Thread: Handgun.. any recommendations?

Originally Posted by kbs_74

I agree with a lot of what is being said here. I don't think that you shouldlimit yourself to a .45. I think if it's your first gun and you want the most effective for you without having to train a lot and without a lot of colateral damage than I would go with the 12 gauge. The reason I say this is simple the most feared sound on earth and the sound that causes the highest involuntary bowel and bladder release is the sound of a pump action shot gun being racked. If you really don't want to have to shoot someone, but on the other hand want them to go down and stay down. the shotgun is easily the best choice. I say this because of the following reasons.
1. When under stress, you are going to shake I don't care if you are John Wayne if you hear someone try to break in to your house and you perceive a serious threat to your life you are going to shake. I have been working as an armed security officer for 10 years I go through the training yearly, they go over it every time. When under stress you ware going to have to rely on your training, and your ability to function under stress. I have seen people shoot inside the 10 ring everytime they shoot but when under stress you almost always are going to shoot worse.
If you are shaking and shooting a .45 you will probably miss and your one of your neighbors could suffer lead poisening.
2. Shotgun ammo is cheap, and realatively easy to use with a maximum accurate range of 100 yards shooting pellets.
3. If you miss the pellets probably wont go too much further than your walls where as others could go much further and penetrate many other objects.
If you do decide or laws prohibit a shotgun, I personally would go for a 9mm, that's what I carry. for close quarters accuracy matters but not as much as going to a 100 yard shooting competition. SO that leaves the field open. I have had a ruger p-89 loved the reliability but I could keep a consitent group. I then switched to a magnum research baby eagle. I love it it fits my hand and is very accurate. It does have one quirk and that is if you have the 15 round mag, only carry 14 in the mag in the gun. if you carry 15 and one in the pipe, the 15th round will come out of the mag if you carry in a holster and it gets bumped around. This leads to a stovepipe and isn't fun. If you only put 14 in there isn't a problem though so it was an easy fix.
Get some training NRA gun safety class, better yet join and your gun is then insured.
Okay that's all I have. Happy shopping

Great advice. I have a short barrel shotgun for home defense, a Springfield XD .40 cal that I intended to carry, a Kel-Tec .32 that I DO carry and an AK-74 for when all hell breaks loose
For home defense, the short barrel shotgun is the best choice (though maybe not as exciting as other choices).
Good luck!

The 1911 is the best designed handgun there ever was. The recoil is nothing once you are used to it used to it. 100 yrs of proven reliability, and will knock someone back 15feet and hold them down. For home use a pump shotgun is also great. The intruder hears you jack the slide and will crap their pants at the sound while trying to slide out whatever hole the crawled in from. For those of youwho have not figured it out, I may be somewhat biased towards the .45, but only a little.

+1 on the 1911 and the shotgun! Nothing else compares IMHO.

Fred

there's a .45 1911 on my bedstand and a 12ga pumpgun not far away every night when I go to sleep.

you really just can't beat an all steel government-sized 1911 in .45 acp. (some of the alloy framed ones have serious reliability issues, I can't recommend them) my personal advice is don't waste your money on combat tupperware, go get some American steel!

(yeah, I'm hugely biased. but in all the years I've shot ipsc, idpa, idsa, 3-gun, etc. the winner is almost always carrying a 1911 of some sort.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSYhbdqPoS0