The Intimidation Factor Of a various hand guns...

I talk to convicted felons all the time and they KNOW if you are bluffing or no
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I have heard the same thing. I think a great deal of that is just bravado on the part of the convict. These statements give the illusion that they are calm and cool under pressure and that they are not afraid. It is all part of the tough guys act and it helps them seem like a badass. I do not think immediate reaction has much to do with the person holding the gun. It is just the fact that a gun is being pointed at you. Even the most timid or peace loving person can fire a weapon when they or their loved ones are threatened. To think otherwise is a very risky gamble. I think most criminals are oh-so-well aware of that fact too.

Potentially deadly situations can really alter a person perceptions, convictions, and actions.

Being on either side of a firearm can be a life changing experience. As a wise man once said...
"You might find the meaning of life in te barrel of a rifle. Whether it's pointed at a bird or if it is pointed at your head."

Oh...wait...I think that was the Ditty Bops. Still, that doesn't make it less true. :p
 
O.K. I've been paying attention, and this thread started from something I stated on another thread (humble of me, huh?).
David and Glen, you guys know your stuff, no doubt. Jim - too funny! Playboy and Biker - you open up another side of the issue; The mindset of the armed victim. If I'm an agressor and someone nervously fumbles through their clothing then produces ANY gun, and shakes while pointing it at me, I'm going to look at it a lot differently than someone taking a military stance as I look down the barrel and see a glinting eye peering through the rear sights.
So... If your weapon makes you feel confident, If you think it looks mean, and of course, if you're capable of taking a hard stance, does the design of said weapon help you to look like someone the BG may want to reconsider as a target? If so, then the type of gun could indirectly have an effect.
Dave, Glen, LEO's - Do YOU (if allowed or for personal use) choose a gun for such reasons?
 
It aint the gun man. It's the guy holding it. You are the intimidating factor, if the BG thinks you will shoot he is intimidated. If he thinks you will not shoot, he will push you. I've only been in two gunfights (ex cop) neither time did I try to intimidate my opponent, I tried to kill him. I'm still here, they are not. It didn't matter what gun he had or what gun I had. the only thing that mattered was speed and accuracy.

I am not any more intimidated by a Desert Eagle than I am by a .22 automatic. What intimidates me is the look in the guy's eyes and his attitude.;)
 
As much as I despise Mel Gibson, I have always tried to use that look he used in the first Lethal Weapon movie.

I can do it well, I look like a lunatic :)

WildbugeyedAlaska
 
I guess for me, I never looked at the "intimidation factor" in selecting a carry piece. I figure if I'm pulling it, it's not to show it off but to fire the damn thing at the bad guy. Weather he laughs or pees his pants isn't really a concern as long as the round is going to have the power and accuracy to do the job of putting him down.
 
I had a scumbag pull a .22 on me one time. Guess what, I didn't say "hey there fine sir I think you are undergunned." It looked like I was staring down the end of a 105mm cannon. Now I was sober during this confrontation so I guess someone drunk or high may be more intimidated by a bigbore but rest assured it didn't matter one iota to me.
 
The only legitimate reason a sane,sober,logical person would need to be intimidated by a firearm is if they are committing some type of crime.

If thats the scenario +1 for USMCGrunt.
 
Having been in a number of FoF exercises, I've never noted any difference in my response to the actual guns pointed at me. I do recall being very impressed the first time a J-frame was pointed at my face. There was one scenario where 3 armed robbers entered a store and I could tell by their gunhandling that they were very well trained. That was very intimidating.
 
"The "intimidation factor" would work well IF the BG was a sane, logical, sober individual."

I"m more concerned with the 15 year old urban mutant with a gun. He doesn't care about the consequences of his actions if he wins the confrontation. He doesn't understand the consequences if I win the confrontation...
 
Attitude has a lot to do with it, intimidation happens with stance and the way you carry yourself. It helps to be a big guy, but a small woman can show herself confident and avoid many a confrontation. Predators are the same in human nature as they are in the wilds of Africa. Looking for the slower gazelles.

I do know that a gun of any kind seems to have a huge hole when it is pointed at you.





.....I see you now.
 
I guess for me, I never looked at the "intimidation factor" in selecting a carry piece. I figure if I'm pulling it, it's not to show it off but to fire the damn thing at the bad guy. Weather he laughs or pees his pants isn't really a concern as long as the round is going to have the power and accuracy to do the job of putting him down.
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I can think of some instances where one might want to draw, but not fire.

Suppose they only have a knife, they're in a convenience store yelling that they're going to cut people if they don't get money...but they're separated from you by several of those low aisle shelves of food. Would you fire immediately, or give them a chance to flee out the door, thus ending the threat without having to shoot?

In that kind of situation, unless they're about to kill someone, A), they can't approach you quickly, definitely not in a straight line, and B) since they can't, is it really worth the LEO and legal hassle and lawsuits (they were a good boy!) that will ensue if you shoot them?

In that sort of instance, yeah, they're a lethal threat, but one that can't make it to you quickly...and if they decide to flee after seeing a muzzle staring at them and hearing an authoritative command to "DROP IT! RIGHT NOW!", I think that's a good thing. Threat still over.
 
I can think of some instances where one might want to draw, but not fire.
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I can think of many instances where this wouldbe true.

The thing to remember is that pulling your gun is the "next" to last thing you want to have to do...shooting it is the last thing.
 
sorry guys... got a migrain today...so I may have missed this if posted

... I for one, ( yes after the initial shock of having the gun pulled ), am going to look at caliber, action & make if I can... )... & being a big physical guy, a cheap ( reads unreliable ) mini auto might not deter me from "taking someone on" in self defense, even if I'm not carrying...

that said, I have no interest in being shot by any gun... however I think of my self as being rational...

now if I were a crack head jonesen for a fix... I'm betting rational decisions are few & far between... couple that with most confrontations are going to occure in low light situations, it's going to take a flourecent Rodger Rabbit / Mask cartoon type gun to deter a truely desperate & strung out drug addict...

...to get to my point, a shiney gun is going to be more visible, & ( here it comes... for real this time )... a big bore revolver with 5-6 visible big holes as seen in the cylinder from the business end, is likely going to motivate someone easier than a barely visible single hole in a black auto, even if the tube is a 45, the contrast of dark cavernous bore to a black gun, is going to be way less noticable than the 5 big 44 cal holes in my silver 44 special snubbie...

that said... I just try to avoid trouble in the 1st place, but if you truely want to see how intimidating you look, find a full length mirror, turn the lights down low, back up 20 ft from the mirror, & draw... I'm betting you won't even see the barrel hole on most CCW guns, might not even see a gun if you are carrying a NAA mini revolver, or a mouse auto

maybe the best carry gun for defense against a desperate crack head would be a chromed plastic gun that shoots ping pong balls ???
 
Magnum Wheel man

a big bore revolver with 5-6 visible big holes as seen in the cylinder from the business end, is likely going to motivate someone easier than a barely visible single hole in a black auto
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In reference to the comments above by MWM (and to those that might not have seen this great pic by PBP) these are underscored by the pic at the bottom of this page (Scroll down to the bottom of the page to see this pic).

http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=254807
 
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The first shot is the best intimidator, followed repidly by several more. Even if he's too high to know he's been shot he will be disabled with good shot placement.
 
The first shot is the best intimidator, followed repidly by several more. Even if he's too high to know he's been shot he will be disabled with good shot placement.
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As I said, only if they're an immediate armed threat that can reach you. If they are far away, armed only with a melee weapon and flee instead...that's good.

Remember, as many people say, even a good shoot will cost you at least $10,000 in legal costs and make your life hell. It's preferable that they flee instead. If they have a gun, yes, first indication that you're armed should be your first shot at them. If they don't, and aren't on top of you...getting them to leave is a good thing.
 
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