What Is Your Absolute Favorite Handgun and Why?

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I actually asked this question of the three of us on the way back from the range yesterday. We took my Springfield XD-S 3.3 40S&W, the M&P FS 40S&W, my wife's new Shield Plus in 9mm, and my new Tisas Duty 1911 in .45ACP. I was reminded how much I like the XD-S. Carries great, accurate, fits my hand, reliable. If I was relegated to one, that would be it. When they first came out, in 9mm and .45ACP, I was waiting for a .40S&W. Two weeks after it came out, Dad asked me to go to the LGS with him, asked what I would pick for him as a new CCW. I had him take a look at it, he liked it, asket the owner what kind of deal he would do for 2. Happy birthday to me. Definitely the last pistol I would part with.

How do you like the Tisas 1911? I've heard some pretty good things about those.
 
How do you like the Tisas 1911? I've heard some pretty good things about those.
Up until this, I only had a (Canadian) Para GI Expert and a Ruger SR1911 Commander. Accuracy is on par with them (better than I am).

The Tisas has front and rear cocking serrations, as well as a Picatinny rail. All of the edges are SHARP. After I got it home and decided that I was keeping it, I got out some jeweler's files and brushed the corners of the rail and front serrations. Out of the first box of 50, I had one failure to go into battery early on. Dropped the mag, ejected the round, plunked it back in, no further problems. When I got home and cleaned it, there were two stainless slivers on the table, leading me to believe that there were some burrs from machining.

A lot of words to say that fit and finish aren't on par with 1911's that cost twice as much, but a little break-in and some polish work seemed to fix the issues. As I mentioned, I am keeping it. For $600, I got a stainless Government model 1911, with lowered and flared ejection port, flared magwell, ambi safety, extended beavertail and controls, Novak sights, skeletonized hammer and trigger, and (coulda done without) a rail. All it needed was a little work, which most 1911's get anyways.
 
All it needed was a little work, which most 1911's get anyways.
I've had I've had 1911s from Colt, Springfield Armory, STI, Ruger, one built on a Caspian frame, and probably one or two I've forgotten. All except one needed, or at least benefited, from a little tweaking. The exception was the Caspian. It didn't need tweaking. It needed a torch, hacksaw, sledge hammer, anything that would take it from 90% useless to totally inoperable.
 
Those are amazing pistols, what a history! I am a C&R guy so those speak to me in a way that modern guns never can.
Im an unofficial C&R guy. No license or anything, just a love for the old stuff. Be it pistol, rifle, or shotgun. My most 'prized' possession is a Colt Shooting Master 38. It was beat to H.E. DoubleToothpicks long before my grandpa bought it. Its still shiney, its just been shot a ton!

Colts and Winchesters are what gets my heart beating.

My reasons for "last guns i would give away" were based off pure sustenance living. That lil 22-410 can take anything from a mouse to a cow to a duck if using the right ammo.
 
Favorite would be my S&W Model 15-6 mostly because it has the best trigger of any revolver I own. And a 15 was my first centerfire handgun, so there's that. If I could have only one, would probably be my S&W model 28-2 four inch because it is heck for stout and versatile. But I would look long and hard at my Colt LW Commander in .38 Super.
 
I have absolutely no absolute favorite handgun but many that I enjoy for different reasons. I had long competed with a Hammerli International in ISSF games and it is a great shooter that I love dearly but the handgun I like most is pretty much my 1969 rimfire Korth.
After more than 40 years of working out on the heavy bag and the simplest of makiwara boards, my hands and wrists surprisingly are holding up pretty well but the interest in .44 Magnum full power loads and other big kickers has subsided over the years. Maybe I am growing up after all?

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I haven't shot the EZ 380, but I did shoot the 9mm about a year ago. It was pretty easy to shoot and to rack the slide, but there were things about it that turned me off. The upside down grip safety didn't work well for me, but the bigger issue was the trigger. It's so light that it cries out for a manual safety, and I don't want a manual safety on a carry gun. Also, the 5" grip height is taller than I want.

Not to worry though. I have high hopes for the P365-380.
You can get the EZ without the thumb safety. DA trigger pull on mine is 5 pounds and I find that to work on a carry gun.

I too have arthritis and have a difficult time racking the slide of my old autos. I bought the EZ 9 and it eliminated that problem. I also shoot great with it but I don't shoot a lot because of the cost of ammo.
 
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1. Easy one for me, CZ Shadow 2 Orange.
2. Super accurate, wonderful trigger and just a joy to shoot.
3. If I had to get down to just one, it'd probably be my Sig P229 Legion RX. The trigger on the Shadow 2 is just too light for carry IMO, and it's a big gun for EDC too.
 
OMG, I have been dying to get my hands on one of those. I have shot but never owned a vintage Hi Power. Ever since the SA-35 came out, I have been lusting after one. Unfortunately it is not on the California Handgun Roster since it's new
and will never have microstamping. My chances of even overpaying for one in California are pretty remote for the foreseeable future. That gun will easily fetch $2k-$2.5k here in the state that Freedom left. Enjoy it!
I'm grateful to live in a gun friendly state.The governor even lifted the sales tax off of guns and ammunition.I feel for the people who live in states like California,Maryland and New York.I'm even more blessed to live on the family farm,where I have a 100 yard range in my back yard.WV's not a state with a lot of high paying jobs,but at least we have our freedom.I walked into the LGS yesterday and the manager pulled me to the side and asked if I'd be interested in a new Sig P320 Compact in 45ACP.I wasn't looking for one,but he gave me a very good deal on it because they'd ordered a dozen for the local deputies and they only needed 8,so he priced the rest to sell.I walked out with one of them,no waiting period or other hassle.
 
I'm grateful to live in a gun friendly state.The governor even lifted the sales tax off of guns and ammunition.I feel for the people who live in states like California,Maryland and New York.I'm even more blessed to live on the family farm,where I have a 100 yard range in my back yard.WV's not a state with a lot of high paying jobs,but at least we have our freedom.I walked into the LGS yesterday and the manager pulled me to the side and asked if I'd be interested in a new Sig P320 Compact in 45ACP.I wasn't looking for one,but he gave me a very good deal on it because they'd ordered a dozen for the local deputies and they only needed 8,so he priced the rest to sell.I walked out with one of them,no waiting period or other hassle.

Having true freedom like that is a blessing. I am only in California because I have to be for my work, I am in the entertainment business so am unfortunately tied to having to be physically near Hollywood. However, I am part of new startup
for a transportation energy company though, nothing to do with the entertainment business, and we are working hard to convince the owner/our boss that we need to move our growing little company out of this State ASAP. So fingers crossed that our business will be successful
and that we can escape this place, it truly is living behind enemy lines here.
 
1. Easy one for me, CZ Shadow 2 Orange.
2. Super accurate, wonderful trigger and just a joy to shoot.
3. If I had to get down to just one, it'd probably be my Sig P229 Legion RX. The trigger on the Shadow 2 is just too light for carry IMO, and it's a big gun for EDC too.

I've owned the 75 SP-01. How does the Shadow 2 Orange differ from my 75 SP-01? Cannot buy any CZ new except for the few on the handgun roster. I've seen used versions of your
gun going for $2,500 here and they sell at that price. Is it more of a race/competition gun than the stock 75 SP-01?
 
I have owned my HK P7M8 since 1985 and never had a jam, failure to feed, stove pipe, failure to eject or anything like that, and I've used all sorts of crazy ammo in it.

Shot from out of the box with NEVER a single problem.

NEVER

Not one problem.

The magazine release is the easiest I've ever used.

It's completely ambidextrous for firing.

I also think the sqeeze-cocking mechanism is the most ingenious thing ever invented for a handgun, BASICALLY giving my P7M8 a smooth single-action trigger pull.

I can't say enough about the HK P7M8, I wish they still made em.

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This one is not mine, it was once an ad for Robar NP3:

RobarP7M8.JPG
 
Likely this Colt Combat Elite. I got it the day I received my commission in the USN. Shot the heck out of it, carried it all over for a counter-drug tour, CCW with it, etc. Qualified with it 8 times a year, quarterly each with USN and DOJ since I was assigned from USN to DOJ and had to satisfy both organizations. It was looking pretty worn so sent it off to Bill Wilson for a rebuild. Trigger now is perfect and it shoots into one hole at 25 yards.

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I slept on this question and decided I couldn't name one gun as my favorite... I also don't plan to sell any of my guns...

I'm in this boat as well although I like about anything M1911, Government and Commander based models the best.

But, if I had to pare down to one gun due to governmental foolishness, this one would probably be the last to go.

One of my M1911 projects, 45 ACP, Olympic frame, Caspian slide, Wilson barrel, Weigand site base and Tasco sight
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