Posted: 12/24/2004 8:46:30 PM EDT
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That's it. I've hit the wall at full speed and can no longer think straight. I've been dying to get a new handgun. Not that I need one, but just that unscratchable itch that can only be satisfyied by taking a brand new gun home. Here's the problem.... I already have a fair amount. A few wheel guns, a bunch of pistols (.380, 9mm, .40, .45), small, medium & full sized. When I'm looking at handguns on display, I find that I'm ALL OVER THE PLACE in trying to decide what exactly it is I'd like to get. Fortunately I don't annoy any of the guys that work in the shops I go in to as a part of this confusion. Never had this happen before....I'd go in, know what I wanted, throw down some cash & my CCW and go home with a smile. The process today went something like this... Hmmmm...wow....snappy looking 1911's over there. Wilson CQB....nice....VERY pricey but nice....make a good carry gun....I think? Never have owned a 1911....seems like a good time to give it a shot. Ooooo....Springfield TRP Operator! Now that's a mean looking piece! Big, sorta bulky....but very cool. Not sure I want to jump right in to 1911's with something bigger than I'd want to carry on me eventually. Well, the Sig GSR. Looks great....love Sig's, but hear mixed reviews at best. I'll leave the 1911 market to American makers.....the apple pie of firearms. Ahhh...screw it....I think I'll just check out the other semi's. 1911's for another day. Hmmm....a mini-Glock....cheap....easy to carry, but has the ergonomics of a shoe box. People love'em....I think they're good shooters...but whatever...they never really jazz me. HK P7/M8....always admired these little beauties....nice, slim frame & slide...interesting design...but damn, just doubt they're worth that kind of dough. Maybe if I had more exposure to them, I might throw the $$$ down for one...but I don't feel like gambling right now. Then again...exactly how bad could it be after all? I'll keep that one in mind. Ok...Sigs. Nice stainless Sig 220. Don't really give a shit about the rail...never owned a silver pistol before either, but it's nice. Just something nice about that stainless 220 catches my eye....wonder if the rail would annoy me? I do like it...but....well....we'll see. (Mean while, trying to figure out why the guy behind the counter said "Shit, I'd take ANY 1911 for that money, right out of the box over a 220 ANY day...much better gun. No contest." What the fuck was he talking about anyway?) HK P2000's....cool. I like the slimmed down slide, the grip is better than the USP...looks tight...I like it, and think I'd carry that little beauty too. Just seems like a repackaged USP...which are great guns...but I have a few already...maybe something a little different....like a P7 or a 1911? Baretta Cougar....gotta admit, always liked they way they look. Don't know much about'em, but just looks nicer than a 92 to me...always has....and could be a good carry gun...I like the size....but are they any good? I don't think I know anyone who owns one now that I think about it...wonder why that is? Hmmmm....well....here I am at the wheel guns. Wasn't it just the other day I was thinking "I bet a little, ultra-light S&W .357 would be damn handy as a pocket gun. No holster, just toss it in the pocket, very easy to carry...and good stopping power to boot." They sure do lack the "bad-ass" factor a lot of these other guns have. Hell, I bet if the Springfield TRP Operator could take a dump, it just might shit something out like a S&W ultra-light revolver. Still, very practical little wheel guns....and just might give it to my girl to carry too. At this point, I stick my hands in my back pockets of my jeans, take a breath as I look down the counter, experiencing a montage of all previous handgun thoughts....and realize I just don't know what the fuck it is I actually want. I know I want a new handgun...I know I would feel better if it filled a purpose, but I just don't know which gun or what purpose that would be. A limiting factor would actually help. A price range limit...a particular style or maker...shit...anything...but that doesn't exist. Pretty sure that as I type this, I realize the solution to my particular problem here. Write down my top 10 favorite handguns that I don't already own. Puttem in a hat on seperate pieces of paper, and whatever one I randomly pick, go buy the son of bitch. How wrong could that possibly be? Anyway, I feel a little better having written this....but still feel like an indecisive ass for having "hit the wall" like this today. What's your handgun de jour? |
Not really in the market for the Desert Eagle of revolvers...but, if I was, I definately would go with the S&W 500. If you're going to go THAT big, might as well be the biggest. 
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Admission is the first step (is it?) to your cure. The next one is to walk into a gun store and whip out that credit card and get one. I haven't bought one in a couple of years as people keep giving them to me  but I wish someone would give me a nice .500 S&W or a .454 Casul.  Santa are you listening? |
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Been wondering about the compact P99's from Walther. Despite what a lot of people seem to think, I have always loved the P99 series. Outside of the trigger, one of the most well thought out pistols I've ever owned. Seems like the mini-P99 would make a cool alternative to a mini-Glock. 
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My dealer has one of those in his shop. About $950, and a bit of pain on the giving and receiving ends of the gun. So I bought it and made it my CCW! 
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Never heard of Valtro before you posted your info on'em. I'll have to check them out a little closer....good stuff I assume? With all the 1911 freaks around here, I would have thought the name would be more familiar to me. |
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I know your pain well My salvation was quite simple if its not at least 60 years old or more or match grade in premo condition i dont even bother looking. but ya know theres always room for at least one bullet hose in every collection. Perhapse your salvation lies in FA. |
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Assuming I read you post correctly.... you said you have never owned a 1911? There's your answer, get one....now. You could go custom but if you have never owned one before I'd go mil-spec. ALL gun owners should have at least one 1911, finest pistol I've ever fired. |
I'm sort of leaning in that direction...and came very close....but.... The 1911 catagory alone is enough to cause mass confusion for the unenlightened, like myself. "Gotta tweak'em out of the box if you want a pistol you can carry w/ confidence." "Mil-spec Springfield....plane-jane...right out of the box...100% reliable, 100% of the time." "Wilson CQB...now there's a 1911. Big, BIG money, but worth every nickle." Para, Kimber, Springfield, Wilson, Baer, Colt.......  $500 - $3000  Who makes the best one? If a basic S.A. 1911 is good to go, 100% right out of the box...why would ANYONE buy a CQB? Is there a $2500 difference in reliablity & function between a $500 1911 & a $3000 1911? You get the point. Everyone, I mean EVERYONE seems to have a different opinion on 1911's and which is the one. |
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If buying a 1911, I would have to go with a colt or wilson. The price differences in models have a lot to do with fit and finish as well as "options". A milspec will have a loose fit and fixed sights. You go up in price a little, you get adjustable triggers, maybe stainless or blue finish then adjustable sights, extended beaver tail, adjustable sights, tighter fit for better accuracy etc. I wouldn't mind having one of the Kimber LAPD SWAT editions. But I have been trying to talk my father out of his Colt Mark IV Series 70 (pre hammer block) Gold Cup National Match. (Long name) The first of the out of the box custom 1911's. That is one seriously sweet piece. And he can't even see well enough to hit the side of a barn with a shotgun any more...... |
OH YEAH, sweetest compact 9 you'll ever carry very slim I was hesitant about the squeeze cock mechanism at first, but now I LOVE it squeeze cock, hehe, hehe |
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Aha! Your REAL problem is that you do not have ENOUGH handguns, leaving far too many options. The only way to remedy this is to buy them all. Once you change your thinking to "which one should I get FIRST" the decision becomes much easier because you know you will be getting the others later anyway. |
| Clearly the dick behind the counter did'nt know what he was talking about when he made the comment about the SIG.... I'd take the Stainless 220 in a heartbeat over a 1911, and I own a 1911! (Kimber Custom Classic, series I) and a P-220. The Sig will almost outshoot the Kimber...(very close contest) I've never had a problem with the SIG, I've had a few with the Kimber...Front sight was loose in the dovetail, I fixed it myself with help from the gunsmithing forum over at 1911forum.com, had another problem that took a while to figure out... kept getting marks on the base of the brass where the mfg's name is stamped, turns out there was a spot on the breechface above the ejector slot that was about .015 higher than the rest of it, a needle file, and about an hour later that was fixed, The SIG on the other hand, had none of these or any other problem. It would'nt run with my light handloads at first, but after about 600 rounds it fed ,fired, ejected, every one. (go figure) The Sig is the second fixed sight handgun whose sights out of the box didn't need adjustment to hit a target, the first was a Mak I own, Most U.S. MFG's could take a lesson from SIG in this dept. I later had Trijicons put on the SIG and they came back from installation dead on. (Someone at Trijicon knows how to install sights!) If I had to choose one out of the box to depend on, it would be the SIG.... nothing wrong with 1911's and when you get one to work reliably like my Kimber is now, they are a joy to shoot, Many out of the box, (Kimber, Springfield, Colt, Etc) will need tweaking, look carefully before you buy. Best bet for something trouble free, accurate, out of the box in a 1911 would be a Wilson, Les Baer, Valtro, if you can afford them. If you can't and want reliablty, accuracy out of the box seriously consider the SIG, rent one somewhere and try it for yourself, while you're at it rent several other 1911's and compare.. |
Lots of good ones to choose from, but don't believe all the stories you hear about them. Mine is a Colt 1991A1 (has the hammer block), it has never had a failure in several thousand rounds & its my most accurate pistol. I once went shooting with a guy who had a Sig P226 & he had 5 or 6 failures over the course of the day, my plain jane, $500 Colt had none and was every bit as accurate as his. As far as custom pistols, some of the changes are for reliability but many are for either finish or ergonomics (beavertail Grip Safety is one example). Finish is one thing but the 1911 already has better ergonomics than 90% of the pistols out there. Straight out of the box, the 1911 has better controls, a more comfortable & better pointing grip and a far better trigger than nearly all of the plastic pistols and is one of the easiest to conceal of all the full sized pistols. And no, I am not trying to turn this into a 1911 vs everthing else thread. |