What is a good car gun either a compact one or full size model??

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stinger 327

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Which calibers:
9mm lots of penetration through doors or glass?
.45 ACP not good for shooting through doors? Bullet too heavy or slow?
.357 great for penetrating barriers doors, glass etc?
.38+P ?
.40 S&W cal.?
:confused:
 
I don't quite understand the question. If you're asking about a handgun to use against a car then it's a .44 magnum. I used to have some armor piercing .357 that was fun to use at a local landfill to put holes in cars. Those things really punched some holes.
 
I don't quite understand the question. If you're asking about a handgun to use against a car then it's a .44 magnum. I used to have some armor piercing .357 that was fun to use at a local landfill to put holes in cars. Those things really punched some holes.
Well .44 mag is kind of large so I was just wondering among the above mentioned calibers.
 
I'm not worried about shooting up someone's car but defending myself and passengers against some maniac outside the car with a gun. I carry a Browning BDM 9mm- a good reliable gun with range but not so expensive I'd cry if it were stolen or confiscated while a shooting incident was investigated.

Best regards,
Bill in Cleveland
 
A SIG P229 in .357 SIG - it is good enough for the Secret Service.

Ammo is NOT cheap but it is good stuff.

p229_6.gif
 
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I live in a climate where it rains a lot and there is heavy dew at night. Make sure you have a stainless gun or polymer w/ stainless slide/barrel. Maintaining a blued steel gun that sits in a vehicle storage situation takes much more vigilance.
 
I'm not worried about shooting up someone's car but defending myself and passengers against some maniac outside the car with a gun. I carry a Browning BDM 9mm- a good reliable gun with range but not so expensive I'd cry if it were stolen or confiscated while a shooting incident was investigated.

Best regards,
Bill in Cleveland
But if you had to shoot through the door/barracade to stop that person behind it, the .45 ACP wouldn't be the choice but more likely the 9mm for its greater penetration or .357?
 
This ... Glock 23. Setup for both daylight and night ops.
 
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If you have to shoot from inside your car, e.g., defending against rioters, carjackers, etc.), this is an advantage of a revolver, in that they don't eject empty cases. Having hot brass bounce off a windshield or dashboard and back at you is a needless distraction. ;) Continuing further, I would suggest a .357 Magnum, and with a three-inch or less barrel, as they are harder for someone to grab and twist out of your hand. If someone does get his hand on the gun, there is a good chance it will be partially covered by the muzzle. Provided it isn't wrapped around the cylinder, which would prevent it from turning and your getting the shot off, pull the trigger. A muzzle contact gunshot wound to the hand will definitely distract him.
 
shooting through stuff isn't your main concern having a gun and enough ammo to keep peoples heads down is alot more important that will give you time to drive way
 
Ballistics of a caliber won't help you much if you are not comfortable with the pistol to shoot it accurately or can't practice often enough because ammunition cost is too high.

A good gun is the gun you can shoot accurately and fast. That's the reason why many recommend 9mm for someone new to shooting as most shooters can comfortably manage the 9mm recoil and afford to shoot often due to lower ammunition cost.

Unless you want a highly concealable pistol, compact models are less accurate and have snappier recoil than full size models with shorter sight radius that result in less accuracy.

Don't buy into much of internet forum hype/fanfare as people will post according to what they want/have.

stinger 327 said:
.45 ACP not good for shooting through doors? Bullet too heavy or slow?
I personally witnessed an accidental discharge of 45ACP HydraShok JHP out of short barreled compact and it went through:

A sheetrock interior wall +
exterior stucco wall +
Traveled about 150 feet +
through another Exterior stucco wall +
another layer of sheetrock +
and got embedded inside the wooden sofa frame several inches deep (we dug out the bullet).

I had new respect for the heavy and slow 45 bullet after that day. :D
 
Ballistics of a caliber won't help you much if you are not comfortable with the pistol to shoot it accurately or can't practice often enough because ammunition cost is too high.

A good gun is the gun you can shoot accurately and fast. That's the reason why many recommend 9mm for someone new to shooting as most shooters can comfortably manage the 9mm recoil and afford to shoot often due to lower ammunition cost.

Unless you want a highly concealable pistol, compact models are less accurate and have snappier recoil than full size models with shorter sight radius that result in less accuracy.

Don't buy into much of internet forum hype/fanfare as people will post according to what they want/have.


I personally witnessed an accidental discharge of 45ACP HydraShok JHP out of short barreled compact and it went through:

A sheetrock interior wall +
exterior stucco wall +
Traveled about 150 feet +
through another Exterior stucco wall +
another layer of sheetrock +
and got embedded inside the wooden sofa frame several inches deep (we dug out the bullet).

I had new respect for the heavy and slow 45 bullet after that day. :D
Did it expand?:D
 
My car gun is a Bulgarian Makarov. I am not worried about penetrating another car, but just want something reliable, with relatively low blast fron inside the car. I think a magnum would just blow out your ear drums inside a car.
 
My truck gun is a Hi-Point C9 with FMJ ammo. In St Louie they break your windows looking for guns; I'm satisfied with my $155 OTD little bit of "peace of mind".
 
If you have to shoot while you are in a car it's not going to matter what you use, revolver or automatic, your going to be DEAF and in pain with the first shot. Bouncing brass will be the least of your concerns at that point.
 
What about a Glock 20 in 10mm Auto? Seems to be the best all around solution to me... if you don't mind paying for the ammo. If you're doin' this on the cheap, then I would suggest a CZ-52 in 7.62x25 Tok.
 
My car gun is a Bulgarian Makarov. I am not worried about penetrating another car, but just want something reliable, with relatively low blast fron inside the car. I think a magnum would just blow out your ear drums inside a car.
My car gun is similar, it's a Polish P-64. I wanted revolver reliability without having to deal with the blast out of the cylinder gap, if you look at how you would be holding a revolver to fire it within the confines of a vehicle you will see that it's likely to have your face or someone else's face in line with the cylinder gap when it's fired. It's also my "after work" carry, I keep it in a pocket holster so that if I run an errand on my way home from work it goes into my pocket as my CCP.
 
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