A letter to Dean Speir:

JAG--

Part of the problem with your question is that it asks a question that only you can answer === "What is the best gun for me"?

There are much to many factors for Dean, myself or anyone else for that matter to determine what is the "best" gun for you. My first suggestion would be for you to visit a gun shop and see what feels good to you. If you can get to a shop that has a range with rentals, all the better. If you go to a range to shoot your revolvers, you may want to strike up a conversation with others at the range who are firing semi auto pistols. Alot of gun people are happy to allow another "Gun Person" to shoot their gun.

Depending on your price range, there are ALOT of good guns in the marketplace that more than meet your desires in a Semi Auto (CCW/Home protection). I sell alot of Kel Tec's, (This is the cheapest semi auto pistol I will sell) and if you like the Kel Tec sized guns but prefer an external safety and larger caliber choices (Kel Tec currently only makes pistols in .32acp and 9mm) then you may want to investigate the Taurus Millenium Series Guns (PT111, PT140 and PT145). A nice feature they have is the incusion of a "key locking" mechanism on the slide that renders the gun inoperable without the key. This is a nice feature if you have children in the house and you are concerned about leaving the handgun in the house alone with the children.

I am not saying that these are the best guns for you, but they are at least a starting point.

well gents, i found my new automatic, mike, i took your advice and went to a range to test a few out (my uncle owns it....how cool is that?) i tryed a Browning Hi-power, which i liked, but i didnt likt the 9mm chambering, so i tryed a S&W 10mm Auto, liked that a lot, but he thean gave me a Colt 1911A1 Army model, and it folowed me home a few days later. i like it, 7+1 capaicty, easy to shho, both quickly and accuratuly, and very quick to reload. plus i can use 90% of my .45 Colt reloading componats in the .45 ACP casing, same powders, and some of the same bullets, namly a Keath SWC....under about 9 grains of bluedot...WOW! but i still stick with the good 'ol 230 grain hardball that i used in my Blackhawk convertable .45 colt/ .45 ACP and boy is it good, i tryed a trick i head about, with an old horse shoing rasp i filed off about 1/4" of bullet nose, leaving about .30 cal of lead exposed, and it now insted of itting like a ball peen hammer...tht goes through, it now hits like a damn postmaul...that gose through...you gotta see what it can do to "poor mans balistic gel" (1 lb tin of crisco shortning)
blows a huge hole in the ass end of it!
i like my "new" .45 Colt 1911

One More Opinion

Well, the decision has been made and the pistol has been bought, so there's not a lot of reason for me to post except that I sometimes have trouble keeping my opinions to myself.

1. I pity those who refuse to consider polymer frame pistols. The day will come when that is all there is and all-metal guns will be museum pieces.

I note that Mike recommends, and carries, a Kel Tec which is polymer framed. I, of course, am a Glock man - but I do own a Kel Tec. I have a variety of guns for a variety of applications.

2. I continue to be amused by "gun folks" who are only willing to shoot the "big boys." If someone comes out with a .507 Elephant Smasher revolver, someone else will buy it. (I really liked Charlie Petty's response.)

Years ago at a domestic disturbance call my partner put his .357 Magnum pistol directly against the chest of a man threatening him with a shotgun and shot him. It didn't even knock the guy down. My partner then pistol whipped him to the ground.

I have a friend who spent 10 years as a homicide detective at the Sheriff's office where I worked. His opinion was the most deadly pistol in the world was the Raven .25 because so many people seemed to get killed with them. (Very small jest.)

3. The pistol that fits my hand best is the Government 1911. It is my favorite for recreational shooting. I usually hesitate to recommend it for home protection because it must be cocked to fire the first shot and it can fire if dropped because of the intertial firing pin. In addition a lot of novice shooters have trouble with the recoil of the .45 ACP.

4. My primary home protection weapon is the Glock Model 32, a mid-sized pistol in .357 Sig caliber, equipped with tritium night sights and a tactical flashlight mounted on the rails.

It has no external safety which a homeowner might forget to release in a tense situation, does not have a hammer to be cocked, will not discharge if accidently dropped because it has internal safeties controlling the firing pin and will not fire unless the trigger is actually moved to the rear because there is not enough spring tension to propel the firing pin forward until the trigger mechanism moves it further to the rear.

5. In the case of civil unrest or natural disaster, such as the hurricanes which sometimes visit Florida, I prepare for the possibility of looters by upgrading to a 12 guage shotgun for home protection.

8)

Re: One More Opinion

OldStar said:

I note that Mike recommends, and carries, a Kel Tec which is polymer framed. I, of course, am a Glock man - but I do own a Kel Tec. I have a variety of guns for a variety of applications.

Click to expand...

Old---

If you read through my posts you will find that the KelTec P32 is my back up/Back Pocket gun. My regular PDW's of choice are a Sig P239/40 tuned by Mike LaRocca in a Mitch Rosen custom fitted (for a tad higher carry than normal) Middleman or a Para C645LDA "Para Carry" in the same type holster (note: I personally do not like IWB holsters, so I dress accordingly to properly carry a between the belt and pant OWB).
While I own Glocks and used to carry a Glock 27 in a Mitch Rosen Factor Holster I found that in my hands the 27 was not accurate enough for me for anything but close up shots. When I went to S&W Academy in 1995, I used my 27 and had trouble dropping the plates during the drills. I tried a friends 1911 5" (longer sight radius) and did not have any problems. The 27 got relegated to riding in a Miami Classic Shoulder rig when I used to bicycle.
While I consider myself a handgun "nut" and I own more than I care to admit, my weapons of choice are not "polymer" guns (except the KelTec which being a back up requires light weight and small size).

oldstar, just a few things ied like to clear up.

first off, yes i will admit i loath glocks, Sig (escept those new GSR 1911's) and anything that is not made from steel, wood and ivory. i make my money, its mine to spend and its my life on the line, so i dont turst my life to a 9mm cartrage that was new in 1908, not that cenntry old calibers are bad, the .45 Colt is older, and i have 3 diffrent handguns and 2 rifles for that round, but in 1920 the german desiners droped further desing on the 9mm bullet size becuase of its lack of power to kill and incapacatate. you dont see to many situations where a .45 Automatic wont do about 50 times better. whats better, 7 rounds that blow through both sides of your target taking everything out in between, or 16 rounds that just drill through with no expansion? take your pick.
2ed, the .500 magnums, .475's and .454's ire not intended for conceled carry, but for hunting some of the most dangrous game in the world, yes there is a good deal of recoil, but if youve grown up with it, its not bad at all. the big 45+ calibers are superb for hunting, and persoanl defense, howerver i say this with bears, cougers and "Big nasty fanged things" in mind, and while a .475 WILL stop an two legged attacker, i have a fealing youll be scraping the remanats off the walls for a year.
I dont know about some peolpe, but the recoil of a .45 ACP is not bad, my 10 year old neice shot a .45 ACP in my Ruger Blackhawk .45 Colt/ .45 ACP! by the end of the day she was poping tin cans off an old stock tank from 25 feet with almost boring regularity. next step, the .357 Magunm!
the first gun i ever shot was when i was a skinney ten year old, my dear 'ol uncle gave me a S&W model 29 .44 Magunm, and on the first shot of that 4" brute, the hammer spurr gave me a nice scar over the bridge of my nose.
speaking of .357 magnums, i have a fealing that the guy you were talking about who got shot at point blank range was shot with a .38 Special, 99% of police offices do not permit .357 mags in duty guns (so called excissive force), and i will agree with you that a .38 is a horrible manstopper in its normal loading, "peppered-up" loads are better, but not by much. now, a .45 Automatic 1911 or a S&W model 25 .45 Colt, or model 29 .44 Magnum (using .44 specials of course) would have made a HUGE diffrnace.
i do however share your fealing on the 12 gauge. in addition to my .45 automatic, i keep a 12 gauge pump-action mossberg 500 for home defense. don't laugh!, i got for a hundred bucks at a grage sale, and fit a ghost ring slug barell and 24" mid and front bead bird barrel for trap shooting. you should see the look on the faces of some of them fellers when i drag out that old scared up pump gun, and while a good number of guys do use a pump action, its either a Browning, Remington or an Ithica, but none have a 1/4'' BOLT in place of a reciver pin!(hey it was 12 bucks for a new pin, and only 50 cents for a bolt and nut...)that gun does tripple duty though, with the long barrel i shoot trap and with the short one i hunt deer and have it for home and/or camp defense. a good load of 3" magnum 000 buck is quite disuaive to predators on 4 legs, and at home, a 2 3/4" load of 00 is just as good for those 2 legged preadors. at longer range however, in a true martial law enviroment of riots and mobs, i have a nice old Lee-Enfield .303 british with four 20 round magizinse full of that good manstopping .303 british battle rifle loading. also, an M-1 Garrand and a M-14 (with about a dozen clips for each) are always kept ready should the need arise. I belive M-14 to be the finest battle riffle ever be made. the M-4A4 carbine which is standard issue for my unit is a good weapon, but i still would like an M-14. (acculy i usuly get a 12 Gauge riot shotgun when we get our rifles issued to us, also the QM issues me a .45 Auto. i love being in the tank battalion! so many fun toys!)


Justin

PS mike, whats a BUG gun?