Six handguns only - What would YOU pick?

[1911Tuner]

Watch Six

One pre A1 Colt (Commercial or USGI)
One Remington Rand
One Union Switch & Signal
One Singer
Two Ithacas...one to carry and one to shoot.

I'd also like to have a Model 13 Smith...3-inch, round butt, but I'm limited to 6.

 

[XMP]

5 1911s: one in 9mm, one Commander-sized and 4 .45 5" (preferably including a Springfiled Pro and series 70 Colts).

1 S&W 686 because you have to have one revovler and this is the most versatile.

Best part: I do in fact have all these and more

 

[kevin387]

unarmed shooter, great post

You have gotten a ton of responses and it would definetly be hard to choose but I have shot a fair bit and I'll tell you what I would get if knowing what I now know and limited to six and going with your probable intended uses. In no particular order I would probably end up with the following:

Ruger MKII 5 1/2 bull barrel stainless
Sig P220ST
Ruger GP-100 .357 stainless 4" barrell
Thompson Encore, maybe Contender if I didn't want to shoot the punishing stuff
Baretta 92FS
Kahr K-40

I would also want a Ruger Super Redhawk in 44 but am not sure which I would replace if any.

They are all different calibers and cover the spectrum from fun plinking, CCW (NA), hunting (NA), personal defense and a variety of shooting sports except SASS in which case I would swap out the Baretta or Sig for a new Ruger Vaquero.

 

[Surefire]

My choices:

Sig P239 9mm
Sig P220 ST .45 ACP
Ruger Single-Six .22 LR (cheap shooting)
S&W 686+ 4" .357 Magnum
Ruger GP 100 6" .357 magnum
Ruger Redhawk .44 magnum

 

[.44walkersabot]

Three (3) Colt Walker .44's.
Three (3) Colt 1849 Pocket .31's with four (4) inch barrels..

 

[Just Jim]

Early Kimber 1911 (and their 22 conversion kit)
Pre Lock 4 inch Model 29
Colt 22 Diamondback
Browning High Power
K38 (mod 14) Smith&Wesson
Cot SAA with 4and 3/4 barrell in 45colt

jim

 

[XD-40 Shooter]

My choices :

1) Ruger 22/45
2) Taurus Tracker 357 mag 4" ( Some people poo-poo Taurus, mine has been awesome).
3) SA-XD40 4"
4) Ruger Redhawk 44 mag 4"
5) Even though I'm not a huge fan of 45 ACP, a good 1911 would be nice.
6) Kel-Tec PF-9 for concealed carry.

 

[Silvanus]

Glock 17*
S&W 66 4"* (or 19 4"*, that would be a tough decision...)
Sig Sauer P220
S&W 60* or Glock 26
Browning HP*
A good .22 semi-auto (I like my Sig Mosquito*, but it's only reliable with 2 brands of ammo out of more than 10 I tried)
S&W DA .44 or .45Colt revolver



Those marked with * I already own.

 

[tnieto2004]

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

That sounds like a good list .. I would do something like that

 

[lev83]

S&W Model 41 .22 LR
S&W Model 66
Colt 1911 Gold Cup S70 National Match
Colt 1911 Gold Cup Trophy S80
Colt 1911 XSE Combat Commander
Colt Diamondback

 

[1man]

For me, it would be the following;

1. S&W 640(.38 special only)

2. HK USP45 Tactical(full-size or Compact-perfered)

3. 1911(Wilson CQB or Springfield Loaded) w/ rails for tac-light

4. Glock 19 9mm with a 22LR kit

5. S&W 4"bbl 686-4and older(firing pin must be on the hammer instead of frame-mounted and must be 6-shot because the speedloader are more available)

6. S&W 6"bbl 629-4and older(firing pin must be on the hammer instead of frame-mounted and must be 6-shot because the speedloader are more available)

 

[possum]

my picks are
springfield xd service model, your caliber choice
springfield xd sc, your caliber choice
springfield 1911 your choice but i like the operator and the loaded models.
glock 19
s&w model 19 if you can get one if not a good .357 revolver,
H&k usp in .40

 

[Magnum.35744]

The Viking...

Here are my choices if money weren't an issue (of course).

1. Smith and Wesson 686 Plus .357 Magnum 4” Inch Barrel
2. Ruger GP100 .357 Magnum SS 6” Inch Barrel
3. Smith and Wesson PC 629 Special Hunter SS 6” Inch Barrel
4. Taurus Raging Bull .454 Casull SS 5” Inch Barrel
5. Desert Eagle .50 AE Brushed Chrome 6” Inch Barrel
6. Walther PPK .380 ACP 3” Inch Barrel

And just one more....I would also put down for a Smith And Wesson .500 Magnum SS with a 4" or 8 3-8" Inch Barrel . There you have it .

Take care, and good luck.

P.S. I guess you could say I like the big-bore handguns!!!

 

[Shawnee]

Ruger Super-Single 6 6.5" (.22/,22 Mag
S&W 41 5" (.22)
Remington 1875 "Outlaw" 7.5"(.357/38 Special)
Ruger Super Blackhawk 7.5" (.44 Mag.)
Colt M1911 Series 70 Gold Cup (.45 Auto)
Encore 15" (.243 Win.) Stainless w/scope

 

[6_gunner]

I would want something big and powerful enough for a service pistol or for home defense, something small enough for concealed carry in any situation, and a .22 for plinking. All of them would be in widely-available calibers; preferably, some should use interchangeable ammunition.
Here are my picks:

1) Smith and Wesson 1917
2) Colt 1911
3) Browning HiPower
4) Smith and Wesson model 10
5) Colt 1903 or maybe a snubby .38 (for concealed carry)
6) Ruger mkII

 

[Bad Company]

if I could only have 6 handguns for the rest of my life...

1. glock 34 (9mm longslide) for competition
2. glock 26 (9mm sub-compact) for regular use CCW
3. kahr pm9 for deep concelement
4. 5" .44 magnum for wilderness defense and general big bore fun
5. Browning Buckmark .22, ruger Mark III, or a walther p22 for plinking and training
6. a nice 1911 to fit the budget

(any of the 9mm pistols could be replaced with the same model in .40 (my favorite caliber, and what I carry) but 9mm is so cheap it's what I'm transitioning to myself.

 

[Deadheadted37]

1) S&W 629 .44 mag
2) Springfield XD9
3) Beretta 92s
4) Ruger GP-100 4" .357/.38
5) Bersa Thunder .380
6) Springfield 1911A1

 

[Gustav]

As a historical collection six centerfire pistols would be as follows

1873 SAA Colt .45 either 7 1/2" or better IMO a 4 3/4" barrel

1896 Mauser Broomhandle with shoulder stock and cleaning kit & harness

P-08 Luger 9mm dated pre 1914

Colt 1911 Pre WW I US Navy markings preferred

P-35 Belgian Pre WW II made High Power

Finnish L-35 Lahti 9mm


As a working collection six centerfire pistols would be as follows

S&W 629 4 inch .44 magnum as a backup or hunting pistol and as a trail gun for come what may.

S&W 66 or Ruger Security Six .357 magnum in stainless with a 4 inch barrel for small to medium critters and plinking

Sig 229R CT laser grips in .40 S&W with .357 Sig and 9mm barrels belt holster wear and a CCW piece also a good home defense pistol for just in case.

Colt Commander .45 ACP Satin Nickel (my baby) with .22 conversion kit

Thompson Center Stainless with barrels in .17HMR .22LR .223 .30-30 .44 magnum .45LC/410 and for big beasts if only using a handgun for hunting a .45-70, if you can't do it with these calibers it does not need to be done.
Its the Swiss Army knife of handguns.

Glock 23 with .22 conversion kit and 9mm barrel slide and parts.
Lightweight workhorse does not care about rain mud sand or salt water or hard use as its a combat tupperware bic meant to be used and not just looked at.
Great for CCW or as a backup with similar weight to a steel frame .38 snubbie with 13 plus rounds instead of 5 or 6 but in a smoother package.


Add one of two rimfires a S&W 63 4" kit gun or a Ruger MK II stainless .22 and make it a bakers dozen.

 

[Checkman]

Well it's been over two years since I contributed to this thread and I've changed my mind. Somewhat.

1) A (modern) 9mm handgun. Sig, Glock, H&K, Beretta, Walther, Ruger etc.
2) A good .357 magnum revolver either with a 4" or a 6" barrel. S&W or Ruger.
3) A 22 caliber Browning Buckmark.
4) The S&W Model 17 22 caliber revolver with the 6" barrel.
5) The S&W Model 649 Bodyguard in 357 magnum.
6) The Webley MK VI revolver because it's cool.

*I still like 45 acp but the recent ammo price increases and the shortage of 45 has turned me toward 9mm. More plentiful and more affordable.

 

[novaDAK]

I own 8 handguns currently, 6 of them are Ruger autos. I'm just a ruger nut

 

[lee n. field]

The problem I have is that I can get only six handguns without going through walls of red tape.

Six. Hmm. I'd tend to go for classics myself.

Ruger Mark I, II or III. .22 for target or plinking.

A classic S&W wheelgun, in .38 Special or .357 Magnum.

A 1911 pattern .45. The closest thing to an "open source" handgun. Parts are abundantly available from any number of vendors. Magazines are inexpensive. .45 ACP is easy to handload. My choice would be, probably, a Springfield Mil Spec. Customize as desired.

Maybe a Glock or equivalent plastic Wundernine.

That's it. You don't need any more than that.

 

[geo815]

2 S&W 629 Classic 5 3/4"
2 S&W Model 19 or 686
2 Glock 27

 

[john1911]

1. Quality 1911. I shoot a Kimber.
2. 357 magnum revolver. S&W or Ruger.
3. 22 revolver or semi.
4. Big bore single action (.41, .44 or .45).
5. 9mm. I like the XD.
6. A duplicate of one of the above.

 

[colubrid]

EVERYONE SHOULD HAVE THESE CALIBERS:

full size 1911 (.45 auto)
Glock 19 (9mm)
J-frame S&W (.38 special)
N-frame S&W (.44 magnum)
Ruger - MkII or 22/45 (22's)

 

[Ninja42]

Are you absolutely sure that you can get smaller pistols that are obivously not intended for competition use? Until very recently I thought that I could do the same thing here in Denmark, but aparently guns that meassure less than 210mm in length are considered 'dangerously concealable', and are therefore not considered safe enough for civilian ownership. The gunsmith who sold (and 'upgraded' my CZ75 with a slightly longer and more 'safe' barrel) told me that it was an EU law, and in that case it will affect you too.

Someone somewhere in this thread stated that The Viking probably wasent interested in CCW size weapons, as he couldnt carry concealed legally, but I say go for it if you can! The S is as likely to hit the F here in Europe as it is anywhere else, and should it happen we will definately need a defensive handgun that can be held out of sight until the right moment!*

Other than that, here is what I would get:

1) A full size 9mm with high capacity mags. I chose a CZ75b for this role, and I love it! You may also want to stock up on high cap mags before the EU legislators find out about the limited capacity 10 round mags avaliable in the US.
2) A .22 LR pistol. Because inexpensive training equals more training.
3) A .38/.357 mag revolver. It lets you keep the brass when you shoot, which is a nice thing. I would choose a 4" for versatility.
4) A CCW gun. By all means, prepare for the worst. It may not seem that useful right now, but look at where we are heading and imagine how this part of the world looks in 10-12 years. If your migration-to-the-US plan fails, you will most likely need it.
5) A rifle, preferably semi-auto if you can get one. We can buy the Ruger mini series over here though we can only get 5-round mags, but it is still VERY supirior to a pistol when it comes to defence, and legal for hunting which is a good thing. Get a caliber that can knock down a moose
6) A shotgun. Preferably a pump or semi if there is no limit on your mag size, but if you also suffer under a law that limits your maximum mag capacity to 1, you might as well get a good O/U or a S/S.

* Discalimer: I do not suggest The Viking to carry his gun illegally. Hiding a weapon out of sight can still be useful, even if we dont carry our guns in public where such a thing would be illegal. Always abide by the laws of your society, no matter if you agree with them or not.

EDIT: About 4), you might be able to get a Makarov PM or a PPK, if you can convince your local law enforcement that you are interested in world history. In theory the police can give you a permit to own a 'historically significant' weapon if you can document such an interest.