Summary and Key Points: Selecting the right firearm for self-defense is crucial, but there are some guns you should definitely avoid.
-Derringers, though classic, offer limited capacity and poor accuracy. The Full-Conceal Folding Glock compromises quick deployment and durability, making traditional Glocks a safer bet.
-Rifle or shotgun caliber pistols suffer from reduced effectiveness due to short barrels, while the Taurus Curve, with its unconventional sights and awkward handling, proves impractical.
-Lastly, the Taurus Model 85 revolver is plagued by poor quality control, rendering it unreliable. Avoid these firearms to ensure your self-defense needs are safely and effectively met.
5 Worst Guns For Self-Defense
It’s hard enough to decide on which firearms are the best. But there are also plenty of candidates for the worst self-defense weapons—possibly even more, because there are some really strange guns out there.
When evaluating weapons for self-defense, certain criteria are needed to make a good choice.
In this case, you must be even more critical, because you are looking to avoid making a bad choice.
Although my stance hasn’t softened on a certain former military-issue handgun, it is not listed here, as its inclusion would not be fair. However, I still don’t like that particular handgun, and I probably never will. A couple of the weapons listed here will be rather generic, as you will soon see, and one comes from a brand name that is known for producing outstanding weapons.
So let’s look at some of the worst weapons for self-defense.
Derringers (of any kind)
I know that some folks love derringers, and they’ve been around seemingly forever, but while they are fun to shoot, they are not a good choice for a self-defense weapon. It is better than having nothing, I suppose, but it could possibly be worse than bringing a knife to a gunfight.
Despite the fact that Rosalind killed Fat Tony with one in her office (can you guess the film?), derringers are a poor substitute for a handgun that fires more than two shots and is accurate beyond a few feet. Although I must admit that Roz looked great with that gold “paperweight” in her hand.
Some gun enthusiasts swear by the derringer as a good self-defense weapon. The bottom line is that you could get a 5-shot .357 Magnum that is roughly the same size and weight of some two-shot derringers. So, this is a hard pass.
Full-Conceal Folding Glock
I love shooting Glocks, and the company is arguably one of the top two or three handgun makers in the world. The Full Conceal Folding Glock, however, is much slower to prepare for use than just drawing from a holster, and the gun can’t be deployed with one hand.
Additionally, owners risk damaging the Folding Glock if they drop or bump it hard enough, causing the firearm not to fold correctly.
Steer clear of this model and purchase a more traditional Glock pistol.
In an intriguing piece in the Fire Arms Blog, James Reeves referred to it as a “Glock Taco,” because the pistol folds in half, but leaves several components open for dirt and dust. Opinions vary widely on it, but for me, this is another hard pass.
Rifle or Shotgun Caliber Pistols
This is another personal bias (like that former military sidearm), but I have never been a fan of these guns. Why the heck would I want a single-shot small pistol that fires a 5.56mm or a 7.62x39mm? The short barrel reduces the effectiveness of the rifle rounds. These are terrible self-defense weapons.
This brings us to the .410 shotgun shell revolver. While it sounds good on paper, it is a poor option for self-defense. They aren’t really concealable, being far too big. And if you are going to carry a large framed pistol, wouldn’t you want something more powerful than a .410 shotgun shell?
The same applies for home defense. If you’re going to launch shotgun shells at a home intruder, buy a short 12-gauge pump shotgun. The .410 revolver is a good snake weapon, but against humans? Not so much.
Taurus Curve Pistol
This pistol came out from Taurus about 10-11 years ago, and there are some still floating around. The Curve doesn’t have traditional iron sights, but instead features a white crosshair painted on the back of the receiver.
This is definitely not ideal when accuracy is critical—especially in a self-defense situation, where your life is on the line.
While the concept is unique, and good in principle, there are just too many shortcomings associated with the Taurus Curve, the biggest among them being the built-in clip, which is a pain in your fourth point of contact to get out. It isn’t accurate, and it is an uncomfortable weapon to hold and shoot. It looks more like a price gun than a self-defense weapon.
Taurus Model 85
I swear, I’m not picking on Taurus here, but it should be noted that the weapon, a .38 Special revolver, has been beset by bad problems, poor customer service, and bad quality control.
The barrel looks like it doesn’t belong, it has handgrips that are as thin as clumped spaghetti, and it is a horrible shooting weapon. This isn’t a weapon that you should ever trust your life with.
About the Author: Steve Balestrieri
Steve Balestrieri is a 19FortyFive National Security Columnist. He served as a US Army Special Forces NCO and Warrant Officer. In addition to writing for 19FortyFive, he covers the NFL for PatsFans.com and is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA). His work was regularly featured in many military publications
