thyme4change
Community Leader
Joined: Dec 26, 2010 13:54:08 GMT -5
Posts: 40,369
|
Post by thyme4change on Jul 22, 2019 15:52:15 GMT -5
45 refers to a diameter in inches of 0.45 which is ~11.5 mm and has a history dating back to the 1870's when the colt 45 which used the .45 cartridge was used by the army. You posed an interesting question and I'm definitely not an expert so I looked it up. For whatever reason once upon a time the diameter in inches stuck and somewhere along the line other calibers referenced mm's. It's very confusing. So, a 9mm refers to the diameter of the cartridge, but a 38 or 45 does not? Metric vs. Emperial/American
|
|
mroped
Senior Member
Joined: Nov 17, 2014 17:36:56 GMT -5
Posts: 3,453
|
Post by mroped on Jul 22, 2019 21:36:56 GMT -5
It’s not the size of the cartridge but the size of the bullet, the part that flies out of the barrel. So a 9mm has a bullet of 9mm diameter. The cartridge is slightly bigger and accommodates the gun powder. A 9 mm in American standards measurements would be a .365 or something like that. For comparison for those unfamiliar!
|
|
|
Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Jul 23, 2019 9:48:09 GMT -5
45 refers to a diameter in inches of 0.45 which is ~11.5 mm and has a history dating back to the 1870's when the colt 45 which used the .45 cartridge was used by the army. You posed an interesting question and I'm definitely not an expert so I looked it up. For whatever reason once upon a time the diameter in inches stuck and somewhere along the line other calibers referenced mm's. It's very confusing. So, a 9mm refers to the diameter of the cartridge, but a 38 or 45 does not? No, there is just incongruity in sizes and their common names are in both metric and inches.
|
|
GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl
Senior Associate
"How you win matters." Ender, Ender's Game
Joined: Jan 2, 2011 13:33:09 GMT -5
Posts: 11,291
|
Post by GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl on Jul 23, 2019 14:06:31 GMT -5
So which one is bigger, mid-size, and the smallest?
|
|
OldCoyote
Senior Associate
Joined: Dec 21, 2010 10:34:48 GMT -5
Posts: 13,449
|
Post by OldCoyote on Jul 23, 2019 14:33:58 GMT -5
Well, you're right about one thing. A handgun will definitely not stop a bear. Smith & Wesson .500 Mag.
|
|
|
Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Jul 24, 2019 9:03:27 GMT -5
So which one is bigger, mid-size, and the smallest? What? Bullets or guns? For guns, smallest isn’t always best. A Glock 26 is a nice, small gun that shoots 9mm bullets. However, as it has such a short barrel, it is harder to be more accurate with it in comparison to the Glock 17. A general rule of thumb is the longer the barrel, the more accurate you’ll be. Remember the saying that you want a personal gun that you are the most accurate with? Small isn’t always best....it is easiest, but not best. Bullets, a 9mm is smaller than a 38 or a 45. Bullets also get more expensive the larger they are. We buy in bulk (usually 9 mm and 45) but when I take my 45 out to the range, I can easily go through $50-75 in bullets. Depending upon how long it has been, it takes a few magazines until I start getting accurate groupings.
|
|
GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl
Senior Associate
"How you win matters." Ender, Ender's Game
Joined: Jan 2, 2011 13:33:09 GMT -5
Posts: 11,291
|
Post by GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl on Jul 25, 2019 14:10:26 GMT -5
What should I look for in a gun range? Any certifications or memberships one should have?
|
|
|
Post by empress of self-improvement on Jul 25, 2019 14:41:20 GMT -5
What should I look for in a gun range? Any certifications or memberships one should have? If you can give me a couple of hours, say when I get out of work, I can check in with my nephew and see where he goes. He's a CO at Concord.
|
|
|
Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Jul 25, 2019 16:17:07 GMT -5
|
|
geenamercile
Senior Member
Joined: Dec 17, 2010 16:40:28 GMT -5
Posts: 2,486
|
Post by geenamercile on Jul 25, 2019 16:32:09 GMT -5
Your son will most likely want one with an instructor or Range safety officer on the range. Ours here have a huge variety from ones where you bring all your own stuff and shoot outside to ones where they are inside and have instructors on the range to help out. If you were near here I would recommended colonialshooting.com/rental-pricing/ I don't expect you to come here, but the website may be a jumping off point to look at and know what questions to ask/what to look for.
|
|
Bluerobin
Senior Associate
Joined: Dec 20, 2010 14:24:30 GMT -5
Posts: 17,345
Location: NEPA
|
Post by Bluerobin on Aug 2, 2019 14:38:04 GMT -5
Actually, what he should do is go to a "range" where he can try several different caliber guns. He just may find a 9 mm is not for him. After he finds one he is comfortable with, many states have ranges for hunters (sometimes non hunters have to get a permit - or just get a hunting license) and he should go there to practice. PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE.
Often, your state permit is good in other states too, so he may not need multiple licenses.
|
|
GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl
Senior Associate
"How you win matters." Ender, Ender's Game
Joined: Jan 2, 2011 13:33:09 GMT -5
Posts: 11,291
|
Post by GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl on Aug 3, 2019 14:16:51 GMT -5
Update: DH, YDS, YDS’ GF, and I went to a shooting range on Thursday night. I paid to use the range with 2 instructors, gun rentals, and ammo for the 4 of us. The instructors were very informative and patient. YDS has good aim and had a great time. His GF also has good aim and seemed to enjoy herself. DH needs to work on his aim, but enjoyed himself. Me? Freaked out. I just kept thinking how violent and powerful and deadly those guns were and how even one stupid mistake by one of us newbies could have been fatal. I only shot about 10 times, one bullet in the chamber each time. The explosions and the fire and the casings shooting out of the gun at me were terrifying. After each shot, I placed the gun down on the counter and backed away in terror. I was shooting several types of 9 mm. I think I’d try again, but with something smaller until I felt a little less terrified. YDS will take the required classroom training for Massachusetts licenses in the next couple of months. He will then have to apply for the license which will take anywhere from 2-6 months for processing. The instructors also highly recommended that, in the meantime, he continue to practice with an instructor on a frequent basis. YDS agrees. He also wants to take some of the other courses offered by the range. The state where his college is has much more relaxed licensing requirements so I am hoping he will wait until he goes through the Massachusetts training before buying a gun. So, there we be. Again, I’m not necessarily against gun ownership, just terrified. I never had any interest in shooting one, but, I figured I could let YDS go down this road on his own or join him and educate myself and make sure he gets proper training. I chose the latter. Now we wait for the next step.
|
|
geenamercile
Senior Member
Joined: Dec 17, 2010 16:40:28 GMT -5
Posts: 2,486
|
Post by geenamercile on Aug 3, 2019 16:51:57 GMT -5
If you go back see if the have a 22 pistol to try.
|
|
ktunes
Senior Member
show your world to me...
Joined: Dec 21, 2010 8:10:29 GMT -5
Posts: 3,885
|
Post by ktunes on Aug 3, 2019 22:00:13 GMT -5
some 9mm's can be "snappy" on the recoil, especially if it's a smaller pocket style gun...those also can be hard to manipulate the slide for some people...if your son had fun a 9 is probably ok for him but maybe you can try a .380...that would be about the smallest "carry" gun if you were thinking about it...some say that doesn't have enough power for self defense...as gm mentioned above a .22 would be best if you just want to go with them and be a part of the process...a .22 has almost no recoil and is not loud or very violent to shoot...
|
|
|
Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Aug 4, 2019 2:25:43 GMT -5
I agree....next time you go, see if you can shoot a 22. They have much less recoil (and little stopping power) and are fun to shoot.
For self defense, the smallest you should have would be 9 mm. I remember when we were shooting in the field and shooting reactive steel targets (targets that flip from one side to the other when you hit them). 9 mm frequently didn’t flip the steel when you hit it. 45 always did. It was an interesting demonstration of the difference between the 2.
|
|
geenamercile
Senior Member
Joined: Dec 17, 2010 16:40:28 GMT -5
Posts: 2,486
|
Post by geenamercile on Aug 4, 2019 7:14:37 GMT -5
Yea we used 22s to squirrel and rabbit hunt since it left the meat. But still had to be careful of the shot to not just wound. It is also what my mom shot my dad with about 6ft-8ft away and they are still together. Wouldn't use it for self defense, but it can be fun to shoot.
|
|
zibazinski
Community Leader
Joined: Dec 24, 2010 16:12:50 GMT -5
Posts: 47,861
|
Post by zibazinski on Aug 22, 2019 20:49:28 GMT -5
Wear long pants and close toed shoes
|
|
GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl
Senior Associate
"How you win matters." Ender, Ender's Game
Joined: Jan 2, 2011 13:33:09 GMT -5
Posts: 11,291
|
Post by GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl on Aug 23, 2019 23:26:53 GMT -5
Wear long pants and close toed shoes 👋👋👋Hi Zib!!! Welcome back!!! You were missed!!! Hope everything is okay.
|
|
OldCoyote
Senior Associate
Joined: Dec 21, 2010 10:34:48 GMT -5
Posts: 13,449
|
Post by OldCoyote on Aug 24, 2019 10:22:54 GMT -5
If you go back see if the have a 22 pistol to try. .22 can be very effective, also much quieter,
Remember John Hinckley used a .22 to shoot Reagan, Brady, Delahanty and McCarthy in 1981.
|
|