qballrail

Regardless of calibur, what's your preferred pistol and mfr?

koorbloh

for what purpose?

Brianaintright

I always liked Han Solo's blaster. Coolest broomhandle ever!

qballrail

Just curious what people like is all...

JayD1981

I agree with this comment. Each gun has a purpose and areas where it will excel, but there are no guns that will fit ever need. For CC, I prefer my LCP, for OC I prefer my XD45, for USPSA competitions I prefer my Glock 17. I have no caliber loyalty or brand loyalty, my pistol of choice is chosen by what I will be doing at the time.

koorbloh

no offense, but all handguns have their own purpose.

my .357 is my "favorite" which is why I bought it, I guess....



for hunting.

qballrail

I understand that, which is why I am asking..

But you use a .357 for hunting? Rifle or pistol? And what do you hunt?

koorbloh

I carry the .357 for opportunities as they arise. If I'm shotgunning, I have a way to hit harder at longer range. If I have a dying critter from my rifle, I'd rather pop the pistol at close range than the rifle. If a stump gets too stumpy, I can put a few holes in it.

mostly the last part ;)

sunofnun

colt / springfield / kimber / etc

.45apc


because I'm a 1911 WHORE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I usually shoot to make lead fly. Wherever whenever.

qballrail

LOL! Wish I had more than a single piece but that's all I got and it's here for protection. My side-kick...

Inglewood

I hate it when that happens.

chameleon

I only shoot .45acp when it comes to pistol shooting. I love my Kimber and Detonics Servicemaster. I carry .45 as well.

deadshot2

Apparently this is a two part poll.

Which is best "Caliber" and Which is best pistol for the money?

IMHO the best "Caliber for the Money" is 9mm. Cheap enough ammo so one can get lots of trigger time and it has enough power to ruin someone's day if necessary.

As for best Handgun? Better question might be "How Blue is the Sky?" or "How long is a piece of string"? Might get an answer that the majority would agree on sooner.

GixxerPete

Confusing poll is confusing. You say 'regardless of caliber' yet you list caliber choices? Then say 'preferred pistol' yet the title is 'best pistol for the money'. So which is it?

That said, here goes...

First off you didn't list my (any many others) favorite caliber, .45 ACP. Nor the manufacturer of my favorite pistol, Springfield Armory.

My favorite pistol is a Springfield Loaded MC Operator in .45 ACP

But best pistol for the money? That would be my Ruger LC9. It's small, thin & light enough to be easily concealed, but not so small that it's hard to control, with 7 of 9mm rounds. It shoots well and plenty accurate for it's intended duty, and costs $350 new.

WhiteKnight

I love my Beretta PX4 Storm 9mm. Highly accurate and easy to shoot. I bought it for open carry protection. Ive fired nearly a 1000 rounds through it and it only jammed once because of cheap ammo I got for X-Mas.

qballrail

First, there were a limited # of polling spaces. Sorry, wasn't playing favorites just listed what came to mind. I appreciate your input. The LC9 might just be my next purchase!

GixxerPete

Ah gotcha on the poll thing.

I just got my Crimson Trace LaserGuard for my LC9 and now it's even better... I highly recommend it.

philster

9mm is definitely the cheapest to shoot "real" caliber out there. So it would be a nine.

whichever of the proven "under $600" polymer guns you prefer is probably the answer for "best pistol for the money". Glock, XD, S&W M&P were the three top ones in my opinion when I last shopped. They each have their own flavor. Enough that you will be happy with one, while you may hate one of the others. They all felt good to me in their own way, but of course in life you can't win them all. Where would you put them if you did?

Whichever of those three fits your hand best is the answer in my opinion. Yes you can spend less, but any of those three will go to war with you and make it out the other side. So less expensive ammo, reliable function. You can spend $150 less and get a decent gun, but Police and military all over the world strap those three on every day for a reason.

qballrail

Enlighten me. Do I understand you correctly that no pistol less than $600 is really a "war proven" gun? I HOPE I misunderstood that... Also, what's your take on Ruger? Is that not one of the guns of choice? I understand it gets down to how it fits and fires, of course.

I guess the poll wasn't the best way to ask. I was trying to put my question out there as clear as possible.

philster

I'm pretty sure I said the three I listed WERE proven. I didn't say no others were. I do feel that what you get with all three is amazing for the price. Not to mention the sheer firepower in terms of number of 9mm rounds you can pack in a magazine as long as you don't live in CA, MA, or any other place with a 10 round restriction.

I don't like what the loaded chamber indicators did to magazine and trigger feel on the rugers I've played with. I think that if you wanted a revolver you can't beat what you get from Ruger there in terms of great gun for the money. I've said it a thousand times. S&W and Colt will beat them on fit and finish, and yes on action smoothness, but a good ruger revolver is one hell of a gun.

qballrail

Cool. Thanks.

I think I know what you're talking about with the Ruger, when you have a chambered round on a 9mm, AND de-cocked, the double-action is where there's more trigger pull on the first fire than the rest. I'd always heard and read that ruger autos are among the best. But, again, we're talking personal experienence too into account. Anyone else have input on Rugers? 9mm is my preference. I had a S&W .38 Police Special that handles like a dream. I'm more interested in the semi-autos.

I jsut need to get out onto the range & test out a few models....

Guff

If you can find a range with a Walther PPQ give that a try. The trigger reset is 1/10th of an inch which makes for some fast and fun unloading.

Oh yeah, it's also super accurate, under $700, can load the magazines easily by hand for all 15 rounds, and has a great ergonomic grip.

GixxerPete

So you mean the first (hammer down on a live round) DA pull on a Ruger is longer than other DA/SA pistols, like a SIG or Beretta? Personally I'm not a fan of DA/SA pistols so I haven't really compared them like that.

The 'old school' Rugers like the P95/P345 etc are solid & reliable, but big & heavy and don't have the capacity of many competitors, esp for their size. However, the new SR series are much smaller & lighter, higher capacity and striker-fired (with manual safety) and would be comparable to a Glock or XD etc.

philster

I'm a huge ruger fan. I own 3 right now Shall I list the rugers I like but that you can't even find to buy? 77/357, 1911, Scout, the list goes on! I think the Mini-14 is a must have carbine. Again as you said, all personal preference. Love me some Ruger! The current "safety" features on semi-auto Ruger pistols are just leaving me a little cold right now. I love the company

I think the company that got the safety stuff really right is S&W on their M&P. Loaded chamber indicator? There's a "witness hole" you can look into to see the brass of a round. No mechanical mechanism. Your state requires, or you just want a gun that won't fire with the magazine removed? They offer it with or without. It already copies the glock "safe trigger system", but you also want a 1911 style mechanical thumb safety? They offer it with or without. So it isn't that they "nailed" the safety stuff in a way no other company has. It's the same old stuff, they just let you choose what you want on the gun! That's one reason it's the gun I went with when I was looking for a new gun.

The glock and XD are both every bit as good if not better for the right person. I was just the right person for the M&P. I will say that the SR9 I shot from Ruger was not as accurate as the other three. Nothing noticeable until you were shooting 25 yds out, and none of these guns are intended to be long range nail drivers. But combined with some other stuff, it drove the SR9 down a notch for me.

bigggbbruce

I just picked up a 686 4" with only 12 down the pipe... no dash with the "M" stamped mod..as new.. $375... have a 60 snub.. 66 6"...

I love my 629.. goes with my Ruger 44 carbine... great hunting combo...

Dig my Kimber and Colt 45's... CCW

Colt Woodsman 22 Match Target 6" great plinker...Ruger Mark I

like Koorbloh said... for what purpose...

In fact going to the range right now to try out the 686... c'ya...

Nutty4Guns

I know you will love that 686! The trigger on mine is amazing! And who did you have to threaten to get it for $375? That is an awesome deal.

Oh, and my vote for best handgun for the money is a Sig Sauer P229 (non rail) with both .40S&W and .357Sig barrels.

bigggbbruce

Just ran 75 thru the 686... needed some sighting in good to go now...

I just keep my eye on the local paper here.... an old guy "older than me" had it advertised. bought it new long ago ... I ask are you firm on the price.... deal was made.... and a box of 145gr silver tips thrown in...($45)... can't hurt to ask....

mjn

I believe everyone should have a .22 pistol. Preferrably a revolver.

Practice is the most important aspect of firearm ownership, and a .22 is the cheapest by far to shoot...the revolver because it always works.

My first firearm was a H&R .22 pistol at age 6. Followed shortly by a Smith airweight kit gun in .22. I've still got the Smith and shoot it more than any other gun.

Guff

The .22 Ruger Single Six is one of my all time favorite guns to shoot.

migxdm

i love the 9mm XDM! 19 and 9 is just so cheap to shoot!