Fighting Myself

I have this strange habit of contradicting myself.  It's actually related to my personality type.  I do it in so many ways that it has become quite the annoyance for me.  My purpose here is not to point out all of my shortcomings, but rather to discuss my most recent annoyance related to concealed carry and personal defense.

I have taken a good handful of professional tactical pistol courses over the past 20 years and one of the main things I've taken away as gospel is that you must find and utilize what is most efficient in terms of personal protection.  For example, choosing to carry a firearm in an ankle holster is probably one of the worst things you can do.  When ambushed and forced to defend yourself you need to move quickly toward cover or a position of safety, preferably while drawing your pistol and potentially returning fire.  How can you possibly move and draw from an ankle holster at the same time?  It's nearly impossible.  At the very least it's not efficient.  This is just one of many, but it helps make my point that efficiency is close to godliness when it comes to gunfighting.

Now on to my current conundrum.  The most comfortable way for me to carry a pistol, and the most comfortable pistol for me to carry is a snub nose revolver in the appendix position.  The problem is that a revolver is not the best defensive tool.  Knowing this yet also wanting maximum comfort is a problem I face daily.  Because I know you're itching to hear my answer to why a revolver is not a good defensive tool, I'll get that out of the way.  Revolvers are generally heavier than small frame automatics, have longer and heavier trigger press, are less accurate due to short barrels and heavier triggers, hold fewer rounds, and take much longer to reload when precious seconds count.  In short a 5 shot revolver will always be a poor choice for personal defense when compared to say a Glock 19 which is pretty much the antithesis to any revolver.  Feel free to nit-pick and ask more questions of a tactical nature in the comments section below.  I'm always happy to hash it out with you.

Back to what frustrates me so much about this.  I don't want to be unarmed.  I don't want to carry an inferior tool for protection. I want to be as comfortable as possible, but honestly if I'm uncomfortable I'm less likely to carry a pistol at all. (weak mind I know) I haven't practiced with my revolver nearly enough to feel supremely confident with it.  So I guess the question causing so much torment for me is this - is it better to carry something than nothing at all?  Is it ok that the revolver may leave me at a serious disadvantage in a gunfight?  Basically I'm trying to determine if it's ok to sacrifice efficiency and tactical advantage for comfort and ease of carry?  Your thoughts would be appreciated.

--ME

Glock Mag Winning

I recently discovered a product that I think is an absolute necessity if you carry a Glock 42 or 43 for personal defense. It's called the E.M.P. by Strike Industries.  EMP stands for Enhanced Magazine Plate, and it changes the capacity of your magazine on the 42 from 6 rounds to 8.  Most of us carry with a round chambered, so that means 9 rounds of get the heck away from me!

              

The new floor plate adds approximately 1.5 inches to the grip length of your pistol, but I haven't noticed the extra length while carrying it. I carry in the appendix position and have had no issues adjusting to this change. If you carry at the three through five o'clock position, you may have to be slightly more aware of printing. Especially as you bend over or reach overhead.

Here's a photo of the magazine next to the Pierce Grip extension. The Pierce doesn't add to the round count, it just adds to the length, making it easier to get a full grip on the pistol. 

As far as I can tell there is only one thing that I would call a "negative", and even then it's borderline. This being the fact that the mag extension doesn't perfectly line up with the grip on the gun. You can see what I mean in the photo below
I guess it's just the perfectionist in me, but seriously, couldn't the designers have made the extension fit a little nicer? I don't see this gap as a problem.  You don't notice it while gripping the pistol, it's simply an aesthetic complaint.
Attempt to locate.  Make your own case.  Enjoy!