I need a SemiAuto for my emergency 72 hour kit. It will be shot only enough to keep up decent skills. Ammo should be 9mm or 45acp for availabilty, but I am open to suggestion. If the SHTF it will be used to fight my way back to my rifle. Any thoughts?

I must have at least a dozen handguns and have shot IPSC since '87 or '88. Of course the 1911 is king on the game court........but I have to say that for what you are describing, I have chosen the Glock 17 & 19. I am sure I will have those favoring bigger rounds like the 40 or 45, but I bet "I'll place 'em where I see 'em" and 115+P+ CorBon's at around 1500 fps will do what I need and the 15 to 20 rounds in a mag are handy indeed. I have yet to see a Glock jam in a match where it wasn't hand loaded ammo at fault and today there are a LOT of Glocks on the firing line. I have seen published reports of Glocks on rental firing lines shooting almost a half a MILLION rounds (actually saw one in the Glock booth at the Shot Show one year). Thats enough for me.

Bill

Happiness is a warm gun...
Bang bang, shoot shoot...

I've owned or shot most of the big name pistols. For what you are describing the Ruger P series would work great for you. Rugers are built like a tank and go bang every time you pull the trigger. The weight and bulk won't matter since you aren't trying to CCW the peice. I've got a p-89DC in 9mm that is quite accurate and they are half the price of most base line pistols from most other companys. You can pick one up for $325 or so NIB.

idaho-ar15

What pistols and calibers do your Local and State Police use...?

Prefer for what?


just to own? ANYTHING but a glock

Go for one of the Glocks or Beretta. Only the Beretta because the military uses them I say Glock because the can go through hell and back and they will fire every time. Caliber thats a hard one not to many country use the 45 acp a lot use the 9mm but if its a government a lot of PD use the 40 S&W. It all really is what you shoot best if you can hit your target 9 out of 10 times where you want with a 9mm go for that. Try renting a 9mm 40 and a 45 and see what you like best.

I have or used to have most big (and not so big) name handguns and for past 13 or so years I mainly depended on 1911 Government model pistol for serious purpose.  Currently that pistol is a SS Kimber Target pistol but have also used Colt, SA and Caspian (frame and slide anyway) all with good results.

As you can see I have bias toward 1911 but I don't think this is the pistol for everyone.  Unless you are willing to practice on regular basis I would say Beretta 92FS or Glock 17 in 9mm or Sig 220 or USP in 45 would be good choices.  There are other good pistols that would meet your requirements but these 4 are ones I have had extensive experience with.    

SIG P220, .45ACP

[pistol]

yeah but was wondering what a 72 hour kit was

idaho-ar15, you are correct sir.  I have a P90, a P97, a P95, and a P89.  None have ever failed and a very accurate.  I also have a Sig P220 and P228.  They are absolutely marvelous, but dollar for dollar you can't beat the Ruger P series.

I have also had the Black T by Birdsong treatment on all my pistols and that treatment is marvelous.

Browning Hi-power....old school.

In a SHTF situation, I would want either a Springfield 1911 or a Glock 19.  If you are looking, you may want to choose something similar to what you shoot most often.  I think your best chances are shooting what you are most familiar with.  You are more likely to hit your target.

The 72-hour kit is the amount of food/supplies to have on hand to live on for 3-days.  This is the estimated amount of time required for the Red Cross/FEMA to get to you in an emergency.

I will go with a 9mm Baretta 92F with a bunch of ammo.

Glock 19

1911 all the way.

Walther p99 and sig p226 both in 9mm

H&K USP 45 with hardball.

Edited to give another suggestion. If you're only firing this weapon occasionally, I would suggest avoiding semi-autos since a large percentage of them require practicing failure drills (not my H&K however). Go with a revolver. Revolvers are much simpler if you're not going to put in the necessary practice. Caliber is a personal preference.  

Beretta M9(92 FS for civilians)simply because preban high caps are plentiful and affordable when compared to the other equally reliable handguns such as Sig and HK.

I'd go with the Glock 19.

Glock 30 IS my 72 hour kit!

What are "failure drills"??? I shoot a revolver regularly, but I want a reliable auto for this. I intend to shoot the auto enough to have decent skills.

Of my handgun options, I carry my Browning HiPower the most often. It's been super reliable, it's surprizingly accurate, and the SA 17rd mags were under $20 each.

My options include a .40 USP and a .45 1911 longslide, among others. The Browning just does something for me that the others do not.

I got my two Sig 228's [:)]

And dont forget to have plenty of mags ready and loaded.

You can go through mags real fast if you ever have to use it in a stressful situation.

Consider this...  A Handgun should be used as a means to fight your way to your rifle or shotgun, which would be a primary weapon...

That said, you must consider a few things...

For me, while I like my AR, and keep them ready with many different mags loaded, for different purposes all the way from a pair of Beta's, to my 20's, and 30's on the gun, the "survival pair would probably be my Marlin Camp 45, and the 1911.  

The reasons are simple, they BOTH take the same mags, and ammo...  Very versatile, as I keep about a half dozen Wilson 10's, and about a dozen Wilson 8's ready for a pair of 1911's, and the Camp.

The Camp is scoped, and very capable inside of 100 yards, with the 1911's for CQB.

If I need ammo for one, or the other, it's easy, I have all the mags handy, and can charge any weapon I choose.

The AR rests with 1 in, one on a Redi-Mag, and one on a Butt-stock carrier, so there's 90 rounds handy by just grabbing the carbine.  The Match Sniper has 300 rounds in 20's and 30's riding in the Assault Systems case.

There's also a 590 with 9 loaded, 6 in the sidesaddle, and 4 more in the stock, ranging from Buck, to Slugs, to Beanies...

All things considered...  I'd consider any handgun that complements a carbine.  I hate Ruger Semi-Auto handguns, but if I had a PC40, or PC9, then I'd surely have a P series handgun to complement.  While the PC Carbines are very useful, I prefer my Marlins, and the Camp 9 with the complementary S&W 59 series is an option, but I prefer the punch of the 45.

What ever you decide, consider an option that maintains a high level of versatility, and delivers the performance necessary for the mission at hand.

If your simply looking for the very best, all around combat handgun, my vote goes to the HK USP's, even though I absolutely bet my life daily on a 1911, the HK is the best choice for an all around, no-fuss, combat handgun.  Sigs and Glocks are nice, but I will take a USP any day over either.  The Beretta's, well, you can have them.  They have too dat a grip for my tastes, and are siply a monster if you must carry one, CCW.  Simply because G.I. Joe is now issued that Italian POS doesn't mean it's the best.  If that was the case, I think the Spec-Ops guys would be toting them too...  Look at what they use, and think about why that is.  YMMV  :D

Enjoy!

One other note on Carbines...  The best (Non-Semi Auto) Tactical Carbine ever made was the side feeding Lever Action rifle/Carbine.  Think about it...

The reason I say this is simple...  Not many  other non-Semi Auto rifles allow you to pop a few rounds off, remain in battery, ready to engage, and provide the ability to recharge the gun (tactical-reload) at the same time.  They're EASy to come by, and there is no need for spare parts, and mag capacity is relatively high, depending on caliber.

You can fire 2 or 3 rounds, slide a few into the mag tube, and continue shooting as needed.

I used to have a Browning 92 BLR in 357 mag a few years back.  Really miss it, but when I got rid of my 65, then 66, and finally the 686, I just didn't see the need to keep it.

The same stuff I mentioned earlier was the motivating factor, carry a single caliber, and a couple guns, when in the field, the woods, or the desert, made the ammo logistics EASY!

Enjoy!

Lastly...  A small "sub-caliber" belly gun can be useful, for no other reason that to enable you to arm yourself with "aquired" weapons.  Even a knive can be enough to enable you to adaquetly arm yourself.

If S(truly)HTF, you may not have one of your own rifles close, or available, but chances are some punk ANG grunt will have one, and you can always commandere his, if you have something for point-blank convincing...

The most famous mass produced throw-away was the Liberator in WW2, a cheap stamped steel 45, that was accurate to about 5 feet, but could be used to aquire a better weapon in which to fight the fight...

There are really many options, and it all comes down to how well you can Adapt, and Overcome a given set of circumstance...

Enjoy!

You just described thr Beretta 92/F. for many resons. what if 72hours turns into 148? you can carry more 9mm rounds v/s 45acp per pound.  more 9mm would be easer to optain than 45acp in a wtshtf situwation. military and police personell carry this wepon.the 92/F has low recoil.it functions with a wide range of ammo (I havent found any thing mine won't feed ecept for some rocks).hi-caps are still avalible (buy only Beretta brand,I have 10).I one both 92/F and 1911 with a 1911 they require more practice and training. The 92/F is a superb firearm! I would personolly stay away from the Ruger P-series I've shot 8 and all have had poor accuricy and some sort of fuctioning problems,(HEY GUYS COOL OFF JUST A BAD BATCH I GUESS) but can you afford this to happen. Bottom line pic something that feels good in your hand.

All are damn fine weapons in this post, but to each his own. I choose the g-21 with 6 fully loaded mags, and backup with the g-30. My son would have the baretta 92 with multiple hi-caps sporting either corbon or remington golden sabres, the wife is happy with her airweight sporting crimson trace laser.

I had been a Jeff Cooperized 1911 fan for years, although I carried a Smith Highway Patrolman (model 28) on duty, until I had received my Glock training.  All of a sudden I was selling off my Colts and now carry a Glock model 22 (.40 S&W) with a Glock model 27 (.40 S&W) on my ankle as backup.  In my 72 hour kit is a Glock model 30 (.45 acp).  Get to your range and rent a Sig too, its also a great weapon.
Ken  

Failure drills are clearing stovepipes, failures to feed or extract or jams. Revolvers do not have this need--if a round fails to fire, just drop the hammer on the next round. Now, for those who will protest with 'my semi-auto is reliable' don't get all worked up. My USP has not had one failure of any sort. Semi-autos are more complicated and as such bring with them the possibility of the listed problems. Revolvers are simple, and if you're not going to invest the time to practice a revolver is the best bet.

The kind that work ALL the time.

Glock 22

Browning Hi-Power 40 cal.

I prefer the Rugers. I own a P93DC. However they make them in many calibers and you have a choice of materials that are used to make the frame. I have not had a single problem with my gun and I have fired thousands of rounds through it. I enjoy it a lot better than my friend's model 92. Personal preference I guess, I love the gun and I don't know that you can beat it for the price.  

Personally, it would be a Glock or HK USP if I were doing this.  Both guns are high quality and are built to take on the toughest conditions you can imagine (short of a blast furnace).  I'd take the 9mm since it is a NATO round and is available everywhere.  Also, during hard times where you want to conserve your resources and money, you will find 9mm to be at least half the cost of .45 (if the shit [i]really[/i] hits the fan).

BTW, a +P Cor-Bon will get nowhere near 1500 fps out of a pistol.  Around 1300 is about it.

I have a toris m85t in .38.

Why not throw an AR carbine in your 72-hour pack?  Remove the upper from lower and throw it in there- I have mine in a large briefcase.

I've only owned 2 semi-auto pistols in my life thus far. First being a Ruger P944DC <.40/de-cocker>. I became dissatisfied with the bulky blockiness of it, and it's inability to shoot accurately with me at minimal range. Shortly switched to a Browning Hi-Power chambered in .40. No complaints, will NEVER sell :)

My 72-Hour kit gun would be my HK USP9F. I will take this thing anywhere, and trust it to work. Track record is second to none, and with 15+1 of Cor-Bon moving at 1500 FPS, I'm not underarmed-as far as handguns go. For a real survival situation, an AR15 Preban CAR variant would be my first choice, after all, the concept of a 72 hour kit is to stay alive until help arrivs, like the Nat'l Guard. No offense to them, but what if they don't show up? You'll want to adjust plans and gear accordingly.

I have to add that if my 72 hour kit is not going to be near me(at my house or car for example) and was instead going to be located at a hunting cabin, waiting for me to arrive, I'd have qualms about dropping my $700 USP with a $100 hicap in it, off at a cabin even if well hidden. Until I get some more cash to gether, my distant location 72hour kit gun would be my Taurus PT92, with $15 Promags.

It so far has worked flawlessly, but I don't trust it as much as the USP, nor do I think as much of the quality or engineering of it. At $350, though, I can afford to not see it again, at least more than I can afford to take a chance at losing my USP. Just something to keep in mind, regarding the location of the kit.

Juggernaut[%(]

I like my S&W 629 6.5” revolver.
I can hit a pie plate with it at 50 yds and
If my AR jams it’s because I have been wallowing in mud so thick I don’t want to bet my life on my 1911 or anyone else’s auto.
Sorry guys but when the mud is thick a revolver backup gun is the only way to go.

USP 40,USP 45 the best out there much better than a glock

I have both a Ber92 and a 1911 among others (yes even a couple of Glocks). If I had to take one and run it would be the Ber92.  As a side note the 9 has a lot more velocity especially out of a rifle barrel. Has anyone chronographed Corbon 115+p+? I have and never got 1500fps. More like 1350.      

Currently own Colt, Glock and Ruger. My favorite to shoot is the Ruger 22-45 but for protection the baby Glock 26 9mm.

Browning Hi-Power.

Alway's reliable, fits good in my hand, and accurate. Works for me.

Had a similar question a year or so back.

New handgun owner looking for good general purpose weapon.  Biased toward 1911 and M9 from military training.

Didn't want the .45 because my wife wouldn't shoot it.  9mm was a little small.

Got a line on some LEO surplus Beretta 96FS's and took the pick of the litter for a good price.  I'm really happy with it.  Very reliable & accurate enough.  Wife will shoot it.

Have a couple hundred rounds on hand (buy in bulk).  Figure that's more than enough.  If I need hundreds of pistol rounds in a survival situation, I figure I ain't gonna survive.

Good luck.

The Glock 23 is my latest toy.  My all time favorite is my 1911 that I put together on a Caspian frame.  The S&W 686 is the one I shoot the most.  I have a 6-shot model with a 6 inch barrel  and a 7-shot with a 4 inch barrel.  

I reload and hate chasing spent cases, so I tend to like to shoot revolver a little more.

When I carry, I either carry my G23 or G27.  They are slim, light and dependable.  

OSA

Personally I own most of the semi's described with the exception of Rugers, BUT my ready for action guns (SHTF, break in's, etc. scenarios) are ALL .357 magnums with barrels ranging in lenth from 2" to 8". I can shoot them more accurately, they are always ready for action (no mag springs to worry about, jams, no mags, same caliber, etc.)They are cheaper than my semi's so if they rust up, burn down, or whatever my heart will only be half broken. Ammo stores on belts (cheaper than some mags} and with practice loads quickly. I have all the ammo I feel I may ever need to use in any (my own opinion no flames please) scenario on two seperately yet accesibly stored locations on belts. And most impotrantly my wife and I can shoot all but the 2" snubbies accurately out to 50 and even 75ds. (12" Plate size target)without having to spend every weekend at the range practicing. ( we would prefer to be able to practice that much with our semi autos but real life for some people makes that a dream only)
MY .02 cents worth :)