Ok, just for a little background on me.  I have never owned a handgun but I have fired a wide variety.  From a .22 to a .454  and most sizes in between.  I have the most experience with the M9 Beretta 9mm.  I have the experience since I am in the US Army and I have carried one everyday for the past year since I arrived in Iraq.  When I go back to the states I am thinking of purchasing a personal handgun.  My favorite handguns I have used in the past has been the Colt .45's and a police issue .40(I cant remember what brand).  Between the two I love the Colt .45  Now I know they do not make Colt .45's anymore but I am curious on either a good replacment for the Colt (ie S&W).  Or if I was to get a Colt what is the best way to get ahold of one?  Anyway I am up for ideas.  I am planning on starting my gun collection with practical guns first.  

Welcome to the sitehaveI like Glocks, myslef.  I shoot a model 23 in .40 caliber, and have for three years now.
There will be a few folks come on that don't like Glocks, and then the ever popular 1911 crowd will probably pop in and have their say.
YMMV Learning

Kimber and Springfield make good 1911s. As for a Colt, look around the EE for a good one. I personally like the Gold Cup, but the Government model sounds to be more of what you are looking for.

ETA: So you know, I am assuming the Colt .45 was more than likely a 1911, I noticed you never used that term in your post, so if I am wrong, please be more specific. The most common police issue .40, I believe is a Glock 23. They are both very different guns, from the grip angle right down to the maintenance. 1911s are very good shooters but have been known to need a lot of upkeep. Glocks on the other hand are throw in the dirt (literally) deadnuts reliable.

by all accounts springfield armory makes excellent 1911s.  there are other companies that make more expensive ones--wilson, kimber, etc.  

I like Glocks and 1911s. Whew I guess I like them all. He He. I think you still can get new Colts but al ot of people are not willing to pay more so they get Springfields or Kimbers that have more options if you will for the same $$ or less. I am more of a double action guy and through the years have formed and acquired a taste for cetain brands or types of pistols. I recomend CZ, Glock, Springfield Armory and Beretta. Those are my favorite but it does not mean that I think that every thing else is junk I just feel I get the most pistol for my money. Certainly if you have $1500 -$2000 to spend on a pistol their are custom ones that the 1911 guys will tell you about. Wilson and Les Bear are well known. I would get what you think feels good in your hand and you can shoot that is in the upper end of your price range whatever it is. For me nothing is more comfortable than my CZs. If you like the Beretta 92 you would probably like the CZ75 and it has a little less fat hand grip to me than the Beretta but it could be just how it is shaped and I have never held a pistol that is more comfortable than my P01 not even a $1000 pistol and my P01 was under $500 and it is as accurate as any 9mm I have ever shot or seen at the range and it is reliable. However Glocks are great and so are the quality 1911s like the Colt, Springfield, Kimber ect. Most Sig owners will swear by them and swear at you if yousay you do not like them. LOL. They have a great reputation they have just never felt that great to me and are more money than I am willing to pay but I would say thier quality is top notch fro what I have seen.  I hope this endless rambling helps.

Welcome To The Site
-The most important thing when buying a handgun is to get a model that works well with YOUR hands. Do not go by what someone else tells you to get. Yes, you can get some great info off of websites like this one, but no one can determine what fits your hand best.

We can however tell you what works for us, and what will work reliably. Here are my favorites;

9mm/.40 S&W
-The great thing about these is that most makers makes models that come in 9mm and in the popular .40 S&W.

1. Beretta 92FS/96FS; Your familar with this gun and I currently have a Beretta 96 Vertec w/M6. It fits my hand very nice and I feel more confident with the .40 S&W cartridge than the 9mm.

2. HK USP (.40 S&W and 9mm); These come in .45 ACP as well. Very, very dependable weapon here. German engineering at its finest. These guns have a built in recoil reduction system that reduces wear and tear on the gun. In my opinion they are the best polymer pistol on the market.

3. SIG P226 (.40 S&W and 9mm); Another German favorite, although from what I hear, they are mainly made in the US now. This is yet another popular pistol amoung police departments as well as enthuisists.

4. Glock 17/22; This is perhaps the most well known and famed weapon of them all. The darn things work every time and they can usually be had for a good price.

5. Springfield Armory XD (.40 S&W and 9mm); A new comer on the market, they have attacked Glocks holding on the polymer pistol market and have done quite well. They offer a unique grip for those that dislike the way the Glock feels.

I suggest you copy and past the above guns into Google, and learn as much as you can about them. All of the above weapons will work. They are battle tested and are perhaps the most reliable pistols on the market.

.45 ACP
-You get a big round in the famous 1911 package. These guns tend to be unreliable and in need of service.

1. Springfield Armory G.I.; Looks just like the WWII Colt your described. It is a copy of the same weapon that was carried from WWII to the 1980's. Simple and in most cases, it works quite well. SA has excellent customer service.

2. Colt Reproduction (WWI or WWII); These are VERY, VERY rare. They are exact, and I mean EXACT copies of the Colt .45 you are talking about. They were made off of the same blueprints that Colt used in WWI and WWII. Good luck finding one of these.

Hoped that kinda helped a bit. Good Luck, and keep us posted on your decision!

WOW gold contributer from post #1!  Hello and thanks for supporting the site.  My best advice would be to try out as many different types of handguns as possible before making your decision.  Decide up front what role your new weapon will fill. Be it target shooter or personal defense, there are many different makes and models to choose from.  My personal favorite is the HK USP .45.  

Quoted: Welcome To The Site -The most important thing when buying a handgun is to get a model that works well with YOUR hands. Do not go by what someone else tells you to get. Yes, you can get some great info off of websites like this one, but no one can determine what fits your hand best. We can however tell you what works for us, and what will work reliably. Here are my favorites; 9mm/.40 S&W -The great thing about these is that most makers makes models that come in 9mm and in the popular .40 S&W. 1. Beretta 92FS/96FS; Your familar with this gun and I currently have a Beretta 96 Vertec w/M6. It fits my hand very nice and I feel more confident with the .40 S&W cartridge than the 9mm. 2. HK USP (.40 S&W and 9mm); These come in .45 ACP as well. Very, very dependable weapon here. German engineering at its finest. These guns have a built in recoil reduction system that reduces wear and tear on the gun. In my opinion they are the best polymer pistol on the market. 3. SIG P226 (.40 S&W and 9mm); Another German favorite, although from what I hear, they are mainly made in the US now. This is yet another popular pistol amoung police departments as well as enthuisists. 4. Glock 17/22; This is perhaps the most well known and famed weapon of them all. The darn things work every time and they can usually be had for a good price. 5. Springfield Armory XD (.40 S&W and 9mm); A new comer on the market, they have attacked Glocks holding on the polymer pistol market and have done quite well. They offer a unique grip for those that dislike the way the Glock feels. I suggest you copy and past the above guns into Google, and learn as much as you can about them. All of the above weapons will work. They are battle tested and are perhaps the most reliable pistols on the market. .45 ACP -You get a big round in the famous 1911 package. These guns tend to be unreliable and in need of service. 1. Springfield Armory G.I.; Looks just like the WWII Colt your described. It is a copy of the same weapon that was carried from WWII to the 1980's. Simple and in most cases, it works quite well. SA has excellent customer service. 2. Colt Reproduction (WWI or WWII); These are VERY, VERY rare. They are exact, and I mean EXACT copies of the Colt .45 you are talking about. They were made off of the same blueprints that Colt used in WWI and WWII. Good luck finding one of these. Hoped that kinda helped a bit. Good Luck, and keep us posted on your decision!

Try again Kemo Sabe. If these guns "tend to be unreliable and in need of service," then I'm the friggin Queen Mary.

Quoted: Try again Kemo Sabe. If these guns "tend to be unreliable and in need of service," then I'm the friggin Queen Mary.

Ok. I think what I said was very, very, well supported by what I have personally seen as well as what I have heard while on the internet. No other weapon that I can think of needs so much "attention". Example;

-You need to get "X" or "Y" magazine. Glocks, Berettas, USPs, XDs, and SIGs all seem to work just fine with the factory magazines they come with.

-Be careful not to limp wrist. Once again this doesn't happen with the other guns.

-You need to adjust that extractor. WTF? The other guns sure as hell do not need this.

-Polish that feed ramp so that you can feed them hollow points. Um, the other guns seem to work just fine.

-Add a stronger recoil spring so you can fix that failure to feed. Never had this with one of the others.

-Need a 500 round break in period You won't see this in any other gun manual.

I'm sorry, but it sure looks as if you are indeed the Queen Mary. God bless the queen.

while there are a lot of sigs made in the states and in germany it is in fact a swiss company.

the usp is an excellent pistol.  but the only issue i had with the full size was that it felt very muzzle-heavy even with 10 rounds of .40sw in it.  the glock 17 and 20 seemed to have better balance.  

Quoted: while there are a lot of sigs made in the states and in germany it is in fact a swiss company. the usp is an excellent pistol.  but the only issue i had with the full size was that it felt very muzzle-heavy even with 10 rounds of .40sw in it.  the glock 17 and 20 seemed to have better balance.

I agree. The USP feels pretty muzzle heavy to me as well. The Glocks do seem to have better balance, but I do not like the way they feel in my hand. Undoubtedly one of the finest handguns ever produced, but if it doesn't feel right, I cannot shoot it well.  

Quoted: Quoted: Welcome To The Site -The most important thing when buying a handgun is to get a model that works well with YOUR hands. Do not go by what someone else tells you to get. Yes, you can get some great info off of websites like this one, but no one can determine what fits your hand best. We can however tell you what works for us, and what will work reliably. Here are my favorites; 9mm/.40 S&W -The great thing about these is that most makers makes models that come in 9mm and in the popular .40 S&W. 1. Beretta 92FS/96FS; Your familar with this gun and I currently have a Beretta 96 Vertec w/M6. It fits my hand very nice and I feel more confident with the .40 S&W cartridge than the 9mm. 2. HK USP (.40 S&W and 9mm); These come in .45 ACP as well. Very, very dependable weapon here. German engineering at its finest. These guns have a built in recoil reduction system that reduces wear and tear on the gun. In my opinion they are the best polymer pistol on the market. 3. SIG P226 (.40 S&W and 9mm); Another German favorite, although from what I hear, they are mainly made in the US now. This is yet another popular pistol amoung police departments as well as enthuisists. 4. Glock 17/22; This is perhaps the most well known and famed weapon of them all. The darn things work every time and they can usually be had for a good price. 5. Springfield Armory XD (.40 S&W and 9mm); A new comer on the market, they have attacked Glocks holding on the polymer pistol market and have done quite well. They offer a unique grip for those that dislike the way the Glock feels. I suggest you copy and past the above guns into Google, and learn as much as you can about them. All of the above weapons will work. They are battle tested and are perhaps the most reliable pistols on the market. .45 ACP -You get a big round in the famous 1911 package. These guns tend to be unreliable and in need of service. 1. Springfield Armory G.I.; Looks just like the WWII Colt your described. It is a copy of the same weapon that was carried from WWII to the 1980's. Simple and in most cases, it works quite well. SA has excellent customer service. 2. Colt Reproduction (WWI or WWII); These are VERY, VERY rare. They are exact, and I mean EXACT copies of the Colt .45 you are talking about. They were made off of the same blueprints that Colt used in WWI and WWII. Good luck finding one of these. Hoped that kinda helped a bit. Good Luck, and keep us posted on your decision! i17.photobucket.com/albums/b53/vanilla_gorilla911/wtf_cat2.jpg Try again Kemo Sabe. If these guns "tend to be unreliable and in need of service," then I'm the friggin Queen Mary.

Seriously... what is it with this current internet rumour that 1911s are unreliable?  Has anyone actually spent time with a 1911?  If any gun has proved itself, the 1911 sure has.  What did our boys say about after WWII?  Nuff said there.  My 1911s have been fantastic pistols and are hands-down my favorite guns.  I like my Glock 19 a lot too and consider it a fantastic pistol as well.  The only gun that I could never get to fucntion properly was a Glock 36.  

1911s are tops.  Unreliable my a$$.

Quoted: Welcome To The Site -The most important thing when buying a handgun is to get a model that works well with YOUR hands. Do not go by what someone else tells you to get. Yes, you can get some great info off of websites like this one, but no one can determine what fits your hand best. We can however tell you what works for us, and what will work reliably. Here are my favorites; 9mm/.40 S&W -The great thing about these is that most makers makes models that come in 9mm and in the popular .40 S&W. 1. Beretta 92FS/96FS; Your familar with this gun and I currently have a Beretta 96 Vertec w/M6. It fits my hand very nice and I feel more confident with the .40 S&W cartridge than the 9mm. 2. HK USP (.40 S&W and 9mm); These come in .45 ACP as well. Very, very dependable weapon here. German engineering at its finest. These guns have a built in recoil reduction system that reduces wear and tear on the gun. In my opinion they are the best polymer pistol on the market. 3. SIG P226 (.40 S&W and 9mm); Another German favorite, although from what I hear, they are mainly made in the US now. This is yet another popular pistol amoung police departments as well as enthuisists. 4. Glock 17/22; This is perhaps the most well known and famed weapon of them all. The darn things work every time and they can usually be had for a good price. 5. Springfield Armory XD (.40 S&W and 9mm); A new comer on the market, they have attacked Glocks holding on the polymer pistol market and have done quite well. They offer a unique grip for those that dislike the way the Glock feels. I suggest you copy and past the above guns into Google, and learn as much as you can about them. All of the above weapons will work. They are battle tested and are perhaps the most reliable pistols on the market. .45 ACP -You get a big round in the famous 1911 package. These guns tend to be unreliable and in need of service. 1. Springfield Armory G.I.; Looks just like the WWII Colt your described. It is a copy of the same weapon that was carried from WWII to the 1980's. Simple and in most cases, it works quite well. SA has excellent customer service. 2. Colt Reproduction (WWI or WWII); These are VERY, VERY rare. They are exact, and I mean EXACT copies of the Colt .45 you are talking about. They were made off of the same blueprints that Colt used in WWI and WWII. Good luck finding one of these. Hoped that kinda helped a bit. Good Luck, and keep us posted on your decision!

So where do you come up with that crap? You have documentation to back that up with?

Quoted: So where do you come up with that crap? You have documentation to back that up with?

Jesus. You people sure do get defense when I just mention a truth. Good lord, I too am looking at getting a Kimber Warrior, but good grief you would have thought I had cursed the good lord himself.

Anyhow as for documentation, refer to your Kimber's Owners Manual. It says to break the gun in with 500 rounds. The 1911's tend to be so UNRELIABLE OUT OF THE BOX that an entire topic has been put at the top of this message board:

forums.1911forum.com/forumdisplay.php?f=27
See " Kimber Common Problems and Fixes..."



Never seen that on a non-1911 board. I hope my Warrior works, but if it doesn't I honestly won't be too surprised. I just hope they have good customer service.

Also, spend some time on the 1911 foroum in general and you will notice that there are many problems for all of companies. I hardly see that on SIG, Glock, Beretta, and HK forums.

1911 Praise
Just so you all know where I am coming from. I am looking into getting a Kimber Warrior for my birthday. I love the way 1911's feel in my hand. It fits perfectly. The trigger is very nice, rivaling my Luger's sweet trigger pull. I just do not think that they work as often right out of the box as an HK, SIG, Glock, or Beretta. I honestly hope that the Warrior will work ok.

Quoted: Quoted: So where do you come up with that crap? You have documentation to back that up with? Jesus. You people sure do get defense when I just mention a truth. Good lord, I too am looking at getting a Kimber Warrior, but good grief you would have thought I had cursed the good lord himself. Anyhow as for documentation, refer to your Kimber's Owners Manual. It says to break the gun in with 500 rounds. The 1911's tend to be so UNRELIABLE OUT OF THE BOX that an entire topic has been put at the top of this message board: forums.1911forum.com/forumdisplay.php?f=27 See " Kimber Common Problems and Fixes..." Never seen that on a non-1911 board. I hope my Warrior works, but if it doesn't I honestly won't be too surprised. I just hope they have good customer service. Also, spend some time on the 1911 foroum in general and you will notice that there are many problems for all of companies. I hardly see that on SIG, Glock, Beretta, and HK forums. 1911 Praise Just so you all know where I am coming from. I am looking into getting a Kimber Warrior for my birthday. I love the way 1911's feel in my hand. It fits perfectly. The trigger is very nice, rivaling my Luger's sweet trigger pull. I just do not think that they work as often right out of the box as an HK, SIG, Glock, or Beretta. I honestly hope that the Warrior will work ok.

Then you should have specified "KIMBER 1911" not all 1911's be cause that is not the case.

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: So where do you come up with that crap? You have documentation to back that up with? Jesus. You people sure do get defense when I just mention a truth. Good lord, I too am looking at getting a Kimber Warrior, but good grief you would have thought I had cursed the good lord himself. Anyhow as for documentation, refer to your Kimber's Owners Manual. It says to break the gun in with 500 rounds. The 1911's tend to be so UNRELIABLE OUT OF THE BOX that an entire topic has been put at the top of this message board: forums.1911forum.com/forumdisplay.php?f=27 See " Kimber Common Problems and Fixes..." Never seen that on a non-1911 board. I hope my Warrior works, but if it doesn't I honestly won't be too surprised. I just hope they have good customer service. Also, spend some time on the 1911 foroum in general and you will notice that there are many problems for all of companies. I hardly see that on SIG, Glock, Beretta, and HK forums. 1911 Praise Just so you all know where I am coming from. I am looking into getting a Kimber Warrior for my birthday. I love the way 1911's feel in my hand. It fits perfectly. The trigger is very nice, rivaling my Luger's sweet trigger pull. I just do not think that they work as often right out of the box as an HK, SIG, Glock, or Beretta. I honestly hope that the Warrior will work ok. Then you should have specified "KIMBER 1911" not all 1911's be cause that is not the case.

See above (Red)
/\
|
|
|
|

I personally am a big 1911 fan. I plan on shoot IDPA soon and would prefer the advantage of more magazine capacity so if have been trying to use Glocks, Sigs, and CZs but I just don't like the feel. As far as reliability is concerned I have never had any problems with my 1911s even the bargain basement one I am shooting now.  If they were bad in any way or an inferior gun they still wouldn't have the popularity they  have to this day and reliability wasn't the any part of the reason they were taken out of  military service.  
You need to try what's out there and choose what feels best and works for you.

Good luck with your choice.

Ok,

If I was to decide I wanted a Colt .45 which model that they made is the most practical for home defence and just for fun shooting?  Also  where can I buy one?  My fav brand of handguns is Colt by far.  I also think that a .45 is the best size round from my experience.    I do not want something that is flashy.  I want reliable and accurate.  I know of course that how the gun feels in your hand makes a big difference.  I perfer a heavier handgun.  Weight wise.  They feel much more comfortable than a lightweight.   But then I am a big guy so I guess that would make more sence.  Anyway thanks for the suggestions.  

The Reson I went gold right off the bat is because I am a huge supporter of guns in america and if this site helps as it seems it does then I am all about helping them out.  

Also this is not an argument about what is the best gun in the world.  Everyone has different preferences.  Please dont turn this into an argument.  

Quoted: Ok, If I was to decide I wanted a Colt .45 which model that they made is the most practical for home defence and just for fun shooting?  Also  where can I buy one?  My fav brand of handguns is Colt by far.  I also think that a .45 is the best size round from my experience.    I do not want something that is flashy.  I want reliable and accurate.  I know of course that how the gun feels in your hand makes a big difference.  I perfer a heavier handgun.  Weight wise.  They feel much more comfortable than a lightweight.   But then I am a big guy so I guess that would make more sence.  Anyway thanks for the suggestions.   The Reson I went gold right off the bat is because I am a huge supporter of guns in america and if this site helps as it seems it does then I am all about helping them out.   Also this is not an argument about what is the best gun in the world.  Everyone has different preferences.  Please dont turn this into an argument.

.45 Long Colt or .45 ACP?

launsoulblade:  Welcome to our humble abode. And thank you for your service the USA.

If it were me, for my first gun, I would get a S&W 686/+  357Rem Mag/spl revovler.  The + model is the 7 shot model with the cylinder from the S&W N-frames(their big frame, S&W 6(29)44 Mag etc)

Here's Colt's web, everything is available, albeit at a high price:
www.coltsmfg.com/

You can't go wrong with any of the above mentioned guns, but you seem to be leaning towards a 1911.  Go ahead and get yourself one.  Just don't let it be your last gun!

Ok as of right now I am looking at this gun.

Colt 1911 45ACP, World War I Commemorative, 5 Inch, Blued

Now for a question.  One how much is the average price for this weapon?  Second can it be rigged for a lefty?  

Well they make Ambi Safties and someone makes a reversable mag release but I do not rember who however it should not be hard to find it. It was one of the major well known companies. As far as any thing else needing to go left I am not sure because I am a low life right hander.


Realy you should get a Raven .25auto it is the only pistol that is not garbage and is the greatest pistol in the world because that is what I have so it has to be or I will feel inferior.

Quoted: Quoted: So where do you come up with that crap? You have documentation to back that up with? Jesus. You people sure do get defense when I just mention a truth. Good lord, I too am looking at getting a Kimber Warrior, but good grief you would have thought I had cursed the good lord himself. Anyhow as for documentation, refer to your Kimber's Owners Manual. It says to break the gun in with 500 rounds. The 1911's tend to be so UNRELIABLE OUT OF THE BOX that an entire topic has been put at the top of this message board: forums.1911forum.com/forumdisplay.php?f=27 See " Kimber Common Problems and Fixes..." Never seen that on a non-1911 board. I hope my Warrior works, but if it doesn't I honestly won't be too surprised. I just hope they have good customer service. Also, spend some time on the 1911 foroum in general and you will notice that there are many problems for all of companies. I hardly see that on SIG, Glock, Beretta, and HK forums. 1911 Praise Just so you all know where I am coming from. I am looking into getting a Kimber Warrior for my birthday. I love the way 1911's feel in my hand. It fits perfectly. The trigger is very nice, rivaling my Luger's sweet trigger pull. I just do not think that they work as often right out of the box as an HK, SIG, Glock, or Beretta. I honestly hope that the Warrior will work ok.

OK, Let me approach this from a different angle. I have now owned four (4) 1911's, not a single one of them has ever gone to a shop for work or needed fixing or adjusting. Only one of them has ever had problems of any kind, traced back to a cheapo out-of-spec mag.  Not one of my four (4) 1911's has needed anything other than ammo.

So there.

Quoted: OK, Let me approach this from a different angle. I have now owned four (4) 1911's, not a single one of them has ever gone to a shop for work or needed fixing or adjusting. Only one of them has ever had problems of any kind, traced back to a cheapo out-of-spec mag.  Not one of my four (4) 1911's has needed anything other than ammo. So there.

If you have a 1911 that works well, you have one of the greatest handguns on this earth, and that is absolutely no exaggeration. The 1911 is undoubtedly one of the finest handguns on the planet, assuming they work well.

I have shot a lot of handguns at 16 years old, perhaps even more than many shooters out there. I can honestly say that the only handgun that I prefer more than the 1911 is the Luger P-08. The Luger fits my hand PERFECTLY. The trigger is very nice, even better than many of the 1911s that I have shot. The only problems with the Luger are the sights and the relatively small 9x19 round it fires.

What gun still has that perfect trigger pull and grip, without the Luger’s drawbacks? The 1911 of course. Feels great, nice trigger pull, big .45 ACP round, and to top it off nice white dot or night sights.

And that my friends, is why I am getting a Kimber Warrior for my 17th birthday .

Quoted: The only problems with the Luger are the sights and the relatively small 9x19 round it fires.

I think you're being charitable to say the least.

Quoted: And that my friends, is why I am getting a Kimber Warrior for my 17th birthday .

damn, you're a young'n. I had a feeling you were still in school based on the way you outlined your first post in this thread, but never would have guessed that young. Shit, you made me feel old and I'm only 20.