Changed about your handgun interests?

I dabbled in different 1911s and double stack 9mm, but now I'm returning to my original carry gun, a sp101. I have also recently bought a used s&w model 66.
I just like revolvers better.

My interests have taken different turns but always ends up back with revolvers after a while.

I've always treated my firearms like tools...always kept them running well, shot them all, and never mistreated them. Well maybe I've pushed a few of them with some extra spicy handloads. My interests cycle, currently into big bore handguns. What fun!

Capacity and velocity isn't everything. 6 years ago I would have focused on how much each handgun holds, and I still do with regards to revolvers, but I'm more realistic. For example, if the .327's were in the SP and GP revolvers, I would have gotten the 6 inch GP100 over the 4 inch Sp101 because... velocity. Today, I realize that the .327 GP's are dumb, the revolver is too big for the caliber, conversely there are calibers too big for the revolver, namely the .44 in the GP100.

Also, over time I'm realizing that revolvers are too complex in regards to optimizing performance. Bore diameters, throat diameters, barrel/cylinder gap, alignment of the chamber to the bore... this is stuff that we have little control over, but can take what could be a great gun and turn it into a garbage plinker in short order where you're stuck playing hot potato with the factory for warranty work. Semi autos are a lot simpler to get shooting well.

-.40 S&W isn't what I thought it was, but 5+ years ago 10mm was basically a dead cartridge.
-9mm isn't so bad, but it's not the holy grail for all pistols.
-.45 ACP is still what I thought it was, but for the purposes of not triggering others I'll keep that opinion to myself.
-Hollow points are not the answer for everything.
-Glock is not the only handgun out there, it's just great to have if you like PCC's.

Also, there's nothing special about steel framed pistols. I had been thinking recently maybe there was, but having owned a couple now, while they look and feel nice, that doesn't mean they're better than polymer pistols that every Boomer loves to hate. I get it that they will last 200 years, but I'm going to be alive for maybe another 50 of those years and not planning to have kids, passing something on is the last thing on my mind and when I'm staring at the grave resale value is not going to be the biggest concern.

Finally, I've had a love-hate relationship with .327 and after finding a cheap plinking load that really works, I love the caliber again. I should make a biopic, "When TTv2 met .327"

Shipwreck said:

I think it is interesting how we change as we get older... Years ago - I use to treat all my guns like museum pieces. Unless it was a carry gun - I did all I could to keep a gun from getting marked up or scratched. If something got scratched or damaged, I'd be irritated for quite some time.

Usually, only 1 gun was a carry gun. And, I figured - why scratch up everything.

Now, other than 1 gun that is my nightstand gun (Beretta M9A3) - everything else is a carry gun of some form or fashion. It is true that my Hk P2000 has been my main carry gun for the past 5 years now.. But, I occasionally carry everything else I own. And, I don't really care if things get marked up now.

Heck, I usually only buy guns to potentially be carry guns now... I bought a Beretta APX last summer, and an M&P Shield a month or so ago.

How have you changed over time, with your guns and gun interests?

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Mine have stayed steady for the past 15 years or so. Always loved single action revolvers. Not much love for plastic although I do keep a few. Love the 1911 and also use an M9A3 as my nightstand gun!

Also love my 22s still

Shipwreck said:

I think it is interesting how we change as we get older... Years ago - I use to treat all my guns like museum pieces. Unless it was a carry gun - I did all I could to keep a gun from getting marked up or scratched. If something got scratched or damaged, I'd be irritated for quite some time.

Usually, only 1 gun was a carry gun. And, I figured - why scratch up everything.

Now, other than 1 gun that is my nightstand gun (Beretta M9A3) - everything else is a carry gun of some form or fashion. It is true that my Hk P2000 has been my main carry gun for the past 5 years now.. But, I occasionally carry everything else I own. And, I don't really care if things get marked up now.

Heck, I usually only buy guns to potentially be carry guns now... I bought a Beretta APX last summer, and an M&P Shield a month or so ago.

How have you changed over time, with your guns and gun interests?

Click to expand...

I haven’t hit your level of practical enlightenment yet, but my journey is shaping up to be very similar to yours. I carry my guns. I shoot my guns. They are gonna show honest wear. Oh well. I try to keep them nice but fret about function a lot more than appearance any more.

If I ain’t using it, and it wasn’t bought as an investment, then why own it?

I've been through a lot of different phases where I like something one day and dislike another day. Fast forward almost 20 years and it's a repetitive cycle. I am not a big fan of plastic but it works so keep one as a carry gun. I love my Kimber TLE II even though sometimes it does weird stuff and will not cycle properly. Recently I started a revolver thang and it has been working out for me.

I have a 22 rifle that I absolutely do not think is any fun to shoot. Friday I snatched the 22 conversion kit out my son's AR and put it mine. I had a blast (no pun intended) shooting the iron sighted AR at 60 yards at a 12 inch gong. I went through a phase where I built about 7 ARs in about a year now I rarely even take one to the range. I do whatever sounds the most fun at the time. Sometimes it's a flop sometimes I enjoy it.

Armored farmer said:

I dabbled in different 1911s and double stack 9mm, but now I'm returning to my original carry gun, a sp101. I have also recently bought a used s&w model 66.
I just like revolvers better.

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Hello Armored!

I don't normally stray from my "safe" zone which is Black Powder (C&B revolvers), but Arkansas Paul strayed to my realm and that is why I am here.

I have always loved 1911 guns and this is my HD/SD/CC/Truck gun. AMT Hardballer Covina (go ahead and laugh) with carbon steel sear pin, hammer pin, thumb safety, hammer strut, firing pin stop, firing pin, and extractor. Barrel throated per Kuhnhausen. Bought it from a scared security guard with 2 factory stainless mags for $150 in 1992.

It ain't pretty but it runs, and has done so for nearly 30 years. The Quick Clip is because I can't wear a belt with my back problems, just suspenders, and it fits well at 4 o'clock



1911-.22 built from stripped Olympic Arms Matchmaster frame and a 1992 JA Ciener top end with 2 15 round mags. 19# mainspring shoots anything from Rem Subsonics to CCI Mini-Mags. Frame and MSH parked by Olympic Arms in 2014 before they went out of business. It shoots minute-of-soda-can at 25 yards offhand.




1989 Ruger SP101 .38 Special with Hogue Monogrip and Wolff lightened mainspring and trigger return spring. My wife's bedside companion.



Regards,

Jim

Waterboy3313 said:

I've been through a lot of different phases where I like something one day and dislike another day.

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Same here, I used to love finding a deal on a used gun, usually a CZ or 1911 and I'd have to own it. Sometimes I'd get buyer's remorse a day later and and go out to the shops to look for something else.

One day I made a list of guns I felt I needed vs wanted, and that helped me quite a bit.

Same here, I used to love finding a deal on a used gun, usually a CZ or 1911 and I'd have to own it. Sometimes I'd get buyer's remorse a day later and and go out to the shops to look for something else.

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I don't have more than one pistol of the same make/model but I wouldn't mind having another 1911 or two maybe three. If I didn't live in California I would try to collect one in each caliber.

I've always been a revolver guy. For over 40 years. I have a few semis, but I think my revolver count is around 50. The only thing that has changed with me is the type of gun I buy these days. I used to have safe queens as well as shooters. Now other than a few Vintage S&W that are new in the box, I have found the "perfect" gun is a used one in excellent condition with the original box and papers if possible. I can shoot it without lowering the value as long as I take care of it and keep it in the same condition it was in when purchased. It only makes sense. Buy it, shoot it a while and get your money back and sometimes even make a few bucks. Every now and then you may lose a few as well, but it all evens out and if you are lucky, you can enjoy numerous guns and it really cost you nothing!

Im definitely going for quality over quantity now. Also, selling off duplicates (or very similiar) to afford the higher quality.....

My automatics are mostly working guns, either carry, nightstand, or TEOTWAKI. For the most part I only shoot them to stay proficient. Some of them havent been shot in years.

If Im shooting for fun, its probably a revolver these days.

With my current graveyard work schedule and it being winter, I get about 2 hours of sunlight, which has mean't no range time for months. So, I have very little time to shoot firearms for fun and instead have to focus on making sure what I carry is up to par.

So most of my focus has been on carry pistols, and more specifically, going down in size over the years. When I first started carrying 20 years ago, it was all full-size Glocks, Berettas, XDs, and S&W. Then I went to the compacts and had the same M&P40c for a decade or so. Then I went even smaller with an XDS, and then back up to a G19, then back to the M&P40c, and now way down to the P365. I really want to just settle on one carry pistol for every occasion and just be very proficient with it. Hopefully, the P365 will be it.

I've always been meticulous with my guns and never abused them; I don't see that ever changing. I also don't ever see me going to a revolver for carry; just too much weight, too expensive, too much recoil, too little capacity, and too many problems. I bought a S&W 642 for my ex-wife, and it was a sweet little gun, but I never really warmed up to it and was not sad to see it go in the divorce.

If I ever get a job that allows me more range time, I would likely get another single-action in .45 Colt and maybe go for a new Henry carbine in .45 Colt to build as a camp gun. Levers and single-actions just feel completely natural to me and are almost a religious experience to shoot.

Still like to keep my carry guns looking nice. The Kimpro finish on my Kimber is the worst for holding up to holster wear. The finish on my CZ PCR's is rough and tough. They still look nice after years of holster wear. Really blued or parkerized keeps a holster gun looking nice for a very long time. I don't pick a carry gun due to it's finish but a good long lasting finish is a consideration for me.

A few years ago I owned two E. German and a Bulgy Mak. I bought the .380 (commercial) Rus. Makarov to carry, as it had no collector value. Also had a CZ-82 and Polish P-83: too nice to carry.....
The interest then shifted into a more potent chambering - 9mm German Sigs.

As three of them are fairly close to pristine, I intentionally bought a Sig P6 with plenty of slide carry wear (it has a very nice frame),
*so that This gun would Not prompt the need for me to 'baby it'. That's why I ended up with a 'true' P225 ('87), and a pair of P6.

The desire for very reliable foreign 9mm police/federal agent guns in DA/SA were partly behind the Sig fever, and the CZ PCR and Walther P99 AS (the decocker option for the striker) are 'mostly' for variety.

#1I’ve stopped chasing small, comfortable guns; I prefer comfortable shooting to comfortable carry so I prefer a full sized service pistol.

#2 I’ve stopped avoiding Tupperware guns... my favorites are still lever actions and revolvers but 98% of my shooting is with ARs and plastic pistols: I recognize their utility as well as the potential benefit of not caring too much about my gun.

#3 I now spend way more on ammo than guns...

Funny how I came across this thread... after just bringing my first handgun out of the safe again for home duty after about 5 years. It's a Bersa 45ACP Ultra Compact.

For awhile now I've carried either my 9mm Shield or a Makarov (or 9x18 same-caliber cousin) as my EDC concealed piece. The only true constant all these years has been a .357 Charter Arms Bulldog, kept in a secret furniture compartment with about eight speed loaders and a pouch full of loose shells. My other old standby is a Bulgarian Hi-Power clone, put away in another cubby hole with a generous handful of loaded mags. But usually my EDC handguns are also my home defense weapons.

It wasnt long before the Bersa was in the safe and I began to switch back and forth between the shield and my polish radom p83 in 9x18 for EDC.

What most people will probably notice is that most of these are simple, old school, single stack semis or revolvers in modest calibers. Ive aimed to get me a modern double stack 9 mm high-capacity handgun for quite some time now, and just have never got around to it! Ive researched them. Ive had a few in mind, although Im not a Glock dude at all. I would take a CZ75 or clone or a plethora of others before a Glock ever comes home to Daddy. So far my Hi-Power clone is the only double stack 9 I have. The closest Ive come to that besides is maybe finding a full size M&P big brother for my 9mm Shield at some point.

I'm pushing 50, and certain physical issues I am having are forcing me to take a revised look at my Arsenal and how I use it. I'm starting to understand why so many old men out there prefer revolvers or simple old school semis in the hottest heavy calibers they can handle. Its not all about me though. I realize that all calibers and actions and designs have their merits and drawbacks.

Ive avoided single-action-only semis for EDC. Ive made myself confident that shot placement trumps all. Ive learned to both appreciate and abhor the 21st century hicap 9mm simultaneously. I've learned that most of the best things in personal firearms have already been invented and accomplished, and we are rapidly all becoming a bunch of freaks with ADHD. However, if anyone actually comes up with something new and significant it will probably be some HiQ freak with ADHD!

After all Ive invested in and wrestled with and slept with and rejected and obsessed over.... After all the guns which have migrated between the night stand and the safe in my life, Ive come to think its more about your relationship to the platform as it is about the gun and caliber. Its a kind of Kung Fu mastery thing. There is no ultimate style. Only the style which fits your limitations while having a close second which challenges them too.

With all that said, I'll reiterate that my first handgun was in the caliber 45 ACP...I am leery of SAO for CC...I respect the HiCap 9mm while also regarding it as the biggest copout on human tactical ability: Just modern disposable "spend'n'go" philosophy. I consider 357 Magnum the most efficiently effective handgun caliber in the history of the world... but I'll prefer my Makarov at 3 a.m. in the morning if someone is trying to Jimmy my kitchen window. I actually have two of them with 9 magazines between them...

So, with all this said... I am finally considering selling a couple of things and getting myself a decent medium length 1911 and marrying her.

I just wonder what the hell our kids will be like...

and bear in mind I haven't even covered my rifles yet...

GlockTalk, BerettaForum, THR, did you forget DefensiveCarry?

Getting more interested in getting rid of handguns than getting additional handguns.

it is becoming less of a self defense concern that is a hobby, and more of a hobby - that can also be helpful in self defense to me. there was the initial realization a few years ago that I knew nothing, really nothing - about handguns … so, the is this enough or capacity etc. consumed my thinking, and now I realize since I'll probably never need a gun, but enjoy shooting and learning about firearms, that is what I should focus on a little more - and tune out some of the noise about worrying on the smallest nuances of caliber and ballistics, and round counts, and just have what I like and be skilled with it.

I'm pretty well set with my current CCW rotation (a Kahr CM9 and a S&W Model 638) and possible back-up choices (a SIG P238 and a S&W Model 649 with a KelTec P3AT thrown in for good measure). Might get one of these new small size, high capacity 9mm.s everyone is talking about but that's about it as far as my CCW needs go.

The rest of my handguns are mostly for fun and the range (and home defense too), with a strong affinity for 1911s, full and compact size 9mm.s, .22s (for both target shooting and plinking), and single action revolvers. Have also been slowly adding black powder revolvers into the mix and recently got a .22 conversion kit for one of my 9mm.s.

Can't really say anything has changed about my handgun interests unless you want to talk about my preferences over the years from revolvers to semi-autos then back to revolvers (and yes, a few more semi-autos)! I have found it keeps me "in the game" so to speak and I totally enjoy every aspect of it!

I used to think I needed the smallest platform for the caliber.
I used to think recoil was a caliber issue.
Now I realise it's a caliber / platform mismatch.

That's the reason a lot of people can shoot the G19 as well or better than the G17. The G17 is simply a larger platform than required for the 9x19mm. In some people's case they are just as fast with the G26.

In my case I get the same times with a M&P M2.0 Compact with 9x19mm and .40 S&W. It's simply a larger platform than needed for 9mm in my opinion.

I will be trying the new M&P M2.0 Subcompact when I get the opportunity but I suspect the 9mm will be faster in that platform.

Sure have. I learned you have to adapt the hand to the tool. U.S. Army, one Rifle, one Pistol, deal with it. Same thing at work THIS is what we use, learn it. My personal carry was Colt Series 70, to Glock 21, to CZ 9mm full size and Compact and CZ97b in ..45. Still treat them like my life depended on them. I don't put them away dirty or damp. Even my "Toy's" are treated that way. Sure they're tools, but you take care of your tool's, right? . .