Which gun should I buy next?

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Another one you should definitely check out.

Smith & Wesson 1911. I have two of them. I also have a SA two-tone but I so much love the feel of the S&W's that I think I have become a follower.



If you want another handgun that uses the same grip angle as the 1911, try the Springfield XD series. They can be had in most popular handgun calibers, like 9mm up to 45ACP.

This grip angle may be one area that provided an immediate improvement in accuracy. No other logical reason makes sense. I had a Taurus PT1911 and although the gun functioned flawlessly, I could NOT get used to the Hinie straight “8” sights that come standard on that model. I am aware that many people love them, however I could not get a fast OR accurate sight picture with them. My wife currently has a Taurus millennium Pro with the same sights and I still cannot get a good sight picture with them.

The SA-XD series also comes in several sizes for your comfort in carrying. I have 9mm’s in 3” sub-compact, a 4” BBL “service model and a 5” tactical model. The sub-compact has a shorter grip that carries 10+1 rds but the full size magazines will insert and lock in place for when space is not an issue.

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ChanFu wrote:

Yeah. And in spite of being a life member of the NRA and living here, it's a a loophole that I'm not happy with. The "feds" are just a bunch of @#$%s, granted, but I'm for responsible gun ownership. That means you've got some experience, you have a record of responsibility, you're willing to be KNOWN as a gun owner and you're not some college kid would take a piece to a frat beer bust or some cowboy jackass who packs two Colts for breakfast at Denny's. ...

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1) NRA sux. Keep clear of them or you will be assimilated!

2) The ability to keep and bear arms is not a loophole.

3) There is no correlation between age and firearms experience.

4) RKBA is a fundamental right, records of any type are not required to exercise a fundamental right.

5) Known gun owner = registration or worse. This is the fast track to increased gun control.

6) Most cowboys are not jackasses.I often take my colts out for breakfast, but I am not a cowboy.

Live free or die,

Thundar

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If self defense is a major motivation for having the gun, and I'm sure it is, here are some practical considerations as you add to your collection.

If you ever use the gun in a defensive action, police are virtually certain to take that gun as evidence in their criminal investigation. Even if it is decided you acted properly, it may take a very long time to get your gun back. In the meantime, you'll have to defend yourself with whatever else you have in your collection, assuming the police don't think you're a menace to society and confiscate your entire collection.

I've always thought it was a good idea to have a second gun that is very similar, or even identical, to my primary defensive gun. If my SIG P229 ever becomes unavailable, for reasons legal or mechanical, I can slide a SIG P228 right into the same holster. Works the same, controls all in the same place, etc. Don't have to worry about the gun working differently while all stressed out over the legal mess. And if the holster ever becomes unavailable, I have another, AND an identical holster for the other hand, should the main shooting hand become injured (as it did when I broke a pinkie finger this summer).

Among my handgun collection are various SIG models including two P226's (9 mm), P239 (9 mm), P228 (9 mm), P229 (.40/.357SIG and 9mm if I get a drop in barrel for it), P220 (.45), P245 (.45) and P230 (.380). All work similarly and several can share holsters and even magazines. A single Blackhawk holster accommodates the P220, P226, P229 and P228. P220 magazines work in the P245 and are fine for second magazines. Likewise, P226 magazines fit the P228 and are fine for second magazines (they stick out from the P228 grip a bit).

You could do the same kind of thing I described above with Glocks, 1911's and many other makes of handguns.

In any case, food for thought. Enjoy building your collection.

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ChanFu wrote:

According to federal law, you're not allowed to buy a handgun or handgun ammunition until you're 21. So what are you talking about? Did you illegally buy a handgun?

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[snip] Yeah. And in spite of being a life member of the NRA and living here, it's a a loophole that I'm not happy with. The "feds" are just a bunch of @#$%s, granted, but I'm for responsible gun ownership. That means you've got some experience, you have a record of responsibility, you're willing to be KNOWN as a gun owner and you're not some college kid would take a piece to a frat beer bust or some cowboy jackass who packs two Colts for breakfast at Denny's. I'm also for upping the driving age to 18, and it's only because we can't teach responsibility at home anymore. Used to be, we could trust our kids with almost anything at 14 or 15, even the tractor and the shotgun, because we started them out being responsible when they were 9. Now, I'm not so sure. We talk about "family values" @#$%, but it's just @#$% - ideas and not actions. Nobody has time now to teach kids about handling the real world and we're losing the space to do it - the walls are closing in.

That's my take, anyway.

Thanks for the reply and for making me think about it.

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You're not on my side, and I'm not on your side, despite your claimto NRA Life Membership.

"Responsible gun ownership" is one of the anti favorites and it's something we've all heard Obama touting. You claim that a gun owner needs to have experience and a record of responsibility. How exactly does a new prospective gun-owner have that experience and record of responsibility? Oh, that's right, they don't. So they never get to own a gun, because they haven't proved themselves capable of doing so. (Never you mind that thing we call the 2nd amendment, that's already repealed, the way you're talking.) The last thing gun-owners need is any governmental agency making a determination on their proficiency, responsibility, or experience with a firearm as a prerequisite to purchase a firearm.

Then you go on to state that we should be willing to be known as a gun-owner. Does that imply that some form of centralized database should be kept and every time we buy (and register) a new firearm it should go into the newspaper right next to the registered sex-offenders?

You stereotype college students as nothing but drunken frat-hooligans. I happen to be a college student and I carry regularly (except on campus, where I'm disarmed by unconstitutional "Administrative Codes"). Then you call cowboys jackasses for wanting to wear two Colts at Denny's. I don't own any Colts but I happen to have recentlycarried a Smith & Wesson revolver and my new H&K auto at the same time (openly)in Denny's. In fact, I ordered a beer with my meal too. (Our Denny's has a full bar, but I can't sit at the bar with my firearms, so I had to order my drink to a normal table instead.)

So, you've trampled on the second amendment in three ways, insulted me twice, and then insulted just about every gun-owning parent out there in your last breath. Lastly, you misinterpreted federal law and accused a lawful purchaser of a firearm of illegally purchasing a firearm.

You're off to a great start.

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1911's:

Inventor: John M. Browning

Fun Factor, off the chart

Accessories Available: Too many to talk about

Makers: Lots

The only problem I have ever encountered with them is it is expensive to own one, because onebecomes two, and you just keep going from there.....



Don't forget to add a few wheelguns to your collection too....and a MUST HAVE is .22 pistol, my choice is the Ruger MKII 22/45, if you can find a MKII 22/45, if not go with the MKIII 22/45, 4" Bull Barrel with the adjustable rear sights, a .22 is fun and cheap to shoot.



Welcome to the world of Shooters, enjoy building that Collection........and don't forget the rifles and shotguns too

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shad0wfax wrote:

You're not on my side, and I'm not on your side, despite your claimto NRA Life Membership.

"Responsible gun ownership" is one of the anti favorites and it's something we've all heard Obama touting. You claim that a gun owner needs to have experience and a record of responsibility. How exactly does a new prospective gun-owner have that experience and record of responsibility? Oh, that's right, they don't. So they never get to own a gun, because they haven't proved themselves capable of doing so. (Never you mind that thing we call the 2nd amendment, that's already repealed, the way you're talking.) The last thing gun-owners need is any governmental agency making a determination on their proficiency, responsibility, or experience with a firearm as a prerequisite to purchase a firearm.

Then you go on to state that we should be willing to be known as a gun-owner. Does that imply that some form of centralized database should be kept and every time we buy (and register) a new firearm it should go into the newspaper right next to the registered sex-offenders?

You stereotype college students as nothing but drunken frat-hooligans. I happen to be a college student and I carry regularly (except on campus, where I'm disarmed by unconstitutional "Administrative Codes"). Then you call cowboys jackasses for wanting to wear two Colts at Denny's. I don't own any Colts but I happen to have recentlycarried a Smith & Wesson revolver and my new H&K auto at the same time (openly)in Denny's. In fact, I ordered a beer with my meal too. (Our Denny's has a full bar, but I can't sit at the bar with my firearms, so I had to order my drink to a normal table instead.)

So, you've trampled on the second amendment in three ways, insulted me twice, and then insulted just about every gun-owning parent out there in your last breath. Lastly, you misinterpreted federal law and accused a lawful purchaser of a firearm of illegally purchasing a firearm.

You're off to a great start.

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+1 (though you should be fair to yourself, you have a great deal more life experience than the average college student)

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diesel556 wrote:

+1 (though you should be fair to yourself, you have a great deal more life experience than the average college student)

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LOL, and sorry for semi-jacking this thread.



To get it back on topic, the OP could look into several 1911 types:

As others have mentioned Rock Island Armory is a good place to look as are Taurus and Springfield Armory.

Here are some people have not mentioned, but are still worht looking into:

IMI (Israeli company) imports inexpensive and reliable 1911's.Colt Government or Colt Commander can be had from Colt at reasonable prices.

Argentine Sistema 1927 is another option.

Kahr makes decent stuff and so does EAA. You can get an EAA witness for under $600 and they shoot well.

If you plan on upgrading to laser grips later you could buy a Kimber Crimson Carry II for ~$800 if you shop around carefully. (We made a Christmas gift of one recently.) It might be a bit above your budget, but you're getting an extremely nice 1911 (only true custom 1911's will shoot better) and it comes with crimson trace grips. (The grips are $250+ when sold seperately and the ones that come with it are $300+ seperately.)

Personally, I think I'd pay a bit extra for a production 1911 that shoots like a custom and comes with lasergrips.

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Evil Ernie wrote:

Rock Island (RIA) 1911 is a good starter.
Taurus PT1911 is what I carry and swear by.
Springfield makes a really nice one too.
Kimber priced themselves out of the market for starters IMHO. Good gun but too much $$$.
I'd go RIA or Taurus. Great guns for under $600.

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Took the words right outta my mouth except for the kimbers. I would rather have a Para Ordinance myself over a Kimber.

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Responsible gun ownership is a must. So go buy a gun, and be responsible with it.

I'm really sick of ChanFu's jackassery.