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I am presenting information to help develop fictional characters and fictional scenes. In no way am I advocating any position or personal decision.
Decision One - Why is your heroine carrying a gun?
Target Shooting - chose a gun thatis comfortable to shoot and the
ammo is inexpensive.
(.22 is cheapest)
Conceal Carry - strong enough
bullet to do the job (higher
caliber), light enough and small
enough to conceal on the body.
Home Protection, Back Woods, Zombie Apocalypse -
for all 3, she might want a
higher caliber
(bigger bullet - .357, .44) to
protect against large animals
such as bear or werewolf.
This is a picture from one of my target practices with a Springfield 9mm XD-S/20 feet/32 bullets.
DECISION TWO: There are two kinds of handguns - the revolver and the semi automatic
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Revolver -
The revolver gets its name from the barrel that must revolve forward to bring the next bullet into play.The industry standard is a six-bullet cylinder.
If the villain is using a revolver then your heroine can count bullets and has a window of opportunity when he has to reload.
Now choose:
Single action - your character will have to cock the gun before she can pull the trigger. This slows down her firing ability.
Double Action - every time your character squeezes the trigger it will pull the hammer back and fire
PROS
* Extremely simple* Point and shoot
* They fire every time - if they fail to fire in an emergency situation
simply continue to pull the trigger and the cylinder will continue
to rotate and prepare the next round
* Easier to clean and maintain than a semi-
* Can be left loaded without issue
CONS
* Smaller capacity than a semi* No recoil spring to help you with recoil action - the shooter's hand
takes the recoil. This HURTS so, in my opinion, not a great gun
for target practice but okay for emergencies.
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Semi-automatic -
A semi-automatic fires the bullet in the chamber, extracts it, ejects it, and loads a new roundPROS
* More control than a revolver* More comfortable to shoot because of the recoil spring
* Higher capacity (holds more rounds)
* Quicker to reload
CONS
* Not as simple as a revolver: there are more parts such as themagazine release and the slide release.
* Not necessarily as reliable because they can jam occasionally.
The character would have to clear the jam before she could
continue shooting.
* Must take apart to clean and maintain
* If you leave your gun loaded for a long time the magazine springs
can become compressed so one should not leave it loaded (or just
replace the magazines every once in a while). But this might
be a reason for a complication in your plot.
Semi- automatic video quick study (6:15)
DECISION THREE - What is the gun made from?
This mostly has to do with weight - how carry-able is it? How accurate is it? How much can your heroine handle?
Three Most Common Materials
Steel and Polymer (around 26 oz.)Steel and Aluminum Framed (around 32 oz)
Full Steel ( around 40 oz.)
DECISION FOUR - Safety or no safety?
With a safety on, even if there is a bullet in the chamber, squeezing the trigger will not produce a shot. This might pose a problem for your character if her adrenaline is flowing, her brain isn't functioning, and she can't figure out why the bad guy is still attacking her.
Without a safety - her shot is quicker. However, accidents can happen. Would this advance your plot?
DECISION FIVE - Is this a good fit for your character?
* How big are her hands? (check grip size on gun)
* How strong is she? (check weight)
* Can she take the recoil? (a revolver might put her on her butt and
that might be where you want her)
that might be where you want her)
* What capacity (how many bullets does she need to do the job?
Or fail at the job?)
Or fail at the job?)
* Reloading (How fast? How many times? How successful?)
* What caliber of bullet does she use? Bullet tutorial
I would suggest that after doing some research and making some initial decisions, that you go by the gun store and hold the gun that you think your character would use. I have very small hands and some guns are just too large for me to grip properly. Glocks for example have HUGE grips and are not great for small hands reaching the trigger. Blog entry of me shooting a Glock at a F.A.T.S. demo CLICK HERE
I shoot a Springfield 9mm XD-S for comfort, and accuracy in range shooting and home protection. It fits my small hand, is a good weight and size, and I can use extended clips to increase my capacity. The trigger pull is about 6 lbs. which is easy enough for my strength level. 26 oz. Though pretty difficult for me to field strip (open it up to fix a problem). Small enough for concealed carry.
Excellent overview of the XD (8:36)
While I write my blogs from the perspective of the heroine, my friend at Confidential Resource thinks you should note:
Hand size is not a gender issue. Handguns are all about the shooter's hand size. Hand strength is also an issue as most people don't work with their hands today. However, hand size is the most critical issue.
The reason it is so important is that the pistol barrel must align with the forearm to enable accurate controlled fire. To line-up with the forearm the tips of the second and third fingers must press on the side of the grip opposite the palm. Without this, you will not be able to acquire or maintain a proper firing grip. For people with small hands, this means a narrow front-strap that is well rounded--think 1911, P220, or perhaps the SR9 pistols. Of course, the reach to the trigger face is also an important consideration.
For concealed I like:
Sig Saur P238 Copperhead (video 1:38) It is easy to conceal (.380ACP caliber). It hurts to shoot. Watch your character's grip - the gun is so tiny she might get her hand over the barrel/slide.
I also like the Ruger LCP and the Kel-Tec P3AT Ruger and Kel-tec (video 8:38) The Ruger LCP is what Kelli carries Women Carrying Concealed blog entry
A COUPLE OF HOUSECLEANING ITEMS:
When you have a magazine in your semi it is not considered loaded. A loaded gun means that you have a round in the chamber. Careful when you're writing. If you write that the gun is loaded and then the character racks the slide, then you have made a mistake.
Should the gun be loaded? Talking to experts, the prevailing wisdom says:
Semi-
* If the semi has a safety, yes.
* If the semi has no external (thumb) safety then no (remember
this just means not having a bullet in the chamber)
Revolver - yes.
Conceal carry? yes.
Confidential Resource: Sources & Methods for the Investigator (http://www.confidentialresource.com/ @locuscommunis on twitter) explains that:
Experienced shooters always refer to the 'condition' to describe the pistol's state or readiness to fire. A proficient gun handler will usually keep the pistol in Condition One or Four. Institutions that know their people are incompetent will often dictate Condition Three to avoid negligent discharges in administrative handling.
- Condition Four: Chamber empty, empty magazine, hammer down.
- Condition Three: Chamber empty, full magazine in place, hammer down (Israeli carry).
- Condition Two: A round chambered, full magazine in place, hammer down (extremely dangerous, especially with SA pistol).
- Condition One: With Single Action: a round chambered, full magazine in place, hammer cocked, safety on. With striker fired pistol: a round chambered, full magazine in place, striker at ready position. With Traditional Double Action (TDA), DAO, or LEM: a round chambered, full magazine in place, hammer at ready.
- Condition Zero: A round chambered, full magazine in place, hammer cocked, safety off.
Best video series I have ever seen on guns is:
MAGPUL DYNAMICS THE ART OF THE DYNAMIC HANDGUN YOUTUBE overview available on Amazon.
And before I leave today can I just add this one little bit of information...? A pet peeve is someone who writes a silent shot with a silencer. Shooting with a silencer removes the sound and light to a distance that makes it easier to shoot without flinch (my target paper is always so pretty when I shoot with a silencer) but it IS NOT SILENT!
LINK Nottoway Shooting Sports
See how this article influenced my plot lines in my novella MINE and my novel CHAOS IS COME AGAIN.
Thank you so much for stopping by. And thank you for your support. When you buy my books, you make it possible for me to continue to bring you helpful articles and keep ThrillWriting free and accessible to all.
