If you had to choose one handgun in case the SHTF what would it be?

reply to post by ashamedamerican
It is a hard choice, as one poster said revolver for the long haul
like a .357 magnum, but I went with the .45 ACP for the knockdown
power that it has.

9mm is cheaper ammo, and you can have more shots.

So balance it for what is best for you.

It would still be a 9 MM Browning Hi Power, Why change something that is not broken, I dont need complicated grip safety systems or hammer blocks, I dont need polymer parts. I need reliability, so its the Hi Power for my choice.

In a SFTF scenario, and without knowing what specifically you're talking about I'd have to take two. Yeah I know the original question was to take one...anyway here's my thoughts.

It's been said many times in the shooting community that the pistol is used only to get to your rifle. Make sense?

My primary pistol would be the 1911, and that will be holstered in a Wilderness Tactical holster. The Wilderness straps onto the front chest strap of my pack. Having a belt holster while carrying your pack (mine has a waist weight bearing strap) will be very hard to acquire quickly.

My second pistol will be in the pack and it is a Ruger .22. This will be primarily for small game.

I will stick with my modified 1911-A1

I put in a barrel that is 2 inches longer then the stock barrel then used a milling machine to port the longer barrel.

This makes the weapon sweet to fire with 165 gr hollow points.
but still easy to handle with 230 gr military ball.

I also have put away in storage a Mech Tech systems carbine conversion unit.
Where i can take the 45 1911 lower and use it for the carbine. plus i have a few extra parts to make it very low noise using soda bottles. (don't ask its my secret trick. but it works in .45 ACP with a long barrel)


www.mechtechsys.com...

www.mechtechsys.com...

If SHTF i expect to have more weapons then i know what to do with when the criminal element gets stupid.

I also be carrying a captured WW2 Walthers P-38 pistol as a back up gun.
This is the second best military pistol ever made after the 1911.
p-38.info...

If you want a good 9 mm this is the gun to get. very dependable and double action.

These are backup for my M1 Garand and AR 15.

If i run out of ammo for all of these thing are really bad.

I have three pistols all together. I have one Taurus .357 MAG 6 shot revolver (snubby type), one Baby Eagle in .40 S&W and a SIG Sauer P226 in 9mm. If I had to choose one and only one I'd have to go with my SIG. One, because of the availability of ammo, and two, because of my experience with the weapon. When I was stationed with a group known for shall we say "head hunting" pirates, we shot the SIG P226 in 9mm exclusively. From 25 yards I can hit a playing card with every shot in a 15 rounder. So I figure go with what works. I don't have much experience with the other two so if for some reason I had to leave 'em behind it's really only a monetary loss.

Not that I have anything against the 1911. I've only fired one once, I think I did pretty well, that's what I qualified expert on in the Navy before we switched to the SIG.

The best thing to do is choose what's practical, available and especially something you know you can handle. Lara Croft's hand cannons look sweet and a Desert Eagle .50 or a Taurus Raging bull in .50 will blow away anything short of a tank or a rabid bull moose but seriously, besides being eye candy I think they just are...how would Freud put it?...compensation for something else that may or may not violate the T&C of this forum?...lol


--Apex

Ruger KP95

www.impactguns.com...

[edit on 23-4-2009 by Mtheory]

Originally posted by thisguyrighthere
reply to post by ashamedamerican

 

I think if I had to grab a gun and it had to last the rest of my life I'd go for a stainless .357 revolver.

Id say the same about..Ill take my old m27 SandW..8'' barrel nikle plated and magna ported..Can fire off 38's also,being a .357 it has big enough knock down power,big enough looks to de-escalate a situation also..

I like my 9mm Sig P226 a lot

At the moment my carry gun is Colt 1911 in 9mm.

But I plan to get this soon....



SMITH & WESSON MP 45 ACP


Yeehaw!

I am with the Springfield XDM 9 or .40. Either one I'd be happy.

19+1 rounds for the 9 and 16+1 for the .40.

XDM is reliable, accurate, and equally as important it is SUPER comfortable to hold. Because of the new ergonomics of the new XDM It fits perfect in the hand.

People talk a lot about stopping power, but in most real world scenario's you aren't going to stand in front of a non-moving target and not move yourself.

Accuracy at the range is great, but in real world scenarios, you are going to want as many rounds in the magazine as possible. Give me a smaller caliber 9 with 20 rounds and less recoil for better accuracy in a situation out side the gun range over a larger caliber bullet any day.

That's just my opinion.

A 9mm can kill someone just like any other bullet.

Oh ya, for illumination in the dark, a laser, and an added benefit of less recoil because of weight on the front of the gun, I have one of these mounted on my XDM 9mm...

TLR-2



[edit on 23-4-2009 by Anonymous Avatar]

If I had to pick one firearm to face TEOWAWKI or even TSHTF, if would be a S&W .357 revolver, 8 3/8" barrel, K frame, nickel-plated, with Hogue grips and a Bianchi holster, speed loaders and handloads.

Never Jam, never fail, reasonably quick recovery time, flat ballistics and spot on to 250 yards in the right hands. Comfortable to carry, comfortable weight, daunting to be on the receiving end of.

If one could somehow acquire a Colt Python that was either Parkerized, Nickel-plated or even stainless steel, then that would be my hands down choice.

It's good to have dreams.

it really depends on the severity of the S and how long the F is getting H. if we were talking about a long time period, mad max style, id go with a revolver, maybe something in .45 that takes half moon clips or something. dependability and ease of repair, along with availability of ammo being my main concerns. if its something thatll be over in a month, id suggest something like the colt 1911s that seem to be so popular on here. really, you could take just about anything; i am just a huge fan of 1911s.

I have to go with my Springfield XD .45. It is more accurate than anything I've shot and it has 14 rounds of 230 grain stopping power. I took my wife to the range last weekend and she was more accurate with the XD .45 than my Taurus 9mm. I was able to rapid fire all rounds into the neck of my target at 15 yards. It made one nice big hole.

If I could only have one, I would keep my trusty old Glock 19 (9mm). It's not the prettiest gun out there, it's not the most accurate, and it's not the most powerful. But it is the most reliable. I have 10,000+ rounds through mine and I have literally never had so much as a hiccup. I don't even bother with cleaning it all that much, it's not necessary. You pull the trigger, the gun goes "bang". Every time.

I like the 19 because it's a good size compromise. It's big enough to get a good grip on, but small enough to conceal. It holds 17+1 rounds with extended magazines, and has a rail for mounting a light/ laser. With the laser, I can chew out an X ring from 25 yards easily. With the stock sights not so much, but I can make center of mass hits quickly and reliably, which is all you really need from a combat handgun. I prefer 9mm over .45 because it's smaller and lighter. You can carry a heck of a lot more of it both in your gun and out of it. 9mm will kill bad guys just as dead as the .45 will, you just have to hit what you're aiming at.

In a SHTF scenario, you want a gun that's easy to carry. A big, heavy cannon like a 1911 or a S&W 29 is likely to be back in camp or in your pack when you really need it. Those who advocate the Desert Eagle have obviously never held or fired one. The Desert Eagle is a Hollywood movie prop, nothing more. It's a humongous, gonzo contraption that looks good on film, but is completely useless as a practical weapon. There is a reason that not one military unit in the world issues the Desert Eagle. And it's not because of the pricetag. Similarly, it is worth noting that revolvers have all but disappeared from police and military use. If revolvers were really more reliable than auto pistols, this would not be the case. Look at what the professionals rely on. The #1 police issue sidearm in the world is the Glock 17 in 9mm. The 17 is a full-sized weapon for uniformed duty. The compact version, the 19, is the perfect weapon for personal defense.

Originally posted by argentus
If I had to pick one firearm to face TEOWAWKI or even TSHTF, if would be a S&W .357 revolver, 8 3/8" barrel, K frame, nickel-plated, with Hogue grips and a Bianchi holster, speed loaders and handloads.

Never Jam, never fail, reasonably quick recovery time, flat ballistics and spot on to 250 yards in the right hands. Comfortable to carry, comfortable weight, daunting to be on the receiving end of.

You forgot a few things.

Adequate stopping power.

The ammo is interchangeable with a .38 and you can make your own using black powder.

It can be fired with one hand (if your other is injured). Easier for children, women or the sick to fire and infinitely easier to reload.

No safety to screw with.

You can use it as a club and it will not affect it's ability to fire. Will fire if dropped in mud, water, frozen or unused for decades. Virtually indestructable.

It doesn't require cleaning as often and lasts a lifetime, it will likely be in service 100 years from now.

I'd have to go with the Glock G22 in the .40 cal. Its a little more common these days because most law enforcement agencies have adopted it. I have the Hi-Point .40 cal but its a big, heavy steel gun and although its a good firing weapon, I'd hate to pack the SOB very long on foot. Its better left in the glove box or in the night stand drawer. I could stand it it in a shoulder holster but not on my hip on a long hike.

Nothing wrong with the 9x19 either. Its lighter, can hold more and is easier to carry more rounds. But there is a reason more and more law enforcement agencies are moving to the .40 cal.

Let me expand on why I have picked the Glock 34.

www.youtube.com...

www.youtube.com...





[edit on 3-5-2009 by downtown436]

Some of you are pretty lucky to have experienced firearms, as a Canadian woman I have never fired one, but this video just might save my life, the glock 22 I can get in 5 minutes with 50 rounds of amo.

Thank You Semper



At least I will know how to use the darn thing

[edit on 3-5-2009 by HulaAnglers]

reply to post by ashamedamerican hard question, that's like choosing the man that you want to grow old with. ok, seriously it would be a thompson centerfire handgun
to be more specific an encore




[edit on 3-5-2009 by echodogene]

I would take my 1911.

I would seriously consider my Ruger MK3 .22 also...I certainly can hunt with this one and can carry a huge amount of ammo, which is a drawback with the 1911.