Originally posted by Hangtime
Nothin quite like the .45 Colt ACP.
Scary piece. Whatever you hit just falls down.
And stays there.
So true Hangtime. =) Obviously everyone has their prefrence with pistols - I think I can show some light in the subject here. Im working at a rifle range right now - extra cash for college - and we have pistols and rifles available to rent. Many of the guns listed in this thread we have at the range - some are good - some are not.
First and formost Ill push my personal favorite - the Colt 1911A1 .45ACP. For concealed carry - a fullsize 1911 is a workout. The pistol weighs a good amount and the rounds arent exactly featherlight either. A compact Commander, Officer's Carry, or Defender offer both shorter barrels and lighter weight. The .45 ACP (Automatic Colt Pistol) round is - bar none - the best self defense round in existance. The velocity and the weight of the slug are enough to put anyone out of action for good. Think of it this way - a 9mm is very fast, but light - almost like driving a nail into something with a hammer. A .45 ACP... is the hammer - slow and heavy (if the sun is at the right angle, you can watch the bullet fly through the air - that slow). Knockdown power is what you want. It doesnt have good armor penetration, but I doubt anyone you might have to defend yourself from is wearing Class 3 body armor.
Anyway - the 1911A1 is simply the finest pistol out there. It dominates in professional pistol shooting and is the prefered choice for concealed carry. Ive owned two Colt's in the past year or so and Ive never had ANY problems with them. A brand new rollmarked 1991A1 (slightly redesigned) will run you about $550 - higher end and custom models will run you more. I would stay away from any other 1911 producer other than Wilson Combat ($2000+ range here) for carry. Kimbers are better shooting guns out of the box, but are prone to reliabilty issues (FTF, FTFe, FTRTB, etc) and you actually want the gun to go off if you need it. Springfield Armory is declining in quality - too expensive in the $500-$600 range for what they offer and Para-Ord is a joke. The only disadvantages of the 1911 for carry are the fact that it is a single action pistol... must be carried locked and cocked in order to be employed - call me amature, but I was uncomfortable with this at first, and the heavy recoil. Granted its not a .50AE Desert Eagle, but the .45 will kick considerablly making followupo shots difficult unless the weapon is ported. The most wonderful thing about a 1911 is the trigger pull... great out of the box and even better after a trigger job - this is why the pistol dominates shooting competitions. It is important to note however the difference between Colt's 1911's - Series 70 and Series 80 pistols. Generally speaking - Series 70 pistols are more desirable and are better shooters, but less safe. The Series 80 pistols have MANY safety features added to them, as well as some external parts that make the gun easier to shoot - this at the expense of a PERFECT trigger pull.. instead you only have NEAR PERFECT - still 100% better than any double action pistol listed.
With regard to other "fancy" weapons - below Ill go through them breifly and list advantages and disadvantages.
Beretta 92FS/96 (9mm/.40) - The 92/96 series pistols are decent weapons. The U.S. Army adopted the 92F 9mm (des. M9) in 1984 and replaced the 1911 with it. For defense purposes, the 92 has 3 main disadvantages: 1. It is only a 9mm 2. It is a huge, ungainly beast 3. It is difficult for a novice to hit anything with it - very challenging trigger feel to it. The 9mm Luger round is wonderful for "plinking" at the range as it is accurate and cheap, but it will take you at least FIVE round to stop a human who is coming at you. Its size makes it difficult to conceal and its weight will wear on you. The .40 (96) works out some of the ballistics problems that make the 9mm unsuited for carry - but the weapon is still large and heavy. We have 3 Beretta's at the range - a blued 92FS, a Stainless 92 Brigadeer, and a 96 Inox. We have had very few failures and no major failures with the models after an average of 200,000 rounds through each gun. Very reliable and at around $600 they are good weapons.
Glock 19/22 (9mm/.40) - Glock is the shining star of small caliber weapons. In terms of reliability they cannot be beat. We have a Model 17 9mm with over 1,000,000 rounds through it - the barrel was replaced - the weapon functions perfectly. Again you have the small caliber issue however. In terms of shootability, they are functional - they are single action with two trigger positions (full and half pull rapid fire). HOWEVER - the Glock has NO EXTERNAL SAFETY. The only "safety" is in the trigger itself - you pull it, round fires. There are various internal safetys that will prevent a round from discharging if the weapon is dropped, etc. Good value at $550-$600.
SIG Sauer (P220 series) (9mm/.357SIG) - SIG Arms is a well known contractor and builds grade A pistols. The P220 series (226, 228, 229, etc) offers a great carry package, but again, at the expense of a small caliber. There are external and internal safetys, the pistol is double action, and with a decent trigger job they can shoot very well. The .357SIG round offers a TON of power for how small it is. The weapons are small, easily concealable, and fun to shoot - Great buys at around $600.
Revolvers - Great for carry as well - perhaps the safest pistol design. Smith and Wesson or Ruger make decent revolvers. The Ruger Red Hawk series of revolvers (.357/.44 mag) are great (but very heavy) pistols. The .44 magnum round is one hell of a bullet, but is still second to the .45 in energy transfer despite a higher velocity. .357's are nice because you can also shoot .38's through them. .38s are cheap and great for practice - when used for defence - the .357 is one of the best rounds out there - decent power and BLINDING speed. (Anywhere from $350 to $700)
Heckler and Koch USPs (9mm/.40/.45/.357SIG) Good pistols... but they have attitude problems just like the company. Dont count on good customer service - parts are expensive as hell and you gun WILL break. As long as you can afford to pay $800 for the name you get a decent pistol. I would advise against the HK's because I have had bad experiences with the company (They really dont care about the little guy - only the military contracts) and the weapons are NOT worth $800. That being said - they are still fine pistols - great for carry at least. If you have to have the name - go for it - if not, move on.
Ruger (P90 seriers) 9mm - Best bang for the buck - its the Corvette Z06 of the gun world - however in this case - the buck aint much and neither is the gun. Numerous failures, prone to jamming, and cheaply constructed. Now mind you - I am comparing this weapon to the best out there - by other standards not only is this an adaquate pistol - it is fantastic. Again, the 9mm is lacking in power - you'd give him 13 or 14 really bad bruises with it - but for a first handgun its hard to go wrong with it. For a price around $400 I think it might be what youre looking for. The weapons has both internal and external safeties, but as a result, the trigger pull is "strange" just like the Beretta.
Knockoffs - I have no experience with them - I was told to stay away.
Now as was previously mentioned - ammunition is not cheap - consider how often you are likely to shoot the pistol. Prices are approx. and for FMJ ammo only. Figure on JHP "Hollow Points" costing twice as much for half the bullets.
Ammunition: (1-10 scale)
Practice = Value and accuracy Defense = power employment
.22 (~$2 a box) Practice (10) Defense (1)
.25 auto (~$10 a box) Practice (2) Defense (2)
.32auto (~$12 a box) Practice (2) Defense (3)
.38 Special (~$8 a box) Practice (8) Defense (4)
9mm (~$8 a box) Practice (9) Defense (5)
.38 Super/9x23mm (~$16 a box) Practice (10) Defense (8)
.357 (~11 a box) Practice (7) Defence (7)
.357SIG (~$12 a box) Practice (7) Defence (7)
.40 (~$10 a box) Practice (8) Defense (6)
.44mag (~$15 a box) Practice (3) Defense (9)
.45ACP (~$13 a box) Practice (7) Defense (10)
.50AE (~$65 a box) Practice (1) Defense (10)
Man its late and Ive bored you enough - Im sure Ill think of some other stuff later - but I gotta get some sleep - feel free to Email me if you have any questions about CWL's or pistols in general. =)
