[cslade454]

This could be the golden age of the hand gun. So many great guns! For beginners I recommend a large heavy duty firearm in 9mm. IMHO trigger time is very important. Its best to have a gun that you like to shoot and can afford to shoot a lot. My money is on the person with a 9mm who has fired 20,000 though it to win the fight.

I have been doing this gun thing for 30 years. I have fired over 120,000 pistol rounds. You are better off with a $300 ruger p85 that you shoot every weekend than any 1911. I have a lot and shoot 1911s the most. It took me ten years to figure whats needed to keep a 1911 working. If you cant replaced the brakes on your car a 1911 maybe a poor choice.

[Red Alert]

I use a .40 Taurus and love it. I've fired a .45 @ the range and it has a much bigger recoil then the .40. But then again so does the .357 that my pop has. Thing to think about is like what someone posted. What are your plans with it? You only need to hopefully fire it once in a defense situation so .45 and .357 won't be so bad.

But I love the complete feel of my Taurus 24-7.40. It's light and accurate up to 50 yards and minimal recoil. Not sure what is snappy about it but don't .45's go through a wall like .357's? If so you could hit or kill the neighbor or responding emergency worker if you did fire one in a home per say.

Bigger doesn't always mean better.

Hell, if they made pistols with rifle shells then we would have a lot of cowboys dragging their guns. I'm not gonna rob this gun because he has a .45 said no one ever. Most can't tell what cal a gun is on the hip.

I'm sure I'm opening up a can of worms here...

[Taurus247]

Thanks to everyone for your input. To answer a few questions and maybe will help some people. I currently carry a Taurus 24/7 in 9mm for self defense and as a back-up to my AR-15 for home defense. I shoot 9mm in the Marines and that's what I have always carried. I have some experience with .45cal from borrowing friends stuff at ranges liked it but didn't quite work for the CC i was doing at the time. Now that I OC im looking at that possibility again. Whatever I buy next will replace my Taurus as my primary carry/self defense weapon. I don't have an extensive gun collection so what I carry is also what I use at the range. Im not in competition matches (at least right now) so not looking for a competition ready pistol. I need something that will hit what I aim at and take out a threat if need be. Thanks again for everyone's input.

[bmel17]

Hell, if they made pistols with rifle shells then we would have a lot of cowboys dragging their guns

you mean like 5.7x28 or a 556 pistol or the 7.62x39 pistol to name a few

[brich2929]

FN FiveseveN??

[bmel17]

FN FiveseveN??

correct!

[cslade454]

A Glock 21 or a XD in 45 are great open carry guns. 14 rounds of 45acp is real nice. Glock mags are made by Glock, they don't have all the problems that 8 round 1911 mags have and cost less than most others. The disadvantages are the grips are large, the ammo is expensive and you may find the weight of the gun and extra mag a little much. You will need a good belt. I also don't think 45s are a good choice for those that can't train/practice a lot with them.

[Owen]

I moved up to .40 from 9mm because that's what my friend recommended based on his experience shooting IRL (Marine/Police/SWAT). He would suggest a rifle but we can't really carry those.

[Kuntryboy816]

I've shot 22, 9, 40, 45, 357, 380 and 44 handguns... all different types/makes. Some I liked but some just flat out made me nervous (44 mag revolver).

When it came time to choose an platform for self defense, I only considered the 9 and 40. I've shot 45 out of a Glock platform, M&P platform and a 1911 setup as well. While I can certainly control the recoil and am pretty accurate with it (6'1"/270 means I absorb a good bit of the recoil), I figured the smaller rounds were a little more economical and I was a bit more comfortable with the way I shot them. Also, like was said above, even the 9mm has a fair amount of ammo nowadays that has plenty of knock-down power to rival it's larger caliber cousins.

[Tate]

I personally carry a Springfield XD service model in .45acp almost everywhere I go, I do own a Glock 17 in 9mm that I carry rarely. The Glock is nice and with 9mm you get more rounds but the .45 is a proven round and I've read to many story's of 9mm not stoping or just wounding someone. If I ever do need to use my firearm for self defense I want the biggest bullet possible.