Looking for a Good Hand Gun Any Suggestions?

soberups

Pees in the brown Koolaid
Honestly, I would hope to never ever have to pull this out and use it but I want it for protection. There is a thumbprint quick action safe that I will get also once I buy the gun.

I will check into the soft rounds and guns with lasers built in too.

I think a 45 is too much for me but I will keep the 40 on the list as well.

I would stay away from thumbprint-scanning safes. Too expensive and complicated. Most gun shops, sporting goods stores and locksmiths sell electronic safes with a keypad that you can program with your own 3 or 4 digit access code, and a key for a backup. I have one that cost less than $50 and its perfect for securing a weapon from kids or burglars while still guranteeing quick access when you need it.

"Soft" rounds such as Glasers are fine for revolvers but I would never use them in a semiautomatic pistol. Semi's can be finicky with different types and weights of ammo, and will jam up on stuff they dont like. Glasers cost about $1 per round, so reliability testing in a semi-auto will be prohibitively expensive.

If you can handle a 9mm, .357 mag or a .40 there is no reason you cant handle a .45. The recoil is less snappy and more of a gentle "push" with the big, slow moving bullets. Recoil starts being an issue when you get into the .44 Magnum class, or when you run hot .357 mag loads thru a snub-nosed airweight revolver.
 
I`m not the gun expert in the house but this is what we have at present. Two 9mm,a 92fs Beretta and a Glock 19c. We also have a Remington 870 12 gauge with a short barrel. There is also a .45 and a .22lr but they are put away and would never come into use in a home defense situation. The shotgun is in a custom locker over the door in the bedroom closet. Theres a 9mm in a lock box in the bedroom and one in my wifes office. My wife has shot everything under the sun since the age of six and these are what she likes. She is 5'9" 115lbs and has never had a problem with recoil,etc,so take that for what its worth. While it`s been mentioned in this thread about higher calibers than 9mm,she feels hitting what you aim at is whats important. Unless someones coming in with body armor,2 in the sternum and 1 in the head will usually make them reconsider their life of crime.
 

dilligaf

IN VINO VERITAS
Sober, you are right. As far as fail safe handgun goes, a revolver is the way to go. The drawback is you only get 6 rounds, if you keep a round under the hammer. Speed loaders do circumvent this problem but you have to practice using a speed loader, and in a stressed situation, well you can always throw the gun at an intruder. However I would stay away from a 357mag. For me personally, they have more recoil than I like. Caveat- it's been awhile since I have shot one and may reconsider this.

As far as semi-auto's go, if they are well maintained, kept cleaned and well oiled this will minimize jamming. Also using a good round and not a cheap off brand will also help. I love the Colt 45 ACP we have. It is a little heavier than mine 9mm but it helps conter-act the recoil. It is a very nice gun. I will get another 45.


Cach, with that target pattern it will end the life of crime. LOL I wouldn't about them reconsidering. Kudo's to your wife. I think every woman should know how to handle and shoot a firearm, be it handgun or shotgun.
 

Hillboy

Active Member
I agree on revolvers. Another factor is size of the grip. In a revolver you can probably get any calibre in a grip to fit your hand. Feeling secure with the gun well fitted to your hand will lessen fear and help accuracy.
 

soberups

Pees in the brown Koolaid
I agree on revolvers. Another factor is size of the grip. In a revolver you can probably get any calibre in a grip to fit your hand. Feeling secure with the gun well fitted to your hand will lessen fear and help accuracy.

+1 on that. A secure comfortable grip is vital. Having confidence in the weapon and your ability to handle it and hit with it is far more important than caliber or brand.
 

chev

Nightcrawler
Look for a gun called "The Judge". It's named that because a lot of judges carry them. It is a .45 cal but takes .410 shotgun shells. Supposed to be a great home protection gun.
It is made by Taurus International. I have been thinking about getting one for my wife since I work all night.

There is a demo video here.


BTW....this gun does have a safety.
 

soberups

Pees in the brown Koolaid
Thought I would post the link for this gun. There is a demo video here.
http://www.taurususa.com/video/taurus-theJudge-video.cfm

BTW....this gun does have a safety.

Taurus makes quality handguns at affordable prices. They are on the "approved" list for most police agencies to use as backup weapons. In terms of quality they are right up there with S&W, Ruger and Colt.

The video is misleading, however. While the .410 shotshell round makes some impressive-looking holes in the paper, its real-world performance on live targets is quite different.

If you want to see real-life examples of penetration testing with various different rifle, pistol and shotgun rounds, go to The Box O' Truth - Ammo Penetration Testing website. www.theboxotruth.com . He actually tests various .410 loads from The Judge.

What real-life testing shows is that the .410 shotgun round is marginal at best when loaded with a solid slug, less than marginal when loaded with a 3-pellet buckshot load, and truly awful when loaded with birdshot as was seen in the video.

Birdshot was meant for hunting little birds. It cannot penetrate well enough into a man-sized target to serve well for self defense.

Taurus makes excellent revolvers chambered in .38 Special, .357 Magnum, .44 Special and .44 Magnum. Any of these will serve far better for self defense, although the recoil and muzzle blast of the .44 Magnum round is utterly brutal and excessive. The .45 Colt round that the Judge is chambered for is also an excellent choice. The .410 shotshell round is best left for its intended purpose, which is hunting bunnies and birds.
 

Big Babooba

Well-Known Member
Mr Smith & Mr Wesson manufacture their products less than 5 miles from my house.

If you're looking for a rifle, these were made at the end of my street at the original Springfield Armory.
 

paidslave

Well-Known Member
Join the military if you are looking for a good gun! You will get to shoot it for free.

Shoot all you want. Taxes will pay for your hunting trip.

Tax and shoot trip!
 

dilligaf

IN VINO VERITAS
So Lifer, have you checked any out yet?
I have told Lifer that when him and his wife are ready, we would go out shooting. We have a variety of handguns to chose from, including a Dan Wesson 357 maximum. That is one bad :censored2: handgun. I had to go online to find shells for this gun. We don't have anyone local who even knows what a maximum is. LOL. Maximums are used for silhouette shooting.:happy-very:
 

UPS Lifer

Well-Known Member
So Lifer, have you checked any out yet?

No - I have been real busy. My boys came in from California, so I am spending time with them. I am going to wait for them to leave before I head to a gun store. As far as I know, there are no real gun stores in Sedona. I am going to have to go to Flagstaff or Prescott - both towns are a little out of the way. I am probably going to go out within the next week. I am still leaning toward a Ruger.
 

dilligaf

IN VINO VERITAS
No - I have been real busy. My boys came in from California, so I am spending time with them. I am going to wait for them to leave before I head to a gun store. As far as I know, there are no real gun stores in Sedona. I am going to have to go to Flagstaff or Prescott - both towns are a little out of the way. I am probably going to go out within the next week. I am still leaning toward a Ruger.
smoke and guns in cottonwood
 

mikestrek

Well-Known Member
I only wish all those guns were used for protection!! :surprised:


(CNN) -- An 8-year-old boy is scheduled to appear in court Monday in St. Johns, Arizona, on charges he murdered his father and another man.
Vincent Romero and Tim Romans were found dead last week in Romero's home in St. Johns, Arizona.

More than 600 mourners attended services for the father, Vincent Romero, 29, Monday morning, CNN affiliate KPHO-TV reported.
Tim Romans, 39, also was found dead Wednesday afternoon in Romero's home, where he rented a room, KPHO said.
Police said Thursday that the boy had confessed to shooting the two men with a .22-caliber weapon. No motive was given.
"We solved the crime," St. Johns Police Chief Roy Melnick told KPHO. "Now we have to solve the mystery of why."
Ron Wood, one of the boy's public defenders, said before a gag order was issued that the defense is treating the boy's case "like any other first-degree murder case."
"Our position is that our responsibility -- our duty -- is to take care of [him], whatever the allegations," Wood said. "He is an 8-year-old boy; he is a third-grader.... He's frightened."
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The boy's other attorney, Ben Brewer, told KPHO he questions whether police acted properly in their interviews with the boy.
"Their evidence is very minimal," Brewer said. "There was overreaching with police with regard to their contact with him ... I think there's a very good likelihood that there could have been improper interview techniques done."
"It's evident that he's shaken up, and he's scared," Brewer told KPHO. "He was yanked out of the comfortable situation, a situation he knew about, and put into a situation that he has no knowledge about. He's hurting.
"He's a scared little kid," Brewer said.
Brewer also told KPHO prosecutors were "just guessing" when it came to physical evidence in the case.
On the "Today" show, Melnick said there were no indications the boy had been in trouble before.
"There's no record of any problems in school, no reported abuse," he said.
Wood indicated to KPHO that he, too, had not heard any assertions the boy had been abused, despite media assertions that abuse could be related to a motive in the case.
"At this point in time, we haven't seen anything indicating abuse," Wood said. "We haven't heard of anything; we're not aware of anything."
Meanwhile, the boy remains in custody, and so far no family members have stepped forward to take custody.
"We've got an 8-year-old client who is sitting in a detention facility who needs someone to take him home, and we haven't found that person," Wood told KPHO. "The stepmother didn't want to take custody of him. His mother hasn't taken custody of him.
"At this point in time, no one has come forward and indicated they're willing to take [him]."
A judge issued a gag order Monday, preventing police, prosecutors or defense attorneys from talking any further about the case. A status hearing was scheduled for 3 p.m.
The boy's lawyers said they plan to file a motion to request experts to help with the investigation and will ask for access to the crime scene.

The funeral for Romans is scheduled for 10 a.m. Saturday in his hometown of San Carlos, Arizona, KPHO said. A wake will be held at 3 p.m. Friday.

St. Johns has a population of about 4,000 residents and is situated about 170 miles northeast of Phoenix, near the New Mexico border. E-mail to a friend
 

scratch

Least Best Moderator
Staff member
This is a good thread, I have been thinking about buying a .40 automatic of some type. I used to hunt, and I carried a Dan Wesson .357 along with a .375 Winchester Model 94. I keep the .357 by my bed, and it is big and intimidating. I was pleased that several of you praised a .357. Its a great gun, this one has a six inch barrel and a large grip, and it shoots great. I quit hunting about twenty years ago, I am thinking about trading the rifle in and getting an automatic that is easier to conceal than my .357.
 
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