Decisions

[geezer1]

I'm new to hand guns.

I inherited a Colt Python from my Dad many years back. It just showed up in the mail one day. It still had and has the yellow hexagonal tag attached to the trigger guard by a short length of string. 8" barrel.

I got a box of .357 magnum cartridges and a box of .38 cartridges with it. One of the .38 was missing, so I'm pretty sure he fired it once. Also, pretty sure that was all he fired it. I haven't fired it since I got it. Pretty sure that single .38 round is the only round fired from it.

He had written on the letter from Colt that came with the revolver the date he bought it: 6/19/1981. I wrote on it that I received it 10/12/1983.

A long time back He had acquired a Lugar which I found fascinating. Never fired it though. Shortly before I received the Colt in the mail, I had asked him if he still had the Lugar and if he did, I would like to buy it from him. No, he had sold it quite a few years before. I think he sent me the Colt as a consolation prize.

I know my way around rifles, but not handguns.

Anyway. The Colt is far too big for anything except keeping as home self defense.

So, I have been looking to acquire something smaller and more useful for self and family defense.

So far I seem to have narrowed it down to either a Kel-Tec PF-9 or a Kahr PM-9.

I had read that the Kel-Tec was only good for about 6,000 rounds which is probably about 5,500 rounds more than I would put through it. This got me to thinking that maybe the Kahr was worth paying 3 times as much for.

Then I read on one of the threads here that the Kahr PM-9 was only good for about 8,000 rounds which again is probably about 7,500 rounds more than I would put through it.

So now I'm wondering, if the 8,000 rounds for the Kahr is accurate, then the Kel-Tec is a pretty good weapon for the price.

I'm pretty sure that I would rather a 9 mm. I don't plan on becoming a collector or owning anything other than the Colt and a small hand gun. That, given my biases, steers me to a 9 mm.

So, given your preferences and biases, which would you advise between the Kahr or the Kel-Tec. Or is there something in 9 mm, about the same weight and accuracy, better than either. The Kahr at 14 + 1.9 + 1.9 = 17.8 oz or the Kel-Tec at 12.7 + 2.8 + 2.8 = 18.3 oz are probably at the top of the weight I would want to carry.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[Tally XD]

Does this self defense and family defense include concealed carry? If not and is strictly for home defense, get a 12guage shotgun in the tactical flavor (short barrel with a tac light). Nothing is more effective than a shotgun for home/close quarters defense.

If you plan to carry, there are many many options out there. 9mm is the smallest caliber I would suggest thinking about really (my opinion only). There are small packages in .40S&W and even in .45acp.

Consider all the options according to what you have plans for. If you have no plans, make a plan then think more about what would fit your needs.

[WoodLark]

If you want a Kahr, get the CW9. It is cheaper and more reliable than the PM9, and it is only slightly larger.

[SOLOLUCKY]

My dad has a Kel-Tec and let me store it for a while. Of course I shot it while it was in my posession and...well.... I hated it!! the trigge pull was way too long for what I was used to. That was the main thing i disliked about it as i am used to short single action triggers. I rarely shot it after its maiden voyage out.
That is my impression of it...yers may vary. My advice would be to try to rent whatever you would be purchasing if you have a range that rents pistols. your $10 rental money will be well spent.

[Ping Ping]

Kahrs and Keltecs aside, lets get back to this grand Python of yours. Don't shoot it. Clean it and keep it well oiled and archive it someplace. The Colt Pyton is, IMHO, the finest revolver of any kind, in any caliber, ever produced. You are sitting on a gold mine.

"Keep it secret! Keep it safe!" -Gandalf Storm Crow

[ccman]

I have the PF-9. It is slim and easy to conseal. It is good as a carry gun. Like SOLOLUCKY said rent and try. Good luck.

[dukalmighty]

as far as the python,I had a 6" stainless steel i bought in 82 for 671.00 new,they sale around 1000.00 plus nowadays

[Zach and Holly]

Does this self defense and family defense include concealed carry? If not and is strictly for home defense, get a 12guage shotgun in the tactical flavor (short barrel with a tac light). Nothing is more effective than a shotgun for home/close quarters defense.

+1....

I have a mossberg 500 (breacher) for home defense. You can get low recoil buckshot if you're worried about the kick. Good luck!

[geezer1]

First I thank everyone who responded. Gave me more to think about.

For the Colt - yes, it is stored. My Dad was pretty strict about even fingerprints left on a stored weapon. He taught that they could become permanently etched in the bluing. Don't know if that is still true, but that early training persists. So whenever I take it out to check on it, I either wear cotton gloves or handle it only with the wiping cloth that came with it. It looks brand new to me. The bluing glistens.

Does this self defense and family defense include concealed carry? If not and is strictly for home defense, get a 12guage shotgun in the tactical flavor (short barrel with a tac light). Nothing is more effective than a shotgun for home/close quarters defense.

If you plan to carry, there are many many options out there. 9mm is the smallest caliber I would suggest thinking about really (my opinion only). There are small packages in .40S&W and even in .45acp.

Consider all the options according to what you have plans for. If you have no plans, make a plan then think more about what would fit your needs.

Concealed carry. Ideally yes, but getting a permit in MD is not too likely. Moving in the future for other reasons is not entirely out of the question, but not in our current thoughts. So concealed carry is factored into my thoughts.

+1....

I have a mossberg 500 (breacher) for home defense. You can get low recoil buckshot if you're worried about the kick. Good luck!

I have thought about a 12 gauge - used them a fair amount as a teen-ager pheasant hunting in south-eastern WA. The problem I envision with a 12 gauge or any shotgun is the pattern spread, even choked. Yeah, you're more likely to take out the intruder, but also anything inside that pattern, which would put me at a decided disadvantage - second thoughts, wondering who/what else is going to be hit, etc. At close range that 12 gauge can take out a whole dry wall and severely damage the framing underneath. I don't want to destroy the home, just the intruder. That pause would be to my decided disadvantage. If I have to use the weapon, I do not want even the slightest hesitation.

As for something more than 9 mm, maybe, but I would have to train with it extensively before I would probably be as comfortable as I would with a 9 mm with less training. The larger the caliber, the more to handle.

[Tally XD]

I have thought about a 12 gauge - used them a fair amount as a teen-ager pheasant hunting in south-eastern WA. The problem I envision with a 12 gauge or any shotgun is the pattern spread, even choked. Yeah, you're more likely to take out the intruder, but also anything inside that pattern, which would put me at a decided disadvantage - second thoughts, wondering who/what else is going to be hit, etc. At close range that 12 gauge can take out a whole dry wall and severely damage the framing underneath. I don't want to destroy the home, just the intruder. That pause would be to my decided disadvantage. If I have to use the weapon, I do not want even the slightest hesitation.

As for something more than 9 mm, maybe, but I would have to train with it extensively before I would probably be as comfortable as I would with a 9 mm with less training. The larger the caliber, the more to handle.

Not true in either point!

Shotgun: There is new ammo available called "low flash/low recoil" that is designed specifically for self defense. Not over-powered at all, 2 3/4" shells with 8 or 9 pellets of buckshot. The Federal Tactical version contains what is called "flight control wadding" that keeps the shot from spreading much at all. This ammo is designed for close quarters defense. I think Hornady makes similar ammo as well. At close distances, such as in home defense, shotgun pellets spread very little anyway and with lower power cartridges the collateral damage possibility is nearly gone.

9mm: 9mm is actually more of a recoil than .45acp. Much faster bullet velocity as well. .45 is a very good caliber for beginners to use because its very controllable recoil. 45acp is also very effective as a defense caliber. Still, no matter what caliber you use shot placement is most important when using pistols for defense.

[hayley]

"So, I have been looking to acquire something smaller and more useful for self and family defense.

So far I seem to have narrowed it down to either a Kel-Tec PF-9 or a Kahr PM-9."

Geezer: those pistols are generally acquired for carry--light-weight carry. I have a PF-9, for example, for a work environment where I absolutely cannot print. It's also a real pain to shoot. Get what you want, but you may want to browse again some of the really great products on the market, especially for home defense.

[Ram Rod]

Keep that Python no matter what!

[Beprepared]

The Kel-Tec trigger is awful, IMHO. The Kahr is a much nicer gun all the way around. This is like comparing BMW's and Yugo's. To me, there is no real question here... get the Kahr. You will be sorry if you buy a cheap, crappy gun.

[QKShooter]

Your Colt Python in that condition is quite desirable. You would be surprised at the high dollar amount they are fetching these days.

[TacticalCompact]

Is there any particular reason you feel that you need a pocket pistol? The PM9 is a really small little guy. Unless you plan on carrying it around in your pocket, I don't see the point. I carry a P40 every day, which is the same as a PM9 except its .5" longer barrel, and it's a .40 cal with a grip that you can put your pinky on.

I'm 5'9" and only 135 pounds. My P40 goes unnoticed wearing T-shirt and shorts in an MTAC IWB holster. Sure, the PM version would be even MORE invisible, but it would be harder to shoot by far.

My recommendation is to consider the P9. The slightly larger but much easier to shoot version of the PM9. Get it with night sights. Extremely accurate, easy/fast to shoot, super reliable, easily concealed.

I see no purpose given your current reality in purchasing such a small handgun.