[pendentive]

Let's say you had $2500 come to you "suddenly"...:evil: ...with one stipulation - you have to use it to buy one(1) handgun...and for CCW only (plus ammo, of course)

What would you get?


(let's say, for the sake of argument, that the purchase is a luxury purchase...not necessarily a beater...though it will definitely be a user - not just a looker)

[PPGMD]

Short of a tricked out 1911, or other pistol, I would say that I would likely get a P2000SK in .40 for a small concealed carry.

If you are able to conceal a full sized pistol I would likely get a USP Tactical .45, but I already have one.

[outofbattery]

I've easily gone through $2500 buying would be replacement CCW pieces but have always come back to the trusty old Glock 19. I guess it'd be cool to have a pimped P7 or a trick BHP but really,for what I want and need a gun to do the 19 does it all quite well.

[ARTiger]

Wilson Combat CQB

[Geronimo45]

Webley Mark VI cut to .45 ACP. I can buy .45 Auto-rim, .45 ACP, moon clips (I adore moon clips), and a nice custom shoulder holster with the extra money.

[pax]

$500 gun -- Glock by my preference, but pick your own.
$200 gear -- custom holster, custom belt

Balance to be spent on training and ammunition because only accurate guns are interesting ... and there's no such thing as an accurate gun in an untrained shooter's hand.

pax

[Gordon]

Colt Officer's Lightweight .45 rubbed on by Ned Christianson.

[glockman19]

Glock, any one you like. Best IMHO are the 9mm 17/19/26/34. Spend the rest on extra ammo, barrels, #3.5 trigger, night sights, good holsters IWB, OWB, SOB, and shoulder rig, Custom belt & shoe holster, and shooting club membership.

[Soybomb]

I'm with pax, for self defense I don't think there's any difference between a $500 gun and a $2500 gun.

[Powderman]

Colt Special Combat Gov't--about $1500.00
Galco Combat Master holster--about $80.00
A case of 230 grain ball for practice--about $250.00
A decent reloading setup and the components necessary to reload the 1000 cases from the practice ammo--about $600.00

The confidence and competence you will gain from good practice with a quality handgun and lots of practice--PRICELESS!

Most confrontations can be resolved verbally.
For everything else, there's a Colt. :evil:

[qdemn7]

I'd need $8,000 for an all titanium Infinity High Capacity 1911. I'll PM you my address where you can send the check. :evil:

[steveracer]

Then the mags to support it ($400) and the custom leather ($200) Now we're at about $2k.
Spend 500 on training.
Steve

[vanilla_gorilla]

Springfield Pro or Ed Brown Jim Wilson Special


or a Novak-pimped High Power.

[Omaha-BeenGlockin]

I'd get a $500-ish carry gun and a $2000-ish show piece.

Keep in mind if you actually have to use it--your gun is gone----better to take a $500 hit than a $2500 hit.

[sig228]

250 for a kel-tec p3at, 30 bucks for a box of decent hp ammo and open up a brokerage account with the balance

[possum]

high end 1911, wilson combat, ed brown, les baer etc, but under normal circumstances i wouldn't spend that much but if that was the stipulations what else can you do right! plus your not loosing anything, perfect excuse for me to spend that amount of money!:)

[kludge]

Balance to be spent on training and ammunition because only accurate guns are interesting ... and there's no such thing as an accurate gun in an untrained shooter's hand.

Well said!

[03Shadowbob]

I'd never carry a $2500 gun. My carry guns get a lot of use and since they do get a lot of use, they get dings, scratches, etc.. I'd buy a plastic fantastic to carry and one really nice 1911 for the safe and range.

[trueblue1776]

p210

[phantom45]

I agree I'd put down $500-750 or so on a nice gun, plus some extra for a good belt, holster(s), possible upgrades like night sights or grips if needed, and the rest would go for training and ammo etc. Or if I had that money laying around that'd cover me getting some reloading equipment.

[GEM]

Glock 19 and a 4000 round magazine. There are the very expensive Korth guns - but I've not read super reviews of them. A fancy 1911 is the one that comes to mind. Then spend another sum to get it to run.

[usp_fan]

I'd be looking at a commander done up in a light weight frame by either Yost-Bonitz, Vickers, or Nighthawk.

--usp_fan

[DogBonz]

An Ed Brown Kobra Carry

[Jackal]

I would never carry a handgun costing more than $400. The reason you ask?? Well, if you ever actually have to use that gun for any self defensive purpose, how are you gonna like that $2500 being tied up with Law Enforcement for a couple years?? I would mush rather lose a $400 carry peice for a while, than a $2500 custom gun. Save the big bucks for competition guns.

[Hawk]

STI Tact 4.15 less magwell, Dawson (or equivalent) tuned, FO front.
Milt Sparks VM2 w/belt
Coupla extra mags.
Might be enough left over for a case of ammo, maybe.

or any number of custom or semi-custom offerings.

The STI is sufficiently polymer and (forgive me) sufficiently plain as a mud rail fence that one believes the money is going for function rather than bling. Whether this is an accurate belief is arguable.

Although they manage to put a staggered column mag into the thing while keeping the grip "1911 - sized" the capacity is a compromise between a single stack and, say, a Glock.

All the other options posted are great as well - good luck picking one.

[noops]

I carry an ed brown 1911. The pistol with holster, mags, Larry Davidson grips that sort of thing cost about that much. My other (favorite) carry is the H&K p7 that someone mentioned. My p7 with meprolights, 6 extra mags, and a milt sparks vm2 ran me about $2K.

[1911 guy]

Personally, I'd opt for a moderately priced handgun, say $700 or so. 2,000 rounds of .45ACP will run you another $500. You've got $1,300 left for some good leather. $50 for a Wilderness belt or about $75 for a good leather gunbelt, add $100 or so for a good holster, $25-$40 for a mag pouch. You're up to $1,400, leaving you with 1,100 smackers to go take a good class or three.

[flashman70]

Commander size Wilson Combat .45.

[buzz_knox]

I would never carry a handgun costing more than $400. The reason you ask?? Well, if you ever actually have to use that gun for any self defensive purpose, how are you gonna like that $2500 being tied up with Law Enforcement for a couple years?? I would mush rather lose a $400 carry peice for a while, than a $2500 custom gun. Save the big bucks for competition guns.

I used to think similarly, then I had a revelation. If I have a weapon that I can use more effectively than another, price is irrelevant. If a 1911 that costs $2500 is more effective for me to use than a used Kel-Tec 9mm (why waste $400 when you can "risk" only $200), then that is the weapon I should use, regardless of cost. The additional funds, if indeed lost, can be recovered over time by virtue of the fact that I'm not dead or disabled.

Comparing price only makes sense if all other things are equal. I am not nearly as good with a DA revolver as I am with a 1911, or Glock, or Sig 226. The difference between being adequate with the cheaper weapon and good with the more expensive weapon can very easily mean the difference between life and death for you or another innocent.

[Black Majik]

Two tone (Blued slide hardchrome frame) Les Baer Custom Carry 1.5"

[scurtis_34471]

$550 Springfield Armory XD-40, XD-45 or XD-45 Compact
$190 Springer Precision trigger job, feed ramp polish, fluff & buff
$275 Custom fit BarSto barrel
$120 Good night sights
$375 LaserMax internal laser sight
$250 Surefire X200 tactical light
$ 40 Two extra magazines

$1800 Total for gun and accessories
$700 Belts, holsters, mag pouches, belly bands, etc

[Brian Williams]

$300 to $450 for S&W 13 or 65 3", $150 to $200 for a good holster, belt and ammo carrier, $75 for moonclip conversion and $40 for moonclips. Total $765 for the hardware.


Or a Caspian Commander titanium build like Zak Smith's
that would run around $2500

[BBsteel]

If I was given the $2500 I would buy a sweat 1911 style collector gun (probably a Colt).

[sean m]

I would get a stainless Ruger speed six with a 2.75" barrel wearing a set of pachmayr compac grips with a tritum bead front sight. Added in a thousand 357 mag. 125 grn jhps for defense and several thousand 38 spec 158 grn lrn for practice. Add a uncle mikes iwb holster, a good strong side owb, and a horizonatal shoulder holster.

[Geno]

You can spend more, but you can't get more.

Colt Series 70 Reissue: ($879.00)
Hard chromed: ($210.00 & Shipping: $100.00)
1 case of Wichester Pers. Def. 230 Gn. HPs: ($240.00)
1 Advanced Tactical Shooting course: $150.00
1 leather holster ($100.00)
6 additional magazines ($120.00)
3 magazine carriers ($60.00)

You're up to $1,859.00

[jlbraun]

CZ P-01 $400
holster $40
15000 rounds of 9mm $1800
Training classes $250
Lunch $10

[W Turner]

Two Les Baer Thunder Ranch's will be fine with me. One 5" model and one 4" model.

W

[Smith357]

I would opt for a fully engraved S&W 2 1/2 inch M19 in a custom tooled rig.

[Geronimo45]

The ultra high-priced pistols don't seem to have much to offer for me, personally. I don't see that the gun gains much - it's like making a doghouse out of Black Walnut versus making it with pine. The pine seems to do the job okay, and the black walnut's not anything the dog's gonna appreciate. Besides that, I don't see that those high end guns are that much prettier than the mid-range 1911s.

I don't think I'm a good enough shooter for the expense to be worth it - no matter who's footing the bill. Besides, I like having a gun I can drop on cement without worrying about messing it up. If I scuff up a Springer GI model, nobody cares. It's cheap to fix. If I scuff up an Ed Brown - that's major.

But that's just me.

[Quiet]

HK P-7M13, holster, extra mags and ammo.

[Nomad, 2nd]

A Kimber Warrior, holster, $800 worth of ammo, and a shooting school.

-What I actually decided to do.

OR if you're gonna hold me to spending it: a Les Baer 1911

[BOONER]

A handgun shouldnt not cost as much as an sniper rifle.....J.L

A wise top dog operator said those words to me once.

I have had wilson cqb's and own a custom yost officers...... yes nice do the do anybetter than a glock or mp or xd.... or a 4 inch model 65 smith.... no they go bang they hit what iam aiming at..


spend 400-500 on gun
80 on comp tac holster
rest on ammo and classes

[waterhouse]

In real life, I guess I would buy a back up to my back up P7 and then buy a lot of ammo.

In fantasy land, I'd take a lightweight commander sized 1911 and have it bobtailed. I really like my Dan Wesson c-bob, but it does seem a little heavy sometimes.

I guess I'm not very good at this game, I think if I shopped around I'd be at less than $1000 even after the gunsmithing.

[sm]

Along the lines of what pax and Brian posted

Either a OLDer Gov't Model of 1911, left bone stock, with USGI/ Colt 7 round mags, or Older 3" K Frame such as 13, heck even a Model 10 or Model 64...
Some kind of belt, holster, ammunition lessons and I want some books as well...

Guns are fine, I really could use another...
$2500 - heck
I'd be happy just taking lessons somewhere, and using a borrowed gun(s), and getting some books and all I want.

[pendentive]

few things to think about:


1 - training is a great idea, but let's assume you're already getting the best training you can.
2 - let's say you were "gifted" a ~$2500 handgun...didn't cost you anything...if you lost it tomorrow, you'd be out nothing, right? So, why not carry it? use it?
3 - I disagree with the "no difference between a $500 and $2500 gun" idea...there's plenty of difference. It's not just prettying it up. High performance comes at a price. Precision machining isn't cheap.





Some of you have captured the spirit of this discussion:

What do you expect from a $2500 gun? (user, not collector)

What would you do with it if you got it for free? (won it, for example)

What would you prefer?
A one-shop-stop $2500 gun?
or a custom/performance gun?
or an inexpensive gun really tricked out?

Where's the best value in this price range?


Seems like there are a lot of "tricked-out 1911" answers....is that all there is out there?




p.s. I also want to open this up to "bag-carry" options. Not belt-carry-only. That said...T/C Contender, Ruger Blackhawk and similar hunting handguns wouldn't qualify.

[WSM MAGNUM]

Wilson Combat Protector .45ACP in Stainless Steel. $2,380.

[lawdogso]

Wilson Combat CQB. The one all others are judged by.
lawdogso

[sm]

I personally do not do anything Wilson.

$2500 and required to get a gun / gun built ?

These come to mind, as I have actually shot these guns, even carried them:

1. Caspian 1911, as close to original GI as I could get, with the exception of gold bead front sight insert.

2. Ditto above in Commander Size.

3. Caspian , 1911 style 9x23 Full size, again some tweaks, including gold bead insert on front sight.

4. Ditto above in Commander Size

5. Freedom Arms, just I cannot make up my mind as to what caliber and config.

[ReadyontheRight]

A $500 pistol. a $200-$400 long gun and two classes at Gunsite.

[VA27]

It's a tie between 3, in no particular order: SIG P210, H&K P7M8 or the Colt 1911 WWI replica...all left bone stock. Those three have no need of 'pimping-out'!

Whatever money was left over from the purchase would go for ammo and a six-pack of spare mags.

[qbpc]

Glock 30 $550-600 and $1900 worth of ammo, mags, night sights and leather.
Thats my .02

[Soybomb]

3 - I disagree with the "no difference between a $500 and $2500 gun" idea...there's plenty of difference. It's not just prettying it up. High performance comes at a price. Precision machining isn't cheap.
How much precision machining do you need to hit a target at 10 yards or less for concealed carry? Realistically if anything the super high end 1911's are the ones I always see people complaining that are jamming up and picky about ammo. Thats just not something you hear about the $500 off the shelf guns. Perhaps target guns aren't the best self defense guns for that reason? Personally I think a smooth bore pistol wold probably wind up being precise enough for most of our uses....

Anyway can you get two pistols? Maybe a hip gun and a pocket gun and a few pieces of leather for each? Can you get some toys for one of them, maybe your state allows suppressors?

[NRA UR2]

Ed Brown Kobra Karry...perfection!!

NRA Benefactor

[varoadking]

A Yost-Bonitz custom build...made just the way you want it:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v22/varoadking/YoBo.jpg

[Richard.Howe]

P220 and a Milt Sparks VM-II, and a week or two at Gunsite...

[General Disarray]

I'd slap it down on a Les Baer 4" Commander in stainless. Oohlala.

There's a new up and comer custom maker in Island Pond Vt making custom 1911's that are just beautiful, tight, and as good a custom as any. Can't for the life of me remember his name *slapping his senile-ridden skull*.

I assume you're looking for custom ideas since no production gun runs that price, right?

[SAG0282]

SIG Sauer P226 9mm ($700) x 2 ($1400)
Orange fiberoptic front sight $40 x 2
Comp-Tac CTAC ($70)
10 spare magazines ($400)
Bianchi OWB Paddle ($50)
Galco Wilderness Instructor Belt ($45)
UM mag carrier ($25)
Firearms Academy of Seattle Defensive Handgun class ($275)
The remainder in ammunition

[dlcrouch]

add another vote for a Kobra Karry. Course, the way i shoot, i might as well carry around a bag of rocks and just throw them at the BG.

[polekitty]

What to buy? What to carry? How many dollars? Decisions! Decisions!
I bought a Para P-14.45 a few years ago. I just sent it off for a good cleanup and replace all springs because I had a couple malfuncions a few days back on the range. Now, it's good for another 7000 rounds before I probably will have to send it back again!!

[mes228]

For $2500 I would purchase two pistols. A Glock 23 .40 cal./ or Glock 19 in 9mm (approx. $500) probably the most perfect self defense/combat weapons ever made out of the box. Then I would purchase a base 1911 single stack type pistol ie Springfield, Colt etc. (approx. $700 - used if necessary) and ship it to Clark or Yost for an accuracy & reliability package with sights (approx. $1200). You would end up with the two of the best guns on planet earth. You cover every type of need, self defense, range, competition, value & resell. Do it and you will save yourself a ton of money in the long run. Just my opinion but I believe it to be correct in all respects.

[hso]

If you point a CZ75 naturally it would be a Swiss Sphynx.

If a 1911 is what fits, then a tricked out modern specialty 1911 with multiple caliber capability.

If you're best with a Glock, then that and $2,000 on training.;)

[benEzra]

I'd spend $700-$800 on a good PRACTICAL pistol (S&W, Glock, Sig, etc., something reliable and durable), $100 for a set of Trijicons, $200-$300 in ammunition, $100-$200 on a couple of holsters (a thin IWB and a good OWB, plus mag carrier and a decent belt if you don't own one), and spend the remainder on training.

A practical $800 pistol with night sights, good holster options, and a John Farnam class or two under your belt would make you a lot more effective than a $2500 custom pistol and no training.

[Boats]

Once my heavily massaged Springfield Champion comes back from Robar Industries, I won't need a high bucks 1911A1, so I find I cannot get to $2500 on a carry piece that'd I'd actually carry. Here's as close as I can get today:

Ruger SP-101~$420.00

Send to Gemini Customs for full massage and moonclipping, but no porting ~$700 with shipping.

Send to Robar for full NP3~$300 with shipping.

Maxed out at about $1400.00 So I guess some leather, some classes and some cases of ammo would be on order.

[pete f]

Real world, I would deny the one gun rule and buy four used sigs,

However, I conflict with the idea that carrying a expensive high quality gun is somehow silly in that if you need it and use it, you will be putting 2500 dollars in the States hand for who knows how long.

If i have to use my gun in self defense, I want to be 100 percent sure that at the moment my life was on the line, I will NOT be thinking "damn, I wish i had a better gun," My life is worth 2500 bucks to me. Its worth a whole lot more than that.

Following the rules,

2500 to spend on ONE gun, all on the gun, probably some version of an Ed Brown. His seem to work the best and last the longest.

[TexasP226]

Ed Brown Kobra Karry