What makes it bad? A lot of things such as unreliability, poor ergonomics, ineffective caliber, etc. So, by going over some examples today, you should have a good idea of what kind of gun is really bad for self-defense.
To be clear, I will only be looking at guns that are advertised as self-defense guns. Evidently, any gun that fires a .700 Nitro Express is a poor choice for self-defense, but chances are it is not advertised as one. Also, we will only discuss relatively modern guns. A percussion revolver used to be a good option but it is obsolete now. Some guns you see on the list here are not bad per se, but they are just not the best option for self-defense.
So, with that in mind, I have here a list of five guns that are just bad for self-defense.
Table of Contents
1. All the Guns that Shoot Shotgun Shells but Are not a Shotgun
Many guns fall into this category here such as the Taurus Judge, Heizer Defense Pocket Shotgun, the Smith & Wesson Governor, TAC-14, etc. Are they bad guns? Not necessarily, but I would not bring them with me as a self-defense gun.
There are a few problems with these guns. For one, .410 from a rifled barrel is just bad. You would get a wide and unpredictable pattern. Since there is no way to adjust it, someone else is liable to get hurt if you ever pull the trigger. The recoil is also another problem, and we don’t even have to talk about the size of these things either. Personally, I would rather carry a SIG P365 with ten shots and half the size than a Taurus Judge.
What about guns such as the TAC-14 or the Mossberg Shockwave? They can be fun to shoot. They are well-made, but they are not for self-defense. They have bad handling and even worse accuracy. If you want a 12-gauge shotgun for home defense, just get a stocked shotgun. Your arms and shoulders will thank you for it.
2. Full Conceal Glock
One of the most important things about a self-defense firearm is deployment speed. You just want to get it out of your pocket or closet or whatever, and it should be ready to rock. Evidently, Full Conceal did not get the message. Now defunct, the company created a Glock that folds like a Sub-2000. It was a novel idea for sure, but it was never meant to be used on a self-defense concealed-carry firearm.
There are a couple of things wrong here. For one, it does not even reduce the size of the weapon. It is still as big as a Glock, so folding it up does not make much sense. Also, deploying it is just another unnecessary step. You might as well get a Glock and carry it in a holster and you would have a better time since you can just whip it out and shoot. You cannot say the same for the Glock that folds.
To be fair, it might be a fun gun to bring to the range sometimes, but it has no practical use. It is also pretty fragile. If you drop or bump it hard, the folding mechanism would not work. Overall, I say this is a bad self-defense gun.
3. The Lifecard
The Lifecard is an odd and fun little gun, but it is on the list because it is not a good self-defense firearm. The build quality, durability, and reliability are impressive, but it is a single-shot .22 LR (22 Long Rifle). Moreover, the company said that you should only put a round into the chamber when you need to fire it. This takes time, which makes it a bad self-defense gun.
Another problem is that the rimfire primer might fail to ignite and let out a round because that is just a rimfire thing. It is slow to reload, the sights are subpar, and you need both hands to use it. I do not recommend you get this for self-defense. But if you just want a fun little gun to shoot cans or something, be my guest.
4. Raven MP 25
The Raven MP 25 is a semi-auto direct blowback pistol that is chambered in .25 ACP. It is made with pot metal and has a cheap-looking chrome finish. A lot of things about the gun are unreliable. Just because it is called a semi-auto does not mean it will reliably load the next round. It will jam now and again. The sights are not the best and the safety is even worse. The gun may go off if you drop it as well. It is heavy and clunky. If you want reliability in a small package, I recommend guns such as the Ruger LCP or even the Beretta tip. Is it the worst self-defense? No, but it is really close.
5. Heizer ZDefense Pocket AR/AK
This is a series of single-shot pistols that are chambered in rifle calibers. Their sizes are about what you would expect from most pocket pistols. The Pocket AR uses 5.56 whereas the Pocket AK uses the 7.62×39. According to the advertisement, these guns have the power to stop an attacker with one shot. The latter part sounds about right since you probably are going to get only one shot.
What is wrong with these guns then? Well, using rifle cartridges in a short barrel would lead to poor performance. It is bad enough to shoot them out of a 7-inch barrel, but these pistols have 3.75-inch barrels. So you are actually not getting that much power from your rifle cartridges. Also, you have to deal with the noise, recoil, muzzle flash, etc. that might knock you out so badly that the attacker would have to stop and call an ambulance for you.
And there you have it, folks. These are some of the worst self-defense guns that I have seen. Of course, there are many of them out there, and the list can be substantially longer, but I think we already know what makes a bad self-defense gun.
