2 May 12

“There are only two tragedies. One is not getting what you want, and the other is getting it. The last is much the worst.”

Wilde

At a Pistol Course on the East Coast last weekend, I had a number of new students, all with guns they had recently purchased. I was meeting them for the first time, and had no influence over what they had decided to bring.

My G23/Gen4 was the only 40S&W pistol there. All students were using 9mm pistols, with the exceptions of one H&K USP in 45ACP, and a S&W 5-shot snubby in 38Spl.

By the end of the second day, the one pistol that had emerged as most popular was the S&W M&P/compact/9mm! We had several Kahr PM9s, which ran fine, but their users were envious of the M&P’s magazine capacity.

Small, single-column 9mms are presently the rage. S&W’s new single-column M&P, called the “Shield,” for example, is selling as fast as S&W can make them. But, for a main, carry-gun even my female students liked the capacity and ergonomics of the conventional M&P.

The current spike in interest in personal, defensive pistols, that can be conveniently carried concealed, shows no sign of diminishing any time soon. So, they’ll predictably be no shortage of opinions with regard to caliber, features, and capacity.

The trend I see is in the direction of compact, double-column 9mms, with single-column 9mms and 380s coming in a close second.

Between now and fall elections, many will be more than appreciative to get their hands on any kind of gun!

/John