Pick Three Guns

flagman1776

flagman1776

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Just as a lark, I'm writing a short story where the 'hero' is a bodyguard. I've given the hero a back story of service in the USMC Force Recon with tours in the sandbox. Since mustering out has 2 years in Diplomatic Protection Service before going into private security. He's struggling a little financially. Would he still own 3 guns?

What three guns would he own? I have ideas but I don't trust my own bias.

1 primary sidearm
2 ???
3 ankle gun

If you can see an obvious mistake in my thinking, please tell me so I can fix it.
 
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Smith & Wesson Forum............. so

Performance Center Shorty-9

Model 66 3"

Both his Dad's old off duty guns...........when he was a Cop!!!!! County Sheriff so he got to carry what he wanted,,,,, better yet a,,,,, US Marshal

and a Beretta 92 Compact cus that's what he carried, full size M-9, in the USMC and it never jammed..........but with the new Mec-gar 15rd mags so same ammo load as his old full size M-9....... and he watched "Spencer for Hire" with his Dad as a kid.

:D

:D
 
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Glock 19- Affordable, and lighter than the Beretta 92 he probably has a good bit of experience with.
That makes the ankle gun a Glock 43 or 26, most likely
Remington 870 for the ??? category.
 
Re "he's struggling a little financially. Would he still own three guns?"

Absolutely! And they'd be good, solid, reliable ones, too. They are integral to his profession. No matter how financially strapped he becomes, he won't let these go. I agree that he'd lean on weapons familiar from his military service.

Hmm. Ankle gun? Well, that seems unlikely for military familiarity. Maybe a 380 of some sort?
 
flagman1776 said:
Just as a lark, I'm writing a short story where the 'hero' is a bodyguard. I've given the hero a back story of service in the USMC Force Recon with tours in the sandbox. Since mustering out has 2 years in Diplomatic Protection Service before going into private security. He's struggling a little financially. Would he still own 3 guns?

What three guns would he own? I have ideas but I don't trust my own bias.

1 primary sidearm
2 ???
3 ankle gun

If you can see an obvious mistake in my thinking, please tell me so I can fix it.
Click to expand...

Hmm...interesting.

My first thought was 1911 for primary, with him being Force Recon. But then you added bodyguarding.

So, question? When you say Diplomatic Protection Service, are you talking about the State Department's Diplomatic Security Service? I could be wrong, but last I saw they issued a Sig P229 (can't remember the caliber). If a security contractor doing diplomatic protection (given your timeframe of 2 years, I think this makes more sense), and then as a private bodyguard, I'm going to go with Glock 19 due to their ubiquity within the field. Plus, it's relatively inexpensive compared to some other pistols, so it makes sense for a bodyguard on a budget.

For an ankle gun, there could be two options. One would be a Centennial J-frame. It's a common choice for an ankle gun, and could make pocket carry a viable option, depending on the assignment. The other would be a Glock 26. A pragmatic Marine on a budget would probably like having a BUG that can use the same ammo and mags as his primary, plus commonality of training. Glock 26 might be a harder sell if you're going for pocket carry.

For a 3rd gun, I'm going to say he's probably going to have some kind of M4-style AR15 rifle. He may need it on some high risk assignments. Plus, I just have a hard time imagining a former Marine in that line of work not having some kind of AR.

Now, if you're talking about a 3rd gun that he carries concealed on his person, I'm going to go with a LCP. Inexpensive, reliable, compact, lightweight, easy to carry in a pocket, and more discreet than any of his other options. Different assignments may require different clothing, and thus different gear. He could be wearing anything from a business suit, to a tuxedo, to casual wear, to swim trunks, based on the gig.

Just my opinion.
 
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ContinentalOp

So, question? When you say Diplomatic Protection Service, are you talking about the State Department's Diplomatic Security Service?
Click to expand...

Yes State Department's Diplomatic Security Service.

Thank you for the question. If I was unclear, that's an error that needs fixing.

EDIT: looking it up, commonly abbreviated D.S. or D.S.S.
 
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For a character like that?

1. Glock 19
2. M4 of some variation
3. Mossberg or Remington shotgun.
If he has to have an ankle gun, a shot barreled Smith J frame would do. He needs a good knife also.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
flagman1776 said:
Yes State Department's Diplomatic Security Service.

Thank you for the question. If I was unclear, that's an error that needs fixing.
Click to expand...

Ok. So was he a Special Agent or a contractor? If a Special Agent, then he would have to have a college degree. Then he would've spent several months in training, followed by a year or two in a field office in the US. While he might get some protection assignments, either for visiting dignitaries or overseas on short deployments, most of his time would be spent investigating things like visa and passport fraud.

As a contractor, he would've spent his entire time on protection details/security assignments. His miitary background would've been sufficient to land a contractor gig, even without a degree. DSS used a lot of security contractors in the last 20 years.

Not saying you have to use this information. After all, it is fiction. But if you're striving for some accuracy in this character's background, I think it's good to have. And this info is out on the Interwebs if you want to research it yourself.

Just my opinion.
 
As a writer, I see your worst problem right away. You don't know your character nearly well enough. And you may not know guns enough.

YOU have to decide on his income, sophistication, clients, etc. I think you need a private eye. Bodyguard alone is too limiting in scope.

Look inside his personality. Look at his home. Describe it. Make the reader see it. YOU must know him. What does he drive? Does he like coffee? Who does he date?


Read books that define characters well and make you feel that you know them. David Lindsey is a superb wordsmith. Read his books like, A Cold Mind, Spiral, Mercy, Requiem For a Glass Heart.

Try writing fan fiction on FanFiction.net. Select a show you know and see if you can even make the known TV characters seem real to fans.

He should own at least a concealment gun and a full size pistol. Maybe a 5.56 mm rifle.

I don't know this man or if he hates okra or peaches. I don't know his real income or gun knowledge.

Personally, I wouldn't make him too poor. Maybe not too rich, either.

Take a creative writing class at a junior college and read similar fiction heavily. DO NOT make him your egotistic self. This gets a writer laughed at as a Marty Stu. You'd better be good at dialogue, too, and in character!

You aren't ready to select his guns until you've thoroughly created him, friends, likely assignments, clients, city, etc.
 
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