Hmmm....only 3? Seems like too few. Well, my very most favorite handgun, back when I was much younger, was the Ruger Blackhawk in .44 Magnum with a 6" barrel. Accuracy was phenomenol. Since I am now too old, and my hands are very arthritic, I have had to search carefully for a hand-gun which would fit my hands. So, at the moment, I have settled on the Zastava M-57 in 7.62 X 25. I don't care for 9mm either. Never have, although one of my first handguns was an Astra Model 600 in 9mm, which I still have. I also have a Czech Cz-52 in 7.62 X 25. It doesn't fit my hands very well, and I hate the clip release. Otherwise, it works well and is accurate. For black-powder, my very favorite hand-gun is a replica Remington New Model Army in .44. It is a real delight to shoot, and is also very accurate. I had a replica Colt "Walker" in .44, but although it was also fun to shoot, and fairly accurate, it was very poorly made and I eventually cut it up for scrap. Lastly, for .22 LR, I had a Ruger automatic, don't remember the model, but it is the most common one. I liked it a lot. Again, it was very accurate in my hands and very easy to use. Our daughter owns a S&W 1917 Army revolver in .45 Colt which balances almost perfectly and is really fun to shoot. I have always wanted a 1911, but could never afford one.....yet.
First, I dont want to be shot by any of the rounds G mentions. Including the tiny ones. For any reason. I hope he gets his 1911. I understand why he likes them. Wonderful gun. Great triggers.
I shoot/carry 9mm and 40SW interchangeably out of Tupperware (Glock). My glocks always go bang - always being one of the big words. I like that. Yes I agree fully they have a brick like grip and aesthetic.
Shot placement is key as is legal threat articulation and clear foreground/backstop (bad guy makes the best backstop.) I train with changeable props for the articulation speed (gun, knife, badge, different hands etc).
I run tight (precise) and accurate groups with either 40 or 9. 9 shoots slightly softer. Because of that I run a slightly faster cadence (one second) at 30m with the 9 while shooting a 9x9 steel plate (half upper thoracic torso surrogate) starting from concealment.
I take it seriously, train, and enjoy recursive combatives improvement. Thus the reason Im fine with 9. I understand G's aversion. All the calibers G mentioned are excellent.
I think 357sig is another great dark horse round. 1350ish fps at 125 grains out of a 4" barrel is hot. snappy and dumps a ton of energy for a handgun (near 500ft/lb, 686 joules. Requires commitment to practice.
The old school western gunz our host shows above are just beautiful. He has great taste, but we all know that.
And If I could get a colt navy 1851 that LOOKED exactly like the blackpowder version but somehow magically used carteidges… well… the only other fantasy gun that would top it would be the fantasy one chambered in .454 casull revolver with under barrel 30mm grenade launcher.
I wanted to like .40s&w but it snaps too hard and isn’t that big an improvement on the 9mm apparently. I can appreciate your take on things. I think of the Glock as what we had come up with as the “standard” handgun in the RPG of Car Wars, a brand we had named under House Rules from a firm called Chip n’ Asti. But they work.
I believe that certain callibres are inherently accurate, .44 being one of those. There appears to be something about the combination of bullet weight and diameter that is "balanced". There are rifle callibres which are also inherently accurate....or at least MORE accurate than some others.
You must be operating under some pretty clueless assumptions about me to post the two comments you did. And you also clearly didn’t read the linked to article or lurked enough here to know I lived and worked with a gun in one of the most crime ridden countries on Earth for a number of years.
The post is about preference. Which was stated in the OP.
You misunderstand. The comments I made were not directed to you personally. I’ve read enough of your posts and I understand your background otherwise I would never have commented here on the subject. I gave you my preference and why.
So, what do you think about my thoughts on 22LR and 9MM.
You’ve opened a can of worms and will get a lot of advice by people who have never practiced violence professionally. The intended target of handgun on fire does not care what caliber around they just received.
What’s important for you is practicality. The handgun that you choose to use in any moment needs to function when you need to function. There are a lot of very functional makes of handgun on the market now that are very affordable and you already know what those are.
I realize you’re not interested in 9 mm but consider this, if you have to scavenge weapons and ammunition off the battlefield, you are going to find a lot of that caliber of ammunition and weapons that fire it. The same with 5.56 and 7.62
In every day practicality, I would suggest that you have one heavy caliber handgun like .357 that will write reliably shoot through walls. I suggest a revolver. Then you should consider a semi automatic handgun in 9mm and then a small caliber handgun in 22LR.
22LR is a highly underrated ammunition, and it can be used in both handguns and rifles. People may scoff at it, but I can guarantee you that if you receive a peppering of that caliber of ammunition, whatever you were doing, you are going to quit doing that thing. That ammunition is lightweight and you can carry a lot of it on your person. You can also kill any game animal within reason.
So I think it through.
P.S. I apologize for any typos or things that don’t make sense because I voice texted this entire thing on my phone.
I love the Walther for obvious reasons, but for .32 ACP I have to go with the Mauser Model 1914, only because I already have one, and it was given to me by my priest who brought it over with him from Belgium when he came over as a missionary after WWII.
For .357, I like the S&W Model 19, as that's likely the closest thing you can buy today to the classic revolvers made famous by such fictional adventurers as Harry Steele and his wannabe, Indiana Jones. S&W also makes a similar Model 29 if 44 magnum is more your style.
Oh. I almost forgot: I also have a Czech auto in .32 Auto. A very nice piece. I also had a Ruger in .41 Magnum from which I fired exactly 6 rounds, then immediately got rid of it. The muzzle blast from that thing is horrendous!! A very, very sharp "crack". Even with hearing protection, it hurt my ears. No thanks! I also had a Colt in ..357 mag. Nice gun, but I didn't care for it or the calibre.
Hmmm....only 3? Seems like too few. Well, my very most favorite handgun, back when I was much younger, was the Ruger Blackhawk in .44 Magnum with a 6" barrel. Accuracy was phenomenol. Since I am now too old, and my hands are very arthritic, I have had to search carefully for a hand-gun which would fit my hands. So, at the moment, I have settled on the Zastava M-57 in 7.62 X 25. I don't care for 9mm either. Never have, although one of my first handguns was an Astra Model 600 in 9mm, which I still have. I also have a Czech Cz-52 in 7.62 X 25. It doesn't fit my hands very well, and I hate the clip release. Otherwise, it works well and is accurate. For black-powder, my very favorite hand-gun is a replica Remington New Model Army in .44. It is a real delight to shoot, and is also very accurate. I had a replica Colt "Walker" in .44, but although it was also fun to shoot, and fairly accurate, it was very poorly made and I eventually cut it up for scrap. Lastly, for .22 LR, I had a Ruger automatic, don't remember the model, but it is the most common one. I liked it a lot. Again, it was very accurate in my hands and very easy to use. Our daughter owns a S&W 1917 Army revolver in .45 Colt which balances almost perfectly and is really fun to shoot. I have always wanted a 1911, but could never afford one.....yet.
First, I dont want to be shot by any of the rounds G mentions. Including the tiny ones. For any reason. I hope he gets his 1911. I understand why he likes them. Wonderful gun. Great triggers.
I shoot/carry 9mm and 40SW interchangeably out of Tupperware (Glock). My glocks always go bang - always being one of the big words. I like that. Yes I agree fully they have a brick like grip and aesthetic.
I run this in my 9mm. Black Hills is an excellent brand. This is an excellent load: https://www.firearmsnews.com/editorial/black-hills-9mm-115-grain-tac-xp-p-review/467278
I train these standards: https://www.combatshootingandtactics.com/standards including timed drills on surgical targets: https://shop.actiontarget.com/content/pht-st-combat-shooting-tactics-headshot-training-target.asp
Shot placement is key as is legal threat articulation and clear foreground/backstop (bad guy makes the best backstop.) I train with changeable props for the articulation speed (gun, knife, badge, different hands etc).
I run tight (precise) and accurate groups with either 40 or 9. 9 shoots slightly softer. Because of that I run a slightly faster cadence (one second) at 30m with the 9 while shooting a 9x9 steel plate (half upper thoracic torso surrogate) starting from concealment.
I take it seriously, train, and enjoy recursive combatives improvement. Thus the reason Im fine with 9. I understand G's aversion. All the calibers G mentioned are excellent.
I think 357sig is another great dark horse round. 1350ish fps at 125 grains out of a 4" barrel is hot. snappy and dumps a ton of energy for a handgun (near 500ft/lb, 686 joules. Requires commitment to practice.
The old school western gunz our host shows above are just beautiful. He has great taste, but we all know that.
Cheers to all.
And If I could get a colt navy 1851 that LOOKED exactly like the blackpowder version but somehow magically used carteidges… well… the only other fantasy gun that would top it would be the fantasy one chambered in .454 casull revolver with under barrel 30mm grenade launcher.
the blackpowder is a beaut. Shooting that is like sipping a quality 10yr aged bourbon (or what you enjoy.) Very slow savoring each sip/shot.
Nice replica here: https://www.sportsmans.com/shooting-gear-gun-supplies/muzzleloader-black-powder-guns-equipment-supplies/black-powder-handguns/traditions-1851-colt-navy-44cal-black-powder-revolver/p/303546
+1 on the grenade launcher.
I wanted to like .40s&w but it snaps too hard and isn’t that big an improvement on the 9mm apparently. I can appreciate your take on things. I think of the Glock as what we had come up with as the “standard” handgun in the RPG of Car Wars, a brand we had named under House Rules from a firm called Chip n’ Asti. But they work.
I believe that certain callibres are inherently accurate, .44 being one of those. There appears to be something about the combination of bullet weight and diameter that is "balanced". There are rifle callibres which are also inherently accurate....or at least MORE accurate than some others.
Excellent. You cannot go wrong with a 1911. Now do rifles…
Also one last piece of advice, always keep a round chambered because you do not wanna spend the rest of your life chambering that round.
You must be operating under some pretty clueless assumptions about me to post the two comments you did. And you also clearly didn’t read the linked to article or lurked enough here to know I lived and worked with a gun in one of the most crime ridden countries on Earth for a number of years.
The post is about preference. Which was stated in the OP.
You misunderstand. The comments I made were not directed to you personally. I’ve read enough of your posts and I understand your background otherwise I would never have commented here on the subject. I gave you my preference and why.
So, what do you think about my thoughts on 22LR and 9MM.
You’ve opened a can of worms and will get a lot of advice by people who have never practiced violence professionally. The intended target of handgun on fire does not care what caliber around they just received.
What’s important for you is practicality. The handgun that you choose to use in any moment needs to function when you need to function. There are a lot of very functional makes of handgun on the market now that are very affordable and you already know what those are.
I realize you’re not interested in 9 mm but consider this, if you have to scavenge weapons and ammunition off the battlefield, you are going to find a lot of that caliber of ammunition and weapons that fire it. The same with 5.56 and 7.62
In every day practicality, I would suggest that you have one heavy caliber handgun like .357 that will write reliably shoot through walls. I suggest a revolver. Then you should consider a semi automatic handgun in 9mm and then a small caliber handgun in 22LR.
22LR is a highly underrated ammunition, and it can be used in both handguns and rifles. People may scoff at it, but I can guarantee you that if you receive a peppering of that caliber of ammunition, whatever you were doing, you are going to quit doing that thing. That ammunition is lightweight and you can carry a lot of it on your person. You can also kill any game animal within reason.
So I think it through.
P.S. I apologize for any typos or things that don’t make sense because I voice texted this entire thing on my phone.
The marriage of the beautiful and the practical. I have no suggestions just admiring the work of the craftsmen
G17 Gen 1 or G19 Gen 3
S&W 686 4”
A good 1911
Probably the Ruger Mk IV, although the Glock 44 is pretty good too
I love the Walther for obvious reasons, but for .32 ACP I have to go with the Mauser Model 1914, only because I already have one, and it was given to me by my priest who brought it over with him from Belgium when he came over as a missionary after WWII.
For .357, I like the S&W Model 19, as that's likely the closest thing you can buy today to the classic revolvers made famous by such fictional adventurers as Harry Steele and his wannabe, Indiana Jones. S&W also makes a similar Model 29 if 44 magnum is more your style.
Oh. I almost forgot: I also have a Czech auto in .32 Auto. A very nice piece. I also had a Ruger in .41 Magnum from which I fired exactly 6 rounds, then immediately got rid of it. The muzzle blast from that thing is horrendous!! A very, very sharp "crack". Even with hearing protection, it hurt my ears. No thanks! I also had a Colt in ..357 mag. Nice gun, but I didn't care for it or the calibre.