Pick the Range Master's new Gun

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George Hill

Staff Alumnus
I am going to acquire an new handgun. I want it to be concealable, and yet still be able to "Hunt Bear" with it. This gun will split the difference between the PPK/S and the USP .40. Possibly replacing both in general carry duty.
Acceptable calibers are .357 SIG, .40, 10MM, .400 Corbon or .45 ACP

Taking a little Poll here - so cast your vote. I have a couple in mind, but I would liek to hear some membership input. Oh - (in my best Johny Carson voice) I have here in my hand, a sealed envelope. In this envelope is my answers... two selections... in my hand...

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"A fear of weapons is a sign of retarded sexual and emotional maturity." - Sigmund Freud
RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE



[This message has been edited by George Hill (edited October 30, 1999).]
 
What's this for again? Conceal carry? PDW or backup? What's your body measurements and general physique? Clothing style(s)? Already have some preferred method of carry that works for you? Do you already have some handgun preferences?

Just curious.
 
George,

Go with the USP Compact 40. I have one in stainless and love it. It will place 20 rounds into a 1/4 inch hole at 15 yards... has a fully supported chamber, polygonal barrel, and has not had 1 FTF in thousands of rounds.

Ben
 
Hi Guys/Girls

I am new to the discussion forum and would like to say that i have read posts from the last 5 days and you guys provide a cornicopia of knowledge to people new to guns. I am looking foward to joining discusions and learning more about guns. i am 24 years old and purchased my first handgun 1 year ago. Unfortunate for me i didnt do my homework before buying and bought the wrong gun for me. I am 6ft 3in tall and have big hands. i wanted a gun with a nice finish,dependability,accuracy(not in that order) so i went to Barts Sporting World, my local gun shop here in baltimore and grabbed the first gun i liked. which happened to be a firestar .45

Boy was that a mistake !
as soon as i bought the gun i ran to the shooting range and tested it. Not only did it jam up. I couldnt get it to shoot straight. i felt like i would have done better with a slingshot ! Thinking the inaccuracy was my own fault i kept trying to make the gun work for me. not only did the shop sell me a gun that was too small for my big hands, it sold me a horrible quality firearm. After about 500 rounds the firing pin broke. Interarms was fantastic in their customer service and getting the part to me and instructing me on how to replace it myself.(i must say i loved the quality of the service despite the piece of garbage they made) Not only did the gun shop charge me $450 for a gun that listed at the time for $350 i asked that they throw in a soft carrying case. cost $8

the clerk asked me if anyone promised me a case when i purchased the gun. If not i would have to pay for it. I think it goes without saying that i never went back to that gun shop. Anyway, After all i went through i still couldnt get the gun to shoot straight.i fired all of my friends guns and did fine. (im not a bad shot i swear) i was planning on taking it to a gunsmith to see if the gun had a flaw. Around that same time the finish started wearing off and the gun began to rust. I sold the gun at the first chance.

I noticed a few people here inquiring about the firestar and most had negative things to say about it. I just want anyone thats looking into a firestar to take heed !

Lookin foward to more great info !

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TIM : )
 
hehe. The Tongan Treetrunk make you doubt the .40? Is that a bit of .45 envy I suspect? ;) (All said in good natured jest)

Kimber or Wilson. Only your wallet can decide.


JERKY,
Too bad about the Firestar. As you read I had great luck with mine. FWIW, I've had miserable luck with recent Smith and Wesson revolvers. Right now, you could not give me a new Smith and Wesson. But,I seem to pay top dollar for any older K or N frame Smith.

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CCW for Ohio action site.
http://www.ofcc.net
 
HAL - LOL, the Tongan made me question not the .40, but the .380. Naw - no envy... I got 2 .45 Springfields. They are great guns. The HK is a great gun too. The Walther is nice as well. Problem: packing either BIG or tiny. Solution: get a mid sized or such gun for general concealed carry. Small as needed, but as big a caliber as possible.
I dont want to think about that Tongan POS...

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"A fear of weapons is a sign of retarded sexual and emotional maturity." - Sigmund Freud
RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE
 
you did not mention if a revolver was on your list. but a taurus 41 magum ti or stainless snubby,would give you bear stopping power, easy to carry,low maintence,low recoil, and in stainless-low price.
 
Yeah, there is another option. A wheel gun in .357 Mag. The new Smith model 60's pack 5 roounds of true .357 Magnums in a small package.
Myself, I don't care much for them (see above), but a lot of others swear by them. I like the Commander size 1911 the best. They seem to offer the right combo of size and weight. If Ohio ever gets a CCW (Not holding my breath), I think I would go with my Commander as a CCW.

LOL, The Togan POS doubtless has fond memories of you. I just just imagine him muttering in Tonanese "Big grizzle bear kick Mongo, Mongo hurt now" ;)

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CCW for Ohio action site.
http://www.ofcc.net
 
No... No round guns...
41? Do they still make that? I am kidding.
Actually that is great option. Great for hiking and everything too... But no. No Revolvers this time.
 
George: I went through this process and for me the right answer was the Sig 239 in .357 Sig. Concealable, reliable, accurate, powerful, controllable and a decent price. Regards, Dennis
 
There are lots of great choices out there but since you like you USP.40F so much... how about a USP .45C or a .40C? I think you may be able to convert the .45 to fire 10mm and .400 CorBon. I'd stick to .45 for ammo availability, though. Or what about a Para-Ordnance P12 or P13? I just handled one of these Paras last week and am considering it strongly.

For my fellow HK fans: I just got my Jan. 2000 issue of Guns and Weapons for Law Enforcement and there's an article about the USP.40 Expert. Its got all the features of the .45 Expert plus a "jet funnel" beveled mag attachment and a semi-transparent 16 round mag. The article said it exhibits less muzzle flip than the .45 version. It should be available in September of 2000 and looks like it will cost a bit less than the .45 Expert too.
 
I have to second the Sig P239. It's sweet with night sights and the Hogue replacement grip. I prefer it in .40 as I thought the .357 was a cannon. .357 is nice in the P229 as it's a good bit heavier, but I thought the recoil was vicious in the smaller frame 239.
 
HI George,

I am going to have to give the 239 a nod, too. I saw it on the Sigarms web site and thought WOW!. Now I've got a bug up my but about it. Course, I have also recently developed a hankerin' for a 1911. Then there is that HK USP .40 compact. Dang it, I need more money. :)

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Blev
 
Think about CZ-97 in .45 ACP. It's a big
pistol for a big guy like yourself. The
best thing about it is that it works,
so you do not need to "invest" more
money in it to make it work.
If you have any questions, contact CZ-USA.
 
George,
I am also going to reccomend the SIG 239. The reason is that I own one in .357 SIG, and mine has the Hogue grips. With the Hogues, shooting it is a pleasure. The recoil is not bad, but the muzzle flip is very noticeable. If I am not mistaken, the .40 version can be switched over to .357 SIG, by changing the barrel. If you own the .357 (like me)you will also need new magazines. The .357 SIG mags are beveled at the front, that is if SIG has not changed this.
As other suggestions for guns to try:
SIG 245
HK USP Compact .357 SIG or .45
 
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