Six handguns only - What would YOU pick?

[The Viking]

Hi, I will probably take up shooting again this fall, and apply for my first license as soon as possible. The problem I have is that I can get only six handguns without going through walls of red tape. So, what would you pick?
(Smallframed pistols such as Kel-Tec P32 are probably big no-no)

 

[enfield303]

What are you going to be using them for?

 

[Krag]

Glock 17, Para-Ordnance 18.9 LDA, Beretta Elite, S&W K22, S&W M686-Plus and Para-Ordnance Limited HiCap.

 

[The Viking]

Well, I'm not really in the know of handguns, nor competition with them. My only experience with firearms are .22 caliber rifles and side-by-side shotguns. But lets say that I want to cover as much as possible. (I know about steeltarget shooting, sounds like fun). Dont need a carry piece.

 

[Dionysusigma]

In my opinion:

A .357/.38 revolver, 3" barrel, Smith and Wesson or Colt
A 1911A1, by Colt or Springfield Armory
A Glock in your preference of caliber and size
A .22 autoloader, preferably a Walther P22 or Beretta 87 Target

Whatever else you like

All above are decent pistols of good size and reliability. Ammo is easy to find, and recoil isn't too bad. If needed, they can be used for defense. They have a decent "Cool Factor" as well, since many movies feature them.

 

[Checkman]

1.) A good 22LR handgun. Maybe a Sig Trailside,Browning Buckmark or perhaps a S&W or Ruger.

2.) A 9mm semi-auto My personal preference is for the Sig-Sauer P226 or the
P228/229. But Glock, Beretta, H&K and Browning all make good 9mm's as well.

3.) A .357 magnum revolver. Manuhrin, Ruger, S&W, Taurus. Either the 4" or 6" barrel. Stainless steel or blue carbon steel - your choice.

4.) A Sig Sauer 232 in either .380 or 32 acp. Maybe a Walther PPK.

5.) A Ruger Blackhawk in .357. Just becasue.

6.) A good quality 45acp semi-auto. Ruger,Sig,H&K,Kimber,Beretta. Your choice.

 

[Lord Bodak]

Well, I have exactly six, so I guess I've already picked.

1) Ruger 22/45
2) H&K USP Compact .40
3) Bersa Thunder .380
4) Ruger GP-100 4" .357
5) CZ-52
6) Springfield 1911

The only handgun I still kinda want is a snubby, maybe an SP-101. But if I couldn't have anymore, I think I'd be pretty happy with what I have.

 

[larry starling]

My six choices in no order of coarse!
1.Colt Python SS 4 inch barrel!
2.Colt Special combat nickel and blue!
3.Colt Goldcup SS again!
4.Colt XSE 5inch SS!
5.Colt WW1 repro!
6.Colt Gunsite!

Those are my choices, but im a little biased!

 

[Vern Humphrey]

1. A .22. Everyone should have a .22 pistol. I recommend the Ruger and Browning automatics. For a revolver, you may choose a S&W or a Ruger Single-Six, but one "sleeper" is the Ruger SP 101 -- it makes a great practice pistol for the SP 101 in .357 Magnum.

2. A good concealable revolver is nice to have. Mine is a Colt Detective Special (no longer made) in .38 Special, but the Ruger SP 101 in .357 Magnum with a 3" barrel would be superb.

3. An M1911 pistol in .45 ACP is a choice for a carry gun no one can sneeze at -- mine is a Kimber Custom Classic.

4. A hunting gun suitable for big game. Mine are a Colt New Service (again, no longer made) and a Ruger Blackhawk. Both in .45 Colt. With proper handloads, the New Service will drive a 255 grain bullet about 1000 fps. The Ruger will take stiffer loads and beat that by 300 or more fps.

5. A larger .357 magum is also a good choice -- for hunting, general woods carry, and so on. The bigger guns are easier to hold and shoot accurately. The .357 can use .38 Special ammo -- I have a Colt M357 and a Colt Single Action Army, both in .357 and mostly shoot .38 special reloads (148 grain wadcutter bullet, 2.7 grains of Bullseye). This load gives gilt edge accuracy, and kills squirrels and other small game like the Hammer of Thor. For larger game or self defense, full charge .357s are idea.

These 5 just about cover the spectrum of all uses -- from training and small game, through concealed carry and big game hunting.

 

[Black Majik]

1) A 1911. Colt, Springfield Armory or Kimber would fill this role easily.
2) A .45 not in 1911 platform. A Sig Sauer P220 comes to mind very quickly.
3) A .22 plinker. Ruger MKII, P22, Trailslide, etc...
4) A midsize revolver in .38/.357 . I would think the S&W 686 or Ruger GP100
5) A 9mm pistol. If you didn't take advice number 2, then go for the full size Sig in 9mm!
6) A pocket gun. Kahr PM9 would be my choice. How bout a Rohrbaugh.

Honorable mention: Get yourself a Glock, for when all your other guns fall apart.

 

[Onmilo]

1. S&W M41 .22lr

2. S&W 317 .22lr revlver, a gift from my wife.

3. Glock 26 9mm

4. Glock 34 9mm

5. S&W 629 5" Classic heavy barrel .44 magnum, can do everything but rimfire with this one.

6. Springfield 1911 Pro Tactical .45 acp, I like the accessory rail.

 

[warriorsociologist]

1) S&W 1006
2) Glock 29

3) S&W 686-4 6"
4) S&W 642

5) S&W 3913
6) Ruger MK-II 6-7/8"

7)* Glock 19 to swap for one of the above...

I own these 7 and many others have come and gone. I'd like to pick up a S&W 696, a 5.5" Redahawk in .45LC, a 6.5" S&W 629 Classic Hunter, and another MK-II to round things out (again)...then I'll be happy.

 

[357wheelgunner]

1. S&W model 60 .357 J-Frame- target practice
2. S&W model 642 .38 J-frame- deep (pocket/ankle) CCW
3. S&W model 65 4" .357 K-frame- daily CCW (IWB)
4. S&W model 66 4" .357 K-frame- target practice

this way you can buy all sorts of holsters and speedloaders and what not for the revovlers, and if one breaks you have another to take it's place while it gets fixed. 5 and 6 are up to you, I'd be super happy with these 4 pistols. If I were you numbers 5 and 6 would be....

5. Remington 870 Police Magnum- home defense, zombies
6. Colt AR-15 20"- SHTF, ninja attack, Mongol Horde....

Edited to add (to keep consistent)

7. Reminton 870 Police Magnum- backup to the first
8. Colt AR-15 16"- same as #6 only more maneuverable
That should just about do it......

 

[lee n. field]

A .45. Doesn't have to be a 1911.

A good .38/.357 revolver. I'm very partial to my S&W Model 19.

A .22, a Ruger Mark II or equivalent, heavy barrel, target sights.

Can you get Makarovs there?

shoot, I'm about bottomed out here.

 

[bean357]

In no particular order, and what I have...but then I am a tad biased too....heh:
J Frame (36, 60)
K Frame (66, 19, 18)
L Frame (686)
N Frame (28)
Browning Buckmarks

I've never really had a chance to try out the bigger auto's, but would like to sometime. I have a couple of shootin' buds who have the Bersa .380's and they really like them!

 

[cosmonick]

1) Ruger MK II
2) 1911 of your choice in 45ACP
3) A high-cap polymer pistol - Glock, Springfield XD, ect - in 9mm or 40
4) A smaller version of #3 for CCW that hopefully accepts the same mags
5) Single Action Revolver in 357, 45 LC or 44 mag
6) Double Action Revolver - I prefer Smith & Wesson - in 357/38spc

And if you figure a way to add #7, maybe an AR pistol ....

Mo

 

[MrChicken]

1. 1911, any high quality model. Add a 22lr conversion kit for plinking.
2. Glock in 357sig/40S&W with interchangable barrels.
3. 6" 357 revo
4. Uber caliber revo, scoped, just because you need something to wow the natives, or for when that rogue circus elephant comes crashing into your living room.

Leave 2 choices open for future guns that will come along.

 

[milcaztra]

1. .45 ACP 1911. Ed Brown, STI, Colt, Kimber, or Springfield.

2. .22 Ruger semi-auto

3. 9mm Glock 19

4. .357 4" S&W 686 or Ruger GP100

5. .357 2" S&W J-frame

6. .40 Sig P226ST, 9mm Hk P7M13, or .9mm CZ 75 SP-01

 

[Ala Dan]

Browning BuckMark Classic with 5.5" barrel .22 LR

Smith & Wesson 6" 686-5 .357 Magnum

Kimber Raptor II .45 ACP

SIG-SAUER P220A .45 ACP

SIG-SAUER P228 9m/m

Springfield WW-II G.I. .45 ACP

If CCW is permitted, then substitute a 2" barrel J-frame Smith & Wesson
.38 Special such as a model 37, 637, or 642 for the Springer!

 

[Vitamin G]

I'm also biased... I would personally pick...

1) Kimber TLE (Got it)
2) Colt Delta Elite (Got it) (Or something else 1911 pattern in 10mm)
3) Browning Hi Power (Got it) (Or something 1911 pattern, in 9mm)
4) Ruger Mark II (got it) (or other .22 pistol for cheap practice)
5) Rohrbach 9mm (Wishing, since price is an issue for me. I have a keltec instead)
6) Gun of the month


Edit - Gun #6 = Bushmaster AR pistol!

 

[Preacherman]

Six handguns only? Well, you'll have to define your needs fairly carefully. I'd go for the following:

1. A primary defensive handgun. This should be one suitable for carry and concealment, and powerful enough to do the job, but also one you can handle in fast, accurate fire. My own choice is a Glock 23 in .40 S&W or a SIG P220 in .45 ACP.

2. A second copy of (1) above. This is so that if your primary weapon requires servicing, or you want to send it away for re-finishing, you have a backup available.

Next, assuming you've chosen a pistol rather than a revolver above, get a .22LR upper for your chosen pistol (they're easy to get for some guns, but unavailable for others, so this might guide your selection process). This gives you the ability to train without worrying about ammo costs, using the same grip, trigger pull, etc. that you use on your primary defensive weapon. Some uppers (e.g. the Advantage Arms service upper for Glocks) even allow you to fit the same sights to your .22LR upper as you have on your main-caliber upper, which is a big help for training purposes.

3. A good .22LR pistol or revolver for target practice, plinking, teaching others how to shoot, etc. This can be small and light for use as a "kit gun", or larger and heavier for more range-oriented pursuits. If your primary gun in (1) and (2) above is a revolver, get as close to a duplicate of that revolver as you can in .22LR, for training purposes.

4. A good snubnose revolver in .38 Special for pocket carry and deep concealment. I recommend the Centennial-style revolvers without an exposed hammer for pocket carry.

For the last two handguns, I'd select them based on what you've already chosen. If you don't already have a revolver in .357 Magnum caliber, by all means get one: it'll shoot .38 Special and .357 Magnum ammo interchangeably, and everyone should have one of these. Great for training, trigger control, etc. If you're in territory where you might have to face predatory animals, consider a (carryable) .44 Magnum revolver. If you do a lot of car travel, and would like to have a gun permanently in the car, consider something suitable for that purpose (the .357 Magnum revolver would do nicely, although you don't want an expensive gun for this purpose - it's too easy to steal out of a car!). You'll have to decide for yourself, based on how and where you're living.

 

[The Viking]

Thanks everybody
Vern, Black Majic, cosmonick and everyone else suggesting a carry gun, thanks for the advice, but CCW is illegal here, unless you are concidered a VIP so carryguns aren't really priority #1. Thanks anyway

lee n. field: Yeah, I think we can get Makarovs, we are not that far from the former Soviet Union but seriously, I've heard that the police are often reluctant give you a license for a gun that is easily concelable, but Maks are quite big and heavy arent they? Ammo will probably be a problem to get here though. Especially where I live.

Cosmonick, getting more than six guns are possible, and if I lived under the old rules, I would get as many as possible, but since our Oh-so-benevolent government has decided that it wants fewer handguns around, the rules are quite tricky. I would cry if I got a handgun that I couldn't keep because they wouldn't renew my license.

Preacherman: Carrying in your car is unfortunatly illegal here. All firearms that are not in use are to be locked up. Which is stupid, since it defeats their purpose Guess my life doesn't mean much for those who rule I want to see the primeminister go outside without his bodyguards, or travel without his armored car Luckily, this isn't bear country, or any predatory-animal country either. The most dangerous critters around here are foxes ( If you are a cat), or dogs that walk around freely. Fortunatly, the big bully of a dog that bullied our dog is dead now.

 

[Gunsnrovers]

What is the market like for used handguns in your area?

How do US guns compare in price to European ones? Sig, CZ, FN, ect. versus Ruger, S&W, Colt, etc?

I'd say a pair of your each of your favorite two and two for fun/plinking/casual stuff.

If I had to pick six and only six, I would own:

2 x 1911's
2 x BHP's
1 x S&W M24
1 x S&W M&P/M10/M15

If I was more Eurocentric, I'd own:

2 x FN HP's
2 x Sig 225's
1 x CZ 75
1 x Sig 220

I hate having to limit my choices.

 

[Quickdraw Limpsalot]

Six handguns, huh?

Browning Buckmark .22
Ruger Single Six .22
Ruger SP-101 .357
Ruger Super Blackhawk 10.5" .44
Ruger Super Redhawk .480
Springfield XD 9mm

[edit] I just saw your post above about no CCW. I hereby change "Ruger SP-101" to Ruger GP-100... still .357

 

[The Viking]

What is the market like for used handguns in your area?

Dunno really, can check it out.

How do US guns compare in price to European ones? Sig, CZ, FN, ect. versus Ruger, S&W, Colt, etc?

Dont know about that either.

I'd say a pair of your each of your favorite two and two for fun/plinking/casual stuff.

This gets tricky. Its hard to get duplicates. Its hard to get two handguns in the same caliber.