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What Handgun to Buy ? Deacon.........

This is a tough one, I know !!

Year's ago I owned a 12 ga. Mossburg and sold it a while ago. Now I am in the market for a handgun. I am not a complete novice but definitely not "Billy the Kid" I have been to the range maybe half a dozen times, renting there handgun's. Desert trips with the Mossburg and thats it, never owned my own handgun.

Physical Stats: 6'0 tall, 200 lbs.....39 years old.

The use of this firearm will be for: Range Practice, Shooting target's on camping trips, self defense.Buying one before this country out laws them.
At the range I have fired, S&W.357, Revolver
Glock 30, 45 cal. semi auto
Sig 40 cal. (don't know the model #)semi auto
44 Magnum "Dirty Harry" Revolver
I have heard the "whatever feels right" thing before, but maybe I will get some different opinions here.
Also we have an "8 year old boy" who has been to the range, he shot the .357 !!!! Home gun security is a.......important.

What are the tried and true, super-reliable, comfortable, accurate, brands model #'s and calibers guy's prefer for an all around handgun's !!!
A big one is semi-auto or revolver. I know there are some dyed in the wool revolver fans out there, tell me why. The semi autos are well....cool, but something about revolver's intrigue me. All the guns at the range where beaters.......Price is relevant, just not outrageous.

I guess with the little guy.... I can't just leave it in my bedside drawer where I would like it ??? If it is locked in fort knox how do you access it when you really need it ???

Any opinions...bring em on.
Thanx Guy's
 
From what I understand revolvers are more reliable; less likely to jam than a semi. I am looking also, and for much of the same reasons.
 
Okay, the revolver vs. auto debate will always continue until there is only one shooter left! Tha advantages of a revolver are variety of size of grips for many shooters, simplicity of operation, reliability [very rarely will there be a mechanical malfunction with a wheel gun], and in a .38/,357 gun the huge variety of ammunition power levels to use. The advantage of an auto is magazine capacity.
Okay, you've got a kid in the house. First, get the Eddie Eagle Safety program from the NRA. Teach him safety and remove the mystery that makes the "forbidden item" so appealing. There are several good quick response safes available for under $100 that require a code to open. You and your wife can know this and grab the gun quickly if needed, but kids can't get in them. If I had kids in my home, this would be required.
Okay, next up, limit your choices, a good 4" .357 double action revolver or a 9mm or .40 caliber auto. The revolver can shoot powder puff loads in .38 Special all the way up to the 125 grain jacketed hollowpointsin .357 Magnum that are still the most effective handgun rounds ever. You can have a couple of speedloaders handy if you want to keep it unloaded too. Reliablity is great as if you get a bad round of ammo, just pulling the trigger brings a fresh round under the hammer and in use.
The 9mm or 40 autos are mild in recoil and have very good ammo available now for self defense. Magazine size in this caliber keeps most of these handguns usable by both men and women easily. The drawback to an auto is you have to know how to clear a jam if you get a bad round of ammo in the chamber.
makers to look for in revolvers are Smith and Wesson, Colt, Ruger, Charter Arms and Taurus. These all make excellent revolvers and if you find a good used one they are great values.
In autos, you will run into 2 really extreme groups there [the fans of the 1911 and the Glock] who think there are no other hadguns out there. Both are excellent guns, but there are other makers just as good or better. Sigs, HKs, Glocks, 1911s, Smith &Wesson, Taurus and Springfield Armory all make excellent autos. For the record I carry a Glock 40 on duty, and have a S&W .45 auto and a Kimber 1911 all ready for duty at my home and carry a Taurus .38 snubby off duty.
Try as many different guns as you can before putting down your cash for one. There are a lot of used police trade ins out there that are showing finish wear but are almost new inside.
 
I have the Ruger GP100 .357 revolver (stainless, concealed carry mods) and love it. Accurate, dependable, fits my hand, built like a tank.

If I add a semiauto in the future, it'll be a Sig Sauer with Hogue grips. A friend has one, and like my Ruger, I just plain shoot well with it.

NANP™
 
The use of this firearm will be for: Range Practice, Shooting target's on camping trips, self defense.Buying one before this country out laws them.

I highly recommend the S&W .357 for the reasons you stated. One major reason is the .357 can also shoot .38spl which means your camping trip plinking will work out cheaper. Also, it's lighter than most of your other options (those listed anyway).

If you'd go for two, I'd suggest a .22 pistol like a buckmaster along with a larger caliber .45 automatic (I prefer one of the 1911 variants available out there).

The .357 is a well rounded wheel gun that won't let you down no matter how much you abuse it.

Have fun!
 
There are also 7 and 8 shot .357 magnum revolvers, which reduces the capacity argument a bit. One of the S&W 8-shot revolvers (model 627) is my bedside gun. I also love the Colt 1911 style semiautos, and the H&K squeeze-cocker models, but that S&W 627 is my most accurate handgun, even more accurate than my Wilson.
 
Springfield "loaded" 1911 .45 A.C.P with an 18 pound spring
Taurus PT 1911 .45 A.C.P. with an 18 pound spring
Price wise: Bulgarian or East German Makarov 9x18
One reason I choose the .45 is because it has much less muzzle flash at night than most calibers, less likely to blind you in dim light. All Makarovs I've fired or owned are extremely reliable and acceptably accurate. The Springfield and Makarov can also be almost completely stripped to the last part with virtually no tools, as can the Glock.

For extended pistol practice I like the Ruger .22 bull barrels.

If I still had young ones around I would buy one of the small 1 or 2 gun push-button safes for fast access.
 
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""If you'd go for two, I'd suggest a .22 pistol like a buckmaster along with a larger caliber .45 automatic (I prefer one of the 1911 variants available out there).""

This is the combo I would suggest. Start with the 22
 
Revolvers are somewhat more reliable than semiautos, but the odds of having a decent semi auto (non 22) jam on you are really small. Really really small. For just having fun shooting, semiautos are a little more fun that revolvers, especially single action ones.

Definitely a 9mm if you are going to be putting in some range time, but like a previous poster said, get a 22 pistol and then a gun for home defense. Unless you really get into shooting or start reloading your own ammo, .357 and even .38's are going to be more than you will be happy paying. 9mm ammo is a lot cheaper and you can get all kinds of pure copper, hollow point hex, etc. bullets which will destroy a person if you hit them in the otrso, or tear an arm or leg off if you jsu wing them. If ammo cost is not an issue, go with a .40 caliber, but your first pistol should be semi in my humble opinion.

I know the other gun enthusiasts are probably going to jump me for this, but you should get a Hi Point 9mm. You will get it for under 200 out the door, which will leave you with plenty of money to get a 22 for range use and camping shooting. Hi Points are ugly heavy, and not the most accurate, but they will easily serve you in a home defense situation.

My final opinion:

Get a high point 9mm and a 22 pistol, either a buckmaster or a sig mosquito.

GB

p.s Hi Deacon, I am Dick Dubloon on surplurifleforum.com. Nice to see there is another gun/cutthroat fan out there.
 
If you want one gun for all purposes, hard to beat a double action .357 magnum or .38 special with four inch barrel. The only reason to go with the magnum is...why not? You can also shoot the .38's in it. I prefer the .38 load for home defense...the magnum fired indoors, at night, produces enough noise and muzzle blast to temporarily deafen and blind you. As well as increasing the chance of punching through the wall and plugging an innocent neighbor. Revolver over auto because there are no safeties to forget under stress, no magazine release to hit by accident under stress...you just point the wheelgun and squeeze the trigger.
The second part is tough. A home defense gun should be near at hand, loaded and ready to go. When you awaken to see someone climbing through your bedroom window it is not a time to have to manipulate locks or speed loaders. I don't have an answer for the kid-safety problem.
 
I'd compare the .357/.38 revolvers to Glocks and pick what you like best. I just bought a Glock 21 (full size .45 ACP) and I love it. 13 rounds of .45 ACP! much simpler (and for me that means "better") design than other semis i've shot/owned. I can field strip it in a matter of seconds with no tools. In my opinion, the Glock 21 has softer recoil than a similar model in .40 S&W and maybe even 9mm. One statistic that swayed my decision was that, on average in a stressful situation, a Cop hits his target 1/6 times. I plan on being worse. Good luck.
 
I'd recommend a Glock 17 or 19. Inexpensive gun, cheapest range ammo out there in an acceptable self defense caliber (even cheaper than .38 special), accurate, easy to learn, and absolutely top notch in reliability. Plus, ammo capacity is 17 rounds for the Glock 17 and 15 rounds for the 19. Even the huge 8 shot revolvers can't claim that. Now, in a self defense scenario I wouldn't expect the ammo capacity to make a wit's difference, but at the range larger capacity means more shots between reloads. Plus, glock mags are cheap, so you can buy a half dozen or more and be able to shoot for a long time before having to reload. Final point: there are plenty of police trade ins of those two models that have been carried a lot but shot very little and can be had for cheap. And if a couple months or years down the line you want something else you should be able to sell it for damn near if not more than what you paid for it.

As for storage: look into one of the quick safes that either reads a finger print or takes a numeric code. You can keep the gun loaded and very fast to access without having to worry about curious hands. But as noted above, teach proper gun handling and respect and those hands won't be nearly as much a concern.
 
My wife and I both conceal carry and I personally carry a Glock 30 45 ACP and my wife carries a Glock 19 9mm. The Glock is extremly reliable and we have never had a issue with misfires.....
We probably run about 50 to 100 rounds a week at the range...some people bowl we like to shoot.
I pity the poor fool that breaks into our home! LOL
 
you have emphasized the child issue, and I also understand this issue as I have small children (which is far different than theorizing about risks). sure, one plans to never ever have a child or untrained woman handle a weapon, but I assume that it will happen. one day. years from now. when you least expect it.

for that reason alone, I only have a 1911 platform. three points of safety and a stiff slide to actually chamber a round.

and also, I'll shoot you're eye out.

I could tell stories to convince you, but hey. read Jeff Cooper's books, don't take my word for it.

good luck.
 
There are a lot of good suggestions here on this thread. Personally, I would not recommend a handgun as a weapon of choice for home defense. Stray bullets can too easily find their way into your neighbor's house. My choice is 12 guage short barrel. Mossberg is good for that.

If you decide to get a pistol anyway, my pick for the home is a Glock 23. It is extremely reliable and accurate. It would be in your best interest to invest in a combat self-defense course with the pistol, no matter which one you decide on.

If you do decide on the pistol, another thing to consider is an easily accessible hidden storage area that is usually disguised as a painting or photograph. Trigger locks and safes that require codes to get in them don't help much if you wind up needing the gun in a hurry. Your boy is old enough to teach him to stay away from it.

Here are some ideas for safe storage
Fingerprint safe
Wallclock
Picture Frame
Another Picture Frame Safe
 
A whole bunch of glockaholics around here. A glock 23 is going to run you about 500 bucks before taxes/fees. That's more than you want to pay for something that is going to sit in a drawer in your nightstand until you take it out to the range and shooting while camping (I get the impression you won't be doing much shooting, otherwise you'd already have a bunch of guns;). You can get a hi point 9mm for 150 or a 45 for 160. Sure they look like they've be rhino-lined, but the function just fine and you don't really have to clean them. The way to get a gun is to find a gun forum, preferably semi local to where you live, and buy a used one from someone on there. If you did that, you could get a HP 9mm for about a hundred bucks I bet. If you happen to live in Cali, try calguns.net, always some great deals on there, but they go quick.
I don't own a Hi Point, but I've shot them and they are fine guns in a utilitarian sort of way.

GB
 
What about the Taurus Judge? A revolver that can shoot both .45 rounds and shotgun shells?

Anyone have any experience with this handgun? Strictly used for home protection...
 
as an Englishman i find this thread fascinating. "what gun to buy" :biggrin: my god, it sounds so casual (not that im trying to lord it over anyone) there was i thinking a "what razor to buy thread" was daring :lol: im a member of a few forums and i have never scene a thread that has been about buying a gun lol.maybe im just naive :blushing: but on a simple visual merit i would say glock.there just so business class looking.considering i have never even scene a real firearm you may want to take my reply with a huge pnch of salt though hehe.

the closest i have been to a weapon is having vibrate switched on my 360 pad whilst playing COD4.
 
Years ago I had a conversion kit that let me swap my Colt 1911 back and forth between .45ACP and .22. You just swapped the slide, barrel, spring, and magazine. Took about a minute and no tools required. A setup like that comes pretty close to the one-gun-for-everything ideal. But for the casual shooter who isn't going to practice regularly I still recommend the revolver. Just on the basis of keeping things simple. Less room for error under stress.
 
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