Everything you think you know about handguns is dead wrong...

J

JohnKSa

Administrator
Ok, well maybe not everything.

But a good bit of it probably is based on what I've been reading lately on this forum. If you think any of the following statements are true then you should do some real research before posting your opinion as fact.

*Some handguns have real knockdown power.
*Some handgun calibers have real knockdown power.
*Semi-autos are not reliable weapons for self-defense use.
*Small revolvers are the best choice for new shooters, particularly women.
*Longer barrels make a gun more accurate.
*Plastic guns can melt in your car on a hot summer day.
*Plastic guns won't stand up to lots of shooting.
*The X model handgun made by company Y is the best handgun on the market. (Insert ANY model and ANY company for X and Y.)
*Single action semi-autos are the best choice for self-defense.
*DAO revolvers are the best choice for self-defense.
*DA/SA semi-automatics are the best choice for self-defense.
*It's been conclusively proven that the .45ACP is more effective than the .40 S&W or the .357Magnum or the 9mm.
*It's been conclusively proven that the .357Magnum is more effective than the .40 S&W, the .45ACP or the 9mm.
*Gun shop employees know a lot about handguns and always give good advice about handguns.
*People who served in the military know a lot about handguns and always give good advice about handguns.
*Police officers know a lot about handguns and always give good advice about handguns.
*Movies and television are a great source of information about handguns.
*Stopping power is a well-defined scientific term, and the stopping power of any bullet or handgun or caliber is easily measured.
*Caliber X is totally useless for self-defense. You might as well be unarmed.
*Picking the right handgun caliber and handgun is all you need to do to ensure you will be able to adequately defend yourself.
*Gunwriter X knows what is the best handgun for self-defense.
*Gunwriter X knows what is the best handgun caliber for self-defense.
*My grandfather/father/uncle/brother knows what is the best handgun and/or handgun caliber for self-defense.
*Mathematical quantities like kinetic energy and momentum are made up and have nothing to do with the real world effectiveness of handguns.
*Measuring X about a handgun or handgun caliber is all you need to know to know how effective it will be.

Just a short list...

Here's one that's true.

Given the same amount of training, women almost always shoot better than men.

Know why?

Cause they are willing to admit that they're not experts and are willing to listen and are willing to learn.

Think about it...

And remember. Everything you know about handguns might just be dead wrong.
 
C

Captain Clay

New member
This thread is bogus. I KNOW that hand guns...

...come in many different calibers
...are shot by using my HANDS
...fire bullets
...are not long guns
...can fit in a bread box
...are fun
...can kill people
...are the wrong kind of deadly in the wrong person's hands
...cost money (most of the time)
...can be addictive to own
...and much more

EVERYTHING I know about hand guns is not wrong. :D
 
C

Captain Clay

New member
I'm not arguing with John. I'm just being a smart ass. It is a good post.

BTW - fixed the "shotgun" thing. You are correct.
 
J

JohnKSa

Administrator
Speaking for myself, it's been harder to unlearn the things I thought I knew than it has been to learn the things I now know.

The problem with this topic is that there is such a HUGE amount of misinformation out there that its very difficult to figure out what's what. And EVERYONE'S an expert...
 
C

Captain Clay

New member
I am with you on that. Like Michael Jordan said, "The day I think I have learned all there is to know, is the day I walk away from the game".
 
O

Ozzieman

New member
The problem with your list

Is that some of them, some of the time are true.
Its impossible to say that they all are WRONG all of the time.
 
G

Garand Guy

New member
The Garand is the only fighting rifle worth having - we won WWII didn't we?
Click to expand...

As much as I love my Garand, it's not the only service rifle worth having.

- Remember the '03 Springfield? Used as the infantry rifle during WWI and snper rifle during WWII & Korea. Our Marines in the Pacific started WWII with the '03 because there weren't enough Garands available.

- Remember the Johnson rifle? Used in WWII and some considered it superior to the Garand because you didn't need that sheet metal clip. You could top off the magazine on round at a time. The only problem was it didn't have a front handguard.

- During WWI, there were troops that used pump shotguns loaded with buckshot. Yeah, you had to be close to the target to be effective. But they were there: Win, Rem, etc, etc. The Germans also threatened to shoot any prisoner on sight if he was carrying a shotgun with buckshot.

- The M-14 is what I would call the only improvement of the Garand. I'm not a hugh fan of the .308, but it does have that 20rd magazine. (Nothing against the .308. I just got into the 30-06 first.)

There are many more, but it's too early in the AM and I need to get my day going.
 
N

n3twrkm4n

New member
I'm starting to see a pattern... a lot of them are related to self-defense. And with self-defense it is never good to have bad 'knowledge' about a topic. Especially when it comes to defending your life or your loved ones.

Does that mean that there are some people out there that shouldn't be defending themselves quite yet before they know all the facts? ;)
 
X

XavierBreath

New member
There are exceptions to every rule.

Including this one.

;)

Great thread John, I see debate scattering like a blast of birdshot from a cylinder bore.
 
R

RsqVet

New member
Also remember --

BS stated emphaticaly to the uninitiated is gospel

I see a lot of that around this world, in the gun arena and alsewhere.
 
2

22-rimfire

New member
Do you know that if you are over 21 and have at least one handgun, you are an expert full of good sound advice and scientifically back opinions!

Back when I was in my 20's, I loved to read those self-defense articles in magazines using a 22LR handgun. These articles were frequently written in the gun rags. I was convinced that they were sufficient. Afterall, I could hit a 1" circle at 25 yards off hand with my 4" Diamondback or my Ruger Mark II pretty consistantly and I was deadly on soda cans. Today, I feel that the 22LR is still okay for self defense, but I lean toward the 38spl/357 more for this purpose in revolvers and 40 S&W for autos. I have no problem with 9mm's or the 45 ACP. I find the 32 H&R intriging in a small revolver. There is no handgun caliber that guarantees a one-stop kill.
 
D

Dawson

New member
*Longer barrels make a gun more accurate.
Click to expand...

longer barrels putting more distance between the sights makes them easier to shoot more accurately....am I correct in this?? wherever the muzzle is pointed at time of the projectile exiting is the direction in which it will shoot no matter the length of the muzzle..
 
P

pax

New member
Here's one that's true.

Given the same amount of training, women almost always shoot better than men.
Click to expand...
Nope, not true.

It often seems like it is true, simply because so many men expect that their wife or girlfriend is going to be lousy at shooting -- so if it turns out she has any ability at all, it comes as a surprise.

But amazingly enough, women are individual people just like men, and thus their abilities and aptitudes for shooting are just as widely diverse as those of men.

It is true that people who listen inevitably shoot better than people who do not. But men don't have a corner on the don't-listen market. It's just that when a woman decides to shut the instructor out, she usually doesn't make it so bloody obvious to everyone on the line as a guy does when he does it.

pax
 
I

IM_Lugger

New member
hey John you forgot one

.45ACP is the best calibre in the world and 7 rounds is more than you will ever need... ;)

longer barrels putting more distance between the sights makes them easier to shoot more accurately....am I correct in this??
Click to expand...
I believe you are, but trigger and egros also play a role...
 
P

Pistolenschutze

New member
All of the points you posted, John, are what are called inductive logical fallacies in the formal study of Logic. They are fallacies because they are conclusions without sufficient premises to sustain them, or for which all contrary arguments are simply ignored in an effort to create a false but believable position. Politicians and advertisers do this all the time. As all experienced shooters know, there are damn few absolutes when it comes to firearms or the performance of ammunition, simply because there are too many variables to account for. Experimental data is a very useful tool, but all experiments themselves are limted by the test conditions under which they were performed, and they say nothing meaningful about other possible condition sets, a factor we often forget.
 
U

USP45usp

Moderator
*Plastic guns can melt in your car on a hot summer day.
Click to expand...

This one is wrong, they can melt....

If the car is also on fire :p

Sorry, after reading some of the negative and rude posts in the candy store thread I figured some humor may be needed :eek: .

Wayne
 
B

BillCA

New member
+1 on the topic of women shooters and listening.

Women, as a rule, do tend to listen to experienced people better than men do. That said, I've also seen too many women who tend to use a handgun as a pointer by waving it around when talking. :eek:



Gun
Pronunciation: 'g&n
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English gonne, gunne
1 : a piece of ordnance usually with high muzzle velocity and comparatively flat trajectory
2 : a portable firearm (as a rifle or handgun)
3 : a device that throws a projectile
4 : a mechanical device designed to turn money into noise :D
 
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