So what pistol should I get?

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Dingus Milktoast

Trad climber
Minister of Moderation, Fatcrackistan
Topic Author's Original Post - Jul 4, 2016 - 12:27am PT
I think its time I armed up for some of these remote trail heads and long rides across Nevada and such. I've had a few narrow scraps over the years where some firepower backup would have been nice insurance. I'm just saying...

Semi-auto pistol, on the slim and compact side of things, no big flashy man bulge for me. large enough caliber to put a man down for good. but I don't a 44 or anything.

Price of ammo is consideration, both range load and business bullets.

I'd like it to be quality and easily field stripped. Don't need James Bond - just a good solid weapon with a great value and cheap bullets. That'll stop a man.

Give me some good recommendations. Time I pulled the trigger on a purchase.

THanks in advance
DMT
Tom

Big Wall climber
San Luis Obispo CA
Jul 4, 2016 - 12:56am PT
SIG Sauer P226, with the non-California high-capacity magazines (fifteen rounds, as I recall). More shots may be more useful than fewer, more powerful shots. P226 shoots the 9mm parabellum "Luger" round. Similar SIG models are chambered for .40 caliber, 10mm, .357 SIG, .45, whatever.


The P226 is what the SEALS and other Federal agents carry. It lost out to the Beretta 92F for the Army because of cost, not quality.

It is double-action/single-action (DA/SA), with a decocking lever instead of a safety lever. You charge the breech, and then decock and drop the hammer. A long DA pull on the trigger fires the first shot, and then it fires with shorter SA pulls after that.

Aluminum frame, steel slide. Easy to disassemble. Fairly light. The grip may be a bit fat for small hands.

This line of SIG pistols was the first 1911-derived pistol to use a raised block on the barrel to engage with the ejection port, locking the barrel to the slide. This is the standard way 1911-derived pistols operate these days.

Swiss designed, if not Swiss made.

Costs more than a cheap 9mm pistol.

Gnome Ofthe Diabase

climber
Out Of Bed
Jul 4, 2016 - 01:02am PT
I bow to the clear expert advise ( now ? )in the above post (?)




Well I'm slight so the Rugers' make some slim handle guns. The best thing is to spend a few weeks shooting different makes, n guns. I really could only safely handle certain weight guns.

I'm trying to avoid cliché, that being said
Both of these & a left handed review or two were Eye opening,


Ruger SR45.

http://www.ruger.com/products/sr45/models.html

This is a good review;
HANDGUN REVIEWS SEMIAUTO
Ruger’s SR Grows Up: Ruger SR45 Review
by James Tarr | May 14th, 2013, Read more:


http://www.handgunsmag.com/reviews/rugers-sr-grows-up-ruger-sr45-review/#ixzz4DQOCZBMe



&




http://us.glock.com/products/model/g26gen4



The new GLOCK 42, in .380 AUTO,
is a slimline subcompact pistol
engineered with the GLOCK Perfection promise
able to withstand the rigors of routine training. Made in the USA,

~the G42 is the smallest pistol GLOCK has ever introduced, ~

making it ideal for pocket carry and

~ shooters with smaller hands.~

Years of requests across market groups for a super-concealable, reliable
single-stack .380 GLOCK pistol
prompted extensive research and development
to bring the GLOCK customer the G42.,. . . ?(glad I checked)... ? No link ?

Glock 42 | G42Glock 42 | G42

http://us.glock.com/products/model/g42





Wait till Fritz sees this...
johntp

Trad climber
socal
Jul 4, 2016 - 01:02am PT
A water pistol.

edit: seriously, go for a 40 or 45.
dikhed

climber
State of fugue and disbelief
Jul 4, 2016 - 01:03am PT
hi fellow insomniacs
dikhed

climber
State of fugue and disbelief
Jul 4, 2016 - 01:16am PT
The Sigs are very nice but


just get a Ruger, cheap yet high quality with an undeserved low speed rep and made in Amurica, concurring with gnome

nice troll by the way
Gnome Ofthe Diabase

climber
Out Of Bed
Jul 4, 2016 - 02:22am PT
^^^^ hahaha, I thought you were gonna say carry a double barrel
& less funny when I see it in black & white;
I'm that gun owner ! Not proud of it , just so aware of it, so at least there is
That. I recognize it.
Fear of a tool is silly. I try to play with one every few months but it is still foreign .
The wife. Who needs one, is not bad around guns. But never goes to the range.
( she probably would need to look in 2 places to find hers, too )

I'm always on the verge of selling one or both, given the odds that if you don't have a gun
You are less likely to get shot. . . . .

I think that , now I know it's crazy but, I think the Glock web sight recognizes me.
Has me marked as a Treehugger! I had to try twice to add the links
Tom

Big Wall climber
San Luis Obispo CA
Jul 4, 2016 - 02:29am PT
I bow to the clear expert advise ( now ? )in the above post (?)

Ha. Got me. I am clueless about shotguns, but I know a little about other guns.

My friend was a gun nut, and had 10+ different pistols. His thing was 1911 "race guns" (four or five different ones) for action pistol shooting matches at a Hogue range near the community college. He also had a gas-operated Steyr pistol, a .357 Magnum revolver, a tiny .32 Baretta, and at one time, a Glock 17 (which he hated and got rid of). He had three or four SIG pistols, in various calibers, P220, P226, etc.

The P226 was the one that I liked, and I considered buying one. Hence, I know a little about that model.





The Ruger .22 pistol is legendary, and has been since it was introduced 67 years ago. But, it's not a very powerful pistol, at all.

I had a 5.56mm Ruger mini-14 rifle that was very nice, but not very accurate at long range. I thought the design work on the mini-14 was pretty good. It just wasn't designed to be a high-accuracy deer rifle. It was more like an AK-47 assault rifle, and I rather quickly tired of it, and sold it.

I would not doubt that Ruger makes a very good, full caliber pistol. I just have not personally come into contact with any.


Some gun guys will tell you that a revolver is better than an automatic, because it will be more reliable.
Dr.Sprock

Boulder climber
I'm James Brown, Bi-atch!
Jul 4, 2016 - 02:33am PT
crossbow and a shovel

you want to kill or just mame?

kill: 45 auto

mame: snub nose 38, a sure 6,

sawed of shotgun for brush work
Adventurer

Mountain climber
Virginia
Jul 4, 2016 - 02:46am PT
+1 on the Sig Sauer P226. Reliable weapon, easy to maintain, and very accurate.
clinker

Trad climber
Santa Cruz, California
Jul 4, 2016 - 03:30am PT
With your noggin, a head butting motion should be all the deterrent needed.
little Z

Trad climber
un cafetal en Naranjo
Jul 4, 2016 - 03:38am PT
once you get your pistil, don't forget to pick up some stamens
ecdh

climber
the east
Jul 4, 2016 - 04:07am PT
Some good info here. Read, think, then go to a good small arms training center, try a bunch, talk to people who use them for a living, do some basic training. Simply: dont be a fantasy owner. Know what these f*#king things do, and dont do.

Get it out of your system in the right environment with hired versions before paying for your own. Buy into the reality not the idea.

Your a thinking man dmt, and im stating the obvious, but things change when these things are around. Gotta update yr brain as you update your hardware.

I will step off my lecturn now.
ELM !

climber
Near Boston
Jul 4, 2016 - 04:08am PT
I love my 226 but it is not "on the slim and compact side of things" . For that I would have you look at a S&W Sheild in 9mm. It is very slim and compact. I have found it to be just as accurate and reliable as the Sig. It is much lighter and way easier to carry. It does have less capacity than a full size but it's got more than enough to get the job done.
The ammo is relatively cheap. I reload so it's even cheaper. You can find 50 rounds of 115gr 9mm for in the $13-$15 range.
Gunkie

Trad climber
Valles Marineris
Jul 4, 2016 - 04:10am PT
perswig

climber
Jul 4, 2016 - 04:26am PT
Good to see you gettin' a little fishin' in over the long wkend, DMT!

Dale
xtrmecat

Big Wall climber
Kalispell, Montanagonia
Jul 4, 2016 - 05:00am PT
ECDH speaks volumes, and saved me a ton of time pounding it out on this tiny phone keyboard.

I have used and own almost every pistol that fits the criteria you laid out. Sig and I don't do business anymore due to reliability issues and an arrogant factory rep. Other people feel different about them, but it is my life on the line so I choose reliable.

The latest dope on caliber is going back to 9mm for defensive rounds. A little reading on the interwebs can explain why and the feds have put a ton of time and money into this conclusion. Cheap also.

Two schools of handgun shooters, Glock and not Glock. I would suggest that if you go Glock , you get a lot of training from a Glock specific trainer. They are extremely reliable, but me having used so many different weapons have a hard time making one perform. I have the low and left shot placement typical of shooters not used to the grip size ,angle, and those ungodly triggers. Sold my race gun for this issue.

The last beta on personal defense is capacity. Survivability and capacity have a direct link, and again a little reading and searching can show you how this is fact. Being around California, this is an issue so do your research.

To become a responsible shooter it takes two things, quality training and lots of shooting. Lots.

It's hard to navigate the tons of info and advice you will find and it seems that there are more experts than novice shooters, caution is warranted on any and all information out there, and just because they are a trainer doesn't mean they are any good. Kinda like the experts at the crag.

Good luck, this is a big issue you have undertaken, I hope you find success early on.

Burly Bob
Tom

Big Wall climber
San Luis Obispo CA
Jul 4, 2016 - 05:18am PT
The ammo is relatively cheap. I reload so it's even cheaper. You can find 50 rounds of 115gr 9mm for in the $13-$15 range.


I forgot about that one.

My brother-in-law once told me to buy guns chambered for NATO rounds (i.e. 9mm for a pistol). The ammo is generally cheaper, and widely available. Surplus in bulk is (or was) available for very low prices.

If shooting lots and lots of practice rounds is a good idea, then receiving a 45+ pound box from Lubbock, Texas, might be a good idea, too.

jonnyrig

climber
Jul 4, 2016 - 05:31am PT
You don't seem the type.

Enjoy the fireworks!
Escopeta

Trad climber
Idaho
Jul 4, 2016 - 06:09am PT
I foresee the "people who delete threads that they start" list growing by one.
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