Handgun you trust your life with?

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Like everyone else here, I think it's an odd way to ask "what do you think the most reliable pistol is".

But to answer that question, if I had to pick just one, it would be the Makarov. I currently own two, at one point had 3, and have shot a few that belonged to other people. These things are SOLID. I think you could run it over with a tank and it would still shoot.

Check this out:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAEbbhRJNYw
 
Anything I put in a holster I trust with my life. 90% of the time it's s a Sig239. For years it was a S&W4006. Even my PT709 is trustworthy.
If I have a holster for it, I could carry it. And I have a holster for everything except my 22's.
 
OP here...

yeah, I guess a while ago I did mention "most reliable" pistol.

But maybe ALL your pistols are reliable, but of those, maybe one you shoot one better than another, or practice with it more, or are more comfortable with the caliber.

I went out to dinner with the family Saturday evening at a mall restaurant. For me it was the S&W Model 65 w/CT grips in a strong side belt holster, with a S&W 642 with CT grips in the left front pocket.

So, again, a stainless S&W revolver in .36 caliber for me, usually.
 
I trust my life with those guns I feel are reliable and for which I have run enough malfunction drills to know how to get it back into operation in the event of a stoppage.

No device is perfect and I've always been a believer in worst case analysis: hope for the best, but prepare for the worst.

That being said, I have a few surplus guns that I bought strictly for range fun. If I had to defend my life with one of them, I certainly would. They're just not in my primary arsenal of defense.
 
I have come to the conclusion that it is not so much which model or type of gun I rely on, but why I can rely on a gun.

I can rely on my defensive weapons because I am intimately familiar with them and their function, because I practice with them and shoot them well, because I keep them well maintained and in good repair, because I choose reliable ammunition, and because I keep them within reach.
 
G21 & Detective Special. Very different firearms, but both can be safely carried in a condition where they can be drawn, pointed, and fire with a trigger pull.

My G26 gen 3 Has had 2-300 down the pipe; purchased new. Want to shoot it a little more before carrying it. I expect it will be just fine. My police trade-in G19 gen 2 just arrived from AIM; needs to have a trigger spring changed to match the feel of the other Glocks, and run several hundred rounds before I would carry it.

I would like to have easier-to-conceal options than the G21 that I would not care about banging up by carrying (or worse yet, lose to an evidence locker).

My FEG PA63 has had a very reliable couple thousand rounds and counting through it, but has a safety to be flipped before firing - so while I might be able to trust the firearm implicitly, I don't trust myself to operate it correctly in an extremely stressful situation.

My BHP & Springfield 1911 would not be carry items either. Not the manual of arms I train with, and way too cool to risk losing...

-Bill
 
I wouldn't place absolute trust for my life in a handgun in a common service caliber. They all suck, but are a compromise for portability.

If a fight were imminent and I had to select a tool to trust my life with, it would be a long gun every time.
 
thecarfarmer said:
My FEG PA63 has had a very reliable couple thousand rounds and counting through it, but has a safety to be flipped before firing - so while I might be able to trust the firearm implicitly, I don't trust myself to operate it correctly in an extremely stressful situation.
Click to expand...
The PA-63 has the same safety arrangement as the P38, Beretta 92F, most all the S&W autos, the PP, and a host of other pistols.

I take it you are uncomfortable with the hammer down on a loaded chamber and relying only on the long trigger pull. A trigger pull that is a lot longer and safer than any Glock, I might add.
 
A large part of it is also that the FEG was the first pistol I purchased... I have lost touch with the first guitar, the first skateboard, the first motorbike (a minibike), my first tube amplifier... you get the point.

If required to use a pistol, the odds are good that I will be surrendering it for an undetermined period. This is why God gave us Tuppeware firearms.

And, I have not become totally comfortable that the FEG could not inadvertantly crush a primer if jarred sufficiently with a round chambered. But, I have a pretty good feeling that I would not inadvertently operate that trigger in DA mode! But, why even fool with it; there's serviceable pistols I can use that don't have the sentimental value

- Bill
 
If I own it, I consider it reliable enough to trust my life with. Those include (or have included, which I got rid of for an unrelated reason):

Springfield XDm
S&W M&P
Ruger SP101
Ruger LCR
Ruger LCP
 
I don't trust any of mine. Instead I maintain them, inspect them, train to handle failures, and have contingency plans and backups. Guns are machines and all machines are suspect.
 
The two that I carry at this time are my Colt LW Commander 1911 in 45ACP and a S&W Shield in 9mm. I have back problems so when the 1911 is too much weight, I carry the Shield. I have a STI Ranger II 45ACP 1911 and a New Blackhawk 45ACP/45 Colt convertible for home protection. If I could find a way to conceal them I have two semi-auto Tommy guns that would be great for home protection. 30rds of 45ACP as fast as you could pull the trigger would definitely make the bad guys run!!!:evil:
 
I don't trust any mechanical device 100% so I trust my life to a Primary (S&W 65 or 13) and a BUG (S&W 640) and a Hideout (NAA .22 mag).
 
If it fits me well, and I can therefore use it well, and it proves to be reliable, that to me is what builds trust. Maker, model, and caliber, are inconsequential to those criteria. I've had several that made the cut, in different configurations, and calibers. I'm not a fan-boy when it comes to a certain manufacturer. The Glock 30 is what best met the three for me. It fits my hands the best, and therefore for me is very accurate. And it has yet to fail in any way. It wins. I really wanted to love an HK compact, but my hands didn't. So it never made it to the reliability trials.
 
I trust any and all of these. The 9mm Kimber Tactical Pro II and the Sig P938 are in my EDC rotation.

9756517d-9fe4-4215-8345-d0f98619b83c.jpg
 
Any of my revolvers or, if I'm on medical leave, my wife armed with any of her revolvers.

They just plain work, and they're reasonably accurate.
 
Whatever I'm carrying at the moment. If I don't trust it, I don't carry it.

A few of the handguns on my list: Colt King Cobra, Colt SAA, Makarov, Taurus TCP (I know, but it works for me!), Ruger Super Blackhawk, Ruger P85, IJ Cadet 55S. I own some others, but haven't used them enough to trust them for carry duty. The list will probably grow.......
 
I take it you are uncomfortable with the hammer down on a loaded chamber and relying only on the long trigger pull. A trigger pull that is a lot longer and safer than any Glock, I might add.
Click to expand...

That comment made me take a close look at the firing pin safety mechanism on my PA-63s. Now that I have actually looked at how it works, I think I would be pretty comfortable carrying one of those with the hammer down on a chambered round.

-Bill
 
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