daniel craig
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The one you can shoot the best. Go to a range, rent and shoot some, whichever you’re best at shooting is the one for you. Carrying it is simply a matter of adjusting your wardrobe.
Underrated EDC handguns?
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WisBorn
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And with all the great carry guns out there you can pick the gun that fits your attire, or your primary wardrobe. A j frame or small 9mm can work well with most clothing. A little 380 is my choice in the sticky summer months. I practice with what I carry so it is second nature.
So... Underrated. Hmm.
This would be non frontline or traditional choices.
I would say, lcr 22 or other snub 22lrs. Usually 8 shots, easy to carry lightweight no recoil carry plenty of reloads in speed strips.
Cheap practice mostly available ammo even now. Luckygunner tests to show which rounds penetrate 13 plus inches.
Quickly cylinder dump COM/ head /face /neck region. Likely effective.
Anything in 327 cal.
The old 380 blow backs are not top choice, but good luck finding anything to put in the mags!
Bond arms 2 shot 410 derringers. 410 buck will put four 36 caliber balls through a person. Not a common choice or best choice, but it'll put someone down.
Due to circumstances, I ended up a few months ago carrying a Ruger wrangler in a large coat pocket. Most rounds from a 4 inch barrel will have decent penetration.
Kel tec, skyy (vodka or cheap compact but 9mm is scarce).
Naa minis seem to be around at lgs. Definitely easy to have with you.
Anything in 32.got the job done for a long time for folks in the early 1900s..
This would be non frontline or traditional choices.
I would say, lcr 22 or other snub 22lrs. Usually 8 shots, easy to carry lightweight no recoil carry plenty of reloads in speed strips.
Cheap practice mostly available ammo even now. Luckygunner tests to show which rounds penetrate 13 plus inches.
Quickly cylinder dump COM/ head /face /neck region. Likely effective.
Anything in 327 cal.
The old 380 blow backs are not top choice, but good luck finding anything to put in the mags!
Bond arms 2 shot 410 derringers. 410 buck will put four 36 caliber balls through a person. Not a common choice or best choice, but it'll put someone down.
Due to circumstances, I ended up a few months ago carrying a Ruger wrangler in a large coat pocket. Most rounds from a 4 inch barrel will have decent penetration.
Kel tec, skyy (vodka or cheap compact but 9mm is scarce).
Naa minis seem to be around at lgs. Definitely easy to have with you.
Anything in 32.got the job done for a long time for folks in the early 1900s..
Mr. Mosin
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Nothing wrong with a Ruger Wrangler. I'd rather carry it than a NAA miniature novelty.
Buckeye63
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Others have mentioned Hipoints .. I agree the C9’s
work .. I used to be able to find used ones at local Pawnshops for $75-$100 OTD .. I purchased a nice S&W 64 and with some haggling , I talked him in throwing in a rough Hipoint C9 .. it had road rash , front sight missing and one nasty mag .. Im sure it had a history.... after I got it home I discovered the slide was extremely hard to pull back ...
I called Hipoint and told me to send it in .. I did .. 2 weeks later I had a new Hipoint delivered.. it had the same serial number plate ... absolutely new .. 3 new magazines ...
absolutely the best customer service
The pistol was accurate,, and was my barn and chore gun for a decade ... ran alot of ammo through it .. I gave it to my brother.. it rides underneath his Jeep seat loaded with UW +P ammo ...
work .. I used to be able to find used ones at local Pawnshops for $75-$100 OTD .. I purchased a nice S&W 64 and with some haggling , I talked him in throwing in a rough Hipoint C9 .. it had road rash , front sight missing and one nasty mag .. Im sure it had a history.... after I got it home I discovered the slide was extremely hard to pull back ...
I called Hipoint and told me to send it in .. I did .. 2 weeks later I had a new Hipoint delivered.. it had the same serial number plate ... absolutely new .. 3 new magazines ...
absolutely the best customer service
The pistol was accurate,, and was my barn and chore gun for a decade ... ran alot of ammo through it .. I gave it to my brother.. it rides underneath his Jeep seat loaded with UW +P ammo ...
I do not really understand the question. We can establish objective measures of merit for effectiveness--penetration and expanded diameter would b e the simple ones. We could add how well various populations of shooters do in terms of rapidity of controlled fire.
What does "underrated" mean? That a firearm has, sometimes, exceeded expectations?
Why would they be considered "underrated"? Can they perform better than they are generally rated?
Age is not the issue. The terminal ballistics fall far below those of any rounds responsibly recommended for defensive carry today.
If it were all I had, I would have to hope for the best.
MedWheeler
Member
I took the question to refer to guns not typically recommended by more-knowledgeable shooters for defense, but are regarded by most to still be potentially able to "get the job done." For example, most of those making such a recommendation would "rate" a J-frame .38 higher than they would a Ruger Bearcat for EDC duty, though the new carrier might only be able to source the Bearcat at the moment.
I don't know how many of the respondents in the four-plus pages following the question read it differently. Maybe I misinterpreted it.
I don't know how many of the respondents in the four-plus pages following the question read it differently. Maybe I misinterpreted it.
bc38
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Everything but the latest and greatest tuperware high cap. wonder nine with all the bells and whistles. You know the one that all the cool kids have, as they tell us that unless we have the same we just aint serious about self defense. How much is your life worth anyway? Never mind paying your bills, taking care of your family, being able to protect yourself now ( Not 3 years later buy saving on a cup of coffee a day) you just have to spend/buy X.
JR24
Member
Everything but the latest and greatest tuperware high cap. wonder nine with all the bells and whistles. You know the one that all the cool kids have, as they tell us that unless we have the same we just aint serious about self defense. How much is your life worth anyway? Never mind paying your bills, taking care of your family, being able to protect yourself now ( Not 3 years later buy saving on a cup of coffee a day) you just have to spend/buy X.
A nice trends is the new tactical wonder 9s, the micro high caps, are actually lower price than many of the full/compact size. So that's nice.
If/when things settle some, might even find that outdated Shield 1.0 for some obscenely low prices, might just pick one up finally.
Mr. Mosin
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Apparently my earlier post was useless. So, let's try again. Single Action revolvers of the Colt '73 pattern. Easy to use and operate, easy to maintain, and generally chambered in man stopping calibers. Easily capable of accuracy, reliable and durable.
If we look up the meaning of "under rated", we find that it means "valued too low".
I should thing that that would lead us to a list of low priced bu sufficiently effective pistols, most likely semi autos.
Revolvers usually sell for more. So do the "prestige" semiautos.
Most people would agree that an M&P Shield will do the job. Is it undervalued at $369?
That's were personal opinion comes in.
I should thing that that would lead us to a list of low priced bu sufficiently effective pistols, most likely semi autos.
Revolvers usually sell for more. So do the "prestige" semiautos.
Most people would agree that an M&P Shield will do the job. Is it undervalued at $369?
That's were personal opinion comes in.
chicharrones
needs more ammo
Makes sense to me.
Likely underrated/undervalued to most double action revolver users or semi-auto pistol users.
Highly rated/valued to those capable of firing the first cylinder full accurately and quickly.
JR24
Member
Indeed. No question effective and accurate. Personally I'd underrate them because having to train, and have presence of mind to consistently thumb back the hammer under stress is certainly a challenge.
It's why I went with a double action .44 mag when I picked a sidearm for the field in AK (in some impressively sized coastal Brown bear country) instead of a SAA style I'd have preferred.
Now that I'm back in the lower 48, all magnums are single action.
Armybrat
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MedWheeler
Member
bc38 writes:
Kleanbore writes:
Yep. As I've said here before, there are a LOT of folks who will tell someone they have to wait and save up for "something better" or a "real gun", even if it takes six months, but those same people won't walk out the front door tomorrow unarmed.
Kleanbore writes:
Yep. As I've said here before, there are a LOT of folks who will tell someone they have to wait and save up for "something better" or a "real gun", even if it takes six months, but those same people won't walk out the front door tomorrow unarmed.
irishlad
Contributing Member
That's what I carry.
Yes these are all Rugers, and while I am not a "fanboy" I do like that their CS is there if I ever needed it, which I have not except once, for a barrel nut on a AR223. Having said that, there are other similar guns from other manufacturers, S&W, Taurus, etc I just happen to own the ones below.
3 under rated choices? i.e. they are not the newest and greatest 9MMs
Original Ruger LCP (I have not shot the LCP II) .380, I think everyone should own one of these - It fits in a front jeans pocket or a jacket pocket easy. They are not too bad to shoot, but, can be a little snappy, not super hard to rack, and it is one you can always take with you (assuming you have a CCW of course). I have never been able to find an excuse to not carry the LCP, I can't say the same for many of my other guns. If I need something to take with me when I go to church, or to someplace where I dont want any chance of accidently flashing a gun, the lcp goes in a pocket. Also a good BUG if you are so inclined.
Ruger LCR (or LCRx) .22mag snub nose revolver. The only negatives of the little .22mag LCR are 6 shots and the trigger pull is a little bit heavy (because it's a rimfire I was told) if I had it to do over again, it would have been an SA/DA like my LCRx in .38 so you could shoot it single action if desired.
I can agree +P rounds in a 38 snub can make you not want to practice a whole bunch, my wife could only get through a couple cylinders before she needed a break, due to carpal tunnel. I can shoot a box, maybe 2 before I want to put it down. I figure if this is what I am carrying I am only likely to get 5 out anyway, or maybe 5 and a reload most likely wont feel that with the adrenaline, but it does affect practice time. I like to carry these either OWB in a leather holster at 3:00 or 3:30 or they are nice in a nylon shoulder rig.
For those that want a .22 semi - the SR22 is great, the only negative for me is the backwards safety, this is what has relegated it to a range gun at our house. Sure you could get used to it, but why take the chance, and for a little more money you could be carrying a Glock, shield, or sig p238 that is roughly the same size and shoots a .380.
Just my opinion - yours may be different.
Oh, BTW, as I was typing this, I realized I do have quite a few rugers, no, they are not my only guns, but, maybe I am a little bit of a fanboy
d
3 under rated choices? i.e. they are not the newest and greatest 9MMs
Original Ruger LCP (I have not shot the LCP II) .380, I think everyone should own one of these - It fits in a front jeans pocket or a jacket pocket easy. They are not too bad to shoot, but, can be a little snappy, not super hard to rack, and it is one you can always take with you (assuming you have a CCW of course). I have never been able to find an excuse to not carry the LCP, I can't say the same for many of my other guns. If I need something to take with me when I go to church, or to someplace where I dont want any chance of accidently flashing a gun, the lcp goes in a pocket. Also a good BUG if you are so inclined.
Ruger LCR (or LCRx) .22mag snub nose revolver. The only negatives of the little .22mag LCR are 6 shots and the trigger pull is a little bit heavy (because it's a rimfire I was told) if I had it to do over again, it would have been an SA/DA like my LCRx in .38 so you could shoot it single action if desired.
I can agree +P rounds in a 38 snub can make you not want to practice a whole bunch, my wife could only get through a couple cylinders before she needed a break, due to carpal tunnel. I can shoot a box, maybe 2 before I want to put it down. I figure if this is what I am carrying I am only likely to get 5 out anyway, or maybe 5 and a reload most likely wont feel that with the adrenaline, but it does affect practice time. I like to carry these either OWB in a leather holster at 3:00 or 3:30 or they are nice in a nylon shoulder rig.
For those that want a .22 semi - the SR22 is great, the only negative for me is the backwards safety, this is what has relegated it to a range gun at our house. Sure you could get used to it, but why take the chance, and for a little more money you could be carrying a Glock, shield, or sig p238 that is roughly the same size and shoots a .380.
Just my opinion - yours may be different.
Oh, BTW, as I was typing this, I realized I do have quite a few rugers, no, they are not my only guns, but, maybe I am a little bit of a fanboy
d
Buckeye63
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Big ole fat bullets at moderate velocity and low pressure.. gets it done ... and the Charter puts it in a compact package
One pistol I haven’t seen mentioned is the Hungarian FEG PA-63. It’s a Walther PP clone in 9x18. The example I have is nicely done, has been absolutely reliable and cost about $150 back when a number of them were coming in. The biggest drawback is lack of spare magazines.
EMC45
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And if it wasn't already brought up, any of the Makarovs. They are a bit on the large and heavy side, but it is a very reliable design and 9x18 is a good round.
Solid shooting right there.
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