What would your priorities be if you could only have one handgun?

[showmebob]

I've been thinking about the subject for some time now and it would be a very tough choice for me to make. So, I thought I'd see what all on the High Road have to say on the subject.

The title says it all. What would be the deciding factors for you and in what order of importantance?

woods carry protection?
hunting?
concealed carry?
competition?
range fun?
home defense?

Would your choice be influenced by:

Where you live?
Where you work?
Where you camp?
Where you hunt?
Where your travels take you?
What competition you enjoy?
Caliber?
Ammo cost?

 

[Coyote3855]

Starting the second thousand threads on this topic. I can't envision a scenario where I could/would have only one handgun. You missed a major factor. Can I have other firearms? My choice would be influenced greatly by whether or not I could have multiple rifles and shotguns, but only one handgun. If I had a .22 rifle, a .30-06 bolt action, and a pump 12 gage, I'd probably go with my Ruger Speed Six as my handgun.

 

[Robert]

Howda Pistol. That way all my bases are covered.

 

[wow6599]

3" Ruger SP101 in .357 Magnum........covers all the bases.

 

[matrem]

3" Ruger SP101 in .357 Magnum........covers all the bases.

"bout as good a choice as there is.."
Short of the 46 magnum super sub sub compact that smithspring & glockenfield just came out with.... That SP 101 is the best.

 

[showmebob]

Thank you for the replies but I'm not at all interested in which gun you would choose. Just what the original post ask:


What would be the deciding factors for you and in what order of importance?

woods carry protection?
hunting?
concealed carry?
competition?
range fun?
home defense?

Would your choice be influenced by:

Where you live?
Where you work?
Where you camp?
Where you hunt?
Where your travels take you?
What competition you enjoy?
Caliber?
Ammo cost?

 

[GRIZ22]

A 4" 357 GP100 or L frame Smith does it all AFAIC.

 

[beeenbag]

My choice would be based on trying to find a middle ground somewhere on concealed carry, home defense, and with enough firepower to be comfortable with in the woods in my area. I know your not interested but it would be my m&p 45c.

 

[Bobson]

My priorities would be, in order:

1. Concealed Carry
2. Competition (fun)
3. Home Defense
4. Range Fun

My choice (in firearm, I assume) would only be influenced by capacity and caliber. Other than those two criteria, it would be basics like aesthetics, natural point, how well I shoot it, etc. Where I live/hunt/work/camp/vacation wouldn't come into it at all. I'm confused how they would for anybody...

Anyway, you didn't ask for it; almost explicitly asked for it to not be included, but everyone else did... my ideal, based on all this, is either the G19 or G23; either way. I have no preference between the two.

 

[HDCamel]

1: Range fun
2: Home/personal defense

I really couldn't care less about anything else listed.

A Dan Wesson Revolver (any caliber really) with a full set of barrels will literally do anything you need it to.

 

[Devonai]

After much experience, if I had to choose one pistol, the two most important factors would be capacity and concealment. I have open carried the M9 extensively on duty, and a wide variety of other pistols concealed. If I could carry the M9/92FS concealed all day, comfortably, I would.

Since I can't, I have tried others. A polymer-framed, compact pistol in 9x19mm or .40 S&W is the best compromise between comfort, capacity, and caliber. I have carried both my Beretta PX4 .40 and my S&W 3913 concealed for hundreds of hours, making my choice by the weather or environment. Basically, in warmer weather, or in areas with a lower threat assessment (totally subjective, of course), I opted for the 3913.

However, if you're going to limit me to one, I'll take the PX4. 14+1 rounds available, and spare mags, in any case, can be secured on or off body. A Glock 19/23/32 or similar pistol would serve the same purpose.

 

[Jim Watson]

if you could only have one handgun?

Why is this such a frequent question on the internet?
Are you on a small budget?
Have a domineering spouse?
Geeking for Sarah Brady?

 

[danez71]

The title says it all. What would be the deciding factors for you and in what order of importantance?

woods carry protection?
hunting?
concealed carry?
competition?
range fun?
home defense?

Would your choice be influenced by:

Where you live?
Where you work?
Where you camp?
Where you hunt?
Where your travels take you?
What competition you enjoy?
Caliber?
Ammo cost?

I'll take a stab at this in the spirit of the OP the best I can.

IMO, woods carry protection, concealed carry and home defense all fall into one catagory. YMMV but that me so there is a 3 way tie.

woods carry protection? 1
hunting? 3 - But thats what my rifle if for.
concealed carry? 1
competition? 4 IF I only get one, I'm not going to shoot thousands of rounds for the sake of bragging rights and a shiney trophy.
range fun? 2 - Gotta practice
home defense? 1

Would your choice be influenced by:

Where you live?
Where you work?
Where you camp?
Where you hunt?
Where your travels take you? Yes, My travels can take me anywhere in the USA. As such, things like laws, game, animal preditors ect will change. Therefor, all 4 things above would play a part.
What competition you enjoy? Nope. Again, IF I only get one, I'm not using it for competition for bragging right and a trophy.
Caliber? Yes
Ammo cost? Yes

Also.... Ammo availability.

 

[JEB]

m priorities would be as follows:

1- concealed carry
2- hunting
3- competition

carry had to be listed first because for me, it is the largest limiting factor; i need something small enough that i can carry it all the time. next is hunting, gotta be powerful enough to be legal for deer. finally, it needs to meet certain specifacations to be allowed in the IDPA type competition i am involved in. (btw, my choice would be a 4" stainless .357 magnum. probably a gp100)

 

[PabloJ]

I have three firearms, but before the fall there will only be one left. Glock 29SF.....Kool-Aid, OH YEH! Luv 180grs at about 1100fps as it makes the gun pleasant to shoot not unlike .45ACP with standard loads. The cost of ammo is of no concern to me.

 

[T Bran]

You left one out ammo compatability.

In other words I want my rifle and pistol to share the same cartridge whatever that may be.

 

[Bobson]

I want my rifle and pistol to share the same cartridge whatever that may be.

That could be fairly easily accomplished with most any pistol caliber.

Between small-caliber AR uppers, carbines like the HK USC or MP5, Mech Tech carbines for Glocks and 1911s, and lever action rifles in classic "cowboy" calibers, nearly innumerable handgun calibers could be had in a fully functional carbine.

 

[RBid]

Concealed carry, home defense, range fun. In that order.

 

[DefiantDad]

Guns mean nothing without ammo.

So, ammo availability would be my the prime consideration. (In your list, I think you used the word "caliber" for this).

Then when that is answered, all the other criteria fall into place, based on how you want to use it (e.g., concealed or not, how heavy, etc.).

(BTW some of your other questions, such as where you live, work, etc. could be major factors in ammo availability).

Having said that, SECOND priority (at least for me) would be reliability. Gun with ammo is dangerous if unreliable. Gun without ammo is useless.

(It also follows that a gun not on you when you need one is useless too, even if it has ammo and is reliable ;-)

 

[Mikefln]

When choosing the purpose for the handgun I would rank it:
1) Conceal Carry and Home defense: is top priority to me for obvious reasons.
2) Range Fun/ practice: I enjoy shooting and without practice my skills wouldn't be sharp enough.
3) Woods carry: I do like to go hiking and fishing in W. PA but I don't do it as often as I did, but my 5 yo son is starting to take more interest in both so this might become number 2 in a year or so.
4) Where I live/Travel: I live in PA and there are no outrageous restrictions on the type of handgun I can own. I take a few vacations a year and to the best of my knowledge the states I generally visit do not have restrictions on what type of handgun, mag limits, safety features, etc that I would need to consider. Now if I lived in Mass. or California or visited those places a lot then this might change my answer, but doubtful since I think my other considerations would have me picking a weapon that would be on their list.

As far as the other choices:
I do not hunt but if I did it would be with either a rifle or a shotgun.
I no longer do competitions as I need to go shooting on my time not the next scheduled match. Maybe when my son gets older I will start competition again.

When choosing what I would need as far as criteria in choosing the handgun to meet my purpose I would rank it:
1) Reliability: If the gun doesn't work nothing else matters
2) Ammo availability/cost: .41 mag is a great round, but not available in great supply nor cheap. 9mm/.38 special is highly available and inexpensive.
3) Caliber: yes shot placement is critical with that said I would rather use a .38 spl, 9mm, 40 s&w 45 acp or a 357 mag over a 22, 25, 32, 380, etc.
4) Parts availability/warranty: in a way this goes hand and hand with reliability, but even the best manufactures of any product let some lemons out some times. I want to know that parts are readily available for that gun and I want to know that the company will stand behind their product and fix it if the needs arise.
5) Holster option: I use to be a big Beretta 92 fan, and I had multiple Vertecs with the tac rail. Back then hardly anybody made a holster for the 92 with a tac rail. I was hard to find a OWB let alone a IWB. So Holster selection would be something I would definitely consider
6)Handling: Many might rank this higher the reason why I wouldn't is I feel I could find something that works with all the other criteria already sorted out. Anyway this is where I would ask myself : Can I shoot it accurate? Can I operate it fully while under stress? When I say fully I mean just that from retention and re-holster, to one handed shooting, to reloads, etc. Can I care for it properly using conventional methods (i.e I wouldn't have a need for a 24k Gold finish gun)? These all come into consideration.

With all that said and I know you didn't ask but for me it would be a 4" medium frame 357 revolver from either S&W or Ruger.

 

[EddieNFL]

- Will it fit the holsters I have?
- Will the magazines I have work with this gun?
- Is it chambered in .45ACP?
- Can I use the spare parts I have?

Deciding factor - what works best for me.

 

[leadcounsel]

If I could only have one...

I'd want one that I could replace the barrel and slide length interchanably so that I could use different calibers and have a different barrel and slide for concealed carry and longer for home defense.

I'd get a short frame so that I could use short mags for concealed carry, but longer mags for higher capacity.

I'd want reliability and accuracy, but that's a no brainer.

(BTW, this question is asked here at least once per week since I was a member in 2006 - the search feature will give you literally days of reading on the subject)

 

[303tom]

I'll take a stab at this in the spirit of the OP the best I can.

IMO, woods carry protection, concealed carry and home defense all fall into one catagory. YMMV but that me so there is a 3 way tie.

woods carry protection? 1
hunting? 3 - But thats what my rifle if for.
concealed carry? 1
competition? 4 IF I only get one, I'm not going to shoot thousands of rounds for the sake of bragging rights and a shiney trophy.
range fun? 2 - Gotta practice
home defense? 1

Would your choice be influenced by:

Where you live?
Where you work?
Where you camp?
Where you hunt?
Where your travels take you? Yes, My travels can take me anywhere in the USA. As such, things like laws, game, animal preditors ect will change. Therefor, all 4 things above would play a part.
What competition you enjoy? Nope. Again, IF I only get one, I'm not using it for competition for bragging right and a trophy.
Caliber? Yes
Ammo cost? Yes

Also.... Ammo availability.

You pretty much got it right on, except I would have to put a 1 on hunting.........and that would have to be my Ruger in .327 Mag.

 

[FMF Doc]

If you do it right, I can see one gun actually filling all of those roles well at the same time: S&W 686SSR My first choice would be CCW/ Home Defense, as I don't see why these have to be separated. Next would be Hunting and Woods protection, again, why do they have to be separated. Lastly would be Range fun and Competition, and again, I see them as one in the same. If you reload, you can do it all with this one pistol. A 4" bbl .357 magnum is an excellent choice for CCW, and home defense, and if loaded properly, will take care of any 4-legged critters you might need it to. And the SSR (Stock Service Revolver) was designed SPECIFICALLY for competition, and why not shoot your competition/ccw/woods/HD/hunting gun for fun too! It may not be "ideal" for every task, but it will do all of them effectively if you do your part as the shooter.

 

[Nushif]

My main areas of concern would be these:

concealed carry
range fun
home defense

So, from the second block I would pick ...

Where your travels take you
Caliber
Ammo cost

Does this answer the question?