Tailoring the defensive handgun to your customer

Shooting Industry, Sept, 2008 by Massad Ayoob

As a gun dealer, one of the most important things you do is help your customer get the best defensive handgun system that works for him or her. You've long learned that one size/type/caliber doesn't fit all. Yes, there are common factors that apply to all gun owners, but fitting the right firearm to the customers is the important part, and that's where your role is crucial.

Let's look at some of the circumstances that can help you tailor that choice.

I'm just finishing a first-level, 40-hour LFI-I class that I'm teaching for Lethal Force Institute. Considering the shooters/students in the class, it's amazing to see how many have assessed their needs--or had those needs assessed by firearms professionals, including gun dealers--and have come up with different handguns for their particular needs.

Reliability Factor

Warren is a professional, with an analytical way of looking at things. He wants something that will not only work for him, but also for anyone whom he might have to hand his gun to in an emergency. So, he likes the simplicity factor of a double-action revolver. He wants a gun that will work in all light conditions where he can identify his target. He wants compactness for concealed carry--and, above all, he wants total reliability.

He has chosen a Ruger SP101 .357 revolver with a barrel just over 3" in length, fitted with a Crimson Trace Lasergrip. We're shooting outdoors on pleasant summer days in Pennsylvania and he can see the red dot on the target up close. When the laser fades away at distances in the bright sunlight, he reverts to this gun's highly visible fixed sights.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

He's using Safariland speedloaders, and after some personal training on how to use them to maximum efficiency, he has kept up just fine with the auto-pistol shooters. He qualified on the police-type course with an excellent score. He got through with zero malfunctions, which is more than some of the auto shooters can say.