WRONG! AK47 is a stamped steel, flexible, huge tolerance, parts bin produced, POS made by commies for commies. The 1911 is a forged, hand fit, piece of history and functional art.
Good for you. Try out a revolver like a 38 special. http://www.ableammo.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=83782 Much more new user friendly and less to worry about in a "I need protection now" situation.
Most things that are really fun involve something phallic. Shooting guns is fun. Swinging a baseball bat is fun. Cutting something with a chainsaw is fun. Hammering is fun. Fishing is fun.
I'm pretty sure he was comparing the two in terms of reliability. Everyone knows that the AK has loose fitting parts but that's part of the beauty. The cold war is over son. Enjoy an AK today!
I was surprised at how little recoil there was and I've been told the .45 has more than a 9mm Glock. I think that since I was expecting more I might've initially over prepared for it but for me it wasn't a problem I even took a few shots one handed and had no problems with recoil. FYI, I'm 5'-7" about 158 lbs so if you're relatively small I can see how recoil might be a problem. I still have mixed feelings regarding depending on a gun for self-defense and part of the reason I wanted to try it out was so I could have a more informed opinion about it. Given the weight and size of the particular model that I was using it seems like it wouldn't be very easy to use it quickly in case of a sudden attack especially for a woman. Just to clarify I'm not anti-gun in terms of self-defense but I can see a lot of limitations with relying upon a gun as your primary means of self-defense and my experience only reinforces that. I'm going to keep an open mind about it though and would like to see what a lighter gun like a 9mm is like.
I think part of the appeal of the AK47 wasn't just that its rugged but also that it was a relatively simple design easy to copy. That made it the weapon of choice for poorer militaries and insurgents since they could get knockoffs cheaply or even make it themselves. I've always found it interesting Kalishnikovs have become symbols of liberation struggles and in the second half of the 20th C. have possibly had a bigger affect on geo-politics than any other weapon besides nukes. The flag of Mozambique IRA
I see where you are coming from. I am not too crazy about guns but I need something to protect myself. Maybe a combination of self defense and gun will be the best option for a woman.
Here are the wiki links. A revolver is the old school style with a revolving chamber. If it is double action you switch off the safety and pull the trigger, after the shot you pull the trigger again which rotates the cylinder and fires another round. See the section in the link "double action" for a basic over view http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolver A Glock is a semi automatic. Once you pull the trigger the gun chambers another round and is waiting for you to pull the trigger again. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semi-automatic_pistol My wife won't mess with my glock, she finds it intimidating but she likes to shoot my 38 special.
I grew up hunting but just got into handguns about a year ago when I bought my first .45 (Ruger). Then a couple months ago I bought a Springfield .45. As far as the difference between the .38 Spl and a "Glock" the difference is the first is a revolver and the second is a semi-auto. Glock is just a brand that has gained a lot of popularity. As far as recoil and protection here are just my 2 cents. The .45 does have solid recoil but from what I have read the difference between the .45 and a 9 is going to depend a lot more on the gun itself. A full size semi-auto isn't going to have nearly as much felt recoil because the weight of the gun offsets it, but the tradeoff obviously is the ability to conceal it. As far as protection goes revolvers are easier to shoot flat out, but they are also heavier for their power, have less capacity, and are slower to reload. With all that said you probably aren't going to get into a shootout. Also on home protection it is my opinion that the gun is the last line of defense. I don't have a security system right now but I do have dogs that will make a lot of noise, and obviously I lock my doors, if the BG still wants a piece of me after hearing my big dog barking then I will be ready for him. As far as the ability to quickly use the gun, if you are using it in your home then chances are your going to have a couple of seconds to load and chamber if you have any sort of other defense (doors, dogs, etc.), and if you were considering carrying it on your person most people that do this carry with one in the chamber. This means all they have to do is point, disengage whatever safety there is (Glocks don't have a traditional safety) and fire. It is also very common for people to use a shotgun as their primary home defense weapon, lots of stopping power not a lot of going through walls. Anyhow I will stop blabbing on for now but I would recommend thefiringline.com forums as an excellent place for information.
Thanks for your input. We are planning to get dogs, a boxer and silky terrier. Little dogs make good watch dogs. I'd rather to have dogs instead of guns but a shotgun will be good in this case. That's for home protection. It's different if I'm out there going to work, school and places so definitely need a plan to protect myself.
I don't think it is quite as simple as point, disengage the safety and shoot. Unless you have your gun in your hand you still have to draw it which given the size, weight and how it is holstered might not be easy. I'm not aware of anyone training to quick draw like in the old West and even if they did you would still have to carry that kind of holster. Also even Glock doesn't recommend keeping a round in the chamber when you don't plan on using the gun.
As I've said I have nothing against owning or carrying a gun but there is balance regarding proper handling and storage of the weapon versus the ability to use it quickly. The problem is that these are often in conflict with each other. There is also the danger for you that if you aren't able to quickly and affectively use the gun in a self-defense situation it might be taken away from you and used against you. I strongly strongly recommend taking a good self-defense course along with studying a combative martial art. Judo, Jujitsu, and Muay Thai would be the ones I recommend. The skills and physical training you get from those will always be with you and can't be used against you like a weapon such as a gun or a taser.
Obviously drawing the weapon is necessary I should have been clearer. I was referring to the differences between using the revolver and a semi-auto. If one is in the chamber already the semi-auto isnt any slower or more complicated to draw and fire. And yes I realize it is not 'recommended' to keep one in the chamber, but if you talk to people who are actually carrying a weapon on their person, in public, the majority of them will say they always keep one in the chamber. Obviously it is more dangerous, but if a BG pulls a gun on you the time it takes to chamber the round could be the difference between life and death. To the OP dogs are a fantastic home defense. As far as a plan for out in public I recently took the class to get certified to carry and have been practicing. What I would say to you is two things. First practice and purchase the gun that YOU are most comfortable with, for the most part I have found that guns fall into 3 catagories in terms of quality. Cheap, average, and high end, the difference from brand to brand is a matter of opinion. Second and most importantly. BEFORE you spend any of your time and money preparing to carry any sort of weapon (gun, knife, taser, dog) you have to ask yourself if when the shiz hits the fan are you capable and willing to 'pull the trigger'. If you aren't sure or just want the gun to scare a BG off with then plz don't do it because all you do is increase your chances of getting hurt or killed. thats all for now
