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?

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?

Even though aggregate crime rates have been trending dramatically down over the past two decades, the world feels like a dangerous place. Maybe you’re thinking of getting a gun for self-defense. Whether you intend to use it to protect your home or to carry it on your person (being careful to follow your state’s laws on the matter), there are some other things you’ve got to have.

Here are the top five things that you need besides the gun itself.

The forever-asked question in the concealed carry market is, “Which holster should I purchase?” I’ve been asked the question numerous times, and my answer is never brief. Heck, there’s a lot that goes into choosing a holster to safely hide a firearm on your body. This list of criteria gets even longer when it’s a woman who wants to know which holster is going to be best.

There’s an old saying that goes something like this.

"You win 100% of the fights you avoid."

Sounds, simple, doesn’t it? The hard part is the avoidance. Before you can avoid something, you have to know it’s headed right at you. If the “detect and avoid" part was easy and came naturally, the Titanic would be an obscure footnote in history.

If you’ve bought a gun for self or home defense, one of the most important things you can do is eradicate your assumptions. What’s that mean? One of the biggest dangers that defensive gun users need to overcome is that of a false sense of security.

Let’s start this discussion with the direct and blunt approach. Having a gun does not make you safer.