If you could have only one handgun, what would you choose?

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Been there at different times in my life with a solitary hand gun of various designs.
As long as I can get (or hand load my own) ammo and the handgun is safe and accurate, I can make anything from a .22 target pistol to a WW1 battlefield pick up to an 1851 Navy do what needs doing.
Maybe not the ideal handgun for all seasons, but then, what is?
 
When I first started buying guns the only handgun I owned was a 6" model 19. Worked fine for what I needed. There wasn't any legal concealed carry back in 1980. So that 6" gun served to hunt and plink and target shoot and was kept loaded for home defense. It did all I needed a handgun to do back then. It would work the same way now.

The next gun was a Ruger 4" standard model 22 auto. I was well armed with those two guns.
 
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It's a toss up between my Highway Patrolman with 4" barrel and my Gen 1 Glock 19. Probably go with the Glock.
 
It's a toss up between my Highway Patrolman with 4" barrel and my Gen 1 Glock 19. Probably go with the Glock.

If you really do have a Gen 1 G19, then you may want to consider selling it for the 5 figures that they are going for these days and buying a bunch of other guns. But, it is likely a Gen 2 G19, which is still a cool gun, but not the ultra-rare Glock that is going for insane prices these days.
 
My question back is this.

Only one gun for what purpose? Target? Home Defense? Car carry? Motorcycle Carry? Or SHTF stuff?

I only have 3 guns I carry, but only carry one at a time. I have a gun for when I am in formal attire. One for everyday, and one for when I am hiking in the middle of nowhere.

I keep a gun in my vehicle, and a different one for on my motorcycle.

But if you mean I would only be allowed one gun for all the above, then that gun would have to be the one for when the SHTF times... which would be a Taurus Raging Bull 454.

Why because with a set of adapters, it can fire any handgun caliber, and has one of the most powerful rounds the 454 if needed, 410, and 45 colt all without adapters. Thus in a SHTF times, you can kill and or defend against just about anything, and you will be able to scavenge and fire just about any handgun round there will be to scavenge.
 
So this is a post-apocalyptic survival scenario?:D

Id go with this one-
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My P226 would be a close second.

I have one of those babies, I upgrade all the rest of the parts to full stainless steel, including the trigger, and upgraded all the springs as well to the Wilson combat springs, including the trigger spring. And then upgraded to the stainless steel threaded barrel and added a stainless steel compensator.

I also ordered and on the eternal NFA wait a Dead Air silencer in stainless.
 
I have one of those babies, I upgrade all the rest of the parts to full stainless steel, including the trigger, and upgraded all the springs as well to the Wilson combat springs, including the trigger spring. And then upgraded to the stainless steel threaded barrel and added a stainless steel compensator.

I also ordered and on the eternal NFA wait a Dead Air silencer in stainless.
Ya, I got rid of all the plastic bits too, but I wanted some contrast so I went with blued steel on the trigger and safety lever and stainless on the mag release, spring housing, and guide rod.

Ive got a bunch of 15 and 17 round mags, but that ones my favorite- stainless body with aluminum follower and baseplate.
 
I waffle back and forth between a revolver in 44 Magnum and a semiauto in 45 ACP. However, a 460 Rowland kit gives me medium level 44 Magnum on a semi-auto.

Another problem I have is gunsmithing and parts replacement. The only gun I can work on with confidence is Glock. I can do all work except fit a barrel or fix the slide. A 460 Rowland kit drops in, as does a 22 Conversion. All parts are available, assuming the frame and slide do not break. In that case, a Glock 21 makes a whole lot of sense for me. I would buy two spare KKM barrels, a spare Glock 21 barrel, all the frame and slide parts, and a whole bunch of Glock gun and magazine spring sets. 100 magazines ought to be enough. I would buy additional 10 round mags for the 460 Rowland since the springs are heavier and tweak them as needed. The G21 with 460 Rowland conversion would require a different holster since it adds an inch or so.

I really like the SIG P220 SAO and DA/SA. It too can be converted to 460 Rowland, but I am not certain about how good the SIG 22 Conversion kit is. It's another possibility, but I cannot work on them at this point and would attend SIG armorer's school.

A S&W Model 29 round butt with 4" barrel would be my choice of revolvers. Just add gold bead sights, slick up the action, and do a few other things and it's good to go. I would attend gunsmithing school to learn how to work on it. I certainly would buy a bunch of parts, including spare barrels, a cylinder or two and so forth. 44 Special would be my primary defensive load but I'd have lots of 44 Magnum ammo available. I do prefer Federal 44A SJSP at 1250 FPS. Unfortunately, there is no possibility of shooting 22 LR from a Model 29.

Another possibility it to go with a Glock 17 (or 19 or 45). The 17 is known to be good for several hundred thousand rounds (see Chuck Taylor's article on the topic: https://www.ballisticmag.com/2018/05/23/glock-17-torture-test-ocean/). The downside is that 9mm isn't a good hiking caliber, but Rowland offers their 960 Conversion that may yield some decent 357 Magnum performance out of it. But, I am not so sure about that caliber. 9x19mm is probably good enough for 99% of my requirements anyway.
 
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