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Convenience of carry was the point of discussion with a close friend of mine and we both came to a conclusion that would lead to such a flame war here, I would not want to even say it openly!

One more before bed. Too bad I would have liked to have heard opinions about that, it is an important issue.

that is a very deep issue, what are you gonna carry?
are you ready? what if?
to straighten some- http://www.firearmsrights.com

May I suggest the CZ-75? Excellant pistol. Hi-cap mags can still be had. Accurate, dependable. JGSALES.com has 'em.

Also, the MAKAROV is the best $99 pistol ever made. Reliable as an AK. Excellant pillow/pack/console/carry pistol. Easy to clean and fairly accurate. Hornady makes some self-defense loads, as did Cor-Bon. Ups the "horsepower" so to speak. I have used it when introducing new shooters to the world of handguns. Minimal recoil, noise,etc. Builds confidence. Was standard issue Warsaw Pact weapon for years.

Enjoy,enjoy, whatever you choose.

I have never heard a bad thing said about Sigs and Kimbers[except for my little rant about the melted Kimber].

I asked someone at a Jeff Cooper class what was important on a gun and they said sights and trigger.

I would stay away from any plastic framed pistol but that's just me. I don't have a problem carrying a Colt Combat Commander all day long.

If you're going to shoot a lot, Dillon makes the RL 550B which is the ultimate in reloading machines.

Before you buy a pistol, go to an IDPA match and just watch what everyone is using. Everyone there will be more than happy to show you what they use and they might let you shoot a little.

Before you buy any pistol, make sure that you're using proper hand placement. On a 1911 style pistol the strong hand thumb should be on the frame mounted safety and the weak hand thumb should be just over the trigger on the frame. This is very important when switching from a revolver to a pistol.

What part of Texas are you located?

A very, very, VERY important thing which has gone unmentioned, is that the Double Action autos have safeties that work BACKWARD...and one needs to THINK about it a lot...which won't easily happen under stress. When they first became popular, pros I knew carried their D.A.s hammer down on a live round...safety OFF. Why bother...when the 1911 still works. Jeff Cooper said a D.A. autopistol is a solution for a problem that doesn't exist. If you're arming LE personnel, then perhaps there's a case for choosing it. For one's self...no. Just don't pull it without shooting it. Don't wrestle people with a pistol in your hand. Don't manipulate it...like dealing with hammer-drop "safeties" around other people, in a crowded street. Keep it simple...and don't wake it up until you want it to sing. It's YOUR gun...not the municipality's. You are not there to straighten out the neighborhood...just to suddenly protect yourself. If need be...you can always go out and win a World War with it...in any climate....if you have the ammunition.

I suspect that the "down to up" safety is the real reason people like Glocks. If they were steel, maybe even I would carry one. Maybe.

Just like most people intuitively know how to work a D.A. revolver...they automatically snap the safety DOWN when drawing (bringing into battery) a Single Action Browning design. If my Dad hadn't carried a Walther PPK in the OSS...I would have worried more about him than I did. When we both went to the S.A. Browning High Power 9mm (Belgian), we were both relieved. We needed penetration, and lots of rounds...and it was our very best possible choice. It points like a Luger, but feeds everything, "all" the time.

Working the 1911 seems to be more genetic than anything. Click-Boom. That's it. I also wish my H.P.'s had a Grip Safety...which I'm very fond of...although John Browning didn't want ANY safety on them. The military made him do it.

For all the respect and use I have for revolvers...carrying a .38+P square-butt Chief w/ Winchester 158gr. Hollow Point Lead most of the time, when not working (having promised The Colonel before his passing that I would no longer carry a gun for money)...the M1911A1 seems to exist inside one's body...like an internal organ...waiting to be told to work...as designed...simply. Also....45ACP is big and fat and of slow, low pressure...so the tolerances necessary for them to work are wide...and rather "reliable." But remember...a revolver's "six for sure" is hard to beat, for all its drawbacks.