Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns OK, I really CAN only have one........

I think I'd choose a Taurus 1911 with aluminum frame. The .45 ACP is quite able to handle all your needs if you choose your loads well, and the 1911 gives you a good trigger.

Oh yeah...I'd also give serious consideration to a S&W Model 19 or 66. +P .38's for self defense, and magnums in the field; does a great job.

The Colt's first model .357 is a bit tougher gun, with Python internals yet still a fairly lightweight gun.

MK III Troopers have almost all the strength of an N frame Smith .357 in a package thats just a little larger than a K frame. Very good revolver

Why did you not keep the PMR30?????

Money, same as the 329PD and the Kimber Crimson Pro Carry ll, KelTech PF9 and all the others. Trading it (the PMR30)with some other stuff for my Rokon nxt weekend. Sold my nice late model Rokon last spring to help with the costs of my Daughters wedding. Can't afford to buy one, definately cannot afford a 4 wheeler right now, and I am waaaayyyy to old to carry a deer or bear or elk out on my back anymore. Lord willing I will have another soon. Love em and wouldn't be a bad all arounder handgun other than as an anti angry bear arm. Thanks for asking.

Kevin Gibson,

I have personally found the 19 and 66's to be a little too bulky and heavy for all day evryday carry under a suit or "just runnin down to the 7-11" etc. Also too heavy to wear all day when hiking the hills elk hunting etc. Heavy enough that I DO notice it is there, and usually lose it at the camp after the first mornings hunt.

Didn't Know that Taurus made an aluminum frame 1911. Do they have a beavertail grip safety? A good, crisp, light single action trigger? I have found that to hit a grouse head I need a pretty nice trigger.

THANKS for the ideas! I greatly value your input.

Might be a great option.

Some revolvers (.357, .44, .45) allow the EZ use of factory-loaded shot shells. If you are confined to owning only 1 gun, this may be a consideration, particularly important if in a foraging/survival-type situation. My short-barreled .357mag, while EZ to conceal and carry, isn't very practical for head-shot accuracy on small game, but just fine for normal self defense and survival.

Safariman, I'm having trouble uploading photos, but I just emailed you a couple pictures of my aluminum frame Taurus 1911- otherwise I'd post it here. It comes with or without an accessory rail, mine is without. Unfortunately, it only comes with a blued finish.
Edited to add: cost was about $525.00

Mr. Hemry

Just got the pic's, LOVE the gun! Is the trigger on it pretty good out of the box?

Sitting here watching the Raiders game and yelling at and for the silver and black so you can well imagine that I love the color scheme of that thing. Might well be my huckleberry....

MARK

Forgive me as I don't know all the details and I may be wrong. But if your current health issues prevent you from working as you once did, will you really be walking miles in Bear Country? Around Walla Walla Wa? I would get bear spray and a good .22 for less recoil, cheap ammunition, thats if I could only have one gun. All though there are more reports of animal attacks in the past few years I doubt many of us will be in that position. More likely to have problems with the two legged ones.

Wtf? You just described an L frame, which are a lot more common than old Colts, which are usually way out of the OP's financial requirement on this.

Smith L frame .357's are superior to either the K or N frame, strength-wise on one and size-wise on the other. They are superior to the I frame Colts too and they cost less.

All mentioned above weigh more than the OP had in mind. Much more.

5 1/2 lbs out of the box.

That would be a shootable poundage, is it fairly crisp?

I'm not a great expert on it, but it seems so to me. As I found out last weekend after shooting 3 or 4 handguns back to back, it's especially nice after I transitioned back to it from the long DA pull on the Kahr P9.

It kind of "went off" before I was fully ready as I was starting to "take up the slack" while fine-tuning the sight picture (I didn't put the finger near the trigger until I was on target). There just wasn't any slack to speak of.

You need the "universal" gun. I have lots of people ask me what they should buy if they could only have one handgun. I always recommend the same thing: a stainless Ruger GP100 or S&W 686 with a four inch barrel. It can be as powerful, or as mild as you want, since you can also shoot any 38 spl load in it. They're rugged and reliable. A 4 inch barrel isn't so short that it performance is severely limited, but it's short enough to be handy, portable, and concealable if desired. The sights are good, and it cleans up easily. I prefer the GP100 slightly because it's easier to upgrade the springs in if you want to lighten the trigger yourself.

Might have to get a 3".

Sorry for your misfortune and I hope your health improves. I don't think there is one gun to do all you suggest. If I could only own one handgun, it'd be a Glock 19, and that's what I'd suggest you get. I bought one for $325 a month ago. It ain't a bear pistol, just stay the hell out of the woods until you can afford a Glock 20 SF 10mm.

Have had three 3 inch J frame sized revolvers for carry guns over the years. First was a nickel plated model 36 in 38spcl. Replaced it with a 3 inch Charter Arms Bulldog 44spcl, many years later I carried a model 360PD which was the same gun as the 36 but a titanium framed 357 for a couple of years. Liked them pretty well, but not enough to keep any of them long term. The Charter Arms Bulldog was the best of the bunch and carried by me the longest.

Thank you, sincerely, for the sentiments. I won't be stayin out of the woods, though, as I have some pretty big rifles for primary weapons (See avatar to left ) and if I get a Glock it will be a model 20 and it will be stuffed with full power 10mm loads, maybe even Buffalo bore stuff.

I am sorry for your problems, Mark.

A Glock 20 sounds like it might fit what you want.

One nice thing about a Glock: they'll serve as a source of continuous motivation to acquire a more aesthetically pleasing gun!