Best handgun

A

Apeach

New member
If I was to get a handgun, what would be the best one?
I'm thinking that for defense, it'd be the Colt .45, preferably one of the Olympic Arms or Kimber models. Some of those look really good. Another little known but good manufacturer is the entreprise company out of California. Their 1911's are bigger, but they have a 10 rd. capacity with .45 ACP ammo.
For target shooting, I'd think the Ruger MK II. It's a .22, so it's cheaper to shoot. Also, it's made by ruger, so it's well made. Other than that, I don't know much more about it (like the weight, mag cap. and stuff like that). I do know that it's fairly easy to get integral silencers for them, though.
I think a good all around gun would be the Beretta 92FS, cause it's got a good mag cap. and weight and size. Although, I don't know much about what people think of the gun.
As a post note, I think glocks are cheap plastic junk (but that's just me)
 
Some people think Kimber is the correct choice for the best 1911 value, and some people think the 92FC (blue version) is the most dependable defense pistol.
 
The best handgun for any purpose is the one YOU shoot the best. I prefer well tuned 1911s, but I'm always amazed how fast and accurately Glocks can be fired (plastic yes, but not particularly cheap).
 
You need to provide a lot more information
to get an informed opinion.
Will this be your only gun? or will you get
more?
Is is for concealed carry or just home defense
or both?
What is your budget?

You have a pretty strong opinion about Glocks for
someone who is apparently a novice to handguns.
I think you will find that even those who don't
own a Glock due to their personal preference would
not go as far as characterizing it as "cheap plastic
junk".
 
My answer to those who ask about the best gun is to ask in turn what is the best girlfriend/wife, what is the best car/truck, what is the best dinner, etc. Sometimes the purpose for which the item will be used enters (you don't want a semi to enter the Indy 500), but basically all these, like the best gun, are matters of personal preference.

Jim
 
Glocks

Ok, not cheap plastic junk, but I just don't like the idea of a plastic gun, even though it is lighter. Even with the advances in plastics, I can't see it ever being as strong as metal. And they are made in Austria, so they can't be bad weapons (that fine european engineering at work). And with all the good reviews I've heard of em', they can't be that bad. I'd just never use one.
 
While I am not a big fan of polymers as a personal preference, I do not think that polymer framed guns are any "weaker" than comparable steel frame handguns. Also, the availability of silencers is not a factor I consider in handgun use, since it is HIGHLY illegal for most private citizens to possess silencing devices for handguns and will land you real time in prison for even owning such a device (in many cases).

I don't mean to question your experience Apeach, but there are a lot of other variables to look at when evaluating handguns. Some of these factors can only be evaluated when physically holding, inspecting, and shooting a given firearm. While many firearms may look great on paper, what really matters is how they perform in YOUR hands. That's why there are so many different handguns out there. If one handgun were truly the best for everyone, then we wouldn't need the variety that currently exists on the market.
 
Sorry if I sounded like I was raining on your parade. I didn't mean to, but realized that my post kind of sounded like it.

Let me restart by saying WELCOME! Stick around here, ask a lot of questions, pay a lot of attention, and you will learn a lot from the good folks at The Firing Line! There are a lot of highly knowledgeable people here who make for good company.
 
i love my glocks and don't think they're "cheap plastic junk". just because their frames are made out of polymer instead of steel that doesn't make them bad handguns. mine are extreemly reliable (i've never had a single jam or malfunction in any of my glocks), very accurate and will last several lifetimes. if you don't like them because of how they feel in your hand then that's ok but they definitely aren't junk guns.

there's no such thing as a "best" handgun. you need to find a reliable, accurate handgun that feels good in your hands and that you shoot well.
 
Martowski:
Why is it highly illegal for most citizens to own silencers? I legally own one and will be purchasing another one legally soon.

Granted, one must attain the signature of the county sheriff along with fingerprints etc etc pay the ridiculous $200 tax. However, it's still a legal purchase.
 
ArmySon:

I may stand corrected. I was under the impression that silencers were regulated like Class 3 automatics are. I guess the fact that I have never seen them for sale and never hear talk of them being used by private individuals made me believe they were next to impossible to acquire.

What, exactly, is the process for procuring a silencer? Another question: would occassions arise when owning a silencer isn't illegal, but installing it on a particular firearm would be? For example, could a silencer be considered a flash hider of sorts and, by adding it to a legal semi-automatice Kalashnikov variant, make the entire weapon illegal as defined by the assault weapons ban? Just curious.
 
Hmmmm best gun?
Well If I could only own one production gun it would probably be a Wilson. I find that a good 1911 is the most pleasurable gun to shoot.
If you are not willing or able to put in the time to learn to shoot and handle a 1911 then I would probably say A Glock.
Since you have alreasy said you do not care for Glocks then I would say a DAO Sig.
 
Yeah, OK. The best guns I own are polymer framed. The best (and only) .45 I own IS the Glock 30. I have absolutely no problem with polymer framed guns. I depend on them every time I carry. However, if you are dead set against them, and you want a decent .45ACP. Check into the Ruger P90. Good quality for a lot less than a custom 1911. More reliable too, IMHO!!!!
 
Martowski, silencers are NFA ("class 3") items, and are regulated just like machineguns. That said, it's certainly not "HIGHLY illegal for most private citizens to possess" any more than a machinegun. You just have to jump through more hoops. Pay a $200 tax and it must be transfered through a class 3 dealer, have local CLEO sign the form, and it's yours. Oh course, if you live in the North or in Commiefornia, local laws will probably not allow NFA items.

The BATF considers suppressors to be flash hiders. So yes, you have to be careful what you put it on.

As for the "best" handgun, there is no best handgun. Comparing an Oly or Entreprise to a Kimber? Um, have you actually SHOT any of these pistols? To dismiss polymer outright as "cheap plastic junk" or "not as strong as metal" is simply ignorant. How many metal bullet proof vests you seen lately?
 
best handgun

Apeach:
My handle gives me away.
You might want to look at the Browning HP. I would not sell or trade it for any other handgun on the market, and I have shot and own others, put one in your hand, nothing like it. I will stop now before I sound like a commercial. 1911s also fit the hand well.
 
Because I am the man that I am, I will settle this for all of you. You can thank me later. The best handgun in the world is the Glock. As you were.
 
Because I am the man that I am, I will settle this for all of you. You can thank me later. The best handgun in the world is the Glock. As you were.
Click to expand...

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Ohhhhh, gotta ... catch...breath...oOOOOOHhAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
Oh, Oh, stop, your killin me....:D
 
I'm thinking that for defense, it'd be the Colt .45, preferably one of the Olympic Arms or Kimber models.
Click to expand...

If it's made by Olympic Arms or Kimber (or Springfield or Wilson or Charles Daly, for that matter), it's not a Colt .45. Only Colt makes Colts. :D

BTW, please don't take this to mean that Colts are superior to other 1911-style pistols. I'm not sold on the idea that the original is still the best.
 
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