Next question, garandman, would be what you eliminated and why?
It looks like what you have fill your needs without getting too carried away like some of us tend to do.
And do you consider your collection closed?   I mean there has to be something you would like to have if it came along at the "right" price.

We should narrow our handguns down?

Dang, I didn't get the memo!

As already mentioned, you could sell the XD and get a 226R in .40, which would allow a light to be mounted and redundancy with magazines and parts, method of operation, etc. Actually, since you can get a .22 conversion for the 226, you might rethink the CZ combo also...and maybe dump the Kahr for a 239 DAK in .40.

Naaaahhhhhh...too much fun to have several different ones

Quoted: Quoted: -100 for not having a 1911. ...offset by a +100 for not being a lemming.

Go G-man

I still hear mixed reviews about Kahrs, I know "mine has xtymilliongazillion rounds" Good size and seems like a good idea, I'm just not convinced. However presumably yours has enough rounds through it that you know that one works, plus your S&W is a good small concealment gun.

Seems like a nice selection of pistols to me.

Quoted: ... Any holes in my collection?

Quoted: ... I'm trying to make my collection small, designed for specific uses, VERY good at those uses, and me very good with them. A few guns, but high dollar quality stuff Kinda the "be very afraid of the man with one gun" theory.

My recommendation would be that you find one gun you like and enjoy shooting, learn to shoot it very well, buy an exact twin for it, and then dedicate yourself to making that gun fill all of the purposes you listed.

I don’t make and could never see a logical distinction between a carry gun, combat gun, summer gun, winter gun, morning gun, evening gun, or any other category one wished to make. When any of these guns have to be employed the goal will be the same... the defense of ones life.

As of now I don’t see how your handgun battery follows the ideology of "be very afraid of the man with one gun" seeing as how you have a separate and different gun for 5 identical roles. Mind you, I do think that one needs choices in which gun to use for certain personal defense situations but those are extremely limited situations and generally have more to do with clothing choices or ones mode of dress than the task for the gun. I personally don’t believe in a separate handgun for ones “nightstand”, “combat”, “home defense”, “daily carry”, etc. One gun that you are intimately familiar with will fill all those roles easily.

Again I’m not saying one should not have multiple handguns of varying designs. Just that, IMO, for the tasks of fighting and personal defense a single gun that you have mastered is a much smarter choice than multiple choices for identical tasks.  

Quoted: I think we're thinking along the same lines. But my Sig  is NOT  a carry gun I'm suited to. Its big and heavy. And the Kahr is NOT really a gun suited to anything other than 21 feet and less personal defense. I just don't think you can get one gun suitable for every environment. I'm just trying to make it as few as possible.

Fair enough. Although I would have to disagree with assessment of not thinking you can get one gun suitable for every environment. I would submit to you that it is quite possible and relatively easy due to the fact that the “environments” you speak of simply don’t exist as one believes.

What I mean is this; your “carry gun” can be your “nightstand gun” simply by placing it on your nightstand before you go to bed. Similarly your “carry gun” can be your “combat gun”, simply take it into whatever it is you perceive to be “combat”. Additionally, your “carry gun” will be your “combat gun” in a gunfight. That is unless you intend to convince your opponent to postpone his offence until you can go home a retrieve your “combat gun” so you are properly armed for the fight.  

My point is that these categories you have created have no distinction as they all involve the same principles of conflict and will most likely all require the same level of effort on your behalf. IMO, thinking that one needs multiple and varying handguns for the categories you listed is by and large a misnomer. All one needs to do is find a gun that they are comfortable with beyond doubt and apply it to all these roles. Then you will have truly limited your need for multiple handguns thus following the maxim of “beware of the man with one gun”.

Now don’t get me wrong, I own more than my fair share of handguns and many of them differ from each other and I would encourage other to do so as well. But, I only have two dissimilar handguns that I use to fill the roles you listed, an all steel 5” 1911 and a 2” air-weight J-frame. Of those two types of handguns I have multiple copies of each to use a back-ups in the event that one should break down. I carry the same two handguns every day, all day, all year round, no matter what the weather. When I go to bed the 1911 rests on my nightstand to support the long gun available to me or to use on its own should something go “bump” in the night. If I were to go into combat and I was forced to only use a handgun it would be the 1911 backed-up by the J-frame. Please don't take this as me trying to sell you on the 1911, I am not. My point is that I believe one type of handgun can fill all of your defensive needs and the key is to simply find a way to do it.

If you feel the Sig is too big and heavy and you believe the Kahr only good out to 21ft. then maybe you need something in between. Or quite possibly maybe you haven’t yet found the best way to carry the Sig or haven’t trained enough with the Kahr. Not trying to start a pissing contest, just my opinion.  

Quoted: OK, here's what I would define as my handgun "needs" - Personal defense. Nothing else light rail .40 cal (compromise cartridge thin profile - no "printing " useable in suit and tie enviroment 4" sight radius (also a compromise) light weight as possible semi auto, 10 round miniumum 100% reliability What gun does all that? I've looked hard and long, and haven't found it yet. I will admit I'm open to ideas as to how to carry heavy guns better.

Being totally honest it’s almost impossible for me to pluck from the air a recommendation that I feel would be right for you. However, I may be able to make recommendations that meet and are based on some, but not all, of your requirements.

First, however, I would recommend you look hard at what you think you actually need on the handgun and ask yourself if those “needs” are unduly influenced by what your perception and preconceived notions of fighting are.

For instance...

• Light rail - IMO, a light rail is a needless option on a handgun for a multitude of reasons. Train to use a handheld flashlight and you leave yourself more options.



• Ammo capacity - while ammunition on board can be important it is hardly a deciding factor in civilian gunfights. Knowing how to reload the gun is fundamental and much more important than having a bazillion rounds in the magazine.



• Personal defense – Pretty simple, any handgun can be used for personal defense.



• With specific regard to a “thin profile” and not “printing” while carrying the gun concealed that is much more a function of ones carry gear and mode of dress than the gun itself. While I will submit that “thin” guns have less of a chance of “printing” how well you can hide a gun has much more to do with what you do to hide the gun. For whatever gun you choose one must buy a quality carry rig and learn to wear it and move with it correctly as well as dress around it in order to successfully conceal it. Concealment is not a function of the gun by itself.



• The requirement that the gun be “light weight” is far too subjective. I carry an all-steel 5” 1911 all day and have done so for years and because I use good carry gear (see above) the weight of the gun is a non-issue.



• 100% reliability is a no-brainer. What thinking person would knowingly carry a gun that hasn’t proven to be 100% reliable?

 

With the above in mind what handgun I would recommend for you is actually quite easy, your Sig 226. Why? Mostly because you already own it and are admittedly familiar with it but also because if you remove your “need” for a light rail it fits all of the requirements you listed assuming it’s 100% reliable.

So here’s what I would recommend you do. Shoot it allot, train with it always, and experiment with quality carry gear until you find something that works for you. I suspect that with a bit of effort your 226 can fill any defensive need you would ever have for a handgun.    

Quoted: If you would, describe for me your carry rig - manufacturers, models etc for holster, belt, etc. DO you carry in a suit and tie environment?

In my daily activities I am not relegated to a suit and tie although I have and sometimes do have to conceal a gun underneath a suit coat. I do understand that, due to the way some suit coats are cut, they can make hiding a gun difficult. That would be an area a tailor could address.  

My carry rig does not vary greatly and 99.99% of the time you will find me wearing the 1911 in an IWB holster with two reloads on my opposing side and the J-frame in a ankle ring. If shorts are the order of the day the J-frame goes in a pocket holster.

For the ankle rig the only one I use is made by Lou Alessi, others certainly make good rigs but IMO Lou’s are the best available and I’ve no need to mess with success. The pocket rig I use is one of two, the first is the Pocket Speed Scabbard made by Pocket Concealment Systems. The second rig is a “ruff-out” pocket rig from Lou Alessi.

For the 1911 I have had great success with a few IWB rigs; the PCH from Lou Alessi, the Summer Special from Milt Sparks, and the TSA from Josh Bulman. All of these rigs are supported on proper weight belts from their respective manufactures and augmented by two spare magazines carried on my off side.

Quoted: Quoted: Actually, since you can get a .22 conversion for the 226, Where??

Here...
www.egun.de/market/item.php?id=525877

I thought Sig was importing these at one time, but can find no documentation of such now. They do, of course, make a conversion for the 210 pistol. Most popular centerfire euro pistols will have such conversions available simply because it is very difficult to get permission to own ANY handgun there, much less several. I also mistakenly thought Ceiner was making one for the 226, but no...only Glock, Beretta, Hi Power and 1911s. Still, it might be worth a call or email to Sig for some input from their end. I am sure the introduction of the Trailside and the Mosquito have quashed any incentive to import conversion kits now, however.