Author Topic: Soliciting advice on choosing ONE handgun... (Read 2544 times)

azmark · « **on:** September 02, 2007, 06:45:06 AM »

...for several roles. Home defense, non-competitive target shooting, predators bothering goats and chickens, etc., etc. You get the idea. I'm also on a budget, so I'm looking in the $400 range. I'm still undecided about auto vs. wheelgun. For simplicity's sake, I'm considering a SAA clone in .357 or .45 colt. On the auto side, a P-series Ruger is a possibility, a Taurus DA auto might fit the bill, and then there's the S&W Sigma which seems to be a good value.

What do you like for gun/caliber combinations where cost has to be kept down and versatility is an issue?

Almtnman · « **Reply #1 on:** September 02, 2007, 08:14:29 AM »

If you shop around some, you might find a nice used S&W model 10-6 38 special for less than 200 bucks. It's a great revolver, very accurate and dependable and would fill all those needs you mentioned if you were to just buy one handgun.

azmark · « **Reply #2 on:** September 02, 2007, 08:42:45 AM »

I do like the model 10. Problem is, it's hard to find around here. Hard to find much of anything used around here. I'll keep that in mind, though. I had forgotten about the good-ole mod 10.

Swampman · « **Reply #3 on:** September 02, 2007, 08:51:59 AM »

A .357 Ruger Blackhawk would be perfect. You'll save a ton on ammo. and it's powerful enough to harvest nearly anything. I really love my 50th Anniv. Blackhawk. The fixed sights on the SSA clone are a huge PIA. I don't & won't trust automatics ever.

Almtnman · « **Reply #4 on:** September 02, 2007, 09:00:58 AM »

azmark, I walked into a local gun store last year to look around. They had about 7 or 8 used model 10-6's in stock that day. They had been used by a police department in Brazil. Most of them were well used as the bluing was worn in several paces and the price for those was $159 each. Then they had a couple of them that was in prime condition although they were still used and they went for $179. I could have kicked myself for not getting one at that time. I like the 10-6 as it has the bull barrel, ramp front sight and fixed rear sight and it's accurate and makes an excellent trail gun. I have seen a few of them for sale on the gun auctions except the price is over 200 bucks there.

Ken ONeill · « **Reply #5 on:** September 02, 2007, 12:50:43 PM »

Ruger Blackhawk or GP-100

Castaway · « **Reply #6 on:** September 02, 2007, 01:58:49 PM »

It's a wide open market for what you want. Like others have said, a S&W 38 revolver would surely fill the bill for the needs you mentioned with money to spare. Don't shy away from a used handgun, especially those that are "buy backs" from a police department. Although the finish may be bad, few have been shot to the point that the pistol function is affected. Another advantage of a 38 is that ammunition won't break the bank if you decide to shoot more than a few rounds. Look around at gunshops and shows, with new technology in the past few years, the trend is for the same sized framed pistol to shoot 357's. That translates to a glut in the 38 market and they can be had at a reasonable price. For those not familiar with auto-loadering pistols, a revolver is the way to go. I've shot my share of "automatics" and have a few, but I find as time goes by, I go back to a revolver.

Savage · « **Reply #7 on:** September 02, 2007, 02:15:10 PM »

I CAN'T DO IT!!!! The pressure is just too great!! Only one gun aggggggggggh! If it just has to be--------An old Security or Speed Six if you can find one in SS would be perfect!
Savage

flabbydan · « **Reply #8 on:** September 02, 2007, 03:58:35 PM »

I'll second Ken O'Neill's suggestion of the GP-100.

Swampman · « **Reply #9 on:** September 02, 2007, 04:58:21 PM »

Ruger double actions are way to heavy to carry on your hip. They are ok for range use were they are carried to a table in a case.

Graybeard · « **Reply #10 on:** September 02, 2007, 05:15:24 PM »

Not that I would EVER WILLINGLY limit myself to one gun or even one handgun but faced with the decision you have I'd search around until I found my S&W 66 with 4" barrel, blow the dust off it and never look back. Of course I'd really RATHER use my S&W 66 with 6" barrel cuz I can hit what I aim at better with it.

Jerry Lester · « **Reply #11 on:** September 02, 2007, 06:13:22 PM »

Quote from: Swampman on September 02, 2007, 08:51:59 AM

A .357 Ruger Blackhawk would be perfect. You'll save a ton on ammo. and it's powerful enough to harvest nearly anything. I really love my 50th Anniv. Blackhawk. The fixed sights on the SSA clone are a huge PIA. I don't & won't trust automatics ever.

My thoughts too...

Almtnman · « **Reply #12 on:** September 03, 2007, 02:35:06 AM »

My thoughts are different if I only owned one handgun. The reason I mentioned the S&W model 10 was that with a couple of speed loaders, you could load up 6 more rounds a lot faster than you can in a single action which would place it in a better defense category pistol than a single action if multiple shots were required or multiple targets were involved. I would tend to feel a little under gunned with a single action and 2 or 3 perks walking through my house late at night. The old used police trade ins like Castaway mentioned can be found on the market and a lot of them hasn't been shot that much just carried in a holster. If the bluing is bad or has some surface rust, it can be brought back to an almost new condition by a new blue job.

If you plan on carrying a sidearm on your side, weight and comfort also comes into play. I worked as a LEO for many years and it's not that easy to have a sidearm strapped to your hip for 8 hours a day. It might sound easy, but try doing it everyday and your hip will tend to get sore where it rests until you toughen that area up enough to get past that stage which takes a while.

I have many handguns and like each of them for their own individual use, but if I had only one handgun I would more than likely go with the S&W model 10-6 .38 special due to it's reliability, accuracy and ease of use.

Savage · « **Reply #13 on:** September 03, 2007, 02:38:05 AM »

I really like the Black Hawk, but I think the DA revolver is more versatile as a multi role revolver. For more precise work, I'd shoot it SA, but really favor the DA capability and the speed and ease of loading/unloading. Whatever you choose, make sure it's stainless. Any of the afore mentioned revolvers would do nicely.
Savage

Hairtrigger · « **Reply #14 on:** September 03, 2007, 02:41:33 AM »

Quote from: flabbydan on September 02, 2007, 03:58:35 PM

I'll second Ken O'Neill's suggestion of the GP-100.

I agree as well

Swampman · « **Reply #15 on:** September 03, 2007, 02:45:07 AM »

I see reloading as a non-issue. Learn to shoot.

azmark · « **Reply #16 on:** September 03, 2007, 05:34:57 AM »

I think maybe I should make some calls up to Tucson and let some shops know what I want. It's too far to drive up several times just to see what's in what shop that particular day. We have a couple of shops in town, but their used inventory is limited.

Apparently, you guys don't subscribe to the ".38 is not enough" theory that seems to be prevalent. I did always wonder how thousands of police officers managed to survive for all those decades that they carried .38s

ibrede · « **Reply #17 on:** September 03, 2007, 06:01:39 AM »

In response to the seemingly negative response to my post, I have edited it,
I payed under $400 for mine so I thought it was within the budget.
Guess I made a mistake, sorry abut that.

Almtnman · « **Reply #18 on:** September 03, 2007, 06:13:53 AM »

azmark, there were also a lot of pilots and other military that carried the 38 special Victory model in a shoulder holster which is also a model 10. It was issued as a survival pistol. I have one of the old Victory models and it's as accurate as any of my other pistols and it was made back during WWII. I noticed that Cabala's is selling some after market Victory model shoulder holsters now.

And Swampman, I think most people here knows how to shoot. I started when I was 6 years old so that gives me right around 61 years of shooting experience. In all that time, I learned that you can obtain a wealth of information and knowledge by listening to some of the old timers. One of those old timers taught me how to shoot and I refined it with some military and LE help. One of those things that I learned during that time was to be well prepared for most anything that may or may not happen. BTW, with my shooting experience knowing that I can hit what I shoot at with the first shot, I still carry 3 clips of ammo for my Sig P-220 when I go to town, just in case I need to reload a few times. I haven't had to use them, but they make me feel comfortable knowing that they're there with me. I think most others will agree with me on that as I sure see a lot of pistol magazines being sold.

And to all the others that turned this thread into a favorite pistol voting contest, the original question was; what would be a good handgun within a $400 price range. If you have a nice Ruger GP 100 for $400 let me know and I will buy it.

Almtnman · « **Reply #19 on:** September 03, 2007, 06:33:07 AM »

Quote from: ibrede on September 03, 2007, 06:01:39 AM

Another vote for the Ruger GP100 from me.

It's the only big bore bore handgun I own anymore,
I have several .22 handguns but they don't count here.

It is a do it all revolver for me.
I carry it in the woods and I carry it the city.

...as for being "way too heavy to carry on the hip",
It's not heavy, just solid...

I carry mine in a pancake holster all day long without any problem.
The weight does makes a difference when you go to shooting it tho'.

larry

But continuing on with the original question, would you be willing to sell it for $400 or could someone that only had $400 bucks to spend buy one like it for that price?

azmark · « **Reply #20 on:** September 03, 2007, 07:25:28 AM »

Almtnman: Thanks. I can't tell you how many times somebody has said something like "spend the extra $200 for the S&W Model xx; it's worth it". I drive a Jeep Wrangler because I'm not going to pay the extra money for a Hummer. Know what I mean? To put it another way, I'm not going to spend big bucks for Snap-on tools when Craftsman is more than adequate. Now I must say, I was able to buy a 6" blue GP100 last year for $375 so they're out there, just not easy to find. Sold it, miss it, dumb move, don't rub it in

I think a lighter gun would be good. The GP was great, but it was also heavy. Nobody seems to be suggesting autos. I'm kind of surprised. Do you guys feel that autos are not reliable enough?

Hairtrigger · « **Reply #21 on:** September 03, 2007, 07:41:49 AM »

Quote from: azmark on September 03, 2007, 07:25:28 AM

Nobody seems to be suggesting autos. I'm kind of surprised. Do you guys feel that autos are not reliable enough?

I don't know of any semi-auto centerfire that I would want that can be readily had for $400

cankiller · « **Reply #22 on:** September 03, 2007, 09:52:02 AM »