Handguns

[CCoburn]

I'm not really into guns so much anymore, but I still keep one around just in case the shit hits the fan, and yes, I'm mostly talking about my Ruger single action revolver here. I do also have a S & W .22 SA pistol that my GF has apparently adopted and talks about as 'her gun', and she's actually also here right now and interrupting me and commenting on this so I think I'll just end this one right here.

[quintessentone]

Handguns


I've owned a variety of these over the past couple decades from .22s to .44s. The .22s might be fun for some target practicing at the range, a gravel pit, or anytime you're out driving and fairly certain you've landed yourself in the middle of nowhere, and I've only done the latter once or twice ensuring that I have a decent backstop. It's a fairly brief event and after a few rounds it's like "Okay, I think we should hop in the car now and get the hell out of here.".

I had a Ruger 9mm for a while, but didn't really care for it because at any distance more than a few yards the groups start to spread out considerably, and I later concluded that was due to the short barrel length which for me would put that firearm or any other like it in a category of strictly self-defense. The Taurus Judge was the same, but that particular firearm would take .45 Colt or .410 shotgun shells so the barrel wasn't rifled which isn't much good for accuracy at a distance either.

These days I'm at the extremes with a S & W .22 and a Ruger .44 Super Blackhawk Hunter. You can probably get away with using the .22 without a headset but with the .44 the headset absolutely needs to go anywhere the gun goes. I accidently fired a .44 at the range one day without a headset, and I'm pretty certain I won't be making that mistake again, but on the other hand, I let a marine fire off a few rounds with a S & W 629 Classic I had(Dirty Harry gun), and he declined the headset saying that "his ears were trained". Whatever that means - crazy.

I'd like to ditch the .44 though and go back to a .357. I keep the .44 in the car with me for self-defense, but I do think it's a bit much. I did go to a local gunshop looking for a trade but most of what they had looked pretty used so I opted out. Some of these used handguns not only just look used but have probably had the piss fired out of them, so it's not a bad idea to check the cylinder(if there is one) for excessive play. If you try and wiggle it and it moves then "move" on to something else. I'm not exactly sure what the allowable play should be in a measurement, but if I had to guess then maybe a millimeter or less.

I have only ever owned one rifle and have since given it away to a family member.

One of my other family members was a gun collector and they would let me shoot their hand guns on their farm. It was a long time ago but I do remember shooting a Magnum 38 hand gun. I remember that one because of the strong kickback after firing.

What hand guns, if any, are quiet because I have exceptional hearing and can't stand very loud noises?

[PorkChop96]

What hand guns, if any, are quiet because I have exceptional hearing and can't stand very loud noises?

Best bet for a quieter handgun would be a .22LR or one with a suppressor if you can get one.

Other than that my only recommendation would be to use foam ear plugs and full ear muffs at the same time.

[quintessentone]

Best bet for a quieter handgun would be a .22LR or one with a suppressor if you can get one.

Other than that my only recommendation would be to use foam ear plugs and full ear muffs at the same time.

A suppressor hmm? Interesting. I'll research that a little bit. I can't stand wearing ear plugs or muffs.

I'm wondering if the suppressor will affect the firing distance? I'll look it up.

AI: (without suppressor, I guess)

"The standard distances for .22 handgun shooting ranges typically include:

• 7 yards (21 feet): Commonly used for practice and training.
  
• 15 yards (45 feet): Often used for more advanced training and practice.
  
• 25 yards (75 feet): Frequently used for self-defense and combat training.
  These distances are widely recognized in the shooting community and are used to simulate real-life self-defense scenarios and to develop accuracy and precision"
  

[PorkChop96]

A suppressor hmm? Interesting. I'll research that a little bit. I can't stand wearing ear plugs or muffs.

I'm wondering if the suppressor will affect the firing distance? I'll look it up.

AI: (without suppressor, I guess)

"The standard distances for .22 handgun shooting ranges typically include:

• 7 yards (21 feet): Commonly used for practice and training.
  
• 15 yards (45 feet): Often used for more advanced training and practice.
  
• 25 yards (75 feet): Frequently used for self-defense and combat training.
  These distances are widely recognized in the shooting community and are used to simulate real-life self-defense scenarios and to develop accuracy and precision"
  

With a suppressor, and quality ammo, you're not going to see any noticeable decrease in accuracy for plinking. Or even if you wanted to use it for rodent control.  

Buy a quality gun, a good suppressor and quality ammo. That combo will never fail you. 

As far as the not wearing ear pro thing, I do not recommend that, even with a .22. I have done my fair share of firing guns without any hearing protection and I am paying the price for it. The only time I do now is when I hunt, only because I am only shooting once.

[quintessentone]

With a suppressor, and quality ammo, you're not going to see any noticeable decrease in accuracy for plinking. Or even if you wanted to use it for rodent control.  

Buy a quality gun, a good suppressor and quality ammo. That combo will never fail you. 

As far as the not wearing ear pro thing, I do not recommend that, even with a .22. I have done my fair share of firing guns without any hearing protection and I am paying the price for it. The only time I do now is when I hunt, only because I am only shooting once.

We have cats that take care of the small animal intrusions on our property.

Yeah, I knew I could not get away with not wearing ear protection, no matter what.

Anyway, now I just have to get up the gumption and make the effort.