Quintessential Pistol for SHTF

Not entirely a stranger to weapons but definitely not a connoisseur either. Never owned a gun but I feel like it's due time to go get my gun license and purchase a pistol for a few reasons. Peace of mind to better protect myself and my family and for the slightest off chance that something major does go down around this Winter. Just want some insurance. Anyways, I'm looking for some friendly advice on what a solid choice of a pistol would be to acquire. Some factors are sufficient stopping power, easy to strip and clean, good accuracy, and size of the clip. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance.

Glock 19 is what I would recommend for a first pistol. Compact enough to carry but large enough to actually grip. Very reliable, decently priced, large capacity, easy to control etc. I still carry mine regularly though I have some fancier pistols I am just more comfortable trusting it.

The Taurus Judge or Judge Magnum as they are small enough to hide and handle and they use multiple and common rounds basically a .45 or a 410 shotgun round

reply to post by Chad_Thomas89


.40 caliber Glock (I like the G27 personally but G23 is nice too).

This seems to fit all of your criteria well. 40 caliber has better stopping power than a 9mm, holds sufficient rounds, very accurate, and all Glocks are easy to strip and maintain as well as very durable.

Just my $.02

steel framed walker colt or steel framed black powder pistol as you can make your own ammo for it if it comes down to it and they are entirely too much fun not as quick to reload but its hard to argue with technology that has been used for hundreds of years

Whatever you get, make sure you practice, practice, practice with it. It may be wise to go with a 9mm since you can shoot more 9 than 40 or 45. Glock 19 would is a very top notch choice for 9mm. Personally, I prefer a .45. HK45c to be exact.

reply to post by KilrathiLG


I have a .50 cal muzzle loader rifle just for a SHTF safety net. The beauty about a black powder gun especially a .50 cal and alike is you can shoot anything out of them and create ammo from rocks if need be, Should you ever really have to go caveman, it's a pretty safe bet,

All of the above are good ideas.
But I chose my weapon based on the size of my hand along with stopping power and ease of use.

Go to a gun show or a gun shop and "try them on" for size. The glocks are way to large for me. To thick and heavy to balance.
My husband and myself both have our preferences, while owning many, we prefer our Walther PPKS and PPK.
Nice compact size, not much muzzle flash to burn you like a Judge, and plenty of stopping power.

Originally posted by Chad_Thomas89
Not entirely a stranger to weapons but definitely not a connoisseur either. Never owned a gun but I feel like it's due time to go get my gun license and purchase a pistol for a few reasons. Peace of mind to better protect myself and my family and for the slightest off chance that something major does go down around this Winter. Just want some insurance. Anyways, I'm looking for some friendly advice on what a solid choice of a pistol would be to acquire. Some factors are sufficient stopping power, easy to strip and clean, good accuracy, and size of the clip. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance.

Answer is easy get a decent quality Revolver in .357 Magnum and if you wanna make the .357 Mag more versitile pick up a Lever action rifle chambered in .357 Mag and you'll have 2 weapons for 2 different types of encounters close range and long range that use the same ammo then load up on some ammo 125 grain Jacketed Hollow Points are the best defensive load for up close and personal and for longer range hunting of larger game 180 grain hardcast work the best. .357 Mag sets the mark at which all other pistol rounds are compared to for 1 shot stopping power. Sure their is more powerful rounds like 10mm, .41 magnum, .44 magnum, .50AE. but they are not any better nor worse than the .357 mag for its purpose as a defensive caliber. I prefer revolvers myself some like auto's and thats fine too revolvers have less parts, easier to maintain and has a longer history. Plus you can also shoot .38 Special out of a .357 mag which is a decent round in itself and much cheaper with less recoil and muzzle flash.

Also if you've never owned a gun please, please, please take a firearms safety course before your purchase, you might know a fair amount about firearms but its still a great idea to take the course if you've never done so just to polish up on safe handling of a firearm and the responsibilites that go with owning a firearm and you might learn a thing or two that will help you out with your purchase.

If it's not going to be a concealed carry gun, I'd get a Glock 21 and mount a Streamlight TLR-1s on it. 13 rounds in the clip with one in the chamber. Carry an extra mag and you've got 27 rounds of knock down power. Always carry defense ammo, too.

I shoot a Springfield XD 45. They are simaler to the Glocks in how they operate. There are also many variations of the weapon for multiple use. Field stipping it breaks it down into four seperate parts for easy cleaning as well. Whatever you do, I would suggest trying many different pistols to find what you like best before you buy. Some pistols just may not fit you right and you will have a harder time suceeding with them. And as others have said practice, practice,practice, and Safety. I just went out and shot a couple hundred rounds today and I feel great.

reply to post by Chad_Thomas89

My vote for best all around first gun is a .357 Magnum revolver.1st fairly cheap to buy for a large caliber. 2nd you can shoot .38 specials for less kick and less cost. 3rd ease of use with no safeties, no springs, and no clips. 4th reliable beyond most other types of guns. 5th for beginners the trigger is a lot longer and harder to pull than autos so less likely to "accidentally" go off. 6th you can load the gun and stick it in a drawer, come back in 5 years pull the trigger and watch it shoot as good as it did the day you bought it. 7th this round is a killer, and is one of the tops for knock down power (bad guys don't get back up), and 8th it's not a "black" gun, meaning it is not seen as an assault gun, this is a problem in some areas, and because of it's antiquated looks, it doesn't look as dangerous.

You'll get a hundred different answers from a hundred different people on this subject. The first thing Ill say is that the best SHTF gun is not a pistol at all.

That said, my personal choice is the CZ sp-01 in 9mm. High capacity, never, ever fails, and is very battle tested.

Also, a point of note-pistols, for the most part, take mags, not clips.

I have a S&W Sigma 9mm.

I choose that pistol for my SHTF because of many factors.


-The gun is extremely easy to field strip. I can have the slide off, barrel out and lower grip parts exposed in UNDER 5 seconds. (with NO tools)

-You can get a 16 +1 magazine

-The rounds are cheap and easy to find

-In a SHTF situation 9mm will be mostlikely the most plentiful round to either find or get from barter

-And Even though peolpe say a 9mm doesnt have stopping power, I beg to differ. I'll explain, in a SHTF situation you are more likely to run into the average joe, not a hardened military badass. And I garrentee if the average joe is hit with a 9mm round, they are going to stop their advance.

So choose what you will, but I feel VERY comfortable with my S&W Sigma 9mm.

[NOTE] Dont rely on the pistol only
I have a S&W AR-15 , a 12guage tactical shotgun, a 22cal pistol and a 22cal rifle.

Originally posted by usmc0311
I shoot a Springfield XD 45. They are simaler to the Glocks in how they operate. There are also many variations of the weapon for multiple use. Field stipping it breaks it down into four seperate parts for easy cleaning as well. Whatever you do, I would suggest trying many different pistols to find what you like best before you buy. Some pistols just may not fit you right and you will have a harder time suceeding with them. And as others have said practice, practice,practice, and Safety. I just went out and shot a couple hundred rounds today and I feel great.

I too have and LOVE my springfield XD .45 ACP. It is a wonderful very super reliable piece of work. Thats just for fun tho...my "insurance" is a savage home tactical 12 guage with some 1 ounce slugs. I call him the baws.

Originally posted by Chad_Thomas89
Not entirely a stranger to weapons but definitely not a connoisseur either. Never owned a gun but I feel like it's due time to go get my gun license and purchase a pistol for a few reasons. Peace of mind to better protect myself and my family and for the slightest off chance that something major does go down around this Winter. Just want some insurance. Anyways, I'm looking for some friendly advice on what a solid choice of a pistol would be to acquire. Some factors are sufficient stopping power, easy to strip and clean, good accuracy, and size of the

CZ 75 / 85.
A .45 semi-auto
A Glock 21 (.45 caliber)
If you have deep pockets a H/K SOCOM .45

reply to post by MissPoovey


it does have a flash like a flamethrower....
however in that light of need for ability to hide after a shot, very right

Thanks again everyone. I'll keep note of the suggestions and keep an eye out for them when I go shopping. I know a pistol wouldn't be the ideal weapon for shtf but I'll make due. I'll also follow the advice of taking a saftey class and my friend owns some land I can go shooting on too so I'll definitely practice.

Some general things I learned when first researching handguns:

-there are very few "bad" modern handguns. I personally steer clear of HiUpoint and the such, but even the lower end brands have a good following. Personally, the $300 rule is what I stick to;if the gun retails for less than 300 new, I don't consider it. That said, kel-tec does make a very good gun that can be had for under that price, I lile more capacity though.

-don't let anyone talk you out of or into a caliber. The correct caliber is the one that you can fire the most comfortably. 9mm 40cal or .45 acp, any one of them will put someone down if you are able to fire accurately.

-you don't need to spend 700 to get a good gun. Fact is, most modern guns are more accurate than the shooter

-get them in your hand before you purchase. You will be able to tell that many guns are not a good fit just by holding them.

In the end, its all about practice.

2 ea.stainless baretta m92 for the capacity I am a .45 guy but you just can not argue with capacity.