Most important feature

[B.N.Real]

After reliability - accuracy.

It has to put the bullet where I want it to go.

 

[Erik]

After reliability, handling/ergonomics.

 

[tipoc]

Choose the right gun for the task.

tipoc

 

[Dwight55]

I guess I'm just old school, . . . something about not going toward any gunfight unless the handgun you are carrying is a caliber that begins with .44 or more.

All them tupperware pistols can be light, easily concealed, high capacity, maneuverable, handle well, . . . but if it only throws a .17 caliber bullet at 200 fps, . . . :barf:

Caliber, . . . pointability, . . . cost, . . . in that order, . . . FWIW

May God bless,
Dwight

 

[Mal H]

hoytinak said it immediately - reliability. But since you said that's a given (it's not always), then size/concealability.

 

[El Paso Joe]

Agree on the reliability - but reliability in MY hands. I gotta know it well enough that under stress I can get it to do what I want it to all the time and every time. And that level of reliability comes from practice... In my (not so) humble opinion.

 

[Keltyke]

After reliability, I'd pick accuracy.

If it doesn't go BANG every time, the other answers are moot. If you can't hit what I aim at with it, the other answers are moot.

Let's change your poll into a priority list:

1. Reliability
2. Accuracy
3. Handling
4. Caliber
5. Capacity
6. Size/Concealability
7. Weight
8. Speed
9. Price

YMMV
6.

 

[WESHOOT2]

my needs vary

I own fourteen carry guns; I note they are all reliable, and they all, with correct ammo, offer me controllable accuracy.
Sizes range from my NAA mini 'always' to my 7.5" 357 Redhawk.
Appropriate gear for wearing any is mandatory (I have that).

I'm fickle.

 

[LightningJoe]

If concealability were not #1, any reasonable person would carry a rifle. There are lots of reliable rifles. If reliability is #1, why don't you carry a rifle?

 

[chriske]

I second El Paso Joe : IF reliability is a given, the second most important thing is how well I can shoot it /how confident I can be of hitting what I want with it (in a hurry) .
Apart from lots of practice, would this fall under the heading "handling" ?
Third would be caliber. Accuracy 4th.

 

[LUPUS]

The point is to choose the SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT feature. Not the only feature that matters

But you did not put the single most important feature in your poll;
The reliability.

 

[R_CRUZ]

IMO, the most important thing in handgun selection is ERGONOMICS; reliability, conceal ability, and caliber are obviously given. That is why I prefer 1911s.

 

[AK103K]

Lots of booolits.

And then lots more in the reload.

All the other features are not really an issue, you can never have enough ammo.

You can easily carry full sized guns without any trouble, even in the summer.

Caliber is really a non issue, as all are really pretty close in the real world.

Accuracy, what modern handgun isnt, especially are realistic distances?

Speed and handling are personal issues.


The only thing that really matters is, you have enough ammo to solve the problem, any problem. Allowing all the others in the list fail you, for what ever reason, your going to want and need more ammo.

And before the prophets and statisticians weigh in, I'm neither. I'm a realist. You shoot until the threat is no longer there, reload, and hope he didnt bring any friends.

 

[KnightZero]

My first carry weapon was a .22 - I, a person who had zero gun experience, bought it based on a youtube video. I still love my P22, but it's not my carry gun anymore. I bought my second gun, a Taurus PT140 Pro, sort of on a whim. I had been investigating CC options and was actually leaning toward several other options, but a used PT140 with a near flawless reputation came up for sale and I snapped it up. It was probably my smartest purchase - its a wonder for carry, accurate enough for me, and was cheap enough that if it ever has to leave my side, I won't be bankrupt. I added a used Springfield XD-40 to my collection this past week, which threw out the major factor that drove my PT140 purchase - the manual safety. The fact that it had no safety bugged me for awhile, but after shooting my friend's gun at the range, I began to like the fact that it was easier to shoot than my Taurus. When he told me he was getting rid of it to facilitate a switch to 9mm, I snapped it up.

Overall, I am an impulse buyer at heart. If it goes bang, and it's in front of me, and its for sale, and its in my price range, and it doesn't completely repulse me aesthetically, (Beretta Px4 Storm, I'm looking at you - I wanted to love you, but it will never work) I will probably buy it. Overall, the only thing that could sway my choice, if offered two, would be accuracy.

I still lust after a Walther P99 in .40. I don't care if I can't hit the broad side of a barn with it. I love that gun, for some strange reason.

 

[Von_H]

If you can't handle it nothing else matters!

 

[mrt949]

buy the best you can .its your life on the line.

 

[bikerbill]

I picked size and concealability, although when buying a gun to carry all the factors listed are important. Despite what folks say, a 5-inch 1911 does NOT conceal comfortably on my 5-10 160-pound frame ... that's why I love my Kimber Ultra Carry II ... but I also carry a Kahr PM9; when it gets hot, I'm not going to be using a belt holster, and it slides into a pocket with ease and does not print ...

 

[Dr_2_B]

I voted caliber. It's not so much which proven caliber (.45, .357, etc), but whether the caliber in fact is or is not a proven caliber.