Novelist Needs Advice on Gun Details, Care to Help?

A career in law enforcement, I started with a Colt Pony .380 for a backup. Compact, light weight. Limited capacity, but a) I go for accuracy over quantity, and b) it’s easy to slap in another magazine.

Today, my personal favorite is a Kimber Ultra Carry II .45 cal. Still limited capacity, but knockdown power. Special Ops teams in the military have a wide choice of weapons to use, and many members favor the .45 cal over the 9 mm. The USAF is looking at a return to the .45 cal for their police personnel. The UC II is concealable. Put it in a Yaqui holster. My next step up is a Kimber 1911 .45 cal which uses the same holster. A girlfriend of mine is a very small and people thought she was nuts when she pulled out her Kimber Ultra .45 cal and commenced to shoot tightly knit groups.

I like the idea that the author is actually doing research. I used to hate reading a book and coming to a section that mentions a safety for a revolver, or some other such nonsense.

I also highly support the idea of going to a range where you can try out weapons. Feel them first. Some just naturally fit your hand and others definitely do not. Some, like the PPK can take chunks out of your hand. Don’t forget that the weapon will weigh more loaded. This kind of range gives people the opportunity to get a real feel of the weapon.

Firearms are like cars. Some people like Chevys and some people like Fords. Some like SUVs and some like sports cars.(I also have a Colt 1911, S&W Mod 19 .357, and others.)

Cz-82. It’s a reliable compact pistol, with a 12 round double stack mag, chambered in the 9mm Makarov. This round has more stopping power than the .380, comparable with the 9mm para and 38 special, with much less recoil than larger carts. The cz-82 is small enough to be. carried concealed in a hip or shoulder holster comfortably, but it’s a bit too wide for an ankle holster.

The sig. is fine.The 380 is fine. Shooting 9MM or 45 in compact and sub compact guns is not easy and are hard to control that leaves big guns which are better for recoil and control but not easy to carry.
With the new 380 ammo your choice of the PPK is great for defence and carry.

FWIW, I provided technical assistance to author Robert Waters for his book “Guns Save Lives: True Stories of Americans Defending Their Lives With Firearms”.

As for the gun(s) – I suggest the 9mm Glock 19 as the primary carry gun. It has proven reliability and is the choice of many professionals. I’d also suggest the smaller 9mm Glock 26 for situations in which a little more concealability is required (specifically with clothing where the heel of the Glock 19’s pistol grip prints through the fabric) and a there’s a need for greater magazine capacity than a single-stack 9mm. A third option would be a 9mm Kahr PM-9, for situations when magazine capacity must be compromised for greater concealability. My final suggestion is a Seecamp .32 ACP for pocket carry/deep concealment/backup. All four pistols have a common manual of arms (and no manual safety), which allows one skill set to apply to all guns.

As for holsters, for times when moderate concealment is required an inside waistband (IWB) holster, such as the Milt Sparks Executive’s Companion, for the Glocks and Kahr, worn behind the strong side hip. In situations where there’s a concern that the IWB holster behind the strong side hip might might become exposed due to physical activity or type of clothing to be worn, then a standard OWB belt holster, like a Galco Avenger, worn at 3/9 o’clock on the strong side hip offers a little more control. (The smaller Glock 26 can be carried interchangeably in a Glock 19 holster.) For the Seecamp, a leather pocket holster, like from RGrizzle, carried primarily in the weak side front pocket, allows access to a gun with either hand in case of physical grappling or compromised body positioning.

Good luck with your novel.

If I were to arm him with a weapon that is both concealable and has plenty of punch, I’d arm him with a Springfield Armory XDS in .45 acp or the XDM in .40. While both are quite concealable, the XDM has a bit of a size advantage over the XDS. Since both pistols are double action, there is no safety on them, nor is it needed, and the question of whether to carry with the safety on or off is solved. Since I know nothing about the hero, I don’t know what holster to recommend. If he is in the custom of wearing a jacket of some kind, I might suggest a shoulder holster. If he does not wear a jacket, I would suggest an inside the waistband holster that could be covered by a casual shirt worn with the tail out. For an outside the waistband holster, I’d suggest a Kydex holster for quick access. For deep cover or when wearing minimal clothing such as when jogging, I’d suggest one of the crotch holsters with a small .380 or 9mm semi auto.

Go with a 45 ACP caliber, or if you want to go more obscure, 357 Sig or 45 GAP in the subcompact frame size.
Glock, Springfield XD, Khar, S&W M&P Shield all have one or all of these calibers in a sub-compact size EDC gun. Glock has no manual safety, although they can be installed aftermarket. Most believe it is a waste of time, literally. You can get an XD pistol with or without a manual safety. I don’t recall if the M&P line have an optional safety, but for striker fired poly frame pistols, it is generally not advised. They all have inherent safeties in their design. If you want to go really small, then you’l have to stay with 9mm x 19 (Luger). The thing with smaller calibers is that you have to be more accurate with them to stop someone. Kel-tec, Kahr, Broberg, Seacamp, Ruger and many others make pocket size 9mm pistols. i would stay away from anything smaller than 9mm. If I had to go smaller, I would probably go with 22LR. They have deep penetration capability, they are easy to shoot, no recoil, and are much quieter. What most people don’t realize is that after the first shot with any centerfire round, you will not be able to hear any verbal commands for a 5-10 minutes. This is almost never portrayed in media and it will have a performance impact.
For concealment in all weather conditions, a tuckable IWB holster is best, although you can also go with a Sneaky Pete outside box flap holster (looks like a big PDA case). If you can always have a secure cover garment, then any of the OWB holsters will do. Shoulder rigs are banned from most competition matches, so you will not be able to practice with them under stressful conditions. For IBW, kidney carry is the best, for the Sneaky Pete, 3 o’clock carry is the best. For training, get involved in one of the organized shooting matches like IDPA, Steel Challenge, USPSL or even 3 gun. There are also unaffiliated amateur matches held at most gun store ranges and private clubs, such as bowling pin, action pistol, 2 gun and the like (usually private clubs open their range on such events). Also Bulls Eye competition is good training for accuracy. You need to shoot 150-300 rounds per month over at least 2 events. Don’t get all crazy with the latest equipment and try to be an overnight champion. Treat all such events like practice and get the bare minimum equipment to participate. In between matches devote at least an hour a week (15-20 minutes spread out is OK) of dry fire practice. Learn and memorize the 4 basic gun safety rules before ever touching a gun.
1. Treat all firearms as if they were loaded
2. Never point a firearm at anything you don’t intend to destroy
3. Keep your finger out of the trigger area until you are aligned on your target
4. Know your target and what’s behind it.
Some will say these rules don’t apply in defensive situations, but I say they are even more important. In a lethal encounter, the last thing you want is to injure or kill an innocent or yourself.

I carry a Ruger LC9, (9 mm with 7 round single stack mag.) and it is awesome. It conceals perfectly, even when wearing just a tee shirt. My holster is a DE Santis Gunhide model- the insider. I carry it inside the waistband at approx. 5 o’clock position and it just disappears from sight, is comfortable to wear and most of the time I forget that I have it on. Access is quick and easy by hooking the edge of the tee shirt with the right thumb and while lifting the shirt I simultaneously draw the pistol.
This pistol is very high quality and very accurate. After shooting about 21 rounds through it at close range I backed off to 25 yards and with the off hand position placed 7 rounds in center mass with two in the 10 ring bulls eye.
The features of this pistol that I like the most are:
It is double action all the time so you do not have to carry it with the hammer back, or “locked and cocked.”
It has a safety that works just like the thumb safety on a 1911 45 A.C.P. which affords a little more assurance and peace of mind when carrying and re-holstering yet is easily switched off wit a flick of the thumb upon drawing.
It is hammer less as far as any protruding hammer to snag on clothing. (It does have a recessed hammer though).
The entire pistol has rounded over edges for comfortable carry and to alleviate snagging on clothing.
It just feels great to hold in your hand. A perfect fit for my hands that are not real small but definitely not large.
I am totally satisfied with the Ruger LC9 for personal protection, and if I were still a police officer (12 years) I would not hesitate to carry it as my back-up weapon.

As some who spent years carrying and using a Walther PPK, when the time came I decided to upgrade to 9mm. I tried plenty of guns and finally settled on the Taurus 709 slim, with a tiny Pierce Grip Extension to rest my small finger. I carry it in the small of my back reversed so I can get to it palm out. Totally concealed and with Hornady Critical Defense ammunition, I can defend myself or others with complete confidence.

Training? He’d go to an NRA-qualified CCW course, naturally. Typically, these courses are two days, one day for going over the laws and responsibilities concerning carrying a concealed weapon and the second for firearms safety and proficiency. Your readers would probably be interested to learn that such courses are required before getting a CCW permit. As for the readiness state while carrying: In the highest alert stage — when the character would like to be able to respond to a threat as quickly as possible — he would have a round in the chamber, hammer cocked, safety on. That way, if he had to draw, all he’d have to do is thumb off the safety and he could fire. If he doesn’t really like that idea — it may seem too dangerous to him, although it really isn’t — then he’d probably carry with a round in the chamber, hammer down, safety on. It would add two steps between drawing and firing, though: manually cocking the hammer with his thumb and then thumbing off the safety. All of this assumes a single-action semi-auto pistol; with a double action only pistol, there is no external hammer, so he could carry with a round in the chamber and the safety on. Good on you for trying to get the details right; nothing is more annoying for a reader who knows the basics about firearms than to hit a mistake in the middle of an exciting scene. By the way, I’m a full-time freelance writer, myself (non-fiction only, mainly commercial articles although I’ve written a couple of non-fiction books as well). If you want a reader to check the gun details before you submit your ms to the publisher, I’d be happy to do it for you (ask the folks at GA for my email address) in return for an introduction to your agent. (That offer for a trade should let you know that, yes, I really am a writer.)

In order to determine the type of gun the character should carry, we would need to know the situation that the character will carry it and use it. Just like in real life.

IMO, the author should go to a gun range where they rent a variety of different handguns and long guns then have a certified instructor help the author to shoot a variety of different weapons and try out different holsters and carry methods in front of a mirror to actually feel and see what different weapon systems are capable of. If the author tries different clothing and positions he will quickly understand many of the limitations that different weapon systems have.

If the character has purchased the gun for home defense to be left in the home, the options and reasons for choosing the weapon are almost limitless. Almost any choice is acceptable and open to discussion with very defensible choices.

If the character has purchased the gun for concealed carry in an environment where concealment is the highest priority with accuracy and firepower as secondary concerns (because the character is in situations where potential threats are close) like an office or house dealing with clients, then a very small, thin, and light pistol or revolver would be my first choice. I used to carry a Keltec P-3AT for that since it was the smallest, lightest pistol with the largest caliber round available for pistol size. I switched to the Taurus PT738 TCP because the trigger is very much better and it has all the features the P-3AT should have with very little more weight and size. I carry this pistol in environments where no one must know that I am carrying. The disadvantage of this pistol is that it carries only 6 rounds and even +P cartridges are not that powerful. I get very good accuracy out to 15 meters with this pistol. The light weight with higher power rounds can be abusive and requires lots of practice to be able to shoot multiple shots quickly and accurately.

Use of a hammerless polymer framed revolver chambered in .357 is a good choice for concealed carry in a jacket pocket. The character has the choice of a variety of ammunition from 38 special all the way up to .357 heavy loads depending on how the author wants to “geek out” on weapon tech. While slightly larger than the very small semi-automatic pistols, the revolver has the advantage that it can be fired multiple times inside the pocket without jamming or the need to remove the gun from the pocket. That is why I carry this type of handgun in my winter coats and jackets. The author could utilize this as part of novel if the main protagonist is trying to defend himself in a close range encounter that comes upon him unexpectedly (because of poor situational awareness as an example).

If the main character is to have a gun and use it in a athletic situation like golfing, there are very few choices that I can think of where the weapon can be carried on the character and be readily accessible as well as being concealed. Carrying in a holster on the belt, IWB, small of the back, or with a shoulder rig would often be visible during the event and would almost certainly interfere with athletic performance. Envision yourself teeing up for a drive down the fairway with a pistol stuck in your waistband or in the small of your back (or on a shoulder rig). Through experience, I can guarantee that only a masochist or someone who doesn’t care about doing well will keep that gun on them more than two swings of the club. Carrying a pistol in a cargo pocket on the thigh is almost the only option that seems to work for me. Having the pistol in a waist pants pocket or on the butt just interferes with correct movement for the swing.

Keeping a weapon in a golf bag is also acceptable and a reasonable alternative even though that has been used quite often in pulp novels and poor movies. The author should remember that he can’t have the character leave the golf bag on his cart when he goes to make his shot. The character needs to either not use a golf cart or take his bag with him at all times to be close to the weapon. Of course the author can use this to lend tension to the novel by having the protagonist in a confrontation where he has to get to his weapon to defend himself against their attacker(s).

I really don’t think the author should get too hung up on the choice between makes and models of weapons unless it is germane to the plot and scene development. Does it really matter that the character is using a Glock vs. a Beretta vs. a S&W XD vs. a Sig Sauer in 9mm.? It is more distracting when an author claims that a character uses a handgun with open sites to make consistent one shot kills on attackers more than 20 meters away. Especially when people are moving. Yes, it is possible if the person doing the shooting has a LOT of experience shooting at moving targets in a hostile environment and practices this often. It is not when the character has just purchased the weapon with no prior experience and only occasionally goes to the range to shoot at stationary targets in a non-threatening environment. Similarly, using a very small pistol or revolver with high powered ammunition accurately and quickly does not happen realistically. Inexperienced shooters do not have correct skills to handle the punishing recoil and displacement from multiple shots. It takes a lot of practice to shoot quickly and accurately without developing a flinch with high powered rounds in a small, light handgun (or long gun for that matter).

JEEsus!

First of all, why does the author find it necessary to replicate James Bond? The ppk back in the day was pretty advanced and although it hold’s its own with the right ammo, it’s not the most ‘modern’ of choices to impress readership. His LOFT gag was pretty good. He should expand upon that ‘novelty and at the same time retaliate against the moron leftist status quo with a ‘cloaked’ dis of his own to these leftist tyrannists ? Are any of the terrorists the good guys kill at the end also corrupt politicians?

He should write a scene where Brad is at the 18th hole clubhouse in a gin game drinking Milwaukee’s Best Ice (not those arrogant martinis like JB drank) and complaining about his absence of shooting skills, and one of the ‘boys’ offers a solution he can’t refuse.

After the game, his gambling friend takes him out to the SUV with darkly tinted windows and digs out a small suitcase unlocks it and lo and behold, two matching Mac-10 9mm smgs, (or .380’s if you want) with a dozen 32 round mags filled with special HV Israeli AP smg ammo, Micro reflex sights, and optional compact suppressors. And, even a tactical nylon double brace concealable shoulder holsters. These also have the wire form extending stocks to ‘better’ aim for better hit potential.

Brad’s friend says: ” If you’re really worried about using a gun, these will take the ‘edge’ off the cliff jump!”
Brad says: “Dude, are these for real?”
“No, they’re just for Chuck Norris movies.”
“Don’t i need a special permit, or something?
“Nah, You don’t even need a background check”
“What a great country”
“Yeah, it used to be”

The scene could then be expanded to a brief training period where accuracy was not the emphasis, for obvious anecdotal reasons, but simply a short, but intense, period of mechanical function and use training. ie: loading cocking, pointing firing, repetitions, which would be far more acceptable realism in actual scenario, than somebody who was not a pro pistolero attempting ridiculous shots with a ppk on the fly or whatever at any distance over 10 feet!

Or put another way, If you were popping a MAC smg loaded with hot ammo at a jet ski even out to a hundred meters with the shoulder stock extended, you would be amazed how fast they would be sinking. Even if you weren’t a top match shooter, as long as you had a modicum of familiarity practice. A Mac can also be configured without needing a mag release button. Just a ball pressure detent. Just pull the empty mag out and put a full one in. So you can ‘realistically’ detail some high action firepower plausibility to even the most ‘die-hard’ reality nitpickers, lol!

One last thing, my particular ‘specialty’ was training operators for optimal performance in the shortest time period possible. So if his character Brad is a novice shooter like i used to train, if we couldn’t get them up to level in the time period, we’d mockingly hand them a grenade and say “If you just can’t seem to hit the target with your gun with your first few shots, quickly use this, instead.”

I would have the PPK re-chambered in 9×18 so it had a little more punch. Carried inside the waistband on the right side front. Easy to get to and well hidden under a golf shirt. Remember people don’t fly back when shot (like in the movies) they tend to fold in on themselves.

Some good choices mentioned here. I would stay with a 9, since the character is a relative newcomer to shooting. The Crossbreed holster is a good choice , as is the Galco King Tuk. You might have the character experiment with several guns before picking one he likes best.

Never a very popular round but the Federal 327 Mag used in the Ruger SP101 with a 3″barrel would be my choice. I also own the PPKS 380 and love it. But since I no longer get out to the firing range on a regular basis, I always wonder if I would remember if the safety was on or off if I had to use it under a panic situation. My 327 Mag does not have a safety so no worry there. I really prefer a wheel gun for self defense.

what is wrong with the Springfield XDS in 45 caliber? It is small, accurate for each size, lightweight and easy to conceal.

If you stay with .380 I would go with a Beretta 84FS or 85FS. Either more reliable than the PPK 84FS holds 13+1 rounds. A Beretta or Bianchi holster should work nicely. If upgrade to 9mm would go with Sig Sauer P239 or Glock 26.

Stephens can remain brand loyal and trade that PPK for a PPS 9mm.