What handgun(s) should I get?

[Ergosphere]

Here's the scenario I am now considering: assume I can purchase a couple handguns now, but may never be able to purchase any more. What should I get?

Right now, I have a Taurus 24/7 9mm, 1911, HK45, and Kahr PM9.
My wife has a Ruger 22/45 and a Colt govt. .380 (though she has no trouble handling .45 ACP. )

I have medium to small size hands, and prefer single action (though I like the flexibility of the HK). Assume an absolute maximum budget of $1500 (my actual budget is TBD, and may be less). What would you add?

I'm thinking a "beater" 1911 (RIA?), maybe another 9mm, and a PA-63 or two for a cheap gun to stash around the house. But I'm interested in hearing other people's suggestions.

 

[joop]

perhaps a gun in 5.7x28mm... the only one I know of in that caliber is the FN Five-seven however.

 

[Stradawhovious]

What handgun(s) should you get???

How about.... um...... one of each, and sometimes two!!

 

[Ergosphere]

Stradawhovious, I like that thought... but reality oft intrudes upon one's dreams.

 

[Dimis]

look into ParaOrdnance widebody .45 they hold 14 + 1 in the chamber are barley wider than a standard 1911

as for a second choice i personaly would go with a nice smith and wesson 357 of whatever frame size fits your hand you cant go wrong with a revolver for a stash gun and 357 is a great round

 

[Loomis]

I would recommend 3

A large 357 caliber revolver, maybe even an 8-shot model.

A really tiny gun, like a keltec 32 caliber

A long slide glock with hi cap 33 round magazines. I think it's a model 17L.

 

[Stradawhovious]

I'm sure to get hatemail for this one from someone...... but I have an EAA witness standard .45 and I have to say, that gun is the most comfortable .45 for the range I have ever handled. It's bulky as all get out, so it makes carry impractical, (hasn't stopped me though, 10 rounds of 45 in the mag is better than 8 rounds of .45 as far as I'm concerned) but uber reliable, and very smooth. Best part is if you look hard enough, you can find one NIB for less than $500, sometimes a lot less than $500. Mine was a gun-show special that I picked up for $200 without a scratch.... My opinion is that it's worth owning.

 

[meh92]

Without knowing exactly what you want to do with these guns, it's a little difficult to make specific recommendations. Here's two great general-purpose guns which can fill multiple niches.

S&W K-frames are fantastic general-purpose guns. The Model 10, 65, and 66, are my three of my favorites. The round-butt version is a decent choice for smaller hands and the wide variety of aftermarket grips make custom-fitting the K frame easy. Also, K-frames are everywhere and usually quite affordable. They are also a fairly bombproof, time-proven design.

As far as semi-autos go, your requirements made me think of the Browning HP. It's just fine for smaller hands and the SA is very usable. Again, it's an excellent, time-proven design.

Both are absolute classics.

 

[kcshooter]

Since any gun ban that goes into effect most likely won't include low-cap guns, mimicing the '94 ban, I'd buy those that can take hi-cap mags first, and then stock up on the magazines. I remember how much any magazine over ten rounds jumped in price on the last one, and that's what I've been doing the last few months.
Revolvers and single-stack autos are not on my short list right now. Mags, hi-caps (both rifles and pistols), and "assault" receivers are.

 

[DWARREN123]

A Glock compact in 9mm, 40 S&W or 45 ACP. XD compact, CZ compact. Too many to list but I like compact size for CCW.

 

[Ergosphere]

kcshooter, I'm not thinking about new gun bans here. For the purposes of this thread, assume that handguns will become completely unavailable to me.

Stradawhovious, your Witness sounds very nice. Functionally, it's probably similar to my (much more expensive) HK45 - very comfortable, fits my hand, 10 rd. capacity. If I can find a deal on one, I'll pounce on it..

Without knowing exactly what you want to do with these guns, it's a little difficult to make specific recommendations. Here's two great general-purpose guns which can fill multiple niches.

I'm not entirely sure either, which is partly why I'm asking this question! The handguns I have now are mostly general-purpose. The major caliber guns (9mm and .45ACP) are all service-type, while the PM9 and Colt .380 are suited to CCW. I'm not sure if I should branch out into different types or calibers (10mm, 44 mag, etc. woods gun?) or obtain backups for what I already have, maintaining ammo compatibility etc.

 

[Rmart30]

a XD sub compact, a cpl of used K frame Smiths ($250ea), a cpl of used 5906 Smiths($279ea) and enough hi cap mags for any autos you own to outlast you.

Those guns will be around long after your gone even with plenty of range time on them.
I would also stick with calibers that you already have and not get any "odd" calibers.

 

[benderx4]

Get yourself HIS and HERS HK P7s. For your budget, you could get yourself two Grade A P7s which are gettting harder and harder to find, and consequently going up and up in price.
Sounds like you like your HK45 - well, these P7s are marvels of engineering, extremely accurate, nice and thin for CCW (think PPS), and just a plain hoot to shoot (squeeze cocker). And truly, they are a great investment. (think Colt Python)

Good luck with your search.

 

[Drgong]

Browning Hi Power
A small Jframe or the Ruger/kel-tec pocket guns.
a Pa-63 for a inexpensive beater of a gun.

If you have any more money, Nagant revolvers are fun and cheep.

 

[ImARugerFan]

Sounds like it's time to start buying revolvers. .357 would be a great place to start, or a single six .22.

 

[lee n. field]

Right now, I have a Taurus 24/7 9mm, 1911, HK45, and Kahr PM9.
My wife has a Ruger 22/45 and a Colt govt. .380 (though she has no trouble handling .45 ACP. )

Wheelgun of choice.

 

[Majic]

Why not make do with what you already have?

 

[GVMan]

Definitely a .357 revolver!

 

[Ergosphere]

benderx4, don't HK P7s go for about $1400? A his & hers pair is well beyond my budget... nifty guns though.

 

[Shipwreck]

No, high quality used ones are around $700.

 

[benderx4]

Ergo: Shipwreck is right. When it comes to $1400, you're probably talking a HK P7M8 in LNIB condition. I was talking about Grade A P7s which will run between $600 and $750 a piece (depending on condition, number of mags, type of sights, etc).

The M8s are harder to find, hence the higher price. They also have the typical HK ambi mag release by the trigger guard. Moreover, they also have a heat shield above the trigger since they are gas operated and tend to heat up after 50 rounds, or so. Finally, I think the only significant difference is the trigger guard itself is a bit bigger for gloves and such.

Believe it or not, many people actually prefer the regular P7 for CCW since it has a Euro style heel release for the mag which is less prone to accidental engagement in a holster. The gun itself is thin like a PPS, built like a German Panzer, and extremely accurate given the fixed barrel.

I've got one of each and LOVE them - very addictive too! The HK P7M13 is even rarer still and goes for close to two grand. (Double stack and naturally, wider.) Finally, almost as rare as the South American Swallow, is the P7M10, their .40SW version.

If you're interested, try the folks at CDNN, they usually have a great selection and some of the best prices on the internet.

Good luck!