Gun Advice

[Zeb_Carter]

Thank you. I'll consider it.

This brings me to another question: Is the .38 the standard issue for police officers nationwide?

It used to be...I believe now it is the 9mm or 10mm. The .38 just didn't have the stopping power needed to bring down dusted gun slingers.

 

[Aurora Black]

I only have one advice re: guns. Point the end with the hole away from you.

 

[Aurora Black]

Does it have to be a handgun? A sawed-off .410 pump would fit a petite woman. Loud, intimidating, messy, everything that makes for a gory peice of fiction. (Hopefully it's fiction )

Yeah, it does. I think a shotgun would be too over the top for what I have in mind.

 

[Aurora Black]

Heavy research lightened: the legal purchase age in Michigan in 1994-95 was 18, and still is. For confirmation, see:

http://www.nraila.org/GunLaws/StateLaws.aspx?ST=MI

re your question about .38s in another post--the .38 Special was once the most common police handgun in the country, but most PDs have switched to either 9mm or 10mm S&W semi-automatics. This was mostly due to the increased cartridge capacity of the newer semi-autos.

Thank you so much!

 

[R. Richard]

Thank you. I'll consider it.

This brings me to another question: Is the .38 the standard issue for police officers nationwide?

As has been pointed out, the standard issue in big city police departments is not the 9mm. The .38 as such was never the standard. The .38 police special [ a different cartridge] was the standard.

 

[Aurora Black]

It used to be...I believe now it is the 9mm or 10mm. The .38 just didn't have the stopping power needed to bring down dusted gun slingers.

You are such an ex-cop, Zeb.

 

[Aurora Black]

As has been pointed out, the standard issue in big city police departments is not the 9mm. The .38 as such was never the standard. The .38 police special [ a different cartridge] was the standard.

Point noted.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

You are such an ex-cop, Zeb.

I'll take that as a compliment, thank you.

 

[Roxanne Appleby]

Conclusion: If the outfit she's wearing calls for an automatic (modern, chic), then a 9 mm. (How about a S&W "Ladysmith" model, the one with the pink grips?)

If the outfit calls for an revolver (classic, traditional) then a .357.

Make sure to use hollowpoints for maximum gore (little hole going in, big hole coming out.)

 

[Aurora Black]

Conclusion: If the outfit she's wearing calls for an automatic (modern, chic), then a 9 mm. (How about a S&W "Ladysmith" model, the one with the pink grips?)

If the outfit calls for an revolver (classic, traditional) then a .357.

Make sure to use hollowpoints for maximum gore (little hole going in, big hole coming out.)

Ouch, woman. And the outfit didn't even occur to me.

 

[Roxanne Appleby]

. . . the outfit didn't even occur to me.

Aurora! And you a singer and performer! Tsk tsk. Must keep our priorities straight, dear: Look good first, then kill efficiently.

 

[Aurora Black]

Aurora! And you a singer and performer! Tsk tsk. Must keep our priorities straight, dear: Look good first, then kill efficiently.

Is that a guideline from the La Femme Nikita school of martial arts and weaponry?

 

[Lisa Denton]

Since its a assasination/suicide and noise and blood splatter is not a concern.

And also since you have some concerns about how the weapon is obtained.

You could come up with some new ideas, a 16 year old kid in any large city can quickly and easily obtain an illegal handgun. An illegally obtained weapon eliminates any age requirments or (in texas a 3 day wait period) other inconvenient obstacles.

Also with getting an illegal weapon money talks big, gangbangers and criminals want a small, easily concealed weapon and have no other considerations. The subject of your story can say what they want, and for the right price, get anything.

In a book idea.
You could go with the biggest handgun, easy to fit in a large purse. It would clear a crowd, and drop the 10 foot range with a shot fired in the air, then the shooter walks towards the target, kneeling on the ground with his hands over his head.

I had a revolver which I obtained legally, it was a 45 caliber, custom made, to fire 45 caliber rifle rounds. The owner of the shop where I got it told me it was great for home defense since if someone was kicking down your door in the middle of the night, it would not only blow the bad guy away, but instead of putting a hole in your door it would disintegrate the entire door and surrounding walls, and wake all neighbors in a 10 block radius, ensuring a quick 911 call.

I fired it at the local firing range, even with the ear protection it damn near blew my eardrums, great for clearing a crowd. Although at the firing range it drew a crowd as everyone rushed to watch "the lil lady with the cannon"

I believe there is an Israeli made 50 caliber handgun, called the desert eagle, which would prolly have a similar effect.

If you haven't gotten too far in your story the idea of an illegally obtained weapon (which I would never suggest outside a story idea) opens up some possibilities you might not have considered, until now, see ya.

 

[R. Richard]

If the outfit calls for an revolver (classic, traditional) then a .357.

The only problem here is that most .357 revolvers are rather large and would not fit easily into a lady's handbag, nor would a .357 be easy for a woman to wield or aim, due to the weight.

 

[R. Richard]

I believe there is an Israeli made 50 caliber handgun, called the desert eagle, which would prolly have a similar effect.

Lisa:
It is not necessary to go to some "furrin'" weapon. The .475 Wildey is a US made handgun that will provide ample power. [I use one and hand load my own wildcat rounds. Stopping power has never been an issue. I would use it against a grizzley at close range.]

 

[Lisa Denton]

Lisa:
It is not necessary to go to some "furrin'" weapon. The .475 Wildey is a US made handgun that will provide ample power. [I use one and hand load my own wildcat rounds. Stopping power has never been an issue. I would use it against a grizzley at close range.]

Its a freakin story idea, not a suggestion to buy anti-american.

And I would hesitate to refer to the Israeli Mossad as "furrin, furry, and especially not fuzzy"

 

[Aurora Black]

Since its a assasination/suicide and noise and blood splatter is not a concern.

And also since you have some concerns about how the weapon is obtained.

You could come up with some new ideas, a 16 year old kid in any large city can quickly and easily obtain an illegal handgun. An illegally obtained weapon eliminates any age requirments or (in texas a 3 day wait period) other inconvenient obstacles.

Also with getting an illegal weapon money talks big, gangbangers and criminals want a small, easily concealed weapon and have no other considerations. The subject of your story can say what they want, and for the right price, get anything.

In a book idea.
You could go with the biggest handgun, easy to fit in a large purse. It would clear a crowd, and drop the 10 foot range with a shot fired in the air, then the shooter walks towards the target, kneeling on the ground with his hands over his head.

I had a revolver which I obtained legally, it was a 45 caliber, custom made, to fire 45 caliber rifle rounds. The owner of the shop where I got it told me it was great for home defense since if someone was kicking down your door in the middle of the night, it would not only blow the bad guy away, but instead of putting a hole in your door it would disintegrate the entire door and surrounding walls, and wake all neighbors in a 10 block radius, ensuring a quick 911 call.

I fired it at the local firing range, even with the ear protection it damn near blew my eardrums, great for clearing a crowd. Although at the firing range it drew a crowd as everyone rushed to watch "the lil lady with the cannon"

I believe there is an Israeli made 50 caliber handgun, called the desert eagle, which would prolly have a similar effect.

If you haven't gotten too far in your story the idea of an illegally obtained weapon (which I would never suggest outside a story idea) opens up some possibilities you might not have considered, until now, see ya.

Thank you for this.

RR: I guess that rules out the .357, then.

 

[CopyCarver]

Thank you for this.

RR: I guess that rules out the .357, then.

You could choose any of several dozen small 9mm semi-automatics, which would be exceedingly deadly, produce very gory "special effects," and make one helluva noise.

See what I meant earlier about mail from gunbugs--and you haven't even posted the story yet.

You might want to consider the Rorschach approach--just saying "pistol" or "handgun" and let readers assume that you meant whatever make, model, and caliber best floats their boat.

 

[carverII]

Did I mention that the character who's doing the shooting is under 21? Buying a gun is out. The bigger the noise, the better. I want it to be an instantly fatal, nasty gashy head wound for the victim, but the close range thing is going to be very tricky. I want my assassin to do it in a crowd, so there needs to be some distance involved. 10 feet, maybe. Is that still considered close range? Can the .22 handle that?

try a subdermal injection of some sorts with a really nasty strain of e-coli or some other mutated desease. It wouldn't require anything more than a basic understanding of biology, very simple equipment, and a small blowdart gun. All very accessible and all very cheap.

 

[carverII]

Better yet......try the ol' electrically charged icepick. Zap some juice down the icepick after jamming it into the base of the skull and slightly upwards. Neat, little blood, and veggie-fries the victum.

 

[Roxanne Appleby]

It used to be that all .357s were bigger, but I think they now they have compact five-shot ones the same size as the class "Chief's Special" .38 snubnosed. Also, those two-shot derringers (the murder-suicide model ) come in all kinds calibers, including almost as big as those "funny furrin" models.

 

[R. Richard]

RR: I guess that rules out the .357, then.

As has been pointed out, there are smaller .357 models avaialbe. However, they are expensive and difficult to find if you are not heavily into guns. In addition, they would be very difficult for a minor to buy.

There are also .357 derringers. However, they are of fairly recent vintage and they would be very difficult for a minor to buy.

It is possible to obtain guns from street punks. However, the guns are frequently in very poor/unusable condition. The streets are not a good place to buy weapons.

 

[Aurora Black]

You could choose any of several dozen small 9mm semi-automatics, which would be exceedingly deadly, produce very gory "special effects," and make one helluva noise.

See what I meant earlier about mail from gunbugs--and you haven't even posted the story yet.

You might want to consider the Rorschach approach--just saying "pistol" or "handgun" and let readers assume that you meant whatever make, model, and caliber best floats their boat.

Google's going to get a real workout tonight.

 

[wornoutkeyboard]

Having *some* expertise in this area (my area is large artillery and weapons of war, not too much on the handguns) I can just give you my 2c (and I would like half a shilling back in change, please).

1) Stay away from the 22. While it sure does fit into a lady's handbag, it is not a particularly leathal weapon unless repeatedly fired or done execution style (back of the head near the base of the skull). Even if shot DIRECTLY into the head at a distance there is still a relatively high survival rate if the bullet gets "lodged" in the skull rather than bouncing around and making spaghetti - O's out of your gray matter. Not to mention that it is not as effective as one would like for suicide. Even shot into the ear, you'd have too great of a chance for a lingering death and/or survival. If you are gonna do this one, you'd have best results doing a 45d angle under the chin.

2) There are a lot of good options listed from RR as to larger caliber guns that would do nicely - but I would keep your characters in close range. An inexperienced marksman has a hard time hitting ANYTHING when upset or scared. At 10 feet away a person without much experience would have a hell of a time with a revolver esp. If they are going to be more than 5 feet apart I would stick to a semi. Keep in mind that 22s are NOT reccommended for personal protection because they lack stopping power (AKA - killing power on the first shot)

3) The only advantage I see to a 22 is that you can have a better chance at getting in a good shot (not to mention less recoil - which may not matter and being quieter). But don't count on doing multiple shots. A lot of guns require that you chamber the bullet after each use (Berettas have a lever that tilts the barrel upward for loading) or cock the hammer (not a problem with a semi that is double action) and I wouldn't think a person would be likely to do this in the heat of passion. Not to mention that outside of the movies people that are not "altered" by drugs drop pretty fast. Does your protagonist plan on shooting after the other person is down?

4) Make sure to check to see if the model you use has a safety that has to be released or must be chambered on first round. The gun nutz will be pissed if you don't mention undoing a safety or chambering the first round. When going over these facts you will want to know if your character needs to pull back a slide (etc) - remember- pulling back a slide can be challenging for a woman on any remotely large gun. They are pretty tight. Also remember that ladies can have a difficult time putting bullets into the clip when the clip gets full - so if she loads it herself the clip may not be fully loaded because those last 1-2 bullets are pretty tight business. You might also want to mention the sound a gun makes. If it is close quarters, your characters ears will ring and she will be pretty unhappy for a few seconds afterward.

5) If you want to use grandma's gun - make sure you have established that it has been maintained. Just because older guns still work doesn't mean that they will do so properly without maintenance. Most un-maintained guns will not fire properly or can be very dangerous.

6) Try going to your local shooting range, gun store and/or gun club. Someone there can really help you out by going over all the aspects of the guns they have available and might give you a chance (depending on state laws) to fire it on a range so you know how it feels, how it pulls (some go back and up, some go to the side - some even go down) and you will be familiar with the action of the gun (how is it loaded, how forceful it is, etc)

7) For optimum gore and the possibility of a double whammy - ever consider explosive ordnance? Big BOOM!

Hope this helps a little. If you need info on big artillery (and most military ordnance for that matter) I am your woman. It is what I write about for the bags of pennies they send me.

~WOK (counting her pennies one at a time)

 

[AchtungNight]

Many good points have been touched on. I hope that the guy who gets shot deserves to get shot somehow and the story isn't too depressing (assassination/suicides usually are). Best of luck, Aurora. I say go with the 38.