Help me pick out a Hand Gun!

[romeowood]

http://www.waltherpistols.com/category/41-Walther_PPK_Handguns.aspx
Surprised no-one's mentioned the Walther PPK/S. Perfect for soft carry and home protection, and I don't even think my neighbor has noticed when I've fired it around the apartment...aftermarket suppressor, naturally.

 

[mjtannen]

Seakyak says: "I carry a K-40 with Winchester .40 hollow points at the office.. "
I'll bet that means you can smoke your pipe at work. I want a desk next to your's. I'll bring my Glock 19 with Golden Sabre loads and my pipe also. No safer or sweeter environment anywhere. We don't take complaints at work.

 

[seakayak]

A Kahr, a Glock and a couple of good pipes...this could be the start of a beautiful friendship. See you soon.

 

[abecox]

Yeah Romeo, my cousin carries a PPK when he needs to (I've still got a year or so before I can even legally get a handgun, let alone carry), but I've shot it a few times and it just feels right.
But I'm also biased because I prefer the Wheelgun either way, fired one of those at my buddies house in Southern Ohio and that was a blast (No pun intended.)

 

[fullbent]

Cant go wrong with a ruger,I have several single action revolver by them..I have the p-89,and a LCP-.380 by ruger.I had one friend on here argue with me on the topic of American gun laws,on facebook, ,but I found it a fun debate.Buy all you can and enjoy,I do ::

 

[pstlpkr]

Cant go wrong with a ruger

:clap:

 

[baronsamedi]

A handgun is a very personal thing. Almost like...pipes! For your money you can have many fine semi-autos. The best thing would be to visit a range and rent a few different ones in different calibers. I am 6'2" with large hands and I love my 1911. The Springfield GI 1911 is a fine weapon at a reasonable price. If concealed carry is not an issue, the Glock 21 can't be beat for simplicity and out of the box good shooting. The 1911 conceals a lot better, though.
I am a .45 man for many reasons, not the least of which being that I've pulled a few spent .45 rounds out of dead bodies and they were, well, impressive. I however cannot denigrate the versatile .40 and even the 9mm, which has had many ballistic improvements over the years.

 

[bubbadreier]

Well I did put the handgun buying on the back burner for now but after the gun range trips I decided on a 1911. It fit so much better in the hand then anything else! It will probably be a few months before I pick one up though!

 

[nmbigfoot02]

My .02:
If you're going to be using this handgun for self-defense, the most important factor to consider is reliability. You don't want it to take a crap when you need it most. Best bets in this area are pistols that are used by the police, as they have a large number of examples being used in the field. That way any issues with the design will be well documented. If I were to pick one handgun for self defense, it would be the S&W M&P in 9mm. It will feel more "1911 like" in your hand, but it will be ultimately easier to use under stress.
Honestly, if you want more info on this subject, you might want to join up at a gun forum. A few that I know are decent:
www.m4carbine.net

www.pistol-forum.com
Also, check out www.pistol-training.com. Todd has run several different manufacturer torture tests that are archived there, and he has a lot of insights on how to become a better shooter.
Hope that helps!

 

[marmal4de]

Cant go wrong with a ruger,I have several single action revolver by them..I have the p-89,and a LCP-.380 by ruger.I had one friend on here argue with me on the topic of American gun laws,on facebook, ,but I found it a fun debate.Buy all you can and enjoy,I do

I enjoyed watching it play out, I'm in Anders' corner though

 

[surfmac211]

I carry a Karh PM9 and own several other handguns. My personal favorites are Glock, Springfield, and H&K. The H&K are some of my favorites for 1911's because of the weight of the gun, but I also like that I get to see and control the hammer. However you will have to spend a pretty penny for the H&K. You can't go wrong with Glock. Glocks are proven tough and rugged guns, and they have the best customer service hands down.

 

[kashmir]

Hi Lawrence,
Ever think of picking up a Walther PPK 9mm? Its a classy piece, with great stopping power.
:D

 

[longshot]

Regarding the Hi-Point... I own a Hi-Point .45, that I was given as a gift. Compared to my buddies Ruger .45 it's pretty much a tank, it fires fine but is a bit on the heavy side, might not be an issue if you're on the large side.
When I purchased a firearm for home protection, I consulted a close friend who was a retired range master for the sheriff's department and former sniper for their EST (SWAT). His advice was to purchase a 9mm, .357, or .45 revolver, which ever I felt most comfortable with (note: some shooting ranges will rent guns to try out), the revolver being more reliable over an automatic. He also suggested to purchase a box of hollow-point rounds, you don't want to be shooting through walls and such, I guess.
I ended up with a model 686 plus .357 S&W revolver that holds 7 rounds.

 

[pstlpkr]

Ever think of picking up a Walther PPK 9mm? Its a classy piece, with great stopping power.

I did, when I was shopping for my back-up.

I liked the Beretta Mod. 950-B9 .25 cal. because it would have to be an up-close and personal defense weapon, and I could carry it behind the buckle of my duty rig, it was comfortable and reliable.

But, I decided against carrying a .9mm after I watched a Sheriff's Dept. training film that showed a perp on Angel Dust that took 40 rounds before he dropped. He survived with only 2 rounds penetrating deeper than 1".

So as my duty weapon, .45 cal. Ruger P-90DC. Sweet weapon. After 21 years and thousands of rounds it's still performs like new and doesn't have any play in the barrel or the carriage.

I use federal ammo, like in the video above, for practice. But, I carry COR-BON +P 110 gr. JHP for attitude alignment. :D

 

[kashmir]

Lawrence, that would be a permanent "attitude adjustment" alright. Hard to believe perp sustained 40 rounds and survived! I've shot .9mm at pig carcasses and they went way deep. Was it 40 rounds fired or 40 rounds actually hitting the perp?

 

[pstlpkr]

40 wounds to the perp.

 

[kashmir]

Jeez Louise! :D

 

[hobie1dog]

These are good sized handguns.

 

[bootlegbonvivant]

I've been looking at the Springfield XD series. My preference would be a .40 Cal. at least.

 

[mike68]

Wow...this is a discussion open to serious opinion so here's mine..although as a military guy I am familiar with the .45 and the 9mm(which are both excellent rounds btw) I would definitely look at the .40 SW...a couple of buddies have these and wouldn't trade them for the world.
And almost anything from Ruger or Glock will be pretty darn close to your price point! Good luck in your quest, let us know what you decide on...