Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Favorite Handgun for Self Defense

If you could have only one what would it be? My choice would be my Glock 23 with two barrel 40 S&W and the 357 Sig barrel. Nothing beats the Glock in my opinion.

My 3 1/2 inch pre Model 27. Just because it's the one closest to the bed. Couple of speed loaders and I'm good to go. Besides, to an intruder it would look like a Dirty Harry special.

Here I go again. For self defense I would go with one of these in .380:

http://seecamp.com/products.htm

or

a PPK in .380.

Both make good self defense pistols for the pocket and are very concealable no matter the weather.

However, if I know I'm going into harms way such as a police officer, soldier, survivalist than it's the best quality M1911 in .45 Auto I can get and a good quality K-Bar knife.

I have my flame proof suit on so flame away.

A 380, you don't think very much of yourself

Before we had kids, a .357 Mag. revolver of one stripe or another was almost always my weapon of choice for the bedside. I don't think you can do any better than a 686 with a 4" barrel.

Over the years, I can remember a couple of 27's, a couple of 28's, about four 686's, a 586, a 681, a Python or two, a GP100...

While I carry a pistol, not a revolver, on a daily basis, my favorite is a 3 or4" S&W Model 686. Old school, I guess... The 686+ is an excellent revolver option.

I think a lot of myself some times to much.

The OP said self defense so I chose a self defense gun. The FBI's offical distance for self defense from their studies is 7 yards that's 21 feet. Some say 5 yards that's 15 feet. A .380 should do just fine at those distances.

Self defense means being a survivalist. Being a survivalist means never being in harms way to begin with. Sometimes the best laid plans go awry and one finds one in a self defense situation. Here in Helena, the most likely self defense situation is with dang dogs while one is out walking. If one shoots a dog that dang dog had better be biting a leg or be about to bite and the distance is likely to be 1 to 3 feet. At that distance a .380 with hollow points will do the job.

So far, I've survived every gun fight I've ever been in because I make sure I'm never in a gun fight. One might survive the gun fight, the criminal charges but will most likely lose the civil fight. I choose to survive by not being where I'm not suppose to be. So far, it's worked well for me. If I had chosen to go armed a .380 pocket or small IWP pistol would have worked just fine.