Your favorite production handgun and why…

[joel]

Opinion time… what is your favorite production (doesn’t have to be current, just no custom or one off items) handgun ever made? The dreaded “if you could only have one” kind of piece.

Here’s my submission:
I think a strong case could be made for the S&W Performance Center 586 l-comp being one of the finest and most versatile handguns currently in production. The trigger in both double and single action are superb. The 3” barrel is the Goldilocks size for revolvers that could be carried daily without undue discomfort and weight (36oz), but still boast impressive ballistics. The combination of the weight of the gun (solid, but not too heavy to conceal carry) and the compensated barrel make shooting hot .357 rounds rapid fire - even nasty hard cast bear stoppers, a relative breeze. The sights on the gun are adjustable and the front post is a Trijicon tritium blade for low light work. In single action with that Performance Center trigger offering a light pull with zero creep and zero over travel - accurate shots can be made at distances you’d typically deploy a carbine - and with some factory loads sporting an excess of 800 ft/lbs of energy - you’re hurling some seriously fierce lead down range that make this a credible backwoods gun capable of taking any four legged beast in North America. With 7 rounds of two and four legged predator stopping power, and a cylinder cut for moon clips (the gun comes with some as well) - reloads are an absolute breeze and nearly as quick and trouble free as a semi automatic to allow you to swap duties (plinking, snake shot, backwoods, 2 legged protection) in seconds. The gun also comes with two grips - a very handsome set of checkered boot style wood grips ideal for concealed carry, and a set of recoil taming rubber grips - which allows you to sport the slick wood grips on CCW duty, and swap out to rubber if deployed as a home defense gun, loaded up for the back country with bear medicine. You can also toss inexpensive .38 special into the gun for target practice/plinking - in which recoil becomes a mere bunny fart. The 586 L Comp is built like a bank vault, and is a multi-generation, heirloom quality piece that looks outstanding and feels very special in hand. It is a tool with a soul. Lastly, quality rifles are made in .357 magnum - which give you the ability to carry a practical pistol and rifle in the same caliber - with .357 magnum offering material gains with a rifle length barrel.

Second place and an honorable mention for me is the Glock 20C. 15+1 capacity of thundering 10mm in an ultra reliable, and packable package, with lightning fast reloads and excellent control (due to the compensated barrel and slide) it is quite a versatile piece. You can’t talk about Glock and not mention their reputation for unflappable reliability and ease of maintenance. It stays in second place for me though, as 10mm isn’t a versatile as .357/.38, you can’t load snake shot into a 10mm, and a plastic Glock, while stellar - doesn’t have the soul and swagger as a finely tuned piece from the performance center. You also can’t shoot lead bullets out of its polygonal barrel, and I’m not sure you’d be able to find a compensated Glock 20 barrel with standard rifling, so you might lose some of the benefits of the comp, should you need to shoot lead.

So that’s my .02 what’s yours?

 

[oc_in_fw]

In my opinion, the best is no longer in production Should have bought my buddy’s P7 in 1990 when I had the chance. They fetch around $3k for ones in good shape now.

 

[Rudy Vey]

Revolver, hands down S&W 686 (have three, 3,4 and 6") and for pistol, I like my H&K USP Tactical in .45.
For 9 mm, Walther PPQ Match, best trigger. If you like classics, 1911 are very nice. Just get decent mags especially for .45.
Got a Kimber in both 45 and 9 mm.

 

[Hopalong]

Is this like "best razor?" Most likely turn into "favorite." Lot of cult following handguns, just like razors.
I'll take your word for it, bro, but you lost me on "shooting 357 rounds rapid fire, a relative breeze."

I bought a S&W Model 65 that I purchased at the LGS in Atascadero in the mid 70s. I think it was standard CHP issue. Couldn't hit the broadside of a barn with that thing. I'm flinching as I type this.

Bought a Beretta 92fs mid 80s. Piece of Americana with military issue and the movies. In a word, I'd call it smooth, I shoot it well, and still have it. I know a lot of people hate it. Maybe it was the military they hated.

I don't know anyone who doesn't like a 1911 or 1911 style pistol. Got several of those.

I got a CZ P01 to put on my permit years ago. Nice pistol, NATO certified, great ergonomics.
But those pesky slides that ride inside the frame wreak havoc with my arthritis, so it mostly sits in the safe.

My daily carry is a HK P2000sk. Perfect for me. Almost the exact size as the Glock G43X.
I know Glocks have a lot of FanBoys, Cult Followers, and Street Cred, but I never had any chemistry with them. I have shot plenty of them; they seem smooth, flawless, reliable. Exactly what you would want in a razor.
When I see one, makes me think they would be good for pounding nails.

@OkieStubble, relax bro, just kidding. You know we love you here on this subform and value your professional opinion!

 

[jar_]

What would Bill Boyd choose?

 

[joel]

Is this like "best razor?" Most likely turn into "favorite." Lot of cult following handguns, just like razors.
I'll take your word for it, bro, but you lost me on "shooting 357 rounds rapid fire, a relative breeze."

The compensator and expansion chamber makes a night and day difference. Very little muzzle rise. There’s certainly recoil - but it’s almost entirely straight back and easy to manage. Tight grip, firm wrists and bent elbows allow your arms to soak up the recoil with even distribution. The bent and slightly loose elbows act as a shock absorber. Once you get the hang of it after each detonation as the gun reaches the crescendo of its recoil impulse - you can rock the gun forward with your shoulders and a little bit of wrist to get the gun immediately on target. If you shoot a revolver like a semi automatic - it’s going to be brutal.

That said, the lighter guns shooting magnum rounds are quite a handful. I hear the 11oz 340PD in .357 magnum I get to pick up from 10 day purgatory next weekend, will recoil more violently than my 26oz 329PD in .44 mag. Now that will be interesting.

 

[nortac]

Hard to answer without a specific intended use. S&W revolvers run high on my list, particularly the 686 variants. I have nine S&W revolvers. A good 1911 is near the top of the list. The pure practicality and reliability of almost any Glock cannot be ignored. But what is best?

 

[joel]

I think the question should be rephrased/restated. It should be what is your favorite. I’ll edit accordingly.

 

[Hopalong]

The compensator and expansion chamber makes a night and day difference. Very little muzzle rise. There’s certainly recoil - but it’s almost entirely straight back and easy to manage. Tight grip, firm wrists and bent elbows allow your arms to soak up the recoil with even distribution. The bent and slightly loose elbows act as a shock absorber. Once you get the hang of it after each detonation as the gun reaches the crescendo of its recoil impulse - you can rock the gun forward with your shoulders and a little bit of wrist to get the gun immediately on target. If you shoot a revolver like a semi automatic - it’s going to be brutal.

That said, the lighter guns shooting magnum rounds are quite a handful. I hear the 11oz 340PD in .357 magnum I get to pick up from 10 day purgatory next weekend, will recoil more violently than my 26oz 329PD in .44 mag. Now that will be interesting.

I'll take your word for it, but my best response is "I had my day".
8 orthopedic surgeries, 4 on my hands (with both thumb joints replaced), both elbows and a shoulder, make my primary concern recoil management.

My HK P2000sk supposedly has what they call the "recoil reduction system", an extra spring.
IDK if it is BS, but there definitely is an extra spring, and I feel like it shoots like a full size.
That, plus my lady 9mm rounds, and I'm all in regarding the "shot placement" crowd.

I figure this pistol does the trick for me, because the grouchy Curmudgeon that has given the CCW class for the last 10 years in SLO never says a word to me. All he does is yell at people, lol.

I recognize your "Lone Cypress" avatar. Figure you are up in Pebble Beach/Carmel?

 

[desmoface]

This doesn’t suck

 

[OkieStubble]

What would Bill Boyd choose?

I agree with jar_

William Lawrence Boyd. Oklahoma man...

 

[OkieStubble]

I think the question should be rephrased/restated. It should be what is your favorite. I’ll edit accordingly.

The one I am admiring in my hand at the time. But I would also happily take your second choice of the G20. I might even choose the G23 loaded with 165 gr. .40 S&W traveling at almost 1200 fps, just because it holds a very sentimental place in my heart.

 

[OkieStubble]

The compensator and expansion chamber makes a night and day difference. Very little muzzle rise. There’s certainly recoil - but it’s almost entirely straight back and easy to manage. Tight grip, firm wrists and bent elbows allow your arms to soak up the recoil with even distribution. The bent and slightly loose elbows act as a shock absorber. Once you get the hang of it after each detonation as the gun reaches the crescendo of its recoil impulse - you can rock the gun forward with your shoulders and a little bit of wrist to get the gun immediately on target. If you shoot a revolver like a semi automatic - it’s going to be brutal.

That said, the lighter guns shooting magnum rounds are quite a handful. I hear the 11oz 340PD in .357 magnum I get to pick up from 10 day purgatory next weekend, will recoil more violently than my 26oz 329PD in .44 mag. Now that will be interesting.

I have put a few cylinders down range with the 340PD. 1st cylinder, was the last cylinder shot without a glove on my hand.

 

[Lockback]

Favorite production gun?
Hmmmm ... okay, here are a couple of choices that I own:
1) Gen2 Glock 19. Doggone thing has never failed and it's got many thousands of rounds through it, mostly my reloads. I don't like the cutout at the bottom of the front strap (early Glock magazines didn't have steel linings and would expand when fully loaded, necessitating sometimes dragging it out of the mag well). But this is the gun that's sort of the standard. It's the Goldilocks gun; not too big, not too small, big enough for a duty gun and small enough to carry. I bought it new in '94, I think. I've replaced some springs and it's gone through a few sets of sights but it's the most reliable gun I've ever owned, and I've owned a lot. It rests near my front door, just in case ...
And, yeah, I still carry it too.

2) This one is a real oddball but it's a gun I really like: a Ruger SR45. I've always been a .45 ACP fan and have owned many handguns chambered for that caliber but wanted a higher capacity, polymer-framed one and found it in the Ruger. It's an amazingly soft shooter for that caliber, terribly accurate, a total pleasure to shoot with a 10+1 capacity. The SR series, which is gone now, was killed far too quickly by Ruger, IMHO. It had some issues (light primer strikes, although my SR45 had never had any), two safeties that most think are superfluous (thumb and magazine), a loaded chamber that pops up on the slide that's ridiculously big. But to me, they're pretty much non-issues. I don't mind a thumb safety and I removed the magazine safety post haste and the loaded chamber indicator doesn't effect the functioning of the firearm, so I'm good with it. This gun just fits my hand. The grip is slim for a 10-round .45. The trigger is mushy but light, the sights are adjustable and smaller than I'd like but just fine. I really wish Ruger had stayed with this model and improved it rather than dropping it and coming out with the Ruger American Pistol, which was a bomb. If they had just improved what they had ... maybe offered a Pro version sans thumb safety and magazine safety and a witness hole for the loaded chamber indicator ... well, we'll never know but I think it could have been and would have been a hugely successful series. As it is, I have two SR's and think they're both terrific.

 

[OkieStubble]

Favorite production gun?
Hmmmm ... okay, here are a couple of choices that I own:
1) Gen2 Glock 19. Doggone thing has never failed and it's got many thousands of rounds through it, mostly my reloads. I don't like the cutout at the bottom of the front strap (early Glock magazines didn't have steel linings and would expand when fully loaded, necessitating sometimes dragging it out of the mag well). But this is the gun that's sort of the standard. It's the Goldilocks gun; not too big, not too small, big enough for a duty gun and small enough to carry. I bought it new in '94, I think. I've replaced some springs and it's gone through a few sets of sights but it's the most reliable gun I've ever owned, and I've owned a lot. It rests near my front door, just in case ...
And, yeah, I still carry it too.

2) This one is a real oddball but it's a gun I really like: a Ruger SR45. I've always been a .45 ACP fan and have owned many handguns chambered for that caliber but wanted a higher capacity, polymer-framed one and found it in the Ruger. It's an amazingly soft shooter for that caliber, terribly accurate, a total pleasure to shoot with a 10+1 capacity. The SR series, which is gone now, was killed far too quickly by Ruger, IMHO. It had some issues (light primer strikes, although my SR45 had never had any), two safeties that most think are superfluous (thumb and magazine), a loaded chamber that pops up on the slide that's ridiculously big. But to me, they're pretty much non-issues. I don't mind a thumb safety and I removed the magazine safety post haste and the loaded chamber indicator doesn't effect the functioning of the firearm, so I'm good with it. This gun just fits my hand. The grip is slim for a 10-round .45. The trigger is mushy but light, the sights are adjustable and smaller than I'd like but just fine. I really wish Ruger had stayed with this model and improved it rather than dropping it and coming out with the Ruger American Pistol, which was a bomb. If they had just improved what they had ... maybe offered a Pro version sans thumb safety and magazine safety and a witness hole for the loaded chamber indicator ... well, we'll never know but I think it could have been and would have been a hugely successful series. As it is, I have two SR's and think they're both terrific.

My very first Glock was a Gen2 19 I purchased in 1989 for $400. I put a guesstimation somewhere, in the vicinity of 75-80K rounds thru it, with only one barrel change, no internal parts. I screwed up and sold it after 26 years of faithfulness for the same $400 that I purchased it.

 

[jar_]

One of my favorite all around handguns was also one of the biggest flops in the last half century and in production for only 6 or 7 years. It's my Browning BDM and I bought it in 1996. It's as close to my ideal pistol as I've ever found.

The BDM was an all USA design and actually made by Browning rather than being made by some other manufacturer and labeled as "Browning". It is slimmer than the P-35, had ambi-safeties, held 15 + 1 rounds of 9mm Luger (also had 10 round magazines), great functional sights and could operate in either a revolver mode (DAO) or pistol mode (DA/SA) by simply turning a toggle with a spent shell casing. It was relatively light compared to the other Wonder Nines and as natural a pointer as any pistol I've owned or shot.

And it is purty.

 

[BigFoot]

Mine would have to be my Colt 1911 Gold Cup Trophy. It is sure a sweet shooting pistol.

 

[OkieStubble]

Mine would have to be my Colt 1911 Gold Cup Trophy. It is sure a sweet shooting pistol.

View attachment 1616831

This is like trolling us mere mortals who don’t have one!

 

[Climb14er]

I’ve had some really fine production guns over the years and sensing about fifteen years ago that there very well could be mag capacity restrictions coming down the road, this Dan Wesson CCO 1911 .45 ACP 7+1 lighter weight design remains the one pistol that will remain with me going forward. It’s an easy shooter, very accurate and reliable. Shown with Larry Davidson grips and a Milt Sparks Nexus, thin IWB. It’s’ brother, the Axiom is my OWB. Higher standard capacity favorite alternative… the venerable Glock 19! BOTH of these are my bedside pistols.

 

[Salty O'Rourke]

Revolver - Dan Wesson model 15, 6" barrel. I have one with a 4" barrel too but this one is the one I won't part with.

Semiautomatic - CZ82 9x18 Makarov. I can't justify this in any quantitative way, but I just like it.