Choices of small handguns

[Petro]

On Wednesday, January 2, 2002, at 09:41 AM, Matthew Gaylor wrote:

> At 1:05 AM -0800 1/2/02, Petro wrote:
>> 	The squeeze cock is activated as you draw/grasp the weapon. If 
>> the burglar is close enough to hear that he is going to notice your 
>> movement.
>
> Right...like in a darkened bedroom as you crouch down waiting for your 
> attacker...

	Stop and think through this a second.

	First of all, the click is fairly quiet, much lower in volume than 
say--stroking a a pump shotgun, or racking the slide--along the lines 
of, say, opening a safe or gun locker?

	Second, what makes you aware that there is someone in your home? 
Usually it's noises they are making (I would assume). Have you ever 
listened to your house at night? Every place I've lived there are all 
sorts of mechanical noises off and on all night long. Refrigerator 
coming on, heating (or cooling) units kicking on and off, creaking from 
the wind blowing, the tick of a clock, the whirr of computers running 
(well, in my home). The subtle click of the cocker engaging will (a) be 
lost in the other noises and (b) is innocuous enough that they probably 
won't. If it was something I worried about (I don't keep a loaded 
firearm in the house for home protection at this point, I'm not high 
enough profile for the Feebs or the BATF to want to raid my "compound", 
nor am I a sufficient irritant to the local Gestapo, and my neighborhood 
is relative free of home burglary/home invasion type crimes that I feel 
it is better to keep the guns in a locker than on my bedside table) I 
would simply put the gun under a pillow to muffle the noise further, 
engage the cocker and start hunting.

	There are other techniques that you can use to to either mask, or 
render irrelevant the click, you can wait until you're bringing the 
pistol online for firing to cock it (squeeze the cocker as part of the 
final presentation), or as Black Uni noted, one can squeeze the trigger 
first, then engage the cocker (although this would take a bit of 
practice).

	But you have a valid question in:


 >The squeeze cocker is a solution for a non-existent problem.  Do you 
really think a P7 is intrinsically safer >than a Sig226 which has no 
operator manipulated safety?

	While I *like* the squeeze cocker for various reasons, It's not the 
#1 feature I like in that firearm. My reasons for choosing the firearm, 
from most important to the utterly trivial and pretty silly are:

	(1) It feels good it my hand, and seems to "point" much better for 
me (this is a function of ergonomics, and will vary for different 
people).
	(2) The barrel is fixed to the frame, and sits low in the frame 
reducing muzzle flip and allowing for *much* faster followup shots.
	(3) Reliable sturdy construction of both firearm and magazines (the 
factory mags are very sturdy and take a lot of abuse).
	(4) Compact size and relatively flat sides making for a more 
comfortable conceal carry piece, if I ever wind up doing so.
	(5) Nifty squeeze cocker that is much faster to access as a slide 
release than a frame or slide mounted release.  Yes, that lever serves 
multiple functions, it cocks the weapon and serves as a slide release, 
you don't have to move your hand, change your grip on the weapon, or use 
your other hand to release the slide, just get a grip.
	(6) Nifty gas action (though subject to fouling).
	(7) Not very common. Everyone has a glock or a 1911 clone, 
booooring. (yes, I said utterly trivial and pretty silly).

> Having a weapon that goes click clack is a detriment.

	All weapons go click clack, it's just a question of when.

	I'm not knocking the Sig, it's a great gun, but I'd bet with a 
little research and time I could come up with some minor nits about it 
to blow up all out of proportion to the weapons utility and ablities.

--
"I am sorry that some live in a fantasy world where guns are not
appropriate. I only hope that your fantasy is not ripped to shreds
when someone you love is killed and all you can do is offer the
assailent another target." - dzimmerm, on kuro5hin