To: HKLOVER21
The question you pose is very broad. What do you intend to use the gun for? Target shooting? Concealed carry? Collection Purposes? Home Defense? Etc, Etc,
My personal all time favorite handgun is JOHN MOSES BROWNINGs single action operation designed 1911. All Steel in .45 AUTO... I was fortunate enough to buy a WILSONs "stealth" custom 1911 this year. 4" barrel reliable extremely accurate but very, very $$$...
I do not recommend this handgun to anyone because of the very high $$$....
But there are plenty of affordable 1911 style pistols out there...
Springfield Armory seems to be making the best mass produced 1911 style handguns and they shoot nearly as good as my custom...
In DA/SA operation handguns the SIG P SERIES are my personal favorites. They are ultra reliable/accurate, easy to operate/maintain, well made, and you can find them for as little as $500 or less if you really look!!!
For home defense and range shooting I like the P220 8+1 in .45ACP.
For concealed carry I would go with the P239 7+1 in either .40S&W or .357SIG. The .40S&W cartridge is my first choice because of ammo availability and cost... With this model you can shoot both calibers with a simple barrel & mag change. Both these models are single stack slim line style pistols which I prefer ala the 1911... Magazine capacity is not an issue to me. But to a lot of gun folk it is. The P229 hi-cap(10+1 standard or 12+1 if you want to pay as much as $100 per mag) also in the interchangeable .357SIG/.40SW cartridges would be a good selection, however the 229 is very beefy in the slide and frame...
I have used every one of the SIG P-SERIES of handguns except the $$$ P210 model...
All are great guns, and every SIG fan seems to have a favorite...
Which ever model a person decides on you cannot go wrong. The no longer imported P225 (8+1/9MM) is going for as little as $300 these days. I really do not care for 9MM that much, but it is a very effective cartidge all the same. If cost $$$ is an issue this would be a great choice!!!
Judging by your ALIAS I can see that you are another one of those HK genre. I personally do not like HK pistols, they are very $$$ and have no reason to be... But if you have to have one go with P7M8 (8+1/9MM) the squeeze cocker single action gun takes some getting used too. Like all HKs this gun is very $$$ (as much as $1k). But it is made of arguably the best steel around, it is very very accurate, reliable, and all together a really nice pistol. The only draw backs are the price, parts availability, and if it is an issue the caliber...
I always recommend this pistol for just plain ole plinking fun...
The RUGER MKII in .22lr is really inexpensive$$$, ammo is cheap, the gun is accurate, you can do a lot with it, mount pistol scopes etc; It is not a combat pistol but I think every pistol owner would benefit by owning one.
Finally there is the wheel guns. though I prefer semi-autos, revolvers have there qualities/advantages. Smith and Wesson makes really good revolvers, if you want to go that route, the .357 MAG is my prefered revolver cartridge and you can shoot less $$$ .38 SPECIAL rounds through your .357MAG... They are accurate, reliable, easy to use. You can shoot a 2 1/2 barreled snub nose revolver through a coat pocket if necessary... A semi-auto may not be able to do that without jamming.
What ever you decide on make sure you do as much research and testing as possible. I know a lot of people who spend $$$ on guns they really do not like... It is better to spend a little more $$$ now than save a little $$$ for an inferior product that you won't be happy with later on down the road...
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SURE SHOT
[This message has been edited by James Montes (edited October 17, 1999).]
[This message has been edited by James Montes (edited October 17, 1999).]
[This message has been edited by James Montes (edited October 17, 1999).]