Beretta Blog

Maybe you don’t even reload your own ammunition. That’s OK, read on anyway, because this article still might apply to you.

For purposes of this discussion, let’s consider a universe containing two types of ammunition: practice and self-defense. Practice ammunition is designed to do one thing – go forward in more or less a straight line. As a bonus feature, it should also drill holes in paper or cardboard targets and make a clanging noise against steel plates. If a practice round doesn’t go bang once in a while, it’s no big deal and presents a training opportunity to work on your malfunction drills.

Some decades ago, conversations over newfangled inventions for guns went something like this...

“Hold on there son; you want me to put a thing made of GLASS on top of my trusty rifle? Are you kidding me?”

The discussion was about the idea of adding a scope to a rifle to perform the task of accurately getting sights on target. For hundreds of years, shooters had relied on a solution of simplicity and extreme durability: iron sights. Adding a potentially fragile, and more importantly, unproven invention had to be just asking for trouble, right?

There are times when the need to be discreet is going to mean carrying your defensive firearm somewhere other than on your waistline. There is also the fact that in our society, it’s quite normal for women to walk around with a purse on their shoulders, and a purse is useful for carrying any number of things such as a self-defense pistol.

I suppose that any pistol you have handy during a personal defense emergency is a perfect carry pistol, right?

Technically speaking, any handgun that shoots reliably can be a carry pistol. Large or small, mouse gun or big-bore caliber, double-action, single-action, or striker-fired. The usefulness of a concealed carry tool depends more on the skills of the user than on the hardware. However, assuming that one’s commitment to training and practice comes first, there’s nothing wrong with finding a pistol that’s optimized for concealed carry. In fact, the right features can provide a significant advantage to the skilled user.

So, what defines a perfect carry pistol?

There’s a lot more to handgun sights than meets the eye. OK, so that little play on words was entirely on purpose, but it’s true. While sights seem simple and even mundane, there’s quite a bit of thought and sophisticated science put into the design of effective handgun sights.

What do police officers' attitudes have to do with you? The nature of police work requires a careful balance between proactive action and de-escalation procedures. As an armed civilian, your mission if very different and with few exceptions, a "de-escalation" mentality will generally serve you well. Read on to learn why I take a different approach to confrontations when carrying a gun.

If you carry a defensive pistol, you should really consider making it a habit to shoot a practical pistol (USPSA) match on a regular basis. Here are ten reasons why this is so.

I live in a rural section of south Florida. I constantly see signs by the freeway exit ramps that advertise concealed carry permit classes for ridiculously low prices. On one hand, I understand how money (or the lack thereof) can affect buying decisions, but when you're choosing a firearms instructor, you are choosing someone to teach you how to potentially save your life and the lives of those close to you.

I think some issues, preferences, and beliefs just get passed around the gun community with few stopping to consider and evaluate what they really mean. You know, things like “The batteries will just run out of your laser or light when you need it most!” Or maybe, “It only takes one .45 ACP bullet to end a fight.” You know the drill and have probably heard dozens of such nuggets of wisdom passed down.

Laser sights get a bad rap from gun know-it-alls. You’ll hear pithy and condescending comments like these…

• Laser sights are a crutch.

• Lasers are only for people who can’t use iron sights properly.

• Laser sights are slower.

• What are you gonna do when you’re laser battery runs out in the middle of a gunfight?

• Lasers are delicate and will break at inopportune times.

• Serious shooters don’t need them.

Those folks are missing the point. Completely. Lasers add capabilities to your existing knowledge, skills, and equipment without taking anything away. Who wouldn’t want that type of tradeoff?