I want a nice, light, fairly accurate handgun for my character. I was thinking a Glock. Am I on the right track?
Gun Advice
- Thread starter chevbrock
- Start date
No, it's not. It's a full-sized full-framed handgun. When it came out, the Glock 17 held more rounds than any other comparable handgun of the same caliber. Glock even makes two models of 9mm smaller than the 17. The 19 and the 26.
The Glock 17 is a fine handgun for your purposes, but definitely not the smallest or lightest 9mm. And accuracy is a function of the individual shooter's comfort with that gun. Some people shoot SiGs better than Glocks, some people shoot a sub-compact better than a tactical-length weapon. Most modern handguns from a reputable manufacturer shoot a better group than most shooters could ever shoot anyway.
In general, polymer framed handguns will be lighter than metal.
You need to answer a few other questions:
What is your character planning to do with the gun?
How large or small should it be? (the length of the barrel is directly proportional to the accuracy)
A 9mm is a good all-around handgun with good stopping and killing power, but a .22 cal. with a four inch barrel makes an excellent assassin's gun, but you could probably pump several rounds into a person before you slowed him down. On the other hand, I've been to an autopsy where a .22 was used. The guy was shot in the side of the head. the bullet went in, bounced around a few times and came to rest inside the skull. Made a mess of the guy's brain.
What is your character planning to do with the gun?
How large or small should it be? (the length of the barrel is directly proportional to the accuracy)
A 9mm is a good all-around handgun with good stopping and killing power, but a .22 cal. with a four inch barrel makes an excellent assassin's gun, but you could probably pump several rounds into a person before you slowed him down. On the other hand, I've been to an autopsy where a .22 was used. The guy was shot in the side of the head. the bullet went in, bounced around a few times and came to rest inside the skull. Made a mess of the guy's brain.
The gun will only really feature in a couple of scenes. I just wanted a picture of what it would look like for description purposes. Australian coppers now carry Glocks, and they look quite "sexy" for a gun, which is why I thought that it would be a good choice. Knowing its calibre may also help, too.
Having a Glock may be helpful, also, because I thought up a way of making the gun legally issued through the police system, but just lost in so much paperwork that tracking it down would take years.
The only scene I have written involving the gun, to date, is where the character shoots at a wall. I wanted something fairly accurate because I want him to worry about the shot damaging water pipes and wiring (it's his mate's house).
How important is the gun, therefore? Not important enough to warrant this much debate about it!
Though, I thank you all for your input.
Having a Glock may be helpful, also, because I thought up a way of making the gun legally issued through the police system, but just lost in so much paperwork that tracking it down would take years.
The only scene I have written involving the gun, to date, is where the character shoots at a wall. I wanted something fairly accurate because I want him to worry about the shot damaging water pipes and wiring (it's his mate's house).
How important is the gun, therefore? Not important enough to warrant this much debate about it!
Though, I thank you all for your input.If I'm not late, can I suggest take a look at the Taurus? Most of the new models have a two-tone finish that can be considered quite elegant. Take a look at "products" at their website, taurususa.com.
All debates on this board are warranted. Remember, we are your first readers. You have the final decision on what you write; our job is to give you information as to what we will read.
Personally, I spend weeks researching even one paragraph because if I am not accurate, I will lose credibility.
I think all questions are worth debate to my questions
Personally, I spend weeks researching even one paragraph because if I am not accurate, I will lose credibility.
I think all questions are worth debate to my questions
Last edited:
A LadySmith is a revolver that was manufactured for a woman's smaller hand. I don't know if your character is male or female. If it's a male, him carrying a "girl's" gun may be an opportunity for some interesting fun. A Walther PPK (James Bond's gun) is a nice light gun too.
Who is your character, where is he/she from, and what is his/her job in the story? What does he/she expect to be using the gun for? How much money does this person have?
A US (ex?) military man might use a 45 ACP or a 40 S&W. Someone from Western Europe would probably use a Browning Hi-Power or a Beretta, mostly likely in 9mm. East Block might go with a CZ or Makarov. Chinese will be different again, Norinco possibly.
Non-military may very well use a revolver. They are still absolute the most reliable handgun design and can be made very small and lightweight.
Male or female? A man might go for a full size frame where a woman might use something like a Smith&Wesson Air Weight.
There are a lot of makers and designs and it is unlikely a Russian will be packing a Ruger, or a Brit lugging around a Makarov. And a German is only going to carry German. Period. Supply a bit more information and we could probably match your character up with a pistol that would suit him/her to a 'T'.
Oh, and there is no such thing as a light, fairly accurate handgun. An accurate handgun is going to be big and heavy. Also, despite what you may have seen in movies, handguns are useless beyond about 50 feet, especially against moving targets. But we can probably overlook that one.
And with regards to soleary, I think it's probably okay for a character in a book to have one.
-MM
Last edited:
My character is Australian. He will be about 17 years old. The gun is supplied to him by extremely dodgy friend who can pretty much source anything "off the back of a truck".
It's pretty much just a tool to point at people so they do what he wants them to do.
MM, I admit freely to watching too many movies! That's why I come on AW and ask people who REALLY know what they are talking about.
Thanks to everyone for replying!
It's pretty much just a tool to point at people so they do what he wants them to do.
MM, I admit freely to watching too many movies! That's why I come on AW and ask people who REALLY know what they are talking about.
Thanks to everyone for replying!
It was quite scary. I went to the Taurus website and found myself with a dry mouth, looking for the shopping cart button.
You can even buy pretty pink ones!
What beautiful engineering.
You can even buy pretty pink ones!
What beautiful engineering.
Here is the perfect little heater for your boy:
http://www.kel-tec-cnc.com/p32.html
Cheaply made but decent quality. Tiny. Fits in the palm of your hand. Or disappears into a pocket. Excellent reviews. The very rod a thug would carry to ensure he wins arguments. Not particularly accurate but at 10 feet all you need to do is point. And the .32 caliber cartridge has a reputation a bit more in line with the mood it sounds as if you are trying to strike.
-MM
http://www.kel-tec-cnc.com/p32.html
Cheaply made but decent quality. Tiny. Fits in the palm of your hand. Or disappears into a pocket. Excellent reviews. The very rod a thug would carry to ensure he wins arguments. Not particularly accurate but at 10 feet all you need to do is point. And the .32 caliber cartridge has a reputation a bit more in line with the mood it sounds as if you are trying to strike.
-MM
A few small and light guns:
Glock 26:: http://www.glock.com/english/index_pistols.htm
Springfield EMP:: http://www.springfield-armory.com/armory.php?model=24
Walther PPK:: http://www.smith-wesson.com/webapp/...angId=-1&parent_category_rn=43802&isFirearm=Y
Walther PPS:: http://www.walther-pps.com/
A few even smaller and lighter ones:
Rohrbaugh: http://www.rohrbaughfirearms.com/product/prod_set.html
Kahr PM9: http://www.kahr.com/PA-1_9mm_pm.html
Ruger LCP: http://www.ruger.com/LCP/
In the interest of idle chit-chat (no real criticism of the above): Part A, no. Part B, yes. Part C: at those ranges*, a carbine is mightily much more useful. (Part A, though, depends on shooter and gun. With full-sized and compact guns, 75 feet is quite doable. With a subcompact, though, such as those listed above ... tricky.)
Glock 26:: http://www.glock.com/english/index_pistols.htm
- click "models" / "G26"
Springfield XD subcompact:: http://www.springfield-armory.com/xd.php?model=2Springfield EMP:: http://www.springfield-armory.com/armory.php?model=24
Walther PPK:: http://www.smith-wesson.com/webapp/...angId=-1&parent_category_rn=43802&isFirearm=Y
Walther PPS:: http://www.walther-pps.com/
A few even smaller and lighter ones:
Rohrbaugh: http://www.rohrbaughfirearms.com/product/prod_set.html
Kahr PM9: http://www.kahr.com/PA-1_9mm_pm.html
Ruger LCP: http://www.ruger.com/LCP/
In the interest of idle chit-chat (no real criticism of the above): Part A, no. Part B, yes. Part C: at those ranges*, a carbine is mightily much more useful. (Part A, though, depends on shooter and gun. With full-sized and compact guns, 75 feet is quite doable. With a subcompact, though, such as those listed above ... tricky.)
- Joined
- Apr 20, 2008
- Messages
- 496
- Reaction score
- 122
- Location
- 25 miles from Normal
- Website
- rebeccakovar.com
I did a lot of research on guns for my WIP. I talked to gun owners, went to various gun review sites and checked out what the military uses in different countries. Before the rewrite, I am going to learn to shoot a handgun because I honestly don't think I can write realistically about it unless I know how it feels. God bless my husband, he's getting me the lessons. No gun though. Not in my house.
Good for you!!!
You may change your mind when you see how fun - yes fun - the sport of shooting can be. And how safe it is when done responsibly. Properly stored guns are no more dangerous than a hammer.
-MM
Just a pedantic detail: if you need the gun to be one issued to an Australian police officer and then lost in paperwork, you need the gun to be a model that actually is issued to Australian police. My guess (pure speculation) is that Glock 26 is not issued to cops; in America anyway, cops tend to get full-sized guns, not little ones. But, there is the possibility that smaller guns are issued to smaller police officers (e.g. women), because you really do need to use a gun that fits your hand--people with small hands need small guns. Not necessarily small-caliber guns, but guns that are scaled down a bit. Otherwise it's dangerous--if you can't get a good grip on the gun, it could flip out of your hand when being fired, and it's easier for an assailant to wrestle it away from you.
So I guess what I'm saying is, go to your local police station, tell them you're a writer writing a story that features a gun issued to an Australian cop, and ask them "what types of guns do you guys carry? What's the smallest type? Do you guys ever get Glock 26's?"
The heroine of my WIP is always on the lookout for smaller, lighter handguns. The three I've discovered for her are (in descending order of size):
Smith & Wesson 367 (here)
Beretta Bobcat (or Tomcat, I'm going with the Bobcat) (here)
Ruger LCP (here)
The Beretta is shorter in length than the Ruger, but it's thicker in width and heavier, so I susppose it would depend on how your character wants to conceal it which he'd consider "smaller.
Smith & Wesson 367 (here)
Beretta Bobcat (or Tomcat, I'm going with the Bobcat) (here)
Ruger LCP (here)
The Beretta is shorter in length than the Ruger, but it's thicker in width and heavier, so I susppose it would depend on how your character wants to conceal it which he'd consider "smaller.
What time period are we talking here? A lugar or deringer might be more suitable. Especially if we are talking black market access.
