pistols

[sawinredneck]

Bersa makes a fine gun, the CZ-75's and clones all shoot nice (what the Desert Eagle guns are based on), Tarus/Rossi are both nice guns on the low end and high end.
Straightest shooting gun I ever owned was a $125 Llama 1911 in 9mm!!
If ammo is a deterent, you might want to look at a convertable gun. Put a .22 barrel and slide on it for plinking and keeping the feel of shooting it, then switch over to a more effective round for defense. There are a few of these made, and more conversions comming out all the time, just keep you're ears and eyes open.
The Rugers are a fine gun, the take down procedure is odd on the autos, but nothing wrong at all with them. I just don't like the way they shoot .45acp myself! Too damn loud, too much pressure, I don't know, but they hurt my ears like no other gun ever has!!
I used to carry a .380, I wont own another one. Very "snappy" recoil and the .32acp has a better record in a smaller package.
With the wheel gun, you can "set it and forget it", auto's tend to like being rubbed on and having attention now and again. Otherwise they don't always perform happy. The polymer frames are les prone to that to a degree.



Now here is what I suggest, around here there are a couple of gun stores/shooting ranges that will let you rent different guns and shoot them. "Try it before you buy it", rent different calibers and different guns and shoot them. If they think you are going to buy from them they will work with you on pricing. Hell Carl probably has his own changing room at one of these places But that lets you get the feel for what they will shoot like, then settle on what you want from there.

 

[Blinky]

[...]
Enter the three-eighty. Bersa makes a compact single stack that fits anywhere you care to hide it and with almost zero recoil you can unload it fast into your target.

[...]

Use your .380 to shoot yer way to the 1911 and then use the 1911 to shoot your way upstairs to your shotgun.

 

[darkstar]

I absolutly love my glock.
There is now way i could have gained any profiency with it at the cost of 9 mill ammo though.
It took me about 10,000 rounds befor i could finally say i ws beganning to learn things that arent obvious. In other words i was just scratching the surface.Another 20,000 rounds and i could see the surface scratches.Thats alot of cash even in .22
Changing from .22 ,my pratice ammo, to 9 mill took some getting used to but for sure, but all the pratice helped alot. I started getting centers in the first 200 rounds.
Yesterday i was going to see how much id lost not having shot since vacation and my first shot with the 9 mill at 25 yards [pure luck] was a prefect bulls eye.
I just let that be the only shot of the day haha.
So IMO unless you got tons of cash ,you need a pratice gun ,and of course whatever gun you are going to carry.Which you will have to pratice alot with as well.
I just dont see how anybody can afford to blast away 500 rounds of 9 mill anymore. $$$

 

[darkstar]

Ohh that was i needed going to the range now

 

[Blinky]

[...]
I just dont see how anybody can afford to blast away 500 rounds of 9 mill anymore. $$$

You think that's bad, try doing that with .223 or .308. During the match shooting season I used to burn through at least 1200 rounds a week... 150 - 200 handloads and Winchester Q3131A for the rest. It helps to be in a club so you can buy big quantity.

It takes a lot longer to load match rounds than to shoot'em, lemme tell ya.

Incidentally, if you shoot an Armalite rifle, don't shoot Winchester Q3131 (the US manufactured stuff), it will cause the extractor to jam after 20 or 30 rounds. Use Q3131A, manufactured in Israel. The American stuff shoots fine in a Colt or a Bushmaster. Pretty accurate for factory ammo.

 

[pantheraba]

It took me about 10,000 rounds befor i could finally say i ws beganning to learn things that arent obvious. In other words i was just scratching the surface.Another 20,000 rounds and i could see the surface scratches.Thats alot of cash even in .22

That's what I meant, too, about the .22 -- my greatest jump in skill took place when my brother in law gave me several thousand rounds of .22 one Christmas. I shot everyday after work for weeks and saw good results from the constant practice.

There are a lot of basics that can be honed with a .22.

 

[NeTree]

Well, if you really want stopping power in an auto pistol...

Hard to beat my .475 Wildey.

Even if you don't hit them, the sight and sound will give them a heart attack!

 

[lumberjack]

Last year I could reload 1k 9mm rounds for $70 including paying myself $15 per hour. I bet now it's closer to $100 per k.

I don't believe the bullet exists to transmit the power from the 475 to a thin skinned target. A 50AE or a 44Mag both offer thin jacketed hollow points that would seem to do better in thin skinned game.

Walter makes a good gun.

...Hell Carl probably has his own changing room at one of these places...

Haha, just saw that. I've only been to one indoor range and that was with Tophopper. I buy most of my guns from the same place. Depending on the gun I get 0-10% off sticker price, and they throw some extras in.

IMO, to the average person, the type of gun doesn't matter as long as it's quality. Shooting is the skill, not manipulating a specific gun. When you start down the other side of the bell curve (more advanced) you can extract more from yourself with a specific gun, but still in a general sense, what gun doesn't matter.

My best accuracy is with a SW627 or my WC1911. If I had to have only one handguns it'd probably be a J frame (360SC or 340SC), if I could have two it would be a J frame and a G19. Since I'm not limited by a certain number, I'll take one of each, thanks

 

[stig]

Well, if you really want stopping power in an auto pistol...

Hard to beat my .475 Wildey.

Even if you don't hit them, the sight and sound will give them a heart attack!

And if that don't work, the two native bearers, you need to have on hand to carry the damn thing, can beat them up

 

[fishhuntcutwood]

Glock.

And if you're looking for a CCW then the Glock 36 (.45 ACP) is nice because the magazine is a single stack, resulting in a thinner handle and lighter loaded weight but you still have the stopping power of the .45.

Agreed. I love Glocks for CCW. I'm also a big fan of Sigs, but am more partial to the original SA/DA variety, in particular the 220 and 226. I love mine.

Not a big fan of Ruger semi-autos, but love their revolvers. Almost like two different companies if you ask me.

I carry 9mm and 45. I like the 45 better, and prefer it, but still maintain my 9mm inventory and ammo. It's affordable, and it is truely the most universal round in the WORLD.

 

[NeTree]

Carl, cast hollow points work well for that.

 

[sawinredneck]

Well, if you really want stopping power in an auto pistol...

Hard to beat my .475 Wildey.

Even if you don't hit them, the sight and sound will give them a heart attack!

That works!! Along the same lines is the ever popular .357 Peterbuilt!
Wish I could come across as an Automag for a reaslistic price, nothing like them in the world!!! I got to handle one, but not shoot it! Heavy, but

 

[The Branch Doctor]

I'm a hunting revolver kind of guy all the way. I don't trust the reliability of autos as a sidearm in the high country. I LOVE my Ruger SuperBlackhawk .44 magnum and carry it often with no discomfort whatsoever.

Plus I think there's something to be said for the "absolute" stopping power of the .44 mag..... if you get hit by one (regardless of where) you are absolutely going down.

 

[okietreedude]

Doc,

i couldnt agree more. however, im not planning on hunt w/ it just yet. If if ever did get to the back country were a bear encounter was possible, i would be carrying something more sizable in a revolver type.

You dont happen to be doing any elk hunting assistance work next fall do you? Ive wanted to go for sometime, but know nothing about where to put in for tags and I sure dont know the areas once i got there.

 

[MasterBlaster]

The good old 45 has "absolute" stopping power, and is safer for bystanders.

 

[Blinky]

A .44Mag Blackhawk is without a doubt the funnest handgun on the planet.

 

[lumberjack]

There's nothing magical about a 230 grain piece of lead flying at 850 fps that can't be done with another caliber. The difference in diameter is twice the thickness of a credit card where the letters are raised to make a 380/38/357/9mm/357SIG/9x25Dillon the same diameter as the 45.

After you're above a certain threshold (380ACP/38SPC or above for me) shot placement matters a lot more than what you're slinging at however fast. The 45 is a fine choice, but you still have to do your job. Shooting someone in the arm with a 45 will not instantly remove their arm, throw them across the ground, and send them to the here-after.

A 9mm compared to a 45 means you loose 4-5 rounds in a double stack, service sized handgun, but gain more girth in the process.

The 10mm with a 135gr HP @ 1600fps is a wicked little round.

 

[Monkeywithasaw]

maybe try a taurus 24/7 there small frame fits a small hand and there double stacked or the newer walther cus the back strap can be taken out for a different sized hand. both of these come in calibers 9mm-45 and there pretty cheap

 

[MasterBlaster]

Shooting someone in the arm with a 45 will not instantly remove their arm, throw them across the ground, and send them to the here-after.

How do you know this?

 

[Stumper]

There is no such thing as absolute stopping power in handguns.

Butch, Carl knows it because many people have been shot in the arm with .45 acp bullets and not only survived, but continued to do whatever they were attempting to do at that moment.

 

[MasterBlaster]

As opposed to a 44 and they dropped dead? I'd like to see those stats.

 

[The Branch Doctor]

There is no such thing as absolute stopping power in handguns.

Butch, Carl knows it because many people have been shot in the arm with .45 acp bullets and not only survived, but continued to do whatever they were attempting to do at that moment.

There's no absolute anything..... but you know what I mean.

 

[SkwerI]

As opposed to a 44 and they dropped dead? I'd like to see those stats.

Who said that? What's your point, Butch? You're not making much sense here.

 

[MasterBlaster]

As I read it, Carl said a 45 won't kill/stop you if shot in the arm, and the 44 WILL.

And then I asked him how he arrived at that conclusion.

Did I miss something?

 

[MasterBlaster]

Shooting someone in the arm with a 45 will not instantly remove their arm, throw them across the ground, and send them to the here-after.

And WHAT gun will do that, Carl? In my mind, that sentence is saying that there IS a gun that will do that. Of coures, I may be misreading it.

How's that, Brian?