Sidearms

In the world of firearms, nothing is more contentious or tainted by misinformation than the subject of the relative superiority of pistol and revolver models and cartridges. I will not attempt to resolve this debate but will simply try to put it into the context of what is effective and practical in the world of today. There are a vast array of pistol and revolver cartridges available today, so many in fact that one can easily become confused. What we must remember is that we are only concerned with those cartridges capable of satisfactory stopping power and which are in widespread enough use by military/law enforcement to guarantee availability of ammunition.

Effectiveness – A number of handgun cartridges exist which are sufficiently powerful to class them as acceptable for combat purposes. Among these we include the .38 Special .357 Magnum, .41 Magnum .44 Special and .44 magnum for revolvers; and 9mm Parabellum, 10mm Auto, .45 ACP, 38 Super, 9mm AE, .41 AE, 9mm Makarov, .357 Sig, 9mm Police/Ultra and .40 S&W for semi-automatic pistols. Generally unacceptable for combat purposes are the .22 Short, .22 LR and .25 ACP. In a borderline category are the .32 ACP, .380 ACP and the 5.7mm FN. Besides the ballistic characteristics, the firepower of a given handgun must be taken into consideration. This is where the semi-automatic pistols have the revolvers beat. Most modern combat pistols have magazine capacities of from 10 – 20 or even more rounds. This makes the six-shooters look like antiques by comparison.

The handgun only has combat value in at very close range and in confined spaces, usually under 30 feet. Even an experienced handgunner would have difficulty making hits in a combat situation past about 50 feet. The handgun is best suited as a weapon of surprise, assassination and of last resort, but as a US combat veteran told me "If you find yourself in real combat and all you’ve got is a pistol, you’re in a world of shit!" The small size of the handgun and its concealability are its real strengths making it ideal for personal defense. Handgun accessories such as laser sights and scopes are just toys and are more of a hindrance than an advantage in real combat.

Practicality – Of the revolver cartridges mentioned only the .38 Special and the .357 Magnum have any practical value today. Although no longer in widespread use by police departments there are still a awful lot of these revolvers around making it likely that ammunition will continue to be available for some time. Revolvers chambered for .357 Magnum will also accept and fire the shorter .38 Special cartridge making them more practical than the standard .38 Special revolvers. A number of good quality revolvers are still being produced by manufacturers, your best bet is probably to stick with one of the established names such as Smith & Wesson, Colt or Ruger. However the limited capacity, slower reloading and decreasing use by law enforcement of revolvers leaves me skeptical of their combat value to the White revolutionary. The revolver does, however, have a couple of advantages over semi-autos for selective assassination; they cannot jam and they do not eject their cartridge cases, thereby denying the firearms investigator any cartridge case evidence.

Moving to the semi-automatic pistol cartridges we can identify four which are practical due to their overwhelming use by law enforcement/military. These are the 9mm Parabellum, 10mm Auto, .45 ACP, and the .40 S&W. A number of good quality pistols offered in single and double action are available in these calibers. The 9mm and .45 ACP have been cornerstones of the combat pistol for decades and are still very widely used by law enforcement/military as well as by civilians. The .40 S&W cartridge, most notably in the Glock 20, has experienced a meteoric rise in popularity within law enforcement circles with many police forces adopting it throughout North America and the world. The 10mm Auto has so far been less successful but I predict that its fantastic ballistic characteristics will make it a powerful contender in the future. Competition in the combat pistol market today is fierce. Good quality pistols in the four calibers mentioned are produced by Colt, Beretta, Ruger, Glock, Sig Sauer, Smith & Wesson, Para-Ordanance, CZ, EAA, Taurus, and a number of others. My personal preference is for the double-action 9mm pistol which with its adoption by NATO, its good stopping power and the staggering high-capacity magazines it allows will keep it the most popular combat pistol for may years to come.

Handguns are already banned in many parts of the world and restrictions on the type and magazine capacity of handguns exist in many countries. Wherever handguns are still unrestricted governmental pressure is being exerted to limit or deny law-abiding White civilians ownership of these weapons (while at the same time ensuring that non-White criminals have every opportunity to obtain them on the black market).

Glock 20 semi-automatic pistol (.40 S&W); Standard issue for many police forces throughout the world

Beretta M9 semi-automatic pistol (9mm); Standard US Army sidearm

Ruger GP-161 .357 magnum double-action revolver

Notes

- If a revolver is chosen it should be chambered for .357 Magnum or .38 Special

- Semi-automatic pistols should be chambered for 9mm, .45 ACP, .40 S&W, or 10mm Auto.

- Chose pistols which accept high capacity magazines if possible.

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