Only one handgun. Which would you choose?

READ MY FIRST POST: If you had to choose one or the other:

  • Total voters
    229
  • Poll closed .
Glock 19 with night sites. Give me two mags, a nice concealable holster, and I'm good to go.

The gun is light, reasonably compact, accurate, reliable, and low maintenance.


If you have to buy eurpoean and cheap, the PA63 with lightened hammer spring is a pretty solid platform, low recoil, compact, reliable, and accurate (barrel is fixed). Capacity, slightly reduced power in the 9x18, and no night sights are the limitations.
 
What about mastering what I've heard called the 'Isreali Drill': racking the slide on drawing the weapon? This is not the best solution, but I have read somewhere that this was how the IDF trained with pistols like the Baby Eagle/Jericho941. Then you can practice your accuracy twice as often for the same cost.
If you get a semi, be sure it has a rear sight that allows one handed racking.
 
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Hey Pond, still would be a 9mm semi-auto for me. IMO most all around functional, and lots of fun at the range. Bummer on your contract.
I too like guns like the CZ-P01, PX-4, Stoeger Cougar (a personal favorite for range and carry). I take it the 92FS is out? (is pretty large to carry anyhow).
 
A semi auto CZ 75 would be great if they are competitively priced in your country. A 4" GP100 with adjustable sights would also be very good but it's heavy to carry concealed. So is a full size all steel 9mm. You would not want to carry a 6 inch revolver all day. If you have a particularly good deal for a revolver right now I would get it and then later when money allows get a semi auto too. The Ruger 357 revovler is about the most versatile gun you can own. If I was to have just one gun it would be a 357. An aluminum frame 9mm is probably the slimmest and most portable gun with a decent level of firepower. Since you are limited to JSP ammo for defense, the 357 with 158gr semi wadcutters has much more stopping power than a 9mm JSP without a doubt.
 
Is reloading legal in your country?

What is the cost difference between the components and the pre-made rounds?

Here .38spcl [which can be fired in the .357mag] costs around $18 for 50 from the local gun shop. Or reloading for yourself [once the 'start up' costs are extracted] can bring the cost of those rounds to about $6-8 for 50, I think. I've read some who say they can reload for about 10cents a round in .38spl, or less. .357mag reloaders say it is closer to 18 cents a round reloading. But that is still $10 for 50 rounds.

Of course these are US dollars and California prices. I have no idea what the equivalent is in Estonia. Again, I don't even know if reloading is legal there.
 
.357, hands down.

You can load it with .38s for practice, .38+p or light .357s for self-defense, and full-blown .357s if you ever decide to go bear-killing. It's a lot more versatile than your average 9mm. So if you can only have one, that would be my choice.
 
Reloading:

Reloading is perfectly legal over here. I hope to dip my toe in there in the future, but not right now.

Whether it works out cheaper is a different matter: I'd have to check.

I do know it is popular with serious IPSC shooters who want to get milder charges and so less recoil.
 
No round in the chamber? Revolver for sure ... I have a 4-inch Smith 686+, 7 rds of .357 should take care of most problems and can even work for hunting in a pinch ... a bit heavy for carry, but if it was that or looking around for a stick, I'll be uncomfortable ... good luck ...
 
With the price of .357 ammo, ohhh my God!:eek:

9mm all the way.

Just be aware of your surroundings. You can't shoot at the bad guy with an empty chamber.

I'd still keep one in, who's going to know?

If you can get a 9mm Revolver (Taurus 905), problem solved.
 
I don't know if this has been asked but since you can't carry one in the pipe on a semi can you only carry 4 rounds in a 5 round cylinder? Or likewise 5 out of 6?

What is the penalty if you are caught with a round in the tube on a semi?

I might deal with the consequences of that choice. If you are good at concealing you won't ever have to worry about it anyway.
 
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I recommend a Ruger SP101 357 with a 3" barrel. They as small enough for concealed carry but heavy enough to shoot 357. You don't have to worry about an empty chamber. At the range, I prefer shooting semi's but if I need a jack of all trades, I 'd go revolver.
 
Get a 357 Revolver...

In a SD situation, seconds count...Of course you can always use your empty chamber semi-auto as a club.
 
@Ripnbst

Penalties are mentioned in post 59, by me.

As for revolvers, no: the cylinder can be fully loaded. That's the main reason for me having a gripe over the condition 3 rule for DA semis...
 
WOW!

First of all, I really am grateful that so many people have taken the time to post their thoughts. Secondly, have you seen the poll total?!? So a thanks also to those that voted.

What I find interesting is that for the first few days it was consistently 60-40 in favour of the revolver. That is changing now with an shift edging toward a 50-50 spread!

I'd be interested to know if it has anything to do with the recent, highly active, thread on carrying and ammo count. Who knows?! :confused:
 
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