Handguns, Handguns, Handguns... Stupid investment?

[gbelleh]

I don't really consider my guns investments. I buy them because I like them, and appreciate their form and function. I don't plan on ever selling most of them. But it's nice that they retain their value.

I consider full size, service caliber handguns enough for home protection. If things look really bad, I will "fight my way" to my Mossberg 590.

 

[reppans]

I'm of the mindset that the only good gun is one you have on you.

I have kids so toting around my 12ga from room-to-room, or even having it loaded by my bedside, is not a good idea. My kids don't even know I'm wearing a CCW and it sleeps under my mattress at night.

However, if I lived way out in the boondocks on acres of land, then I'd definitely want some long guns.

 

[LiveLife]

"Why would I want a handgun"... has got me thinking.

I hear all the time how handguns are poor fighting weapons or that handguns are used to fight your way to a "REAL" gun. I LOVE handguns, I own a couple and I want to own more but is it silly to invest in having my favorite handguns? Am I "giving up" a edge when all I have is Handguns for Home Defense?

I have been told, "Don't bring a knife to a gun fight" and believe superiority in firepower gives me the advantage in defending my home. My primary choice I reach for is a pump shot gun with fullsize handgun as a backup. My wife will reach for the AR with another fullsize handgun as a backup. If you think this response is a bit much, you don't live where we live with frequent home-invasion robberies by gang members who are often armed with Glocks. I shoot with local LEOs and they tell me that 911 response is too slow to protect the citizens involving armed intruders and we MUST have the means to protect ourselves (they often respond only to put home owners in body bags - they would rather it be the other way around).

When I was a teenager learning martial arts, my instructor mentioned to the class one day, "If your opponent is proficient with a gun, you can't move faster than bullets and you'll be at a disadvantage." I learned to handle firearms shortly thereafter.

Why do I have a handgun? That's like asking "Do you really need a smart phone to browse the web on the go?" It's a tool that's really nice to have if you need it (believe me, we do). I hope we never need to use Glock 27s we carry everywhere, but I feel more comfortable knowing that we have that option - it sure beats throwing rocks or my bare hands.

 

[PabloJ]

As a amatuer shooter I find myself very attracted to handguns... maybe because the hero's in movies get the job done from 50 yards away with one snub nose 38 or 1911 that magically holds 16 rounds. LOL. But a recent post by another member asking "Why would I want a handgun", which was a awesome and original post... has got me thinking.

I hear all the time how handguns are poor fighting weapons or that handguns are used to fight your way to a "REAL" gun. I LOVE handguns, I own a couple and I want to own more but is it silly to invest in having my favorite handguns? Am I "giving up" a edge when all I have is Handguns for Home Defense? Is there anyone out there that owns just all handguns?

I ask because most gun owners that I know diversify their collection... Handguns, a AR-15 or two, a shotgun etc. I love Tacti-cool rifles and the awesome Robar or Wilson Combat 870's but not enough to drop 1000+ on them.

Yes, like wide-eyed idiot gun whore which accurately describes me rather well I'm now shopping for legendary Swiss-made Sig P210. I heard early 50s vintage are the best.

 

[danite]

Vs. a rifle or shotgun? Yes. Handguns have their place, but the terminal ballistics are just plain inferior. I keep one on the night stand because it's easier to grab when I'm jolted from sleep at O'dark-thirty, and it's easier to conceal if I need to answer the door without knowing if it's a threat or perhaps a SO deputy for whatever reason. But if I KNOW there is a hostile intruder in my home, you can bet I'll be concealed behind the bed, covering the entryway to the room with the AR.



No, it's not. Aside from slugs, shotgun loads are less likely to leave your residence than handgun bullets. The same is true of 5.56mm ammunition (especially frangibles).

you can get frangible ammo for just about any hand-gun many ranges only allow frangible,i suppose you could load a large bore revolver with snake shot for that matter regarding penetration issues.it would certainly ruin any intruder's plans,even leave some JHPs in if it didn't alter his intent

 

[MachIVshooter]

you can get frangible ammo for just about any hand-gun many ranges only allow frangible

Yes, you can, and that further reduces the terminal effectiveness of already less effective cartridges.

The wounding mechanism is completely different with handguns vs. rifles. Handgun bullets, with their low velocity, only tear tissue that they directly contact. Rifles, however, will create a would channel many times the bullet diameter. 5.56mm has the velocity; Even with the frangible bullets, you still get massive cavitation.

 

[easyg]

While it's true that long guns most often out-perform handguns, in today's world (except in the most extremely savage and lawless corners of the world) the handgun is just more practical.

Rifles and shotguns are great, but when danger rears its ugly head, the long guns are the ones that will most likely not be at hand.

 

[bobnailer]

How does that old West adage go? "Beware the man that owns one gun, he'll know how to use it."
Own a good handgun of your preference, own two long guns... one shotgun, one rifle.
That way you have all your bases covered. Then again, I think of covering bases, not target plinking.
Bob