Lightweight handgun package

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Point taken.
I am a revolver guy, but they are not foolproof.
I have had stoppages with them too.
I had a firing pin stick forward.
Ejector rod back out and lock it up.

Personally, for your purposes described above....I would choose a mid sized auto with rail and light and a couple of spare mags, Tagua 4 in 1 holster, and consider myself pretty well prepared...come what may.
 
I'd look at a S&W M&P 2.0 Compact. You can find them with a manual safety (which can be easily removed if you change your mind about it) and you can find them new for around $400 (add in tax or transfer, etc). Mags are inexpensive and available, as are other parts and accessories like holsters.

I would stick with a gun in the size range of the Glock 19 and M&P 2.0 Compact. There are a lot of people on both sides of the concealed vs open carry debate, but having a gun in this size gives you the option to do either, which may not be the case if you get a full sized gun.

Agreed on all counts here. I'd just add that the M&P comes with a couple of sleeves designed for 17 round mags so you can pick up some cheap (used would be fine) and get a full grip option while only sacrificing .25" of barrel length compared to the full size 2.0. Or stick with the 15 round grip and you have a pretty concealable Glock 19 size gun. Mine has been great - very reliable, feel really good in hand, has a 1911 style manual safety that works well and it's accurate and easy to shoot. If you're looking for a light weight, versatile and reliable gun with a lot of firepower and manual safety option you could do a lot worse. I got mine during one of the rebate specials and my out the door price including all shipping and transfer fees was $360.
 
The gun I use for this purpose now is the LC9s pro which I keep stored in its pocket holster. Whenever I'm going somewhere I just grab it and a spare mag and put them in my front jeans pocket, center console of the truck, backpack, jacket pocket, fish house ect... I shoot mine really really well and its my favorite semi auto pistol. If it was going to stay primarily in a backpack or bag I think I would do an SR9c. Its pretty much everything I like about the LC9s in a bigger double stack package.
 
I have to agree the 92FS is a pretty good choice, given the parameters.
 
I don't think it matters between a single or double stack auto, I find it imperative to always have a spare magazine on-hand as part of your carry kit. While stoppages (FTF/FTE) are actually quite rate with any quality, modern semi-auto, doing those stoppage drills often requires a second magazine. So, regardless of double or single stack capacity in the handgun, having a spare magazine should be mandatory carry. My vote is for the Ruger SR9c. I bought one for my wife (she wanted the safety), and she loves it...accurate, compact, small grip despite double-stack magazines, and able to go compact with 10 rounds or bedside with 17 rounds.

ROCK6
 
If I have to grab one minimalist gun that is going to have to get me through anything, it is going to be a gun that I can shoot well at 25 yards and OK out to 100. It also needs to be light, durable and easy to fix, and have a wide range of commonly available parts and accessories. For me, that steers me to 9mm Glocks like the 26, but they don’t make them with a thumb safety. I would have to go to an S&W M&P if I needed that.
 
I have to agree the 92FS is a pretty good choice, given the parameters.
I compare every auto-loading handgun I look at to the 92FS; for me, it is the gold standard by which all others are measured.

I know that is only one man's opinion, and I know that my opinion is entirely swayed by my experience with it in the Air Force. As I compare sizes and weights of all these composite guns, my mind keeps going back to the fact that each of them is only 8 ounces lighter than a 92FS, and then I start to think perhaps I should suck it up and carry the extra weight. Then my mind starts thinking like a long-distance backpacker again: ounces add up to pounds and pounds add up to pain. An ounce in the morning feels like a pound by nightfall. etc. etc. etc.
 
8oz = 1/2 pound ---- quite a difference
yup 8 oz is 1/2 a pound.

I know the weight of every singe item in my pack, but steel and lead are heavy. In fact, the two heaviest items are the the two most essential-gun & ammo and water.

Come to think of it,my current gun (Redhawkk 44) + 2 extra speed loaders is about 4 lbs loaded. That is about the weight of just 2 qts of water. (I'm already using Smart Water bottles instead of nalgenes to save weight.) So gun and water are half my target weight.
 
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Yes, I also have the SR9, probably a dressier Security 9. Nice gun, but a bit large for OP’s purpose.
Been watching youtube videos...I'm going to get hands on a Security 9 as soon as I have time. At $319 (at Sportsman's Warehouse), it's half the price of a 92FS, and the loaded weight of the Security 9 is the same as the empty weight of 92FS.
 
Been watching youtube videos...I'm going to get hands on a Security 9 as soon as I have time. At $319 (at Sportsman's Warehouse), it's half the price of a 92FS, and the loaded weight of the Security 9 is the same as the empty weight of 92FS.
Let us know what you think.
 
I own more revolvers than pistols and often think differently than others. I carry in my pack/person a Charter Arms 44 and a NAA 22 mag Black Widow. I have had no problems with either and the CA has taken 2 deer and 3 coons so it can be very effective.
 
I'd rather save weight somewhere else. A gun isn't the only thing being carried.
Most certainly agree. You wouldn't believe the pains I've gone through to cut weight out of the pack. I don't have anyplace left to cut weight from.
 
I own more revolvers than pistols and often think differently than others. I carry in my pack/person a Charter Arms 44 and a NAA 22 mag Black Widow. I have had no problems with either and the CA has taken 2 deer and 3 coons so it can be very effective.

I haven't narrowed it down to choices -- but I might go along the lines of what you're thinking with two revolvers, based on the "2 is one, and 1 is none" premise... :)

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A S&W 329PD weighs only 25oz. Firing with hot loads might not be ideal but 44 special/ light magnums wouldn't be bad.

The great thing is it's a big enough gun to shoot accurately. I struggle with small snubs that are very light. The N Frame is enough to hold onto.
 
in o.p.’s scenario i would stick with a rimfire revolver: a semiauto’s empty mags are deadweight that can get lost, the occasional 22lr squib is solved with another turn of the cylinder and a baggie of 50 22lr rounds travels well in a pocket. as much as i like a ruger single six it is too big and heavy to be a ccw. i would go with a ruger lcr 22lr or s&w 317; both are light and can be had with 3” barrels for more accuracy and oomph. maybe a ruger bearcat if a single action revolver suits you. add a naa mini 22lr for an ammo compatible backup.

if one must have a centerfire then a 38sp snubbie of your choice. steel, not ultralight, taurus 85 works great as it damps recoil enough to give reasonable accuracy. a couple of speedstrips and speedloaders can travel in a pocket.
 
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OK, my opinion and only an opinion.

Inexpensive, reliable, not too heavy and 6 rounds instead of 5.
The Charter Arms Police Undercover.
Street price of under $350, weighs only 20oz, holds 6 rounds of .38 Spl., has a 2.2" barrel and it has a stainless frame. What's not to like?
https://charterfirearms.com/collections/undercover/products/73840-police-undercover

If your EDC is in 9mm Charter Arms sells the Pitbull in pistol calibers. The 9mm is almost $100 more that the Police Undercover and you lose a round down to 5. It's also slightly heavier but it is another option.
 
A S&W 329PD weighs only 25oz. Firing with hot loads might not be ideal but 44 special/ light magnums wouldn't be bad.

The great thing is it's a big enough gun to shoot accurately. I struggle with small snubs that are very light. The N Frame is enough to hold onto.

I've already dismissed the 329PD. Although I gave it serious thought as a replacement to my brick of a Ruger Redhawk. The reason I wrote it off is because too many owners said their hands hurt like hades after only a few cylinders' worth of moderately powered ammo. I've also heard that they don't hold up will to constant shooting; the internals break.

But I have to admit...it's an awfully attractive idea.
 
in o.p.’s scenario i would stick with a rimfire revolver: a semiauto’s empty mags are deadweight that can get lost, the occasional 22lr squib is solved with another turn of the cylinder and a baggie of 50 22lr rounds travels well in a pocket. as much as i like a ruger single six it is too big and heavy to be a ccw. i would go with a ruger lcr 22lr or s&w 317; both are light and can be had with 3” barrels for more accuracy and oomph. maybe a ruger bearcat if a single action revolver suits you. add a naa mini 22lr for an ammo compatible backup.

if one must have a centerfire then a 38sp snubbie of your choice. steel, not ultralight, taurus 85 works great as it damps recoil enough to give reasonable accuracy. a couple of speedstrips and speedloaders can travel in a pocket.

Interesting though. I understand the weight to quantity ratio when it comes to 22LR. And I totally agree with your concept of not worrying about 22LR squibs in a revolver. But I'm not necessarily looking for a "survival gun" to forage for food with. I'm thinking natural disaster (fast moving forest fire, although, in my area an earthquake is farrrrr more likely) trying to move fast and having to deal with those who would capitalize on the chaos and make victims of their neighbors. (But if I were going to go 22LR revolver....Ruger GP100.) Not really sure i want to buy a Taurus, but that's another thread.

On that note however...thinking about girlfriend of many years...she has ZERO interest in guns...I'm thinking about maybe stuff a Charter Arms or Ruger LCRx in a pack for her, along with a speed strip and it's just there. Maybe not even tell her about it until it's that time.
 
On that note however...thinking about girlfriend of many years...she has ZERO interest in guns...I'm thinking about maybe stuff a Charter Arms or Ruger LCRx in a pack for her, along with a speed strip and it's just there. Maybe not even tell her about it until it's that time.
Uh, maybe you ought to rethink this idea. It doesn’t portend a good outcome in so many different ways. Especially the part about zero interest and surprising her with the gun. That is the stuff of disasters.
 
CZ has plenty of pistols that meet the op.

But how is 9mm ''easy accessible''? It's the first caliber to disappear in a rush. .40 was available for quite a while. I recommend buying buy the case to mitigate such.

Don't waste time on your girl. She'll show interest or not.
 
Uh, maybe you ought to rethink this idea. It doesn’t portend a good outcome in so many different ways. Especially the part about zero interest and surprising her with the gun. That is the stuff of disasters.
It's a revolver. The reason I like revolvers is I know I can hand her on and say "point and pull the trigger. You've got 5 (or 6) shots." A DAO gun requires close to 10 lbs to fire. Not very likely she's going to accidentally pull the trigger all the way through.
CZ has plenty of pistols that meet the op.

But how is 9mm ''easy accessible''? It's the first caliber to disappear in a rush. .40 was available for quite a while. I recommend buying buy the case to mitigate such.

Don't waste time on your girl. She'll show interest or not.
One of the guys I compete with has a CZ he says he'll let me shoot.
 
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