Clockwise from top: Glock 19, Glock 26, Ruger LCP, Walther P22.Most readers probably are familiar with the ubiquitous G19. With that as a reference point, then, today's image makes it clear that my wife and I have added a couple of significantly down-sized handguns to our family of arms.
What's not obvious is how much slimmer the P22 and LCP are than the G19 and G26 -- single-stack magazines vs. double-stacks, along with the Walther's diet of .22LR, are (in part) to thank for that.
In closing, some caveats. First, the Glocks remain our primaries. We're more familiar with them at this point, of course, and the 9x19 round gives us a much wider variety of options for effective defense.
And that brings up the whole question of caliber. Conventional wisdom instructs that carrying anything that doesn't begin with a 4 and end with a 5 is good only for knocking cans off of fenceposts. For a variety of reasons, based on our own experience and that of others far wiser, we don't subscribe to that.
When invited to a critical personal-defense incident, rule #1 is be armed -- no point in pining for a "better" gun at home in the safe. Whatever we're carrying at the time -- 9mm, .380, .22, .45 -- is what my wife and I will use to defend ourselves and our family.
In that dynamic moment, an elephant-gun round that misses its mark is useless. Shot placement is the key, regardless of caliber, and that happens reliably and consistently only through training and practice, which remains our focus.
Singer, not song.
Incidentally, I still feel pretty good about complying with the Fred Thompson Rule. I've posted only stock images, not photos of our strategically modified arms, and I've said nothing about our tactics or choice of defensive rounds. My disclosures comprise only a fraction of what we have, what we do.
As I've said, "to do otherwise would be imprudent."
