Handguns......

[toofun]

I agree with the comments on the SIG. You really get your moneys worth with one. However, a very nice dependable gun is the Beretta 92sf. It is a 9mm,easy to disassemble and clean, and shoots very very reliably. It is in my opinion a good starter gun and one that you will feel comfortable with.The .40 caliber is nice, so is the .45 but dont knock the 9mm. As far as people who are against the 9mm I say this. I use two types of ammo, range rounds and defensive rounds. My defensive rounds comprise of full metal jacketed hollow points. I GUARANTEE NOONE would be laughing after getting plugged a few times with that ammo!!!

Hell there are a whole slew of firearms I would like to get my hands on but living in Massachusetts you really are limited on what is legal in this state.

[CarlC]

[quote=Steve1968LS2]

"This is your weapon.. This is your gun.. One is for fighting.. the others for fun"

Name that movie.. ;)

.....here you are all equally worthless.

[MikeDVC]

Scot,
I own two Springfield 1911's, one in .45 acp and one in .38 super (kind of a 9mm on steriods). Both are very accurate and reliable. As far as Kimbers, I'm not sure if this is still true, but when they first came on the market, they used cheaper internal parts (Hammer, Sear, Disconnect) to compete with the other manufacturers. I have shoot both Kimbers and Springfields, I would go with a Springfield.

After shoot competitively (IPSC, IDPA & Steel) for many years, IMO you can not beat a correctly tuned 1911 when is comes to speed, accuracy and reliablity. Just my 2 cents.

[6'9"Witha69]

"This is your weapon.. This is your gun.. One is for fighting.. the others for fun"

Name that movie.. ;)

You climb obstacles like old people f%^$!!


I have a Springfield XD45. THE next generation in Polymer handguns! Added a grip and it is awesome! Better than my 1911. And the dual safeties are good but not cumbersome and can't be forgotten when it is go time. The easy access home defense weapon is a .38 with police hollow points. A very agressive round. And for those that knock the 9mm, My 92fs has Talons in it!

[68BNUT]

"How do you shoot woman and children!?"

"Easy You just dont leed em as much!"

[toxicz28]

[quote=Steve1968LS2]

"This is your weapon.. This is your gun.. One is for fighting.. the others for fun"

Name that movie.. ;)

Only steers and queers come from Texas, Private Cowboy. And you don't look much like a steer to me so that kinda narrows it down.

[toxicz28]

I got something to stop him.

They made it for him special.It's an eighty-eight Magnum.

It shoots through schools.

[toofun]

FULL METAL JACKET quotes seem to be common here... Except the 88 magnum one which shoots through schools... Oh BTW that was from JOHNNY DANGEROUSLY I believe. Heres one for you.


1."Barnes has been shot six times...six times!!! And he still aint dead yet!!! The only one that can kill Barnes... Is BARNES!!!

and one from FMJ...

How tall are you soldier...

5"10 sir!!

5"10? WHOA I didnt know they could pile **** that high!!

[toxicz28]

Except the 88 magnum one which shoots through schools... Oh BTW that was from JOHNNY DANGEROUSLY I believe.

THAT IS CORRECT! You won a cigar!

[Steve1968LS2]

1."Barnes has been shot six times...six times!!! And he still aint dead yet!!! The only one that can kill Barnes... Is BARNES!!!

Platoon

[Frank69]

I started in LE in the mid-70's, wheel guns all the way.....S&W 19's and 66's in .357Mag. First auto I carried was the S&W 59 9mm. Thought I was pretty cool then, until I experienced the frequent jamming. It was often referred to as the "jam-o-matic". Went back to revolvers. In the mid-80's I went to Gunsite and became a .45 "cocked and locked" believer. Carried lots of custom stuff, mostly built around the Commander frame. Went this route into the mid 90's. Saw LOTS of failures in training scenarios and a couple in "real life" with "built" 1911-style combat pistols.

In '93 Sig Sauer offerred a LE discount on the P-226. It was so cheap I had to buy one. Since that time I have had P-220, P-228, P-229, even a little P-230. I have pumped thousands of rounds through each one. Never had a failure in all that time. I'm a confirmed "Sigaholic" now.

[PeteRR]

Here's my custom Para-Ordnance P-13. 13+1 rounds of .45ACP. I had the Springfield Armory custom shop install a 6" Caspian slide and 6" match barrel. They also did a reliability job. They guaranteed 2" groups at 50yds. I'm nowhere near that accurate with it. I can shoot consistent 4" groups at 50yds.

[kman67rsss]

One thing thats worth mentioning when shopping for hand guns is handle as many as possible. Fit is a big factor in my book.

[Jims78elky]

Harry Callahan: I know what you're thinking. "Did he fire six shots or only five?" Well, to tell you the truth, in all this excitement I kind of lost track myself. But being as this is a .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world, and would blow your head clean off, you've got to ask yourself a question: Do I feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk? LOL..One of the best movies "Dirty Harry"

Well,this is mine,always wanted one of these,i also have a SW .45
and a colt .45 (my dads old gun) The eagle shoots hard with a kick
but iam still having trouble with the sights,i will have to take it to
a good gunsmith shop to make it right..Sure makes a "big hole" in
anything it hits.


Desert Eagle

[EFI69Cam]

Here's my custom Para-Ordnance P-13. 13+1 rounds of .45ACP. I had the Springfield Armory custom shop install a 6" Caspian slide and 6" match barrel. They also did a reliability job. They guaranteed 2" groups at 50yds. I'm nowhere near that accurate with it. I can shoot consistent 4" groups at 50yds.

4" groups means you are a hellofa shooter.

[PeteRR]

4" groups means you are a hellofa shooter.

With that pistol I am. I've shot 1000s of rounds through it. I went to a meet up with a bunch of plastic gun shooters. All 4 of them fell in lust with the Para. It was making them look good starting with the 1st magazine they fired.

I've bought a lot of "toys" in my life. With most of them I regreted the purchase fairly quickly. This pistol is the exception.

[dogtag]

I've got several guns but my favorite is a Tarus .454 Casull.

Some favor the 44 mag and still others favor the 50 cal but you can't
beat the .454 for stopping power.
Why?

45 cal usually runs a muzzle velocity of 900 feet per second.
The projectile is usually a 200 grain slug. Some can be smaller or bigger.

The 44 mag
Usually runs a muzzle velocity of 1375 feet per second
The projectile is usually a 240 grain and again, some bigger some smaller.

The .454 Casull
Usually runs a muzzle velocity of 1800 feet per second and
a projectile of around 260 grain. 300 grain are widely used with
a slightly reduced velocity.

The .50 cal (mag)
Usually runs a muzzle velocity of 1400 feet per second and a
projectile of around 350 grain. Some bigger and some smaller.
(bad azz gun)

Still, in comparison, getting hit by a .50 cal is like getting hit by an
18 wheeler going 60, or,
Getting hit with a .454 is like getting hit by a greyhound bus at 100.

Here's a couple of comments I plagiarized from a magazine.


Quote:
The Winchester factory load using a 260 grain Nosler PartitionGold bullet can be taken as representative. Winchester figures show a muzzle velocity (MV) of 1800 fps with 1871 ft. lbs. of muzzle energy. At 50 yards the figures are 1605 fps and 1485 ft. lbs. At 100 yards the velocity is 1427 fps, and the energy is 1176 ft. lbs. These energy figures are about twice those achieved by Winchester .44 Magnum factory loads with a 250 grain bullet.

The price for all of this power is increased recoil, greatly increased recoil. The .454 generates almost 5 times the recoil of the .45 Long Colt, and about 75% more recoil energy than the .44 Magnum.

Bottom line is I carry the gun when I work in the woods. I've been surprised by bear too many times.
The .454 will put a round through a piece of 1/4 in steel deck plating like it was a metal punch....

[Hotrod406]

Sigs for me too. I love my P229 and will probably get a P239 for a carry gun.

I agree with they guy that said to handle as many as possible. You can't be as effective with a gun that doesn't fit naturally in your hand.

[RobM]

clips are what were used for the top loading magazines of WWI rifles they were a strip of metal that held 5 rounds for quick loading. people call them stripper clips.... ANY WAY. the 1911 is by far my favorite hand gun and is EXTREEMLY reliable ive seen people dump them into the mud, sand, or even under water and they still function flawlesly. I even read a magazine article where they were shooting them underwater and the only trouble they had was with holow points (the expanded in the barel) my second favorite gun is the .357. For concieled carry i would go with a small s&w .40 or 9mm. I really like the .40's

[gt1guy]

One thing I might add, never, for any reason, keep handloads in a home defense gun. If you end up in court they will have your lunch. Only load with factory ammo.

Kevin