Handgun of Choice

[EddieAngel 508]

We are going to head to the gunshow this weekend and pick up some weapons now that our kids are old enough to leave them alone. Anyone have a favorite or two to recommend?

 

I am looking at the Sig Sauer P226 .40 myself, maybe the same with the E2 grips for the wife. Also on the table for her is a Glock 19.

 

Thoughts? Favored for yourself? For the wife? She is fairly petite, 5'4" and 118. Not tiny hands though.

[Irish_Thunder 197]

Love my Ruger Sr40c! The 9mm version would be a great easy to shoot gun for your wife, great trigger and a thumb safety if that is your preference.

 

If you can find one, the Smith and Wesson M&P Shield is great also in both 9mm and 40 S&W.

[The Four Horsemen 6]

I am personally a huge fan of Sig Sauer. I have a p226 in .40 and absolutely love it. Never had any issues with it. Mine is primarily for home protection and target shooting. I do have a tactical light mounted on the rail. Not a big fan of lasers, all you really need is light. I also have a p229 in 9mm but it is still a little too big for cc.

 

In regards to the wife, I am a huge proponent of letting her see what she likes and see what fits in her hand. Large frame autos are probably not the way to go, maybe something with a single stack mag. If you start looking at high capacity large frame autos, her hand may not fit well and she may not feel like she has control of it.

 

I also have a Walther PPK-S in .380 for cc, it is a smaller frame weapon but still has plenty of firepower and holds 8 rounds. I would have her look and get a feel for what she is comfortable with. I think the XD and XDM pistols are a little more narrow and may work ok for her.

 

BTW, I just placed an order for the SIG .45 1911 Scorpion. I can't wait to get it, if it ever comes. Guns are a little hard to come by these days.

[J.P. 0]

I have never shot a Sig 226 but they are a nice looking gun. The only draw back on the Glock for the wife is the trigger safety I dont know if she has ever shot one or not but that thing can be kinda uncomfortable.

[nd1baby 0]

Sig 226 40 Cal is perfect more stopping power than a 9mm but not a cannon.

[EddieAngel 508]

I have a SIG 226, its a nice gun but I haven't had it out in a while. I also have a Glock 37 which is a .45 GAP, I'm a big fan of it. Only downside would be the cost of ammunition for it, but luckily for me that is provided by the taxpayers.

 

What is the main objective of your gun purchase? Will you be carrying it concealed or will it be for home defense and target practice. The SIG especially and 37 are a little too bulky to be carrying concealed, at least for my taste. Check out a Glock 27, can't go wrong with that for carrying concealed.

 

Home defense. We won't be carrying it. Gun laws in CA pretty much assure that you have to get mugged AND killed before you can get a conceal/carry permit.

[EddieAngel 508]

I am personally a huge fan of Sig Sauer. I have a p226 in .40 and absolutely love it. Never had any issues with it. Mine is primarily for home protection and target shooting. I do have a tactical light mounted on the rail. Not a big fan of lasers, all you really need is light. I also have a p229 in 9mm but it is still a little too big for cc.

 

In regards to the wife, I am a huge proponent of letting her see what she likes and see what fits in her hand. Large frame autos are probably not the way to go, maybe something with a single stack mag. If you start looking at high capacity large frame autos, her hand may not fit well and she may not feel like she has control of it.

 

I also have a Walther PPK-S in .380 for cc, it is a smaller frame weapon but still has plenty of firepower and holds 8 rounds. I would have her look and get a feel for what she is comfortable with. I think the XD and XDM pistols are a little more narrow and may work ok for her.

 

BTW, I just placed an order for the SIG .45 1911 Scorpion. I can't wait to get it, if it ever comes. Guns are a little hard to come by these days.

 

You can't go wrong with the 1911. I have been increasingly dismayed about the state of firearm availability. I thought that post-no-2012-apocolypse things would thicken up again, but with the anti-firearm sentiment floating around it is worth rather than better. We are headed to a local gunshow this weekend, hoping that I can turn up a couple of handguns and a shotgun there.

 

Thanks everyone for your input, you have definitely reinforced my choice in the Sig. Never heard one bad word about it, pretty impressive.

[EddieAngel 508]

I am personally a huge fan of Sig Sauer. I have a p226 in .40 and absolutely love it. Never had any issues with it. Mine is primarily for home protection and target shooting. I do have a tactical light mounted on the rail. Not a big fan of lasers, all you really need is light. I also have a p229 in 9mm but it is still a little too big for cc.

 

In regards to the wife, I am a huge proponent of letting her see what she likes and see what fits in her hand. Large frame autos are probably not the way to go, maybe something with a single stack mag. If you start looking at high capacity large frame autos, her hand may not fit well and she may not feel like she has control of it.

 

I also have a Walther PPK-S in .380 for cc, it is a smaller frame weapon but still has plenty of firepower and holds 8 rounds. I would have her look and get a feel for what she is comfortable with. I think the XD and XDM pistols are a little more narrow and may work ok for her.

 

BTW, I just placed an order for the SIG .45 1911 Scorpion. I can't wait to get it, if it ever comes. Guns are a little hard to come by these days.

 

I like the Walther for her as well. Getting the Sig for myself and the Walther for her kind of reminds me of Boondock Saints 2, if you guys have ever seen it.

 

Absolutely right though, have to get her out shooting. She has fired a lot of weapons but has never dealt with cleaning, clearing a jam, etc...

[dylanbg20 0]

I recently did the same thing as far as picking up a pistol for my fiance. I have a Sig 228 9mm and my duty Glock 22 .40. She was fine shooting both at the range but it wasn't what her purpose was for carrying.

 

At first, she wanted to pick up all the "cool" looking guns like the XD's, Glock's, etc. but when I let her hold my Ruger LCP .380 for CC, it fit her hand really well and it was way more comfortable for her. She's using it for CC as well so it was important that it be smaller and comfortable in a stressful situation.

 

For home defense...As long as she's comfortable, a 9mm with some hollow points (if you can find them) is more than suitable but I probably wouldn't go smaller. If she's cool with a .40 or .45 great, if not...there are other options.

 

Nothing worse than a handgun in the hands of somebody that doesn't know what they're doing! The same day we bought hers, there was a guy buying a revolver that had to be told the ammo he had picked out wouldn't fit his gun, scary!

[Gettysburg Irish 0]

I carry a springfield trp 1911 .45, a little bigger than some prefer but it works for me, my wife carries a Charter Arms pink lady in .38, she prefers the revolver over her other semi's. I've got a 454 Raging Bull and .50 Desert Eagle but they are more for show than anything, dang ammo is too expensive.

[The Four Horsemen 6]

I am going to a gun show this weekend in Des Moines as well, hoping to find something, anything! Our local heavyweights are Sportsman's Warehouse, Scheel's and Bass Pro. I would have sworn Sportsman's was going out of the gun business last week while I was in there. They usually have over 100 pistols, 10-20 AR style rifles and about 30-40 defense shotguns. I think I saw maybe 10 pistols in the store,not a single AR rifle and maybe 2 shotguns left.

 

I am waiting for the Scorpion to show and have some cash burning a hole, If I find a nice AR I may lay out the cash for it this weekend? Really want to shoot one of the new SIG 516's but I doubt I will see one for at least a year.

 

Good luck on your search!

[DamshaBua 48]

Glock 19 or Glock 26.

 

I'm on the pro-Glock side of the aisle. They work and are simple to disassemble and clean. The less parts you have the less there is to potentially go wrong.

 

I've shot the Sig P220 and P226. They are really nice guns.

 

I'm in CA and they are not allowed to sell the Gen 4s here. I can't speak on those.

Edited January 23, 2013 by DamshaBua

[The Four Horsemen 6]

Glock 19 or Glock 26.

 

I'm on the pro-Glock side of the aisle. They work and are simple to disassemble and clean. The less parts you have the less there it to potentially go wrong.

 

I've shot the Sig P220 and P226. They are really nice guns.

 

I'm in CA and they are not allowed to sell the Gen 4s here. I can't speak on those.

 

I have shot a lot of Glock's too and I don't mind them, I just prefer the Sig. I think they are both very reliable weapons. I have heard good things from owners of both brands and I think it just comes down to preference.

 

I do feel a definite difference though in the 2 guns when I have shot them. Can honestly say in thousands of rounds neither has given me a mechanical failure or jam.

[EddieAngel 508]

Glock 19 or Glock 26.

 

I'm on the pro-Glock side of the aisle. They work and are simple to disassemble and clean. The less parts you have the less there is to potentially go wrong.

 

I've shot the Sig P220 and P226. They are really nice guns.

 

I'm in CA and they are not allowed to sell the Gen 4s here. I can't speak on those.

 

Have you ever looked into the intra family transfer? My grandpa and my father in law both live in Arizona. It sounds like a bit of a hassle to deal with, but I might look into it more to avoid being shackled by our super liberal local government.

[OklahomaIrish 0]

OK, Obama wants all your names and addresses.

[Gettysburg Irish 0]

OK, Obama wants all your names and addresses.

 

lol, the way i've been buying up guns the last 5 years i'm sure i've already made a list of sorts

[DamshaBua 48]

Have you ever looked into the intra family transfer? My grandpa and my father in law both live in Arizona. It sounds like a bit of a hassle to deal with, but I might look into it more to avoid being shackled by our super liberal local government.

 

I have looked into it. From my understanding, there are two ways to get a Gen 4 here: 1) transfer from somebody like a LEO (they can buy them); 2) the single shot exemption.

 

On the second part, you need to basically purchase it with a barrel (10 inch, I think lol) that will only allow 1 round to be manually fed at a time. After you buy it, you can legally replace the SSE barrel with a normal one.

 

It just seems like a pain. Maybe there is an easier/cheaper way and I just got frustrated. As a lefty, I really like the idea of the ambi mag release on the Gen 4.

 

Four Horseman: I agree. It is mostly a matter of preference. I don't have anything bad to say about Sigs. They are great.

 

I forgot to mention that my buddy REALLY likes the S&W M&P Shield (9mm) for concealed carry for his wife and a backup for himself. I haven't shot it, but it is slim and easily concealable. http://www.smith-wesson.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product4_750001_750051_812563_-1_780153_757781_757781_ProductDisplayErrorView_Y

 

Edit: It looks like they came out with a CA compliant Shield. The last time I looked, it wasn't out.

 

Let us know what you get.

Edited January 24, 2013 by DamshaBua

[chirodomer 47]

I like my sig sauer P2022 9mm. Just an easy gun to use. I like the 9 Bc it holds more bullets and for me, it's all about a hail of lead. The more the better! I also just bought a sig sauer MPX-C it's also the 9mm version. I have a few .22 rifles and a few other small SA handguns plus an assault 12 Ga. My reasoning behind the 9mm version is it is cheaper to shoot. It still has ok stopping power and if all the main guns use the same ammo then I am at an advantage.id love to get a big sniper type of rifle but there is just no where around Indiana that I would feel safe discharging it. Too many people. I do want to buy a P226 in the earth colors. I'd like that in a bigger caliber. Then again, I hope I never have to use them beyond just training. I tried out a RRA LAR-15 last night. I was surprised it was as heavy as it was. That's part of the reason why I went MPX.

[tdnd81 2]

I am looking for a home defense gun, it will be my first gun. My friend's recommend a shotgun. A Remington 870 express. What do you guys think? After reading this thread it sounds like you guys love the handguns. Is it because this is a handgun thread? hehe.. thanks

[GunSlinger 28]

I am looking for a home defense gun, it will be my first gun. My friend's recommend a shotgun. A Remington 870 express. What do you guys think? After reading this thread it sounds like you guys love the handguns. Is it because this is a handgun thread? hehe.. thanks

 

If I were to buy a shotgun it would be a Remington 870 Tactical. My brother got one a few months ago for his home and loves it.