better theory, I finally got a Colt Defender. This is the best of both worlds. 1911 looks, smaller and easier to carry but still a 45acp. Over time I have gotten more accustomed to the 45 recoil and while still not as comfortable as my 9mm, it’s not as much of a cannon to me any more. To date I really like this gun and am finally converting over to the “I’d rather have a .45 over a 9mm” logic. I’ve read and seen a surprising number of incidents in which people have been hit with either round and still didn’t go down. I guess my lack of experience and too much TV led me to believe that any caliber bullet would stop a person in his tracks. While it may be true that even a .22 has the ability to be lethal, I’m now believing that under less than ideal circumstances, the larger the hole, the better the chance of stopping the threat. It took a while, but it finally sunk in and made sense to me. Especially when I line up a 9mm and .45 cartridge next to each other.
So now my problem is, I finally got my Don Hume holster (IWB) for my Colt and have carried it a few times, feeling very secure. It’s light and thin and comfortable, except for the sharp metal edges rubbing against my back, especially the serrated hammer. I carry at around 5:00-5:30. I guess I made a mistake by not getting a holster with a body shield, combined with a little to much love handles. But this wasn’t needed for my Glock as the smooth plastic never bothered me. So anyway, its time for another holster search.
But now I’m also thinking is a Glock G30 better than a Colt Defender. The G30 is slightly bigger, but easier to carry being polymer (no sharp edges) and has 10 rounds vs 6. So is more that much better? I have to admit I love Glocks, but do like the Colt. I can’t afford both, nor do I need two. The classic 1911 pride of ownership vs the functionality and reliability of Glock?
Sorry, for rambling, but I just wanted to share the thought process and transition of a novice’s
