You can only own ONE handgun

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My Don Williams 9mm HiPower.

The fit and feel in the hand, decent mag capacity, good accuracy, conceals well, and my wife is willing and able to shoot it well.
 
The obvious answer is to move to a free state and you won't be so restricted.

Go to various clubs and ranges where you can try out different guns. You'll have to travel a bit to find these, central/south Jersey and CT.

Most gun people are friendly and won't hesitate to let a newbie try their guns. I can't count the number of people who've shot mine! Try as many as you can and don't buy anything unless you have tried it first.

I don't know what your financial situation is but the difference between ammo prices for 9mm and .45ACP is significant.

I don't like autos for beginners because they usually don't get the extensive training and practice required to become and remain truly competent with them. (Based on 33 years shooting, 28 years as a cop, and 22 years as a police firearms instructor.)

I generally like a 4" .357 Magnum revolver as a general purpose gun. It does everything well and can fire inexpensive .38 Special ammo. These guns are in the $350-500 range. You can spend the rest of your money on training and practice ammo.

.38 Special ammo comes in a wide variety of loadings from ultralight target loads to very effective defense and hunting loads and is readily available almost anywhere.

I like Smith & Wesson revolvers (the older ones without that asinine key lock) but Colt and Ruger are also good. If you like single action revolvers, you can't beat a Ruger Blackhawk.

Good luck and good shooting!
 
No matter what gun you get, do some reliability testing. You can get a lemon from any brand.

If you want to do range work, what kind of range work?
 
If I were ever limited to one pistol I would probably need to pick a quiet one.





:)
 
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I would get a nice condition S&W 5906 (possibly the TSW), then I would send it away to Cyinder and Slide to get the action tuned, fully customized to my liking, and then get it NP3 refinished by Robar.
 
Fire your mayor and get rid of the silly and completely ineffective rules.

Not even close to my favorite, but my take anywhere is the SIG 229. Best combination of weight, size, capacity, and caliber (mine is .40 S&W) I got.
 
I was right originally. There is a 10 round mag capacity limit in NYC. In fact, it's a state law. Any mag that holds over ten rounds and was made after sep. 13, 1994 is forbidden.

N.Y. Penal Law § 265.00(23) defines the terms and § 265.02 says what's ok and what's not.

So, I'm back to my original suggestion: Ever shot a Makarov? They are sweet and accurate and reliable and affordable and....
 
Get a glock 9mm or glock 40. You will save a lot of money, have a very reliable gun, and you'll have 2/3 of your budget left over to TRICK that gun out. Get a tac light, night sights, better barrel, etc.
 
I was right originally. There is a 10 round mag capacity limit in NYC. In fact, it's a state law. Any mag that holds over ten rounds and was made after sep. 13, 1994 is forbidden.

N.Y. Penal Law § 265.00(23) defines the terms and § 265.02 says what's ok and what's not.

So, I'm back to my original suggestion: Ever shot a Makarov? They are sweet and accurate and reliable and affordable and....
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dang. you're right. it's not in the nyc statutes, it's in the ny state statutes. what a stupid law- and apparently having a "large capacity ammunition feeding device" is a felony! :cuss: good lord.

now i'm leaning more towards 45 acp. as someone said, if i'm limited to 10 shots, i may as well make 'em count.

also, to all those who suggested 357 magnum revolvers, my local range prohibits the firing of magnum ammunition. go figure.
 
With the choice being what it is, only one handgun for life;
it would have to be MY .45 caliber West German SIG-SAUER P220A
(blued '95 model)~! Why~? cuz it served as my duty weapon, as a
member of a major local PD; without ever letting me down~! ;) :D

Or, in a 9m/m platform- MY West German SIG-SAUER P228, which is
probably the best balanced semi-auto of all time. But, finding one of
these is going too be tough; as the market has dried up over the last
few year's.

You said, NO high dollar semi-custom or custom handguns so this
eliminated my Les Baer Thunder Ranch Special 1911 .45 ACP.
 
I would say Glock 17 or definitely a CZ SP01 or P-01, but since you are limited to 10 rounds I'm going to say Glock 29 or Glock 30.

I have a Glock 30 and a fullsize 20.

Being so durable and accurate and willing to take heavy loads make these guns very, Very versatile! Plus you can get an extended bbl for either one from Lone wolf and increase your power potential with the hotter loads.

This is if your dead set on a Semi-auto.

If not I would say a 3" GP 100 or a 4" Smith 686Plus. Youve got everything covered here.
 
My preference would be my Ruger GP161 in .357mag. Can shoot .38spl for practice and great for self-defence.

Autoloader? I guess for target/self defence I would keep my Tanfoglio Witness Match 9mm.

Both are a lot to conceal, but possible for a big guy like myself.

Mostly, I'm glad I can own more than one.
 
SIG-SAUER P220A
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currently drooling over the p220 super match. nothing quite like an endorsement from someone who used it in the line of duty.

ala dan, what's the price tag on your les baer? i'm willing to go 2k but not 3k, the price list on those 1911s seems to range from 1500 to 3000+
 
I'd get a Sig P220 in .45ACP and a .22LR conversion kit.

I'd get a suppressor (.45), a weapon-mounted light, and laser grips for it too if those things are legal in NYC.
 
That's amazing that somewhere in the USA has gun laws more restrictive than here. At least in NSW the number of handguns that I can own is not limited.

For HD and target I chose a SW627 8 shot .357 revolver.

However, you stipulate a semi-automatic.

I would go for an accurate semi. Perhaps a 9mm BHP or .45 single action.

Perhaps you should vote for some pro-gun politicians like we did here.
 
Outside of being able to get good pizza, why would anyone want to live in NYC?
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i was born and raised here. it becomes very, very hard to leave once you get used to it. also my job is here. fwiw i asked my boss for a transfer to our sydney office, but she said no...
 
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