Need help selecting a "car" gun

I would agree with PT99 about a small handgun (low recoil) being better in this case than a 44 magnum, but the AK carbine is even easier to use then a small 380 auto. The worst thing about the AK is that it's loud, but I assure you, that's not going to be what you are thinking about if your life is on the line.
As a former US Marine and also in the employ of the DOD for several years, I have trained thousands of men and women in combat tactics. I have used and tested more kinds and types of weapons then I can easily count.
Please trust me on this issue. It's best to divorce yourself from the "conventional wisdom" that is bantered around all the time if the threat is real.
If the budget would allow, and if I could "write the script" what I would recommend would be to buy 2 small handguns for both this gentleman and another one for his wife, with an AK-47 Folder as the "common weapon" for the car.

The handguns “live” on your body at all times. By quality, but buy guns that are “easy to get along with”.

The propose of the handgun is to break contact and/or buy time. You use a handgun to kill an enemy if at all possible, but in most cases causing an enemy to take a defensive position instead of an offensive position gives you some time to get the “real weapon” into action, and that is usually when things go REAL BAD for the enemy. A wounded enemy is usually not as effective as a healthy enemy, so a handgun in your hand in 2 seconds is better then a rifle in your hand in 10 seconds, but if the handgun can buy you 15 seconds, the enemy is going to be wishing he’d picked a fight with someone else (ANYONE else) when you get your rifle

And Spacecoast, you are correct in that you would have problems shouldering an AK from the inside of a car. So what? You don't shoulder a handgun either. Hence the folding stock.

Try it some time. Set a target out at 5 yards and shoot it from a chair. Do it at odd angles as you might have to in a car. Use a carbine with 2 hands and use a hand gun with both one and two hands. See which one you get better hits with.

Not think of the same scenario, but put a car door in front of the target.
Shoot through the car door to make the hits
Do this kind of test honestly and shoot about 100 rounds from every weapon you can.

See what the results are when you are finished.
5 will get you 10, you'll be 100% in agreement with me when the test of finished.
 
Last edited:
My VW Jetta has a very convienient slide out tray under both front seats. In the tray under the driver's seat is a Bersa Thunder .380 with a full magazine and a round in the chamber. It's in a Fobus paddle holster so I can slip it under my shirt or jacket pretty easily. The tray also holds a small flashlight, a folding knife, an extra magazine and a plastic film holder with another 10 rounds of .380 JHP.

I chose the Bersa because it has a positive safety, so I was comfortable with having a round in the chamber. I have fired, and didn't like, a few of the DAO .380s like the Ruger, so I went with the Bersa. It's a little larger, so easier to get a good grip on. I've fired about 250 rounds through it with no issues, so I feel it's reliable enough for personal defense.

It's easy to transition from it being in the car to being on my waist. I can reach down, open the drawer, remove the gun and holster and slip the holster's paddle inside my waistband.
 
If you're set on a revolver let me recommend the Ruger GP100 with the smaller 3 inch barrel. It's heavy enough to control with one hand but still small enough to move around inside a car or truck.

I have the larger 5 inch model and it's a real work horse. I've seen them for as little as $350 used.
 
"Anyway....my point is this;
If you are not carrying the weapon on your body, making it small is NOT an advantage. Rifles trump handguns. A 7.62X39 out of a short barrel loaded with soft point ammo is about 90% of a 30-30 Winchester "deer rifle" which means you are very well armed and if you needed to you can shot through your own doors and auto body to get a bad-guy who is now using your own car as a defensive barrier to attack you."

I just smiled when I read this, as my Marlin 336 rides (unloaded, since I live in commifornia) behind the back seat. My grandfather used to keep it right behind him within reach...times and laws have changed since then...now it's only whatever handgun you have on your permit.
 
My car gun for years has been an old but stone reliable Taurus 85 with Hogue wood grips ... I keep it in a silicone-impregnated gun sock along with a speedloader, it has been riding around with me through cold and the crushing Texas heat; fires every time, no rust, no corrosion, I swap out the rounds every few months or more frequently if I take it to the range ... revolvers are pretty cheap, pretty strong and pretty reliable ...
 
Take a look at a S&W model 10's or 64's some are Police trade-in's and can be found in Pawn shops at good prices. They are rugged and if in good shape make fine SD or HD weapons.
 
IMHO ... if it's purely a car gun, get a 7 or 8 shot revolver. I often carry a 7 shot .357 with 2 1/2" barrel.

I would buy a .357 for a few reasons :
1. You can still shoot .38 in it.
2. If you ever want .357's in it, you can
3. If you want to sell it, it will have a better value and more market to sell it in.
 
Back
Top