Which Handgun For Any Circumstance?

That's exactly what I've been noticing. I haven't done a survey yet but it seems like revolvers are ruling the island.
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That's because, even folks who love autos ( I'm a 1911 junkie myself:D), know the revolver, particularly the single action, has proven over time to be a very reliable design.

They can run for years without needing a trip to a smithy. I love all my .45 autos, and can build them from the frame up if need be, but the OP said no spare parts ect...so I chose revolver instead, as I assumed there would not be a gun parts store on this imaginary island.;)

Edit: Just noticed I didn't mention a brand in my 1st post. Ruger single six SS convertible. Since OP said no extra cylinders, I change my choice of caliber from .22 LR, to the .22 mag. Damn near same weight for ammo.:cool:
 
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This really got me thinking. Nothing that is now available, but a cut down pistol version of a Savage 24! 3" chamber 410/45LC lower barrel with a 22 Mag or LR upper barrel. Sounds to me like the ultimate small and packable survival gun.

With that gun, ammo could include 410 #4 or 6 shot and 22 LR for food. 410 buck shot or even slug and 45 LC for larger game animals and defense against larger beasts including two legged ones.

Yes, with slugs it might be a beast in itself to shoot, but it would be for survival not recreation.
 
I scanned through and tried to catch any changes and added one where someone agreed with a previous post.

It looks like Revolvers are 43 and Autos are 11.
.357 seems the favorite for revolvers.
S&W and Ruger predominate. Some selected either one.

9mm for autos.
Several 22LRs and a few 22 Magnums.Some 45s.

There were some Glocks mentioned but these should be culled from the poll because these guys won’t last the week. They’ll spend the first two days standing on the beach yelling how good their Glock is and then use up all their ammunition in three hours trying to hit a coconut. :D
 
There were some Glocks mentioned but these should be culled from the poll because these guys won’t last the week. They’ll spend the first two days standing on the beach yelling how good their Glock is and then use up all their ammunition in three hours trying to hit a coconut.
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I'm sorry, that's just too funny, I don't care who you are. :D Now you've stirred up the Glock fanboys and you better darn well hope they don't reside on that island you're preparing for. :eek:
 
It would be a toss up between my Ruger sp101 .22 revolver or a Beretta Bobcat .22 pistol. I like the feature of the tip up barrel single shot aspect of the Beretta that may make it last longer than a revolver.
 
And don't you just wish you were allowed to bring two handguns? Or maybe one long gun instead of one handgun? Or, better yet, one handgun and one long gun?
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Two handguns would be too easy... .22 WMR and .357/.44. Combos like that cover a wide area of needs.

One handgun and one long gun... the 5-lb ammo limit has to go. Otherwise one gun will turn into a club in a short time. Not unless you have a specific reason in mind for it.

For long & short... a 20-ga 870. Two boxes of birdshot, 10 rds of buckshot and 10 of slugs. Back that up with a 6-inch .41 Magnum (M57) and about 100 rounds 210gr JSP.
I figure I'd see more birds than game animals and the scatter gun would be more useful that way.
 
I would choose the Ruger Charger 22lr pistol in 10" barrel w/ Leupold 2.5 to 8 power pistol scope, carried in a chest holster to protect from elements.
- 22lr because it offers the most shots for 5lbs and 22lr is good for varmits
- 10" barrel because it provides near max velocity for 22lr ammo
- Charger uses the reliable 10/22 action
- semi action allows quick follow up shots vs revolver
- Leupold scope is reliable and allows for accurate shots at island distances

If large game is attacking me, I'll evade or spear. However, I can still hunt both varmit and large game (head shots) using scope. On an Island, shots will be 25-75yrds.

A more powerful hunting pistol with scope would be heavier, mean less ammo, and be too much for varmits. Since I will not have a freezer, I won't be targeting big game that will spoil in short order.
 
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There were some Glocks mentioned but these should be culled from the poll because these guys won’t last the week. They’ll spend the first two days standing on the beach yelling how good their Glock is and then use up all their ammunition in three hours trying to hit a coconut.
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I'm sorry, that's just too funny, I don't care who you are. Now you've stirred up the Glock fanboys and you better darn well hope they don't reside on that island you're preparing for.
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Should be alright, unless he's the one holding the coconut or the Glock.

Glock .40's are known to self-destruct, you know. :D

Daryl
 
I would want a Colt single action .45, . . . only because the LC cartridge carries a bigger punch than the ACP (where I would opt for a Colt 1911).

I figure that if there is anything on the island I cannot stop with one or two well placed 45 LC's, . . . I'm gonna be breakfast some day anyway.

If I can stop the island inhabitants with the 45 LC, . . . 5 lbs of ammo should serve me well for at least several years, . . . giving me time to get my garden, animal domestication, security, etc. together for the remainder of being bored to death on a desert island.

May God bless,
Dwight
 
Just to buck the trend...

Flintlock, .70 caliber (or even larger), and a couple of spare springs, a few flints, and use that 5lb ammo allotment for powder and balls. Along with all the ordinary survival stuff, that can be carried on your person, including s few tools! (including bullet mold).

Big bore lead stopper available for dangerous animals that you can't get away from (ok, only one shot, so don't miss), and can use shot for small game. Hell, you can use gravel for shot if you have to.

No other people, so no gunfights. You are surviving, one shot at a time is all you really need. And the flint is about as simple and rugged as it can get.

OK, they don't do great in the rain, but hey, there's no free lunch.
 
GOOGLE sub caliber inserts for 223.They work well in single shot pistols but suck in autos. Had them back in the late 1970 's for my savage 24v in 222/20 & my tc in 222 rem.Great woods carry combo.
 
7.62 X 25!

Get ready to blanch, folks....

I'd bring my CZ 52 with some FMJ and Wolf hollowpoints. The ammo's pretty light (85 gr) so I'd have a lot more than a similar weight of .357. It's also a pretty powerful round.

I have gone from the cast firing pin to the forged so I wouldn't be afraid of breakage. For some reason, I can shoot that ol' CZ 52 pretty well. A Norico Tok would be my next choice.

3rd would be a S&W .357. I rate the .357 after the other two because I have taken apart a S&W or two and they are pretty finely machined in there. I'd rather have to clean mud or sand out of my CZ 52s or my Tok instead of a S&W revolver, especially if I weren't allowed any tools to do so. It takes no tools, for example, to pull out the whole trigger group of a Tok. An easy clean. If up to spec, those old Com Bloc guns also tend to work very well in lousy conditions.
 
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For me its a Sig P226 in 9mm. Ammo is common, can shoot any type of 9mm ammo (lead included) and I have a .22lr conversion kit for it so I can shoot .22lr for small game to put meat in the pot if I need to.

The P226 is a great defensive handgun and its still concealable for CCW but large enough for serious usage beyond a few shots for self defense.

Night sights help alot as well factoring in a bunch of hi-cap magazines.:D
 
Well...

I'd bring my CZ 52 with some FMJ and Wolf hollowpoints.
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I love the Tokarev ammo. It is light enough to have a lot of rounds in you 5lbs and it is a beast. I love a good CZ and cannot think of a better brand in 9mm auto. However here is my beef with the automatics...

The instructions say nothing about a cleaning kit. Without proper cleaning and oiling, I am going with a revolver. After a couple of weeks of salty air and humidity, the autos will be good for cracking coconuts only.

I think I would go with a .22 Magnum. the round is light enough to give you a bucket full of ammo within the 5lbs constriction and performs enough to take a hogsize game or a human enemy. If the island is overrun with Veloceraptors, Zombie Dobermans or Militant nymphomaniacs, no weapon will help you protect yourself.

I would go with a longer barrel for accuracy. A Smith & Wesson in .22 WMR and an 8 1/4" barrel.

MHbushmaster - For me its a Sig P226 in 9mm. Ammo is common, can shoot any type of 9mm ammo (lead included) and I have a .22lr conversion kit for it so I can shoot .22lr for small game to put meat in the pot if I need to.
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hate to be a stickler for details but the instructions say no .22 conversion kits.
 
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Hate to be a stickler for details but:

The OP did not forbid maintenance tools, he just said no spare parts and no gunsmith available. This means that if any of you are gunsmiths you are not allowed to participate; go back and delete your post, do not pass the junkyard, do not collect your Glock. :eek:

Also, the autos will not be good for cracking coconuts because all the auto crowd used up their ammo trying to shoot coconuts out of the tree and the coconut is still up there. :D
 
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