A man should be proficient with his weapon. A samurai has his katana, a centurion has his gladius, a cowboy has his six-shooter, and that’s how it was. Personal weapons are a uniquely masculine accessory. It says a lot about the discipline of a man and his ability to stop people from taking his stuff if he is handy with his steel. In the 21st century the steel takes the form of the automatic pistol. I do not really consider revolvers for their inability to lay down suppressing fire.

Many so-called sophisticated peoples view an armed private citizen as unnecessary and an anachronism. People like this are disingenuous, and I will not delve into their various altruistic or nefarious motivations. I will give a quick overview of how to outfit a man to be handy with his steel. For those of you who live in a locale where handguns are unobtainable, that’s just too bad. For those of you interested, the particular machine you might select is entirely personal preference. I leave it to you to do the specific research. I do not really consider revolvers for their inability to lay down suppressing fire.

What To Get

First thing a man needs for outfitting himself is an actual handgun. There are pros and cons to all the machines on the market. A man decides what he wants for himself. Some like the fine lines of Italian style, and there is a gun for that. Others like expensive German over-engineering, and there is a gun for that as well. There are so-called business casual guns that can either it be dressed up or dressed down depending on the event. Some favor devices with switches, levers and/or safeties for safety reasons or for something to play with while they watch TV. Others favor the spartan experience of minimal controls. The decision is up to you on the practicality and whatever you are willing to sacrifice for “fashion”. I base my selection on the device’s ability to throw bullets reliably, the availability of spare parts and certain other personal preferences. Whatever device and features you select, you must actually practice in order to obtain proficiency. This cannot be accomplished by playing call of duty or watching YouTube videos.

Size

On the old comic strip “Calvin and Hobbes” by Bill Waterston, Calvin once stated “in a perfect world, women will wear tight clothes, and men will carry powerful handguns”. While some can argue the various calibers have their various merits, the caliber debate has ended in my mind. George Zimmerman’s one shot one kill with a Kel Tec PF9 can be thanked for that. Some men might want to be “continental” and 9mm is their preference. Other men like to follow tradition and prefer .45. And yet others choose .40 for various reasons.

There are other automatic cartridges available but remember one must be able to obtain a lot of them in order to practice. I could tell you to buy something readily available and not buy something outrageously powerful for the notoriety of it. But I am not going to pull a Mark Minter and preach something I do not practice. A modern man can make his own decision on how big of a bang he wants to make.

Accessories

After a man selects a pistol, he should also buy a holster to carry it in. Free balling a handgun is not recommended. Shooting oneself in the dick should be avoided. As with any fashion accessory, a holster should be well made. Select one that works for you, but I recommend one that encloses the trigger so you don’t start the party early by accident. Again one should practice to be proficient pulling the weapon out of its holster. You might need to buy more than one holster for it to go to various types of clothing you might wear. No one likes outfits that don’t go together.

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Safety First

Don’t think your purchasing journey is over yet. There are a few more items you need to buy in order to ensure satisfactory practice. Unless you’re Jason Bourne, your gun is going to be real loud when you shoot it. To counter the potential for hearing loss, one should purchase earplugs or muffs. I recommend muffs so one can focus on practice in comfort. Pistols have parts that move really fast while in operation. This can throw debris and oil back onto the shooter. The shooter should wear eye protection to defend against this along with ejected casings. I’ll recommend you buy a quality pair of clear lenses so there will be no optical distortion or color shifts between practice firing and what you might encounter on the street. Others might recommend tinted or shaded lenses but that is beyond the scope of this article.

A Clean Gun Is A Happy Gun

A man needs to keep his steel well-maintained. Swords get sharpened, polished and oiled. The same concept applies to handguns. You should clean it every so often even if you haven’t shot it. Oddly enough, the good cleaning products for handguns are not usually sold at the places the handguns are sold. One must search for the product he finds adequate. In my experience, multi-functional products tend to do each function poorly. Therefore I recommend a separate cleaner and lubricant. Make sure you research your selection thoroughly; old wives’ tales tend to ruin investments. For example, oven cleaner is a poor choice to clean a handgun.

Price

Remember, you get what you pay for. Going cheap gets you cheap. This goes especially true for handguns and their accessories. If the gun you want is not in your price range, buy it used. It’s better to buy one with a few dings or handling marks then to settle for some $250 jam-o-matic you will regret buying anyway. My gun doesn’t have any expensive options like tritium sites. That is my preference and has saved me money.

First Aid

If a man’s going to have a gun and practice with it, he should plan for the “getting shot” scenario. He should research first aid and to have actual supplies or the ability to MacGyver something. I recommend gauze and medical tape. You can finger bang the gunshot wound with as much gauze as you can stuff in there and then put the tape on top to hold you until you get to the hospital. This works surprisingly well compared to placing a bandage over the wound.

The Law

If you’re going to “roll heavy”, it is best to do it legally. Make sure you have all the proper permits and licenses for your locale. Also look into how to use force legally before you actually use force. A smart man would talk to a lawyer for any legal advice. Where I live, one needs to get a permit to carry a handgun in any fashion. In some places, a visible handgun will bring a massive police response that you might not survive even if it is carried legally, so be wise.

Practice

Practice is tantamount to performance. Try different positions at the range. Try shooting from the opposite hand. I find marksmanship is like playing pool. Sure, a lot of people give advice, but the more you do it, the better you become.

Conclusion

While some can argue the lack of necessity, its danger to society, or the state’s need for a monopoly on violence, a handgun can be a neat accessory for any masculine man. It puts pep in your step. It gives you confidence while you walk through certain parts of the city late at night. Also, that dull thud a holstered pistol makes hitting the ground speaks directly to a woman’s hind-brain that you are a mate that can actually protect her when you drop your pants when she services you.

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