2 Handguns needed - reliable, durable, cheap to shoot

You should buy a German gun.

Sig Sauer has all you need.

Beretta 92 & Browning Buckmark.

Can you buy a CZ 75? You can get a .22 conversion unit for it and (perhaps, depending on German law...) it would only count as one gun. The CZ comes in stainless and is a fine firearm.

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Funny, that is exactly what I was thinking.

Hmmm, the Kadet is the best of the conversion kits I've come across, I mean it's the only conversion kit that's actually also sold as a complete pistol, I dunno, I don't mean to sound insistent but your needs and comments are just making me more and more convinced that you should be getting a stainless 75B (or whatever variant you like, D or 85B or whatever) and a Kadet as your first pistol, then take your sweet time figuring out what you want for a second gun.

Personally for .357 revolvers I love the 686, best revolver I ever owned. Kind of big, but you won't be carrying it anyway, and mine had a righteous trigger.

I have owned many many pistols over the years, and still maintain a sizable collection.

If I had to choose only two:
1) CZ-75B (plus the .22 kit)

2) Beretta 8000 D

This way you have to of the best 9mm pistols - giving you ammunition commonality, and a very high quality .22 conversion for one of them.

The Beretta 92 D would also be an acceptable substitute for the #2 position.

My vote goes with the CZ. Got it in stainless and it's my favotite.

Sounds like a good consensus on the CZ w/ Kadet kit. I think you'll be happy with that choice.

But what about your second handgun?

Beauty of it is the CZ and Kadet covers (perfectly) BOTH of his needs, so he has all the time in the world to decide what will cover his needs best for the second gun. Sounds like he may be into a .357 revolver for his second, I mean if size is no issue a S&W 686, maybe a 4" 686 or + would be an awesome compliment to a 75B and Kadet.

Gun #1: A good quality 1911 in .45 acp with both 460 Rowland and 22LR conversion kits. You now have 3 great calibers but only one gun and about $1,000 (more for a Kimber platform).

Gun #2: A good quality multi-caliber revolver like a 44Mag/44Spl, 357Mag/38Spcl or my personal favorite, 454Casull/45 Colt. If you reload or plan to, you'll find the 45 Colt one of the most versatile rounds available; if you don't, your retail options are a little more limited than the other two. Or get a Freedom Arms in 454 and you can get cylinders for 454 Casull, 45 Colt/45 Scofield, 45 acp/45 Auto Rim and 45 Win Mag. On my shopping list is the 475 Linebaugh/480 Ruger. If you like big bores, consider the 460 S&W Mag which also chambers 454 Casull and 45 Colt (and, I think, 45 Scofield).

Gun #1: A good quality 1911 in .45 acp with both 460 Rowland and 22LR conversion kits. You now have 3 great calibers but only one gun and about $1,000 (more for a Kimber platform).

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One of the three is a caliber he asked about... Price seems a little optimistic for the three though.

Sounds like the CZ 75B in SS is a good 'fit' for you as
far as 9x19 chambering - the CZ USA lists the spec. of
capacity as 15 - fiwiw - I think that's 14 in the mag and 1
in the chamber - I find with my 75B the 14th round is tough
enough to get in the magazine. but I'm used to a single stack
1911 .45 ACP magazine so no big deal.

So, if when you get the CZ 75B and a .22 Kadet kit
what are you leaning toward for the 2nd platform?

Randall

Fullsize 75B holds 16 in a stock magazine, or 18 in one of the SP-01 magazines. 14+1 is for the compact framed 75s, like the P-01 or the PCR or the Compact.

It's a rugged revolver for sure. I've never gotten to use one myself, but it seems like everyone who has one loves it.

One gun should be in .22 for accuracy training
and plinking, maybe a .22 revolver.

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I'm buying the next S&W K-frame .22lr I see with adjustable sights....

The other gun should be in 9mm Luger,
preferrably with high cap mag. It should be suitable
for self defense.

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Any 9mm parabellum will be suitable for self defense if it reliably feeds hollow points. My favorite full-capacity 9mm is the Sig P226. It would be great for self defense, but isn't ideal for concealed carry.

Oldest daughter and new son-in-law had same question. My answer was:

1) Glock 19
2) Browning Buckmark Camper

I thought about simply suggesting the Glock with a .22LR conversion kit. But then they wouldn't be able to burn ammo at the same time. Plus the conversion kits cost almost as much as the Camper...

I have a 9mm CZ-75B, an excellent 9mm. I also have the CZ Cadet and recommend it as a good combination.

My preference for semi autos however, is the Sig P2xx series (P228, 226, 220). I know the 226 and 220 have .22 conversions too. In fact, you can buy a P220 in .22 and (in the U.S. at least) get a coupon for the .45 conversion and have both for about the same cost as a P220 (45) alone. That would be an awesome combination.

A .357 revolver (can also be used with .38 special ammo) is a great house gun. I recommend Ruger (Security Six, GP-100) or an older S&W 66 or 686. A suggest an older S&W because those do not have the locks on them.

If you were buying a .22 separately, I would suggest a used Ruger Mk II. Excellent .22. My wife and I prefer shooting it to a .22 revolver, but that's a personal thing.

Good luck.

Ken

Why not one of the 1911 models in 9MM with a 22 conversion kit? All of my 1911's are 45's but my Kimber 22 conversion kit works on all of them and I assume it would work on the 9 mm models. Since you are limited to 2 guns, the 1911 platform allows for the most customization of any platform out there. I would think that would be a huge deal given the limitation on the number of firearms owned. You will likely get feedback about how 1911s are finicky and have problems right out of the box. I own Kimber and S&W 1911s and both have been reliable and accurate out of the box. Neither is 9MM so YMMV. Personally, I would go with a full size .45/.22 on the 1911 and pick a .38/.357 revolver. That way you get 4 pistols for 2. I know your requirement was 9MM, but if you have the 22 in the auto why waste your revolver choice on the same caliber. If you choose a 9MM in the auto, I believe the 38/357 revolver looses a but of its luster as the cartridges are not that different (in the grand scheme of things) from 9MM. JMHO, but I would try and get the 2 pistols that provide me with the most ability to shoot a variety of calibers. Good luck and let us know what you get.

I wouldn't assume that a conversion for a .45 would work on a 9mm. You cannot easily switch between 9 and 45. I wouldn't bet that a .22 conversion would work on both.

Ken

you got some pretty good answers that should serve you well but I still have one question for you.

Why not buy just 1 pistol(with a possible .22 conversion) now and see how you like the said gun and then with that experience you can buy another that is more to your liking?

or is it just easier to buy 2 now?

1911 in .45 and .22 conversion kit = 2 guns

Glock 22 with .22 conversion plus Wulf 9mm & 357sig conversion barrel. = 4 guns

now you have 5 calivers to play with. .45, .22lr, .40sw, 9mm, 357sig.

1) CZ 75 with the Kadet .22LR conversion assembly

2) S&W Model 686 4" barrel

NG IV wrote:

"Fullsize 75B holds 16 in a stock magazine, or 18 in one of the SP-01 magazines. 14+1 is for the compact framed 75s, like the P-01 or the PCR or the Compact."

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Pardon for the slight hijack: Are you saying that you can put the SP-01 magazine into a 75B? If that's true, it's good news to me (I own a 75B, and think it's fantastic).

To the original poster: If you can find one in stainless (since that's what you're after), I will add one more vote for a CZ75 in whatever variant you like best. I remember reading of the CZ75 line as "the poor man's Sig," and though there certainly is an overlap in the two companies' prices, I think it's an apt description. Great ergonomics, and a design that's been honed over many years.

I don't yet have the Kadet adapter, but that's one reason I bought the Cz, knowing that this is an option in the future.

timothy