(Advice) Looking to buy new handgun, can't decide

March 17 2006 | diverteach

[diverteach]

Given that it looks like many Freepers are also gun enthusiasts, I thought I'd ask for some help in making a decision as to what to buy in the way of a handgun.

I pretty much have it narrowed down to a few choices.

.357 or a 44m Taurus or Smith & Wesson

and

With a 4" or 6" barrel

Thanks in advance freepers!

BTW, if you know of any other alternatives along the same lines, please let me know what.

[winston2]

Save money, get the Taurus.

Get the one that feels right.

Save your hand, get the .357

Nice advice!

I prefer stainless Ruger SP-101 .357 with short barrel.

It has to be packable or you might as well get a rifle/shotgun.

[Jasper]

I had the link bookmarked.
Glad to help.

Regards,

/jasper

[LouAvul]

By all means, do not buy a 44 mag. Ammo is very expensive and much too powerful to learn on.

Buy a 357 Ruger (doesn't have the ugugaly lock). You can learn to shoot with (very inexpensive) 38 special ammo.

Then use 357 ammo for self-defense.

[Birmingham Rain]

Not to stroke your ego, but ... ah, heck, it's Saturday night...

Excellent post. Interesting and full of useful information that answers some questions I had.

[Little Ray]

If you have one, go to a range/gunstore. They usually have firearms for rent. Rent the ones you are interested in and try 'em out with some ammo types you might use.

Personally, If its a carry gun, I'd recomend a .357 Taurus snubbie. Its small, light, easy and cheap to feed (you can use .38 or .357 in it), and the number of loads available are litterally staggering. Get a couple of speed loaders to boot. And practice. Lots. The gun isn't dangerous - the shooter is.

If you're getting a "bedside" or home gun, get a pump-action 12 gauge. The PRC makes a nice Winchester 97 repro that is great for the job, or you can find something more expensive (and not made by slaves in an enemy nation...).

[Mulder]

This would be for personal protection at home.

Why a revolver instead of semi-automatic?

A semi-auto is easier to fire and reload for most folks. Most of the major manufacturers also offer models with integral rails so you can attach a light. Whatever, you purchase, I would also recommend night sights so you can see your sights at night.

[ezsmoke]

Hey, does anyone know anything about the S&W Model 360PD? Any good?

[Shooter 2.5]

Smith and Wesson four inch .357 mag. I used to love the 686 but I don't know if they still make it. Don't forget to pay the money for stainless steel since you're in Florida.

If you're a diving instuctor, what's the deal of dive masters and guides stirring up the sharks? If I'm on a dive, I wish they would leave the darn things alone. Tired of almost being lunch for those guys.

[planekT]

I'd probably go with the 44 mag with a 6 inch barrel and use 44 Special for home defense rounds, at least at night just so you won't get temporarily blinded by the muzzle flash. I can't say what the flash is like in a 357 with a four or six inch barrel, but I had one with a two inch barrel and it was pretty bright. I gave it to my brother for Christmas since his old .38 was getting rusty from coast trips and neglect and the .357 was in stainless.

My first choice for HD would be ye olde shotgun, but a pistol is quicker to get a hold of. I keep the former close and the latter closer.

[sig226]

Don't get a Taurus - they're poorly made. A .44 Magnum sounds like a great idea, but it's a difficult gun to master. Many pistol ranges won't let you shoot it.

The Smith and Wesson 686 with a four inch barrel is still made. It's a great gun. You can shoot .38 Special ammunition in it, or .357 Magnum. The .38's are inexpensive. The recoil in that gun is very light. The .357's aren't much more expensive, and the recoil is manageable.

.44 Magnum ammunition is also expensive. .44 Special ammunition is a good defensive round, but you won't need any because you will not have anything worth stealing after you spend thirty dollars a box on .44 Special ammo.

The 686 is expensive. You can save money if you buy the Ruger GP - 100. The four inch barrel is best for defensive purposes in either case. It is easier to wield than the six inch. Many women have trouble with the weight and balance of the six inch guns.

A lot of self defense shootings happen at close range, and it is easy to grab the six inch barrel and control the gun - point it away from yourself so it can't be used as a weapon. It is also possible to twist it out of the hand of the shooter, a move that will likely break the the shooter's trigger finger.

You didn't mention if women or children might use it, but it's something to think about if you have family.

The shop might also show you an automatic. These are great, if you take the time to learn them properly. They can be very difficult for women and children to shoot. Their advantages are that they hold more ammunition, and you can get night sights on them. Most defensive shootings happen in low light. Think about it - bad guys don't like to be seen.

I'm in DelRay Beach. I've been selling guns for over nine years now, so email me through the board if you want more information. I can show you a few tricks to evaluate used handguns - what we do at the store - and you can get some great deals at the shows if you are careful.

[FreedomForce]

Can't go wrong with a Ruger GP100 357 magnum with a 4" barrel(or a similar S&W.) If I could keep only one of my handguns, my GP100 is what I'd keep(the others I own are a .22 Taurus revolver, .45ACP Taurus revolver, and a 9mm S&W semiauto.)

[CountryBumpkin]

If you live in Florida, rust due to humidity is an important consideration. I recommended stainless instead of blued steel in that environment.

If you do not plan to use the gun for CCW, then buy one with longest barrel you feel comfortable with. Ideal length in my opinion is 5" to 6.5". 4" is the absolute minimum. Under stress, it is much easier to unconsciously aim and accurately shoot with a longer barrel, especially in the dark.

Taurus makes fine revolvers. I have experience at the range with a 38 Special Taurus revolver with a 4" barrel. 38 Special hollow-point ammo works well for home defense. A 357 Magnum revolver is another fine choice. Just keep in mind that 357 Magnum ammo packs a heck of a recoil compared to 38 Special. Fortunately, 357 revolvers also shoot 38 Special ammo, hence the best of both worlds.

With that said, having plenty of experience at the range with a variety of revolvers, pistols, and rifles, I recommend a full-size 1911 (semi-auto, 5" barrel) in 45 ACP for home defense. I have a stainless Springfield Armory 1911 full-size, Custom, Loaded in 45 ACP. For your purposes, the full-size Mil-Spec model is fine and about $200 cheaper. The nice part about full-size 1911s is that replacement parts are everywhere and cheap. So are the magazines. I use Wilson Combat 47D 8-round magazines. Most 1911s are only as reliable as the magazine. Plus, for home defense, it's nice to be have a gun with several loaded magazines nearby (in a safe of course if kids are around). You can readily buy semi-auto magazines that hold 10-rounds if you wish. That's up to twice the capacity of a large caliber revolver in just the first magazine. With practice, you can swap a magazine and have 10 more rounds ready to go within a few seconds. I recommend avoiding 9 mm versions and sticking with 45 ACP. 45 ACP is far more effective for home defense although the ammunition costs more. I prefer the "strong push" recoil of 45 ACP ammo at the range over the "violent jerk" recoil of 9 mm ammo.

If money is a big issue and you want semi-auto, "plastic" guns like Glock or Springfield Armory XD are a great choice. Springfield Armory has the new 5" XD 45 ACP coming out this summer. The 4" XD 45 ACP just started shipping.

As for expensive whiz-bang "extras" like night sights, lasers, rail-mount flashlights and the like, skip all of that stuff. There is no substitute for experience, no matter what extras you buy for the gun. If you must have a light, something like the Photon Freedom micro light with covert nose is perfect and costs less than $15. Use the hundreds of dollars you don't spend on extras for a range membership, ammunition, and a decent spotting scope. And when you go to the range, practice in single-action mode using the slow fire method (shooting no more frequently than every five seconds or so). When you are at home, try practicing in your bedroom at night in the dark (with the gun unloaded of course). Put the gun where you plan to normally keep it and practice rolling out of bed, getting to the gun, chambering a round, and taking a defensive position. Remember: Hope for the best, plan for the rest.

The best place I know of to buy ammunition is WalMart, especially the white box Winchester target ammunition. For example, 100 rounds of Winchester white box 45 ACP at WalMart is $20. 38 Special probably costs the same or less.

[Tijeras_Slim]

In the .357, I would suggest finding a used Smith model 28 or 27. These trace their lineage back to the first .357 made in 1935 and are outstandingly reliable and accurate guns. There are many nice examples available and the quality of many are higher that current new versions IMO. My 1954 Highway Patrolman (pre-28) is my favorite packing 357 for woodsbumming.

In the .44, similar advice, except get a more recent gun such as a 629 or Mountain gun. I'd be more prone to use Keith loaded (Hot) .44 Specials than full house mags for home defense.

[Tijeras_Slim]

PS: My experience with Taurus has been dismal.

[School of Rational Thought]

There are many factors to consider when purchasing a handgun.

A good strat is to answer what are you going to use it for? concealed carry, home, hunting?

[relictele]

Make that Glock 19... ;-}

Just make sure you grab the right item from the nightstand!

[B4Ranch]

Yer standards are too high. LOL

[Tijeras_Slim]

Only in some things. :)

[B4Ranch]

:)

It is Sunday.

[FreedomForce]

Springfield's XD 45ACP is already available in both service 4" and tactical 5" models. They've been getting almost unanimously rave reviews from owners at the XD Forum website. The tactical will probably be the next gun I purchase.