How to Choose a Defensive Handgun Cartridge 

I am a relatively new shooter (15 or so years, not a lot of money for cartridges and range time). I like to think I have decent common sense and your videos confirm my suspicions of hyperinflated, subjective baloney I have listened to for years. Your voice is so common in my house now that my wife knows who you are, "Is that Gunblue?". It is so nice to listen to someone TRULY knowledgeable and not rabid with their tactical egos. Thank you for your peaceful, clear lectures.

"People are not collateral... they're real people that God created." Beautifully stated! The more of your videos I watch, the more I like you. You're not just some guy blathering about his opinions, but a real expert who reflects on decades of firsthand knowledge.

When I listen to this guy I feel like I'm getting paid professional instruction for free.

Thank you for the reality check between the .357 and the .38 Special. I am amazed at the power of the .357 (and pain in my hands they cause) vs the .38 Special in my S&W 640, and the logic that hitting the target reliably matters most really resonates with me, so I don’t feel so bad spending more time using it with .38 Special. Thank you.

I'm retired, so I have the time to get to the range once(sometimes twice) a week. I shoot and I watch other shooters. I've seen the tactical crowd, seen the desert eagle fans-- all of this is always good for a laugh. my favorite shooter to watch is Doris, she's in her early 80's and shoots a Ruger SR22. Doris hangs her target (with 5 bullseyes) and starts at 3 yards, then 5, then 10 and then 15. she goes around from one bullseye to the next. the last couple of magazines, she's really blasting. when she rolls the target back in there's a nice shot group in each circle. 10 .22lr hollow points in a 3" circle is better than a sharp stick.

Somebody who actually knows what he's talking about - a real anomaly.

No scraggly beard, no tattoos, no earrings, no yelling. And you don't claim to be "an operator." What a relief. When I was growing up an operator is who you spoke to when you dialed -0- on the phone to make a long distance or collect call. I grew up in the 40s and 50s in a 4 generation law enforcement family and started shooting when I was 7 years old. My youngest brother just retired, so the ones in the family in law enforcement is down to a niece and nephew now. Your cartridge history is consistent with what I remember. I started shooting in a defensive league (we called it a combat league then) in the 1970s and went from a .357 to a .45 to a wonder 9 to a a 10mm, to a .40 S&W by the mid 90s. I tell my kids that a defensive weapon is a shotgun first and then a handgun in a caliber that is small enough for them to handle and practice with at least every couple weeks. I'm going to tell the grandkids to subscribe to your channel.

Someone send this to Alec Baldwin

yup at one time the NRA was an honorable organization , maybe some hope yet

Recognize this is 7 years past. Now 2023. Cannot help but think how Gunblue can speak for hours on topic while our president JB cannot make 2 sentences.

Nowadays 38 special has been improved quite a bit. Tons of choices +p, +p+, bonded construction, flex tips, hollow point designs. This brought the 38 special off its anemic knees, it now is a great round.

Subscribed.

Man I could sit back and listen to you every evening.

At the end, spot on. "A well regulated militia".

I love to see people like you doing this. What I mean by that is older men/people, with all their wisdom and experience taking the time to embrace new forms of media and educate the rest of us. All this knowledge would be lost upon me and many others had you not been open to making RU-vid videos.

Just discovered this channel recently. It's like a breath of fresh air! No disguised advertising for the latest and newest. No flashy tacticool bs with electric guitars screamin' at the background.

European cops usually carried autos when American cops had revolvers. A common handgun for a European cop in the old days was a .32 auto or .380ACP blowback like a Walter PP or Walther HSc (and many others). Most had flap holsters, some were cross draw. This changed in the early 1980s, when most transitioned to 9mm Wondernines .

The thing I like most about your videos is you give a well rounded and easy to understand presentation. Based on scientific, and and "real world" applications. You're not trying to sell us something or showing a bias towards any particular product.

After nodding my head in agreement with your views throughout this video, I found myself chuckling about your remarks about which rounds have remained at the top of the list decade after decade - 9mm, 38Spl, and 45acp.

I know this video is 4 yrs old but this is the most informative video on this subject that I've ever seen.