Choosing a Pistol for Self Defense

Choosing a self-defense pistol that you will be satisfied with is a lot like buying a car. There are many factors to consider and especially if you have any physical limitations such as arthritis or carpal tunnel syndrome. If you are shopping for a weapon to carry on your person this guide can assist you in making an informed decision.

First, consider how and where you may use it. Will you carry it in a pocket holster, shoulder holster, belt holster or in a purse? While there are smaller guns ideal for concealed carry pistols, some people simply can’t handle them flawlessly. Those with larger hands and fingers especially prefer a larger gun.

Next, do you have disabilities that affect your hands? If so, keep in mind, the more recoil a pistol has, the more it’s likely to adversely affect a person with hand problems use of it, and higher recoil will affect their accuracy and comfort.

For example, if you have carpal tunnel syndrome the number of shots you are able to fire with accuracy will most likely be limited. In the event of a situation of grave threat of serious injury or death from a violent offender, accuracy as well as the number of well-placed shots you can fire off matters. This said, the less recoil a pistol has the more shots you will be able to fire with practiced accuracy when you have physical limitations.

Practice at the range is another consideration, ammo for larger caliber weapons generally cost more.

Any gun owner does well to practice often. If you are buying your first handgun, or if it’s been a while since you used one, take the time to learn from a certified professional instructor. Learning proper form and procedure will not only improve your accuracy, but will provide safety and legal considerations. If you use a gun incorrectly and lack accuracy it is of no use to you and can endanger yourself as well as anyone within range. Practice is the key to accurate and well placed shots with any gun.

9mm Pistols Are Generally Cheaper to Shoot

Ideally, a pistol that costs less to shoot, is more easily concealed, comfortable to hold, and provides reduced recoil is going to be a better fit and provides greater accuracy. In addition, you should consider the capacity.

For these reasons many experienced shooters prefer the 9mm pistol with its 15 to 17 shot capacity over the 5-8 shot capacity of revolvers and larger caliber weapons. It has the added bonus of being an effective pistol, with sufficient power to stop an attacker, especially when loaded with hollow point ammo. Most 9mm pistols use gun magazines, providing for a faster reload if necessary by carrying a spare.

Many gun enthusiasts recommend a good brand of 9mm pistol for self-defense due to its general reliability, reduced recoil providing improved accuracy and comfort, as well as an effective firearm for self-defense.

Self Defense Pistols at GrabAGun

Ultimately, choosing a pistol is an individual choice, your best bet is to use a professional and certified instructor on the range with a variety of options to determine which pistol is best suited for your personal needs.

Visit GrabAGun online for an extensive inventory of firearms for sale and accessories to provide for all of your needs.

Pistols For Sale

GrabAGun offers a large selection of quality pistols for sale online. Among the brands we offer are Beretta, Browning, Colt, Glock, Ruger, Sig Sauer, Smith and Wesson, Springfield and many others. We have a large selection of the ever popular 9mm pistol in many fine quality brands. Included in our line of pistols for sale are quality American made pistols.

Within our inventory of pistols in the firearms for sale category are concealed carry pistols available in a wide range of calibers, magazine capacity, and sizes, as well as all other sizes and styles of semi-auto handguns and revolvers. We carry the classic, the most sought after, the most popular as well as the latest models available in firearms cutting-edge technology.

In addition, GrabAGun frequently restocks so even if we are out of stock on the firearm of your choice, with shipments coming in every day we can ship it in a very reasonable amount of time.

GrabAGun offers a full line of pistol accessories and parts, including gun magazines, gun holsters, pistol grips, sights, scopes, lasers, night vision, gun vaults and safes, and bulk ammo all at GrabAGun priced values.

Shop our website for guns for sale online, as well as the accessories or parts you need, and give our customer service a call for any questions you may have. If you are unable to find an available pistol of your choice in our inventory, we will do our best to obtain it for you. That is one of the many advantages of being a GrabAGun customer.

Product Spotlight: The Glock 17

glock 17

The world of firearms is a vast one and the realm of handguns is a vast one too. With myriads of variations and permutations, there truly is a handgun for every taste, style, and occupation. However, amongst the many different handguns, few ever gain enough traction to thrive in the public arena. Whether for high costs, weight, or unreliability; these constructs struggle to find a niche where they can build a following. The Glock 17 is not one of those handguns. Designed by a team of weapons experts assembled by Gaston Glock nearly thirty-five years ago, the Glock 17 has stood the test of time better than nearly every handgun in its class. Here are a few reasons to love the Glock 17.

1. Maneuverability

Scaling-in at under one and a half pounds, the Glock 17 is a light, maneuverable alternative to most of its contemporaries. Designed with heavy use of polymer-based materials, the Glock 17 takes the prize for comfort and handling in the handgun department. With a muzzle length of seven and a third inches, you can trust that this weapon’s going to go where you want and fast.

2. Magazine

Typically, a gun that’s light on size is also light on ammunition—not the Glock 17. With a seventeen-round magazine capacity, you can think less about how many rounds you have left and more about the target. Plus, this extra ammo has no affect on the aesthetics or the handling of the gun, keeping the height at a snug five and a half inches and the width at a sleek one and a quarter inches. It’s the best of big and small with this semi-auto handgun.

3. Reliability

There aren’t many specs you can throw out to demonstrate just how reliable the Glock 17 truly is. Suffice it to say that it is used by more police and law enforcement personnel than any other handgun in the world. The whole design itself is very simple with only thirty-four parts in the entire design. This reduces malfunctions and complex fixes. When you’re in a crunch, you do not want your gun to misfire. Neither do the cops, which is why they choose this handgun.

Get Your Glock 17 from GrabAGun

There is a lot more that could be said about this Glock: its rifling, patented safety mechanism, and extra features just to name a few. However, the maneuverability and reliability are at the top of the list. If you want a high-quality weapon that you can trust, go for the Glock 17 at GrabAGun and pick up your 9mm ammo as well!

The Diversity of the 1911: “1911 For Sale”

1911 for sale at grabagun.com

Saying “1911 for sale” is like saying “car for sale” or “dog for sale”—it’s much too vague to be useful. Ever since its patent expired some decades ago, the 1911 has grown into a vast line of semi-automatic pistols, being produced by nearly every major gun manufacturer in the world. There are 1911’s with different calibers, grips, sights, setups, slides, magazines, materials, and much more! So, if you’re looking for that “1911 for sale” sign, you may be searching for more guns than you think. Here are a few helpful hints to narrow that “1911 for sale” to something more specific.

Explore Your Options

Once you realize that the realm of 1911 pistols is vast and varied, you will have to narrow your choices before making a purchase. One of the best ways to do just that is taking a trip to the gun range. Most ranges will have at least one 1911 that you can try out before closing the deal. When you’re at the range, pay attention to the nuances of each pistol you try. How does the grip feel in your hand? Is the recoil too abrasive or too light? Do you like the setup of the pistol? Keeping questions like these in mind will help you form opinions and preferences that will be useful when it comes time to make your choice.

Keep Your Purpose in Mind

Many shops offering a 1911 for sale will carry it in multiple models. If you’re looking for a recreational model that you plan to use on the gun range alone, then you’ll want to search accordingly. If you’re looking for a 1911 to add to your collection at home, then maybe you’ll want to check out the historical models. Remembering the purpose of your new pistol will keep you from over-spending on a pistol you don’t need as well as help you narrow down your list.

Pick a Caliber to Fit The Need

1911 pistols originally came in .45 ACP , but are now also available in numerous calibers from .22 long rifle and .38 super to 9mm and 10mm. If ammo cost is going to be an issue, then perhaps 9mm will be your best choice. A 1911 for sale could come in any of these sizes so be sure to know what caliber you are getting. In any case, know that you have options when it comes to bullet size. However, more importantly, know the costs and benefits of each.

1911s For Sale at GrabAGun

Whether you get a Rock Island 1911, Remington 1911, or Kimber 1911; this pistol could be a lot of different things. With a myriad of purposes, calibers, and prices; the 1911 represents an impressively diverse array of handguns. When choosing your first, be mindful of the wide array of choices that you can make. Take your time and do some experimentation. You’ll be seeing “1911 for sale” signs for a while to come.


The Virtues of the Revolver

All, I want to introduce a new blog contributor and fellow firearms enthusiast “Scorpio”.  He has been buying and shooting guns for over 60 years and has a lot of great knowledge.  He will be contributing to our blog on a regular basis so please come back and feel free to read post your own comments!

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The Virtues of the Revolver

When I open my gun safe my eyes fall upon several categories of guns and their various subcategories, somewhat in the same way that we breakdown vehicles into two broad groups: trucks (and their sub groups) and passenger vehicles (and their sub groups).  A major handgun category that I would like to comment on is the revolver.  A group that I believe has a lot to offer but has been overlooked by new and younger shooters due to the popularity of the Wonder Nines and their ilk.

One of the great virtues of the revolver is that it is consistently reliable.  Well maybe no gun is consistently reliable; after all it’s a mechanical device and therefore subject to malfunction.  But for me the revolver comes as close to being one hundred percent reliable one hundred percent of the time.  It is a weapon that can not only be counted upon to fire when asked to, but also extremely simple to operate and therefore does not require a complicated manual of arms to master.

Should you ever need to use your revolver to protect yourself and/or your family, you’ll want SIMPLE to OPERATE to be synonymous with AIM and squeeze.  A revolver has no safeties to disengage, no slides to rack, no magazines to insert (and then feel obligated to “tap the heel” to ensure that it is properly seated), and most importantly there are no magazines to lose.  No magazine. No gun.

You also do not have to concern your self with a plethora of causes on why your semi-auto pistol failed to fire, especially if you are in the wrong place at the wrong time.  If your revolver doesn’t fire, pull the trigger again.  Hearing a click when you want to hear a bang can be a deafening sound of the wrong kind.  Without stovepipes to fret about and with no “what-to-do-now” procedures to memorize, you have freed yourself for more important matters to ponder…like surviving.  A revolver can even be fired from inside your COAT pocket, with the emphasis being on COAT pocket and not pant pocket. It can even be fired when flush up against your adversary’s body—something a semi-auto can’t do, at least not more than once.  Remember that with a revolver you need only to Draw, Aim, Fire (hear bang) and re-holster.

Another important virtue of the revolver is that it is NOT ammo sensitive like many semi-autos can be.  If you can shove the proper cartridge into the revolver’s cylinder you’re good-to-go.  A revolver will shoot snake loads, target loads, and full power defense loads with equal aplomb.  Most semi-autos (if not all) are somewhat ammo sensitive.  I know from practical experience that my .22 semi-auto is very ammo sensitive.  Fortunately what it likes to digest can be bought at Wal-Mart.  And what it doesn’t like to digest I run through my revolver.  Don’t you just love it when there is an easy fix close at hand?

A very important plus for the revolver is that it can be kept loaded indefinitely.  There are no springs to stress like there is in a magazine.  Yes, I know that magazines can be kept fully depressed for years without any ill effect.  But I don’t know anyone who feels comfortable doing it. I know I don’t.   It must be the fear of having your magazine fatigued at the wrong time. No fear of that happening with a magazine-less revolver.

If you need to check your revolver to see if it is loaded, just open the cylinder or look in the cylinder gap for brass cartridge rims.  You also have the added bonus in knowing that after you’ve check the cylinder for ammo, there isn’t a round hiding in the breech. This type of error can be easily made with a semi-auto with serious consequences.

You can customize the grips on a revolver a whole lot easier than on a semi-auto.  You can go from small J-frame style grips to large target grips in every material known to mankind…or just make your own grips if you think you need another hobby.

Do you reload?  If you do then you won’t have to look far to find your brass because they are all in your cylinder just waiting to be plucked out.  It doesn’t get much easier than that, does it?

Yes, it does. Especially if you think it’s important to clean your gun after every shooting session.   It’s an axiom of mine that ‘A clean gun is a happy gun.  And a happy gun owner is one that has an easy gun to clean.’  Revolvers are easy to clean because there are no parts to disassemble so there are no parts to loose or springs to spring away as can happen with semi-autos.  So with little free time to spare these days, having an easy gun to clean is welcomed. This is a win-win situation for gun and gun owner.  What more can you ask of any gun?

I’m sure there are many of you saying that I purposely overlooked a major flaw in the revolver: namely its inability to hold more than six rounds while the wonder nines can hold up to 18 rounds.  Balderdash I say.  Watch for my future comments on why I don’t feel under gunned while carrying my six-shoot Colt Detective Special as well as my views concerning the virtues of the semi-auto pistol. To find a large selection of revolvers, handgun ammo and holsters for sale visit GrabAGun today!

Scorpio