I trend medium-frame revolving pistol, for daily carry. A revolver does not care whether whether my right Ulnar Nerve is having a bad day. (The Ulnar Nerve is important, in having a strong grip, being especially important for the thumb, and the ring and little fingers.) My usual minimum, in size, is a Ruger SP101. My most-frequently carried is an S&W Model 64, with a 2” barrel. If out and about after dark, I may well opt for a 3” GP100, which has a tritium front sight. If it is to be a field/woods type of day, I may well opt for a 4” or 6” GP100.
When I first started buying handguns, in late 1982 or very early 1983, I thought that revolvers were quaint. A history buff, I was a fan of the 1911, the handgun of the US military, from the horse cavalry era to the Cold War. Colt Government Models and Commanders were popular duty pistol choices, among local deputies and police officers. I thought that revolvers were quaint relics, on their way to being relegated to history books. When I suddenly developed an interest in police wok, however, the big local agency, that was still hiring, required cadets to train in the academy with S&W L-Frame revolvers, and then, while rookies, to carry only DA revolvers, while on duty, and during personal time. So, I had to learn double-action sixgunning, and in those wild and wooly times, if I wanted to survive, it behooved me to pay attention, and really learn how to revolve around. I soon learned to really like several double-action revolvers, and to shoot them well enough that I still shoot specific DA revolvers more consistently better* than anything else.
It is normal for me to carry more than one weapon. If I up-gun, the second gun may well be a Glock Gen4 G17, one of my former duty pistols. I like full-sized Glocks, because they are gentle on my arthritis, and fit my healthier left hand really well. I have carried on my right side for 40+ years, but write left-handed. My “smarter” left hands seems to handle the complex Glock trigger better. I may have learned to shoot with “traditional” handguns, decades ago, but see the true utility of Glocks, and like them. I doubt that I will ever shoot any Glock as well as a good DA sixgun
My first love, among handguns, is the 1911 pistol. An all-steel, 5” barrel 1911 is gentle on my hands, when shooting. Drawing such a big gun from an inside-the-trousers rig can be a bit much joint articulation for my aging should and wrist, so, I generally carry a 1911 in an outside-the-trousers holster with some amount of “drop.” So, my “preferred” carry gun is not likely to be the one that I am actually carrying, on most typical days.
I reckon that my heart prefers the 1911, but, my brain, or at least the practical part of my brain, prefers medium-frame DA revolvers. The chief perceived “weakness” of the revolver is mitigated by having the second weapon. I put “weakness” in quotation marks, because most private citizen self defense can be adequately handled with the ammo contained within a revolver cylinder
*I have been able to shoot a 1911 as well as a GP100, or S&W K/L-Frame, but with less consistency. If a revolver fits me well, the long stroke of the double-action trigger tends to enable me to self-correct during the trigger pull, in a way holds up better, under stress, when shooting quickly, than single-action shooting.
It's been many years since the norinco ban and now the norinco stuff is really gaining in value and collectability. I gave 150 dollars for my norinco 1911a1 years ago and have seen a few recently going for 6 to 7 hundred range. Of course that's on the webs where things can get a little wild at times. I've owned Springfield, Colt and RIA 1911 pistols and they have all been sold or traded off over the years. But I just have never been able to let go of my norinco. It feels right and functions and shoots like a dream.
