Well, after polishing all the internal parts and replacing the spring with Wilson Combat springs. I have never felt more confident. This baby works like a dream. I would also say that 20 years constitutes reliability too. Ruger did it right when they made the SP101. Now I want a GP100 to go with it.
The most proven handgun...
- Thread starter AdamSean
- Start date
Dusty Rivers
New member
Second on the P226 Sig - SEAL selected
I have had a P226 for over 20 years. It just shoots and shoots and shoots. I chose it because it was the handgun chosen by the SEALS. If they pick their guns like they pick their men you can have confidence in it. If you want the same gun in a slightly smaller version the P239 is an awesome CCW choice. form fit and function are nearly identical in a single stack mag.
I have had a P226 for over 20 years. It just shoots and shoots and shoots. I chose it because it was the handgun chosen by the SEALS. If they pick their guns like they pick their men you can have confidence in it. If you want the same gun in a slightly smaller version the P239 is an awesome CCW choice. form fit and function are nearly identical in a single stack mag.
Colt SAA and 1911
Think about all the designs that have fallen by the wayside since these 2 came out.
Revolvers: The Colt SAA 1873, still going strong and an unbeatable design that has been copied and even improved on but still a very proven Platform. It served this country through the westward expansion and still commands respect 135 years later.
Auto Loaders: The Colt M1911A1: Served this country through 4 wars and numerous conflicts. Still a major competitor and a viable SD Hand gun. Copied by many and improved on by some but a Proven Design nonetheless.
You can close this thread right now
Think about all the designs that have fallen by the wayside since these 2 came out.
Revolvers: The Colt SAA 1873, still going strong and an unbeatable design that has been copied and even improved on but still a very proven Platform. It served this country through the westward expansion and still commands respect 135 years later.
Auto Loaders: The Colt M1911A1: Served this country through 4 wars and numerous conflicts. Still a major competitor and a viable SD Hand gun. Copied by many and improved on by some but a Proven Design nonetheless.
You can close this thread right now
Wayward_Son
New member
You are not alone.
Another vote for the .357 revolver, especially in 4-6 barrel" length. From 1935 until the late 1980's, it was "proven" quite a few times. And although, it does not grace the holsters of too many American Lawmen these days, it's still a very adequate choice for defense work, in my very humble opinion.
imthegrumpyone
New member
In all the years I've been around it's more than likely a Smith&Wesson .38 snubby or long.
I don't believe there has been a handgun as tested and brutalized as the 1911 design. Think about it, this handgun started life in 1911 and was issued up to and including 1985 and afterwards.
Now I can't speak for foreign designs and their storied history's. But at least for an American handgun, to have gone through the torture, abuse, neglect from the trenches of WWI, every theater of action in WWII, from the jungles of the south pacific to the deserts of Africa and the urban actions in Europe, the frigid cold of Bastogne. I could go on and on, not to mention it's use in every conflict afterwards, Korea, Vietnam, Panama, Kuwait/Iraq.
I just do not believe there has been a handgun that has experienced so many years of the most brutal environments available and still garner the respect and praise that this 1911 design has earned.
Really, just stop and think about that........amazing!
Now I can't speak for foreign designs and their storied history's. But at least for an American handgun, to have gone through the torture, abuse, neglect from the trenches of WWI, every theater of action in WWII, from the jungles of the south pacific to the deserts of Africa and the urban actions in Europe, the frigid cold of Bastogne. I could go on and on, not to mention it's use in every conflict afterwards, Korea, Vietnam, Panama, Kuwait/Iraq.
I just do not believe there has been a handgun that has experienced so many years of the most brutal environments available and still garner the respect and praise that this 1911 design has earned.
Really, just stop and think about that........amazing!
Dwight M S
New member
Yes, John Browning's 1911 pistol was used by us in WWI, WWII, Korea, and Viet Nam. And it's still a well revered gun. His dad was a gunsmith, and he was a genius. You wonder how many things innovated today will still be in use 100 years from now.
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I have a Sig P226 in 9mm and love it... if you were just shopping for a reliable, well & widely reviewed weapon.
That said, I think another poster hit the nail on the head in specifying a REVOLVER (38) as a good overall bet.
Let's think not in terms of the gun nuts on here who will take care of a gun year in and year out and who know exactly how it operates, and shift our thoughts to the person that has never shot a gun before.
If you took an otherwise non-maintained 5yr old+ revolver out of an attic and put it in a room with non-gunners along with a similarly non-maintained 1911 gun, both unloaded but with ammo sitting nearby, which do you think they could load & operate first and well? I'd have to guess the revolver...
Personally, I take more care in locking up my revolver than my semi-autos (or at least I worry about it more; I like to think I'm very cautious about all my guns). Loading and shooting it is a lot simpler than loading and shooting a 1911 to a complete newbie OR child.
That said, I think another poster hit the nail on the head in specifying a REVOLVER (38) as a good overall bet.
Let's think not in terms of the gun nuts on here who will take care of a gun year in and year out and who know exactly how it operates, and shift our thoughts to the person that has never shot a gun before.
If you took an otherwise non-maintained 5yr old+ revolver out of an attic and put it in a room with non-gunners along with a similarly non-maintained 1911 gun, both unloaded but with ammo sitting nearby, which do you think they could load & operate first and well? I'd have to guess the revolver...
Personally, I take more care in locking up my revolver than my semi-autos (or at least I worry about it more; I like to think I'm very cautious about all my guns). Loading and shooting it is a lot simpler than loading and shooting a 1911 to a complete newbie OR child.
George PT-111
Moderator
I in my experience russian or bulgarian MAKAROV
ElectricHellfire
New member
Proven is so subjective. Proven to me means the 1911, Glocks and some of the HKs and a few others. Its kind of a difficult question to answer but those are my picks.
George PT-111
Moderator
To me proven means: will work in any condition and the most reliable.
Little Silas
New member
Carry and Caliber
When I have a choice between carrying my Kel-tec .380 or my S&W Model 60 I opt for the M60 with .38+P Silvertips.
To fire the M60 with .357s it needs to be mounted on a mortar base.
When I have a choice between carrying my Kel-tec .380 or my S&W Model 60 I opt for the M60 with .38+P Silvertips.
To fire the M60 with .357s it needs to be mounted on a mortar base.
The "most proven" handgun I own would be one I never carry, my 1936 S&W DA .45 (ACP) N-frame revolver. 6 shots of .45 ACP in a quick reloading moon clip and still accurate and reliable. It stays in a drawer at home, and my compact 1911 - also accurate and reliable - gets most of the carry work.
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GroovedG19
New member
No gun(pistol, rifle, or otherwise) is "proven" until it is tested by its owner.