A Gun for all purposes

[bratch]

Just kinda curious on the practicality of carrying multiple guns for different scenarios. I can see pluses and minuses to this and was curious of what everyone thought or did.

Pluses:
Large/slow bullet for those skinny people under the influence of something
Smaller/ Fast bullet for the guy who's been lifting the past four years in jail

Minuses:
Can't interchange ammo between "primary" and "BUG"
Would have to have ease of access for each (kinda ruins ankle holsters)

Just curious I'm picking up my first pistols soon and am trying to make all those life altering decisions about what deserves my cash:D

[Ala Dan]

SIG-SAUER P220A in .45 ACP

Best Wishes,
Ala Dan, N.R.A. Life Member

[Okiecruffler]

packing around anyway, is the gun that you will shoot and shoot often. The gun that you have complete confidence in. I know a guy who carries a 1911 and shoots maybe 2 boxes a year thru it because he doesn't like the recoil. I know a girl who's been shooting my old P32 now for a couple of years and puts several hundred rounds thru it every month. Guess which one I would rather have shooting at me?:D

[Stevel]

Actually the most veritile gun is a 3"-4" 357. New GP100 short shroud (fixed sight) or full shroud (adjustable sight) for @$400 new. Used in good condition @ $250. Or a Smith or Colt of course. 38's for learning and home defense. 357 when you can hit what you are aiming at. If you want big and slow go with the Winchester Partition Gold 180gr 357, otherwise 110 or 125 gr (38 or 357) for lighter recoil.

Also, if you are new to handguns you will have no worries about stoppages or malfunctions, either shooter or weapon induced. Just point, squeeze, bang. Spend the money you save on the first gun for training and practice ammo.

Good Luck.

[Mulliga]

Why not just use different types of the same caliber?

For example, when I get my CCW, I'll carry my CZ-75 loaded with standard pressure hollowpoints, but if penetration of cover is needed, I'll switch to the hot stuff - NATO-spec or Dynamit Nobel 124 grainers. You can do the same with .40, .45, .357, etc...

[Preacherman]

For versatility, I agree with previous posters that in revolvers, .357 Magnum covers most of your bases (except for defence against brown and grizzly bears! :D ), and .45 ACP covers most of the bases in pistols, with .40 S&W having developed to the point that it's virtually as good as .45 ACP today.

[Marshall]

Another vote for 357 except in 4"-5". Had to be different. :neener:

[ARGarrison]

My first handgun was a used S&W 686 .357 magnum with a 4" barrel. It was my first handgun thus it was my do everything handgun. It not only was carried and placed by the bed at night, but is also hunting handgun.

[SteelyDan]

The "all purpose" handgun ovbiously does not exist, but for the uses most of us seem to be interested in, I think the .357 wheelgun would be hard to beat. For the reasons stated above.

[JohnKSa]

If I could only have one handgun, it would be either a 4" .357 revolver or a 10mm autopistol. (I'd have to give that decision a lot of thought.) ;)

[Dr.Rob]

3 inch SW model 65 loaded with 158gr hot as snot swchps

Makes julienne fries of all who oppose it. Well, almost.

Next best?

Colt LW Commander .45, or 10mm on the same sized steel frame.

[charby]

Honestly I think I could only own 2 handguns, .45 acp in an auto and .357/.38 in a 4" wheel gun. I can only think if a few, very few situations that neither would work. One being a really pi$$ed off grizzly bear, but hell I live in Iowa and I don't think an ol grizz has been seen here in the wild since the 19th century.

Either one will make short work of all evil communist critters found in most of the lower 48, both 2 and four legged. Ammo is pretty easy to find and not terribly expensive. I guess they are 2 rounds that just refuse to die and stand the test of time.

I just love those 2 rounds, I'm .357 poor right now, but hopefully I'll have one by Christmas, well unless someone has a 686 sitting around they want to give away. :neener:

Charby

[Archie]

A four inch S&W .44 Special.

And alter the loads as needed.

[TK73]

The best ones I can think of right now is either the blue-steel S&W M29 or its stainless-steel equivalent M629, .44 Mag., w/4 or 6 in. barrel length (standard bbl. configuration, no underlugs, for easier portability).

With the .44 Magnum chambering you get a broad power spectrum, from light-recoiling loads for paperpunching/plinking to moderate self-defense rounds up to real powerful hunting loads.

It's amazing how many shooters choose revolvers of one kind or another when limited to just one sidearm. :)

[bigmike45]

My personal opinion would be any of the .357, .41 or .44 magnum calibers would be the best, since you can also shoot the non magnum loads in them. Of course if you choose the .41 magnum (my personal favorite) handloading is the only way you will get a .41 "special" round. I also load my own snake shot for this caliber. In my 5 1/2" Stainless Redhawk this is just about the best thing since sliced bread.

[E357]

There's no rule that says you have to limit yourself to only one type of cartridge in your general purpose gun. In most of my defensive guns I usually start off with a lighter weight HP then finish the mag or cylinder with a few full house loads.

So from one weapon you get off a couple of fast follow-up shots and if that's not enough, then you go to the "heavy" stuff for penetration and or knock down power.

I'll use my house guns as examples.

A 6 shot S&W 686 - the first 3 rounds are plain old 38's. The last three are .357 hunting loads. I've shot a .357 in a house with no hearing protection and really don't want to do it again.

A 1911 with a few 185 GD HP's followed by 230 grainers.

In my very small Kel-Tecs - where HP's my not feed as well as FMJ's I'll leave one super-duper wonder bullet "in the pipe"

Bratch - after actually reading your post again - for ankle carry, I think you may want to look at those ultra light weight J frame Smith .357's loaded like my "house" 686. Also add a CTC laser grip.

Elliot

[CAS700850]

I remember reading an article in Guns and Ammo years back titled: The 357 Magnum, Jack of All Trades. As true today as when I read it. I'm biased towards the Smith, personally.

[Berg01]

Sig P228

[Cosmoline]

Ruger .357, 3" barrel.

--Strong enough for maximum loads
--Steel frame will hold up for several lifetimes
--Can be used as a blunt instrument
--Can be concealed
--The .357 Mag. is the Aureas Mediocritas of handgun cartridges. More potent than standard handgun cartridges, but without the recoil problems of the hunting cartridges. VERY wide range of loads available, spanning under 100 grains to 200 grains. Excellent SD on big bullets, high velocity on little ones.
--Excellent against human foes.
--I'd say it's even good against brown bears, at least as a backup after your rifle is down. At point blank range, those big bullets can certainly kill the largest bruin.

[deputy tom]

bratch,as stated above,there is NO ultimate do everything handgun.However,from ankle carry(you'll need something very small and light) thru bear country(you'll need some thing very large and powerfull) a 4" K or L frame S&W S/S .357 Mag will suffice for everything in between.Buy one used and you'll save plenty for practice ammo.Given the ammo variation from the lowest .38's up to the .357's anything can be attained with the propper load.I'm not going to suggest full house .357 loads for home def. because I don't have a clue to your home's construction (.357's do over pennetrate).I have had good results using +P+ .38 Spl. ammo for personal and home defence.That's what I used to use for duty carry.YMMV.tom.

[Preacherman]

Deputy Tom, if you haven't seen them already, check out Buffalo Bore's new 158gr. LSWCHP .38 Special +P load - 1,000 fps from a 2" barrel!!! I'm testing some now, and if they perform as well overall as I think they will, they'll be replacing my .357 Magnum carry loads... excellent terminal ballistics with lower recoil than the full-house stuff. What's not to like?

http://www.buffalobore.com/ammunition/default.htm#38spl

[deputy tom]

Preacherman,thanks for the info.I'm still using my old issue rounds.Federal Q-Loads 158gr LSWCHP +P+.I'll look into those Buffalo LOads.tom.

[22luvr]

If I could only own one, it would be a Ruger SP101 in stainless steel with the 3" barrel.

With the proper ammo, strong enough to stop a car from a block away; mild enough with the right .38 spcls in it to teach a young'un how to shoot. No brainer simplicity of battery. Instantly recognizeable by a predator from the business end as a serious GUN. good survival gun to take down small game. Little, if any, ammo sensitivity and everyone makes countless different types of .357 and .38 loads for it. Don't like factory loads? Custom load your own bombs and the Ruger is tough enough to shoot them without coming apart. Basic enough for anyone to pick up, point, and shoot in an emergency without instructions. Revolvers obsolete? Not just yet.....

[biere]

See threat. Shoot threat.

Your time to make a choice in what to shoot the threat with is on this board while reading threads and thinking about it. You should not think about it while worried about a threat on the street since that will slow your reaction times down.

I am for equal oppurtunity. A threat should be shot with all rounds in your control. Don't worry if the slow and big would be better than the small and quick. Let the threat get them all and maybe you will see tomorrow.

I can see loading cylinders and magazines with different rounds, but notice the thought process was done in quiet time.

You should simply react on the street. Thinking may get you killed regardless of how great a round you carried.

[Majic]

The purpose of carrying multiple handguns is for backup if your primary handgun goes down for some reason. Not to have various calibers or loads for specific purposes. You are trying to add one more decision to make when time could be extremely short in a very stressful period.

[cratz2]

I would agree that a 4" 357 is probably just about the most practical and versatile handgun around. One of the best for self defense with a long proven ability to stop the bad guy reasonably quick, usually dead reliable, easy to operate and can be used for hunting in most states. But I don't prefer to carry a revolver so it could never be my carry gun.

Currently I like the CZ PCR. It is a 9mm and I wouldn't call that round legendarily versatile... It is basically good at two things... Low recoil for recoil intolerant folks and putting the hurts on bad guys.

1911s are pretty neat and with 45 Super loads, are more versatile esp if you have a 22 conversion slide for it.

I know this is a handgun forum, but I think the most versatile gun is a 12 gauge pump shotgun... Very respectable terminal effect ;), can end most confrontations with just a rack of the slide, can hunt many things in many states, reliable, cheap...

Actually, knowing that a 12 gauge is handy, many handguns become more... uh... able to be relied upon. :p

[bratch]

Guess I was a bit confusing. Not in search of the one "super" pistol was wondering if anybody was carrying 2 different calibers for the different advantages and uses of the caliber. Maybe one strong side and one weak side or one IWB and one in an ankle.

I do feel better about the SP101 and 45 I'm wanting.

Thanks

[Paul "Fitz" Jones]

I liked my duty weapons and if I had to choose one it would be my National Match Gold Cup .45auto.

Fitz

[Yooper]

If you are carrying for the purpose of self-defense and think that a backup weapon is warranted, or if you want some control over load intensity, you might want to consider a 44 mag/44 special or 357 mag/38 special combination of some sort with both relvolvers chambered for mags. If it becomes necessary to reload in a panic, you don't have to worry too much about which pocket the proper cartridges are in; if over-penetration is a problem, carry only specials as spares.

[vito]

I love my semi's, but I have absolute faith in my S&W revolvers. If I had to limit myself to only one gun, it would be my Model 19 S&W. The feel and weight are just right, the 4 inch barrel gives me reasonably good accuracy abut is short enough so that I could carry it if needed. If I carried all the time, I'd probably keep my S&W 640 as my only gun. Its probably only accurate (in my hands) to 10 feet or closer, but that is likely the distance at which I would be defending myself. But most importantly, I have 100% confidence that it will go Bang when I pull the trigger whereas my confidence in my Ruger or Kimber semi's is a bit less than 100%.

[Checkman]

I carry a Sig Sauer 220 or 245 on my belt. I carry a Colt DS in an ankle holster as my backup. These two weapons do it for me. They're reliable, simple to operate and I have confidence in both rounds and weapons. Especially at the range I'm likely to operate at. At home in addition to the previously mentioned models I have a 4" S&W 686 and a 4" S&W Model 28. I believe these weapons are about as "general purpose" as you can get. I also like them.

[ColtBRH]

The Glock 30 has it all: reliability, durability, ammo capacity, stopping
power, accuracy (possibly the most accurate Glock out of the box), easy to
conceal, pretty good double action trigger, and it does not cost a fortune.

[ksnecktieman]

I think I have a different choice. I see a possibility of two guns. Two large caliber guns might be good,,,,,, but,,,,,,, the second should be either a quick reload, or a "gun for all seasons". All of the larger caliber service guns will fulfill the main purpose, but IMHO the second should be a deep concealment piece. As in a Keltec p32, or Beretta tomcat.

After all, the first rule of gunfighting is to ALWAYS have a gun, and the fastest draw is to already have the gun in your hand.

[jercamp45]

It would be my Colt CCO, for general purpose and defensive duties. I have a .22 conversion unit for it that is part of the package.
If I could have two, the second would be a Government model in .45 ACP, maybe I would get a .460 Rowland barrel for big stuff, but I am quite happy with the .45 ACP for an all arounder. Then I'd get lots of parts, ammo and spare mags.
No, it is not the ultimate hunting handgun, but I have dropped deer and a few other critter's with it over the last 28 years. Hunting is a secondary consideration for me, and though it is fun and challenging to hunt with a handgun...the rifle is the more reliable method of getting meat.
I have carried two 1911 .45 auto's seceral times on the road of life. Normally a Government model and an Officer's(all spare's where Government mags of the Wilson variety) and was happy with the combo.
I know the weapon well and can shoot it good, it fit's and its operation is second nature.
Last think I want to think about when TSHTF is what weapon I have on me this week, what kind of ammo is stashed where. Simplicity when involved in highly stressful life and death circumstances is very desirable cause 'no plan of action survives contact' and Mr Murphy WILL show up.
Jercamp45

[readyfire]

As much as i love my 1911s,im going with the 357 crowd on this one!

[readyfire]

As much as i love my 1911s,im going with the 357 crowd on this one!

[45R]

Make mine a Sig 226 or Sig 220ST

[MR.G]

For me it would be a .357 S&W model 686 Plus with a 4" barrel.

[Jim4003]

MY votr goes for the .357 Magnum. Gives you the opion of shooting 38 special along with the many 357 loads out there. As for the specific gun go with the Smith and Wesson 686 with a $ inch barrel. Durable corrosion resistant stainless steel, adjustable sights, several grips out there for it so you can find what fits you well, and the 686 plus can give you seven shots. On top of this if you buy new the Smith has a lifetime warranty.

[Mannlicher]

I love all this stuff about carrying different guns, or loads to meet changing combat conditions. Face reality, if "it" happens, you will just have to run with what ya got, and hope its up to snuff. With almost all confrontations over in seconds, you won't have time to analyze things and change up.

[Domino]

Another vote for a .357 with a 4" barrel. Nothing could be more practical, versitle, and economical. I have a GP100 myself.

[saltydog452]

If I understand your question about dual guns, it sounds like you might be talking about a 'back-up' gun.

I remember reading somewhere a bunch of years ago where Jeff Cooper said that a back-up gun was akin to using a row boat to back up a Destroyer. Mr Cooper has never been one to mince his words, but. given a choice between drowning or climbing into the rowboat, that rowboat would look mighty good.

What you carry depends on your clothing, climate, physical build, etc.. My most carried gun is a NAA Guardian .32. Yeah, its a 'mouse gun'. I carry it in my off-side hip pocket. That carry option works here in Texas in hot weather. I usually wear jeans, Red Wing work boots, and a two pocket half sleeve shirt. Also, usually, there's either a J Frame Smith or Kahr plastic frame 9X19 on my strong side.

If I can get away with it in cooler weather, the Smith Mdl 13, 3" ,Round Butt 357 is about the most effective compromise that I am personally aware of. A couple of Bianchi Speed Strips with .38 CorBons is easier for me to carry than spare mags for the Kahr. The 38's work for the J Frame also.

If you're talking about something that might be considered versatile, adequate power, shootability, handy size (face it,if it ain't handy, you aren't likely to have it when you might need it), the S&W M13 might be a good option. I like it. Then again, I like Ford trucks and GM autos. Your mileage may differ.

The abbreviated version of this rant is that, is that it's what works for you. Not me or anyone else. The little Guardian is my 'always' gun. Its there when I take out the trash to the alley, or pick up the paper scattered over the front yard.

It certainly isn't my first choice in a defensive tool, but its a dang sight closer than a shotgun or rifle in the closet.

For me, its pretty much the NAA Guardian and either:
J frame 38
Kahr 9X19
Mdl 13 357

For what its worth, there's also a 'Tunerized' Colt Officers Model rapidly moving up on the outside lane thats lookin' pretty good.

salty.

[Paco]

Another vote for the 4" stainless GP100.

-This is coming from a guy that's shot and owns alot of different handguns. The gp100 I have has a super smooth DA pull on par with an older S&W, and glass-rod SA and way more accuracy than I'd ever expect for the price I paid. If I was to be dropped off anywhere in the world not knowing if I had to clear a tunnel system, fight off rabid grizzlies, hunt squirrels, hunt deer, kill giant ants, navigate through Jurrasic park, go to war, pistol whip someone, survive in the wild for a year, etc. : my hand gun of choice would be the GP100.

-PS: I happen to shoot the heck outta this particular gun both in slow aimed fire and speed drills.

Close 2nd: my Kimber Series II 1911 .45ACP or my G17

-paco

[magsnubby]

I vote for the most versitle handgun ever made: a 4" .357.

My EAA Bounty Hunter is a fun range gun but i wouldn't pick an S/A for my only gun.

The S&W M28 is a little bulky to pack around all day. Although with the Herrets grips it eats the heavy loads like they're candy.

I really like the blued 4" Security Six, it's as accurate as any wheelgun i own, it's a great shooter, but for a hard working gun i prefer stainless steel.

The GP100 would be a great choice for an only gun or a first .357. I put a pair of Hogue grips on it and it's a great shooter. It handles the heavy stuff great, it's built like a tank, just polish the action, change the mainspring and the action feels pretty good.

But if i could only have one it would be my 4" stainless steel Security Six. It just feels good in my hand and it's easy to pack around while hunting or fishing. With a good holster you could use it for ccw.

[Nick_90]

I'd suggest either a Smith & Wesson 686 in .357 or a Sig Sauer 220 in either .45 or 9 mm depending on the availability of the ammunition where you live (over here in Switzerland I am sure to always find 9 mm Luger even in the case of civil unrest or war but not so sure about .45: that, in my opinion, overrules any ballistical advantages of .45)

[bratch]

Saltydog : I was asking about carrying a specific backup that offered something different than your primary in performance. So not really a backup but a second primary. However that seems a little impractical when put to more thought.

I have however learned the 357 wheel-gub is the most versital pistol in many's opinion.

[fedlaw]

My vote goes to the S & W 625. It looks the way guns are supposed to look, shoots the way guns are supposed to shoot and puts just the right size hole where it is pointed. Happiness is a warm 625.
Steve

[Brady]

My vote if I could only carry one handgun,would be a single action Ruger Super Blackhawk .44. If I needed a back-up it would be my 4inch Smith or a cut down SBH to 4 and 5/8ths.

These guns will do anything a little .357 can and all the others as well. If you reload,you'll have the best of both worlds.


Brady

[DMK]

I'd say a 1911 in 10mm with a spare .22LR slide would meet any need you would use a handgun for.

I just wish 10mm ammo was as common as some of the more popular rounds.

[Omaha-BeenGlockin]

My first thought was the SP101 in .357-----cause you can conceal it too------since we are talking one gun for everything.

My 686P 2.5in comes close---but its still a BIG gun-----even with the shorter barrel.