Lets put together an FAQ

[gigag04]

Posted for review:



What caliber should I get for concealed carry?
This is a hot button topic that has split more friendships than Ford v Chevy. I will stick to calibers most commonly used in semi-autos, which is where the debate seems to focus. Many will say carry the largest caliber that you can conceal well. If one spends any amount of time, he or she could find hours of comparisons on the ballistics of various calibers. Study this if you wish, but I feel there is a simpler solution. If a person is going to carry a compact or full size handgun, I recommend to stick to one of the three most common calibers for handguns: 9mm, .40 cal, or .45 (more specifically 9x19, .40 S&W, .45 acp respectively). Police Officers, federal agents, and military service members arm themselves with one of these three calibers daily. Many feel that the .45 acp has superior wound ballisticts, but just as many argue for the .40 in this same arena. The 9mm is the cheapest to shoot, which allows for more practice per dollar. 9mm and .40 caliber weapons are often thinner, which means better, more comfortable concealment. They also carry more rounds in the magazine. As in all things, there are trade-offs for each choice, and which caliber to carry is a decision best made when an individual’s situation is examined. Pocket autos will often come chambered in a .380 acp (which is a shorter, lighter, version of a 9mm). I will often carry only a .380 in my pocket - yet to some this anemic round would not work well at all. Again, only the individual can make this call. A deeply concealed .380 is much better than no weapon at all.

[e-bil]

Another good one would be around schools and what is and is not legal.

[G.A. Heath]

Ok, I have http://CHLwiki.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; up and running. I have not created a logo yet as I have to get ready for work, if someone wants to do that then feel free to. I will try to work on the wiki from my phone on my lunch hour.

[The Annoyed Man]

Posted for review:



What caliber should I get for concealed carry?
This is a hot button topic that has split more friendships than Ford v Chevy. I will stick to calibers most commonly used in semi-autos, which is where the debate seems to focus. Many will say carry the largest caliber that you can conceal well. If one spends any amount of time, he or she could find hours of comparisons on the ballistics of various calibers. Study this if you wish, but I feel there is a simpler solution. If a person is going to carry a compact or full size handgun, I recommend to stick to one of the three most common calibers for handguns: 9mm, .40 cal, or .45 (more specifically 9x19, .40 S&W, .45 acp respectively). Police Officers, federal agents, and military service members arm themselves with one of these three calibers daily. Many feel that the .45 acp has superior wound ballisticts, but just as many argue for the .40 in this same arena. The 9mm is the cheapest to shoot, which allows for more practice per dollar. 9mm and .40 caliber weapons are often thinner, which means better, more comfortable concealment. They also carry more rounds in the magazine. As in all things, there are trade-offs for each choice, and which caliber to carry is a decision best made when an individual’s situation is examined. Pocket autos will often come chambered in a .380 acp (which is a shorter, lighter, version of a 9mm). I will often carry only a .380 in my pocket - yet to some this anemic round would not work well at all. Again, only the individual can make this call. A deeply concealed .380 is much better than no weapon at all.

Also posted for review...

Should I carry a revolver or a semi-automatic?
The state of Texas offers two types of Concealed Handgun Licenses: SA, and NSA. These are dependent upon the type of pistol you use in the range qualification portion of the CHL class. If you qualify with a revolver, you will issued a NSA license, and. You will only be allowed to carry a revolver. If you qualify with a semi-automatic, you will be issued a SA license, and will be allowed to carry either a revolver or a semi-automatic. Needless to say, obtaining the SA license gives the CHL holder many more carry options, but both kinds of pistols offer a range of different sizes from lightweight pocketable pistols to full sized duty pistols.

If I choose to carry a revolver, what caliber should I carry?
For lightweight pocket revolvers, the most common carry caliber by far is .38 Special, followed by .357 Magnum. Among .38 caliber pistols, they can be purchased with either a standard pressure rating, or a "+P" rating. This is a measure of the cartridge pressure that the revolver can withstand when being fired. A higher pressure cartridge will develop higher velocities, and therefore higher power than it's lower pressure counterpart. The caliber/pressure rating will be roll-stamped on the barrel. NOTE: Do not under any circumstance load +P ammunition into a revolver that does not have the "+P" designation roll-stamped on the barrel!!!! there is one exception to this which will be discussed momentarily.

The advantage of pocket revolvers chambered in .357 Magnum is that they can safely chamber both the .357 Magnum cartridge and the .38 Special cartridge. And, because the magnum cartridge is a very high pressure cartridge, revolvers that are chambered in it are also safe to fire .38 Special +P ammo. Be advised that shooting .357 Magnum from a lightweight pocket revolver can be a very unpleasant experience, so you are advised to carry (and practice with) loads that are at the lower end of the bullet weight/velocity spectrum for that caliber.

Revolver calibers smaller than .38/.357 are not as useful for self defense, with the possible exception of the relatively new .327 magnum. Some people carry revolvers chambered in .22 magnum, but the main value of that is that their tiny size permits deeper concealment. Just as .380 ACP is generally deemed to be the minimum carry caliber for a semi-auto pistol, .38 Special is generally deemed to be the minimum caliber for a self defense revolver.

If you choose to carry a larger revolver in a belt or shoulder holster, it becomes more practical to carry larger, more powerful calibers. The .357 magnum was a popular choice among police agencies, for good reason, before they began converting their weapons to semi-automatic pistols. But other calibers can be good choices. Among them are the .44 Special, .45 ACP, .45 Long Colt, .41 Magnum, and .44 Magnum. Many consider the large caliber magnums to be "too much gun" for practical use in self defense. The recoil and the muzzle blast can make them very disconcerting to shoot, not to mention much slower recovery/re-aiming times between shots - a luxury you may not have if you actually have to use your weapon. However, it is worth noting that the .44 Magnum revolver can also chamber and safely fire the .44 Special cartridge. The downside to carrying large caliber revolvers is weight. Many do not consider the power of the cartridges available to make all day carry of a heavy gun to be worth the effort, and their size makes them more difficult to conceal. Some manufacturers offer large caliber revolvers in lightweight frames, but shooting them can be an extremely unpleasant experience, so the person who chooses to carry one of these pistols is advised to carry a load that is at the lower end of the power spectrum for that caliber.


-------end submission---------

[The Annoyed Man]

Ok, I have http://CHLwiki.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; up and running. I have not created a logo yet as I have to get ready for work, if someone wants to do that then feel free to. I will try to work on the wiki from my phone on my lunch hour.

This is right up my alley. I'll try to get something to you today.

[The Annoyed Man]

How does this look?


G.A. Heath, if that is acceptable to you, you can have the copyright. Just let me know. Or if you'd rather make changes or suggestions, that's fine too, just PM me with changes. I just whipped this one out in a few minutes.

[gigag04]

Wow this is great. Good revolver info TAM - I know about squat on wheel guns.

The logo is sharp. It is kinda close to the one on this page. Unless we get some kind of blessing on this endeavor from Chas or mods, we may not want to make the layout too similar.

I'm taking the kido to see Gulliber's travels but I'm stoked about populating the wiki. I'm hoping we get some more content contributions. I would encourage others to answer the same questions in their own way and we can combine them into one, concise, informative topic.

[The Annoyed Man]

Wow this is great. Good revolver info TAM - I know about squat on wheel guns.

The logo is sharp. It is kinda close to the one on this page. Unless we get some kind of blessing on this endeavor from Chas or mods, we may not want to make the layout too similar.

I'm taking the kido to see Gulliber's travels but I'm stoked about populating the wiki. I'm hoping we get some more content contributions. I would encourage others to answer the same questions in their own way and we can combine them into one, concise, informative topic.

Thanks. Actually, the background image is one I purchased a while back from iStockPhoto.com. I have the right to use it as I see fit, as long as I don't resell the original image.

[hirundo82]

"Where is the best place to buy a CHL badge?"

[gigag04]

Wow this is great. Good revolver info TAM - I know about squat on wheel guns.

The logo is sharp. It is kinda close to the one on this page. Unless we get some kind of blessing on this endeavor from Chas or mods, we may not want to make the layout too similar.

I'm taking the kido to see Gulliber's travels but I'm stoked about populating the wiki. I'm hoping we get some more content contributions. I would encourage others to answer the same questions in their own way and we can combine them into one, concise, informative topic.

Thanks. Actually, the background image is one I purchased a while back from iStockPhoto.com. I have the right to use it as I see fit, as long as I don't resell the original image.

Disregard my comments then! Now if I could only figure how to work the wiki...I guess I'll stick with content for now.

[The Annoyed Man]

First two pages on the wiki: http://chlwiki.com/index.php?title=Spec ... lver&go=Go

[WildBill]

G.A. Heath, if that is acceptable to you, you can have the copyright.

This does look good.

[G.A. Heath]

The copyright would be for the image file, not the logo.

TAM: How about instead of assigning me the copyright you license it with a non-commercial creative commons license (perhaps with attribution so you get recognition). If giga is cool with it I'll add the image to the server tonight when I get off, or early in the morning when I get up.

[The Annoyed Man]

The copyright would be for the image file, not the logo.

TAM: How about instead of assigning me the copyright you license it with a non-commercial creative commons license (perhaps with attribution so you get recognition). If giga is cool with it I'll add the image to the server tonight when I get off, or early in the morning when I get up.

I don't think my user license allows me to redistribute the image that way, but I can use it to create other images for clients.

[G.A. Heath]

Ok, how about you license me the image for use on the wiki in exchange for attribution on like a Credits page.?