The above photo contains 9mm ammunition that was fired from a 40 caliber semi-auto handgun (Glock 22 with a KKM custom barrel). Only five rounds were fired and I did look at the rifling of the firearm and it did not appear to have any major damage, but I could see were the bullet did bounce inside the barrel.

            This goes to show that it is “extremely” important to know what caliber of ammunition your firearm uses. Fortunately nothing major really happened, this potentially could have been worse. Please, pay attention when you get ammunition for your firearm. In this particular incident the shooter had no idea 9mm ammo was in the firearm. As I was watching the shooters I noticed this person’s firearm was short cycling (it would only move the slide about a 1/4” back) when it fired (I only saw the last 2 rounds he fired) and he had to manually rack the gun to eject the casing. I picked up a couple of the spent casing and saw 9mm casings expanded to a 40 cal diameter. Only about the top 1/3 of the casing was enlarged.

            I stopped him from shooting and inspected his firearm; the magazine was full of 9mm ammo.

            This is the first time I have seen 9mm actually fire in a 40 caliber firearm. I thought I would share the photos.

            Be safe, train safe and more importantly know your firearm and what it is!!!

John….

Tips for Purchasing a firearm…..

                There are several things to think about before buying a firearm. Once you buy a firearm, they are not returnable! So spend your money wisely and think the decision all the way through…. Here are some helpful tips.

               I have broken the buying of a firearm into 3 parts:

1. The store
2. The firearm
3. You!

Let’s look at the place you want to buy a firearm from. Is the place a reputable dealer???? By this I mean do they actually listen to you and get the firearm you want. Or do they point you to a gun that is “Perfect for Self Defense”. Example: I had a student bring a Glock 22 to class, the firearm looked as if it shot millions of rounds and the magazines that came with it, had the metal lining splitting from the plastic outer shell. I also found out it was a police training turn-in.  This gun was bought locally from a high-end sporting goods store. I personally would not want this gun for self defense use. The guy that bought this gun (he was new to firearms) was told by the store it was the perfect gun. During the class the magazines were malfunctioning a lot (misfeeds, could not be loaded to what they should hold).

Example #2; I had a couple (75+ years of age, new to firearms) come to a class with 2 brand new Kimber 1911 10mm semi-autos (per the student cost was $2300.00 for both guns), one barely passed the shooting exercise and the other did not pass with the 10mm (I let them use my Glock 19 and they passed with flying colors). The were told by the store that the 1911 10mm firearms were perfect Self Defense firearms. For some people, yes! Just not for everyone!

Know what you want or at least know what firearms you are considering….. Don’t let the store decide for you, doing so just maybe an expensive mistake!

Not all firearms dealers are bad, many are very true to helping you out. Sadly, some only care about your money and how much of it they can get! The same can be said about firearms training organization's too (more on that later)....

Let’s look at the firearm you want to buy; here is a list of some things that should be considered;

1. Reliability (make & quality)
2. Caliber, recoil and controllability (larger the caliber, the larger the recoil)
3. Firearm size vs. Hand size
4. Concealment (if applicable)
5. Hand/Arm strength
6. Synthetic, wooden or rubber grips
7. Firearm purpose

It is important that you know how much gun you can control. Buy a firearm that is worthy for the purposes you intend it to do. Remember, don’t buy because the firearm is “Cheap”, buy it because it is reliable and has well known quality behind it. You are placing your life and/or your family’s life on your equipment. So make damn sure it fits the bill.

Get a caliber that you can control and hit your target with it. Please do not use base the caliber that you can control best, by what your grouping is when you are at the range.  Please remember, bring the street to the range. NOT the other way around. Bringing the range to the street will get you killed.

When gauging the best caliber for you, try shooting from various positions, moving from point “A” to point “B”. Shoot using the support hand only, using the strong hand as support and do these both by moving. When moving and shooting make sure you can hit your intended target. Misses can be looked at as potential civil and criminal liabilities to YOU!

Most importantly, buy a firearm that you are 100% comfortable and happy with, anything less you will not carry it or it will NOT do the job as you intend it to do!!!!

Now, let’s look at you, the buyer!!!! What are your limitations physically (age, medical, ect…). In the real world you most likely will have to fight with your hands before you get to the gunfight. With this said, what I mean is look at the gun you want! If it is taken from you, will your assailant be able to gun you down with ease??? Revolvers are well known for being easy to use (no safety, just place finger on the trigger and pull!!!!); several popular semi-autos are just as easy (Glock, Sig, ect…). Are you medically and physically able to retain the firearm and keep it from killing you???? Buying a firearm (semi-auto) with a slide safeties or disconnects may not be a bad idea or at least something to consider.  I have seen several incidents were firearms were taken from the victim and the suspect did not know how to disengage the safety and thus the victim was not shot with his own gun.

Whatever firearm you buy, train with it as you would be using it in the real world. Train often, training should not be debatable!!!! Quality training (not target shooting) with approximately 150 rounds (or more) a month will help you maintian proficiency with your firearm.

I use a Glock 19 (9mm), because I can best hit my intended target(s) with support hand shooting, strong hand shooting and moving and shooting positions. I firmly believe in shot placement before caliber considerations (no hand held firearm is a guaranteed 1-stop shot! Not even the good ole’ 45!). Missed shots are like not shooting at all!

JOHN....