Handgun and caliber?

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NINEROUND

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Having thought about it, I have come up with this:

Ammo Availability: It would have to meet the Wal-Mart test and be likely to be found almost anywhere. So, good bye .357 Sig, 10mm, .41 Mag, .32 ACP, .45 Colt, .44 SPC

Capacity: The handgun must carry at least 6 rounds. More is better, but six at a bare minimum. Goodbye snubbies and derringers.

Caliber: Depending on what (FMJ, JHP, LSWC,etc) ammo is available, I would tend to choose the largest diameter to ensure the most blood loss if I was to press the handgun into a hunting role or self defense.

Action: Either a modern double/single action revolver, semi auto, striker fired semi or simple action semi. Goodbye cowboy revolvers. Double action revolvers probably have the edge for simplicity and speed to the novice, but since this is going to be your only handgun, you should become proficient with it regardless of action.

Parts Availability: In the event that parts break or springs wear out or you want to customize your one handgun, it would need to be a popular model, with preferably easy to obtain parts and accessories.

Conclusion: For me, based on the above criteria, I would either choose a .357 from either Ruger or S&W or a .45 from Glock or a 1911 pattern. Honorable mention would go to the .44's from Ruger and S&W. If absolutely pressed into answering the OP, I would choose my 1911. It is accurate, holds 9 shells, and is of one of the largest diameter calibers commonly available. Extra mags are easy to slip into a pocket or hide under a shirt for concealment. While not my first choice for hunting, it will take deer sized game with proper shot placement.

These are justly thoughts and there wasn't a specific scenarios outlined, so you may disagree. Many may argue for the .40 S&W, but I have found the recoil impulse to be sharper than the slow .45, which hinders me in faster follow up shots. Just my .02 cents.
 

Chuckie

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Seems to me that a few years back the .40 caliber was all the 'thing' as nobody wanted to touch a 9mm, believing it to be grossly ineffective as a threat stopper. Now it appears that few want the .40 caliber while praising the 9mm. So what are your thoughts? Anyone?
 

operator742

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Seems to me that a few years back the .40 caliber was all the 'thing' as nobody wanted to touch a 9mm, believing it to be grossly ineffective as a threat stopper. Now it appears that few want the .40 caliber while praising the 9mm. So what are your thoughts? Anyone?
Being able to purchase "high capacity magazines " is one reason the 9mm has made a come back. I own a couple of 9's and have no problem carry it with high quality ammo, today's hollowpoints are certainly much more reliable at opening up then anything we've ever had. The problem that I have with 9mm's is if I didn't have access to good ammo that wasn't reliable at expanding. I like big bullets,because they don't shrink, but small don't always get big. And yes shot placement is king,but letting air in and blood out matters a whole lot also.
 
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ldp4570

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Choosing only one is a very hard choice, and for most you'd like it to match up to a rifle/carbine of some sort. Most will pick a revolver/lever-action rifle since its the most common here in the USA. There are carbines available for the 1911/Glock pistols yet they require something that revolver/lever guns don't, and that is magazines. Magazines are faster to reload when needed for such, but you still need them. In something like the Glock, they have made longer mags for the carbines available such as the Kel-Tech Sub-2000(of which I have one, and its a damn fine little carbine). Yet the magazine issue is what I'm going to come back to on my choice, its something you have to have or the gun doesn't function, and its one more thing to keep up with along with the gun ammo and such. Where as with the revolver/leveraction rifle, all you really need to keep up with is the ammo, and I find that for the most part the lever action rifles tend to be more accurate than the semi-auto carbines, and also tend to have a little greater range to them.

So to answer the original question, I would have an GP100 Match with fixed sights to match up to my Marlin 1894CS in .357Magnum. Both loaded with Hornady 140grn Leverevolution ammo they will handle just about anything in the lower 48. Other ammo is good too in .357 or .38Spl.
 

D. Hargrove

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I released all my .40s to the younger generation. Replaced them with G17, M&P9, S&W shield, S&W SD9, Beretta M9 and 92FS. High capacity and great new (to us old guys) bullets. I was a fan of the .40 for years, but the cost of 9mm is pretty reasonable and I don't feel the need to reload it. No issue with the round though, just now prefer to have fewer calibers to mess with. 9mm, .357, 45acp. Oh and an occasional 5.7x28.
 

264killer

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My go to Ruger Super Redhawk 44mag. All so have 16 inch barrel stainless lever action carbine to go with it.
IMG_0184 (1).JPG
Thank you Garrett, Chopped the barrel my self . Got the extra barrel off of gun broker the front sight was a little ruff.
 
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