This question has probably been ask before on this forum but for the sake of those that didn't see it let's ask again.

Glocks and 1911's are probably the most popular so which would it be

My Glock 32. It's the same size as a Glock 19, but in the .357 Sig Caliber.
One of my 1911 Lightweight Commanders in 45 acp would be my second choice.

Double post deleted

I got a 1911, but if I had to pick one gun it would be a G19. It's like a 1911 but works more frequently and under most any conditions.

Sig 229 .40 Cal

Probably a Glock 43. It must go inside a pocket on occasions and if I carry it unholstered, it fits fine. I don;t care if it prints a little. That's no big deal to me.

Glock 17.

Carry one gun for what?

Self defense?
Survival?
Fun?
Hunting?

All of the above?

Colt Commander .38 Super...carried one from 1980 to 2007...then just switched to another that has a hard chrome finish and night sights...just took it off an hour ago...

A Springfield XD40 works for me.

A Glock or M&P or plastic Sig in a full size or mid size .40 or 9.

I'm not picky.

I wear a Glock 22 for my personal carry gun and would be fine with that if limited to one gun for personal defense.

If we are talking an everyday, hunting, shooting, weapon of opportunity for every purpose, it would be a Ruger Bisley, blued, cut to 5 1/2", .100 Patridge front sight with two gold or silver lines, Bowen target rear sight, free spin pawl, Belt Mountain #5 base pin and ivory micarta grips. The cartridge is the hard choice, it could be the 357 Mag, 41 Mag, 44 Special, 44 Mag, or 45 Colt. If push came to shove and I was forced to chose one, it would most likely be the Bisley flattop 44 Special.

I only carry one gun and it is a 1911. I have no desire to replace it with anything else.

My Detonics 45!

My 3 gun carry rotation is a G19, G43, and a S&W 642. I vary them depending on dress and situation. If limited to 1, it would probably be the G43. It shoots almost as we'll as the G19 and hides almost as well as the 642.

Kimber 1911.

G19

Probably my G19. There are other pistols in my collection I like better. Some shoot better, ssome fit my hand better, some carry better, some (most)look better but the G19 is without a doubt the best compromise of all of them.

Sig 1911

Depends upon what the necessity was. If it's truly a "one-gun for everything situation", and that includes SD, hunting, etc., then it gets interesting.

The G19 just flat works for most things, but it ain't a hunting gun. If I could get away with the size (i.e., carry/clothing compliments in the area permit), a G20 or G21 covers all bases and well.

Sentimentality wise, there's a certain Colt 1911 that would get the nod right now if I could only really have one, and I'd get another barrel and spring set up to run .45Super in it for field carry.

If a revolver, the 4" K-frame in .357 (19, 65/66) does just about all that could be asked of a revolver for "doing it all". A 4" GP100 would be another consideration.

After packing around all day saturday a model 28 in a shoulder holster it became evidently clear while the model 19 was developed.

S&W 625-6 Mountain Gun in .45 Colt!!!

Chrome Raven .25

These days it's a Glock 43

Fur hat, too?

This 649 goes everywhere with me and has for the last 30+ years. It's still DAO (converted by the LAPD Armory in 1984) and loaded with Gold Dot 135 grain stuff.
Bob

Do I see six holes on that target?

No.
Bob

I think I do.

There's only 15 in this one. I'm sure you could find a couple more if you look hard enough, Perfessor.
Bob

Even though I'm totally attached to a few handguns of mine (especially the above 649), I'd consider this BHP if I was allowed only one handgun for carry, practice, etc. I guess my competitive shooting days would be over though, with only one handgun to pack and shoot. This '67 Browning is unmodified except for opening up the rear sight and removing the mag safety. I like it a lot. For awhile when I was at FT Bragg on my last tour it was my only handgun.
Bob



It carries well in this Israeli-designed IWB holster

Dan Wesson Guardian in 45ACP

S&W 329 loaded with hot specials for 2 legged critters and good 240 cast loads for hunting. Light enough to carry all day. Good sights, and not too large to hide if needed. I used it to kill a pronghorn doe at a long distance with open sights a few years ago.

Perry

Beretta 92F

Strayer-Voigt or STI 1911 double stack 10mm or 38 Super.

Nice. I still think you should put a C&S safety on it though.

Okay....I'll play...I guess.

I'd have a hard time choosing between the HiPower and the K9. Both very accurate and easy to shoot. Both never give me any reason to doubt them (and that includes every example of either I have ever owned or shot). The choice would probably come down to where and how I was living at the time, but I would lean towards the HP.

The one I carry now does nicely. Dave Clements 10mm Ruger GP-100

Hellz-yeah. Platform shoes, fur coat, and a pimped out Caddy.

Well I guess if you're going to slum it, that's not a bad way to go.

hmmm tough one


I'd have to say a Glock 29

I love all of my guns... it would be hard to choose Probably for it's punch and ease of carry either in the pocket or I or O WB my mod 60 .357 would be the one.

G19.

I'd hate to be in the position of only one, but if forced to pick it'd be a G19.

Glock 19 (LAV) in a Simply Rugged Cuda holster is normal EDC.
However many double action revolvers are carried

It is hard to beat the XDS .45.

I can get it down to 3 very easily, but getting down to 1 costs too many brain cells to consider. It could depend on what my wife picks for hers.

Before I shot the XDS 9mm, I would have agreed with this. However, since doing so, I have never left the house with out my XDS9.

For strictly concealed carry, the XDS 9, for outdooor use, hiking, unting etc Iwould carry my XD40 and not think twice about it. i have had mine for about 13 years, and it has been refinished twice. I flat out do not go hunting/hiking/fishing with out it.

This past weekend while turkey hunting, my buddy and I came across bear schit that was so fresh we likely interrupted the bear in his bathroom I was very glad to reach down and feel my XD 40 instead of something else.

Don't live in a high crime/multiple assailant area, but large predators/ungulates could be a problem.

S&W M69 - 5 shot L Frame .44 Mag. If I could have only one handgun it would be either of the following, in the order shown:

Reasons: Fun shooting with light loads, and reasonable power if needed.

S&W M69 5 shot .44 mag
Freedom Arms M97 .45 Colt 4 1/4"

Can shoot all day with light loads and dispatch most problems in L48 with proper botique/handloads

Paul

In a past life I put down quite a few injured deer, etc and some not so injured ones as well as 100+ pound attack dogs that were sic'ed on the bad old policeman by their owners.

Excepting Brown or Grizzly country, I am comfortable in the woods with a good 40 S&W.

I like to walk softly & carry a big stick, so I'll take an M60 SAW

MM

While I own a 1911, I don't carry it. I'll never own a Glock.
I carry either a Model 19 or a 629 - I carry them due to coyotes, wolves, mountain lions.

The 1911 is for shooting paper, not a very good pistol for my needs.


But I really liked the M60, much better than the M16.

I have a few hand guns to include a 1911, but for every day carry I love my XDS 45 and Glock 43. They go bang every time I pull the trigger and never fail to feed.

G23.

Maybe a 696.



Travis

Fer Chrissake, make up your mind, man. Ya can only have one.

MM

It'd have to be the G23.




Dave

G36

The issue with answering this question is what I am carrying for.

For carrying for self protection against other people, I very much prefer a Glock 9mm. A G19/17/34.

For when I am in the high desert/ mountains where the issue could be people, or wolves, mountain lions, or bears, then I tend to carry either a 5" N Frame .44 or a newer Glock G30S Compact .45.

Frankly, I could narrow it down to a 5 gun battery, (And we did a thread about that a while back, which I think we should resurrect) but only "One" sounds like zero fun to me.

That said, the G19 sized .45 ACP G30s has a lot going for it, if a person spends a fair amount of time in the mountains, and needs a dual purpose sidearm for animals/people defense.

Mackay cheated.




Travis

For urban carry, I chose my Kahr PM40.

RH

If Ya ain't cheatin' ya ain't tryin'.

Ya don't cheat, ya don't eat...

Limited to only one, if I could continue to produce my own ammo, I'd choose a 1911 10mm GM.

If I had to use what ammo was available, then a 45 ACP 1911, probably a Colt LWT Commander or CCO.

The G19 sized G30S .45 ACP is impressing me more and more. If this had been introduced 20 years earlier (prior to the rise of the .40 and 9mm in LE circles), I think it would have been one of the top sellers in the law enforcement and concealed carry markets.

It conceals like a G19, but you have 10+1 230 grain pills on board , with a standard G21 mag as a spare (13 rounds). This makes for a great outdoorsman's handgun.

For a guy who wants one gun to cover home defense, animal defense, as well as concealed carry, this is a pretty fair choice. It is not perfect, but it does a lot of things well, in a package that fits in many G19 sized holsters.

That is hard not to like.

I wholeheartedly agree with you.

As much as I love my 19 and carry it all over, if I had to go with rural and urban I would chose the 30S.

Now, if the oft mentioned apocalypse/meltdown were to happen, I'd probably revert to the 19 because I think 9mm would be easier to find/scrounge...

Yep,

It really is hard to beat your basic G19/17.

Mac's earlier comment, "The issue with answering this question is what I am carrying for."


...is the absolute crux of the matter.


if the many variables above are all tossed into the hopper--the Glock 30s would be a great choice.

230 grain pills are good medicine--"broad spectrum" dosage is just what the doctor ordered...

the only thing i dislike about the 30s is the handle/grip length. i'm an advocate of short barrels and slides--with full length, or near full length handles.

if the grip were 1/2 to 5/8 inch longer, i would surely like it much more than i already do. in addition, this would offer one--maybe two more rounds in the magazine. as it is, the 10 round magazine is tough sledding when trying to get that last round in there--you just about have to stand on the thing to make it happen.

using a 13 round mag helps me with respect to grip length--giving me more control in rapid fire strings--something i consider very essential...

I carry a G17 on duty and G26 as a BUG, I could get by with a G19.

Exactly my choices, the same guns for the same reasons.

The perfect concealed carry gun for New York and California. They only allow ten anyway, so might as well make them .45 ACP.

Glock 19

Glock 23

I agree with you regards 230 grains, just not sure you could get off 2-3 aimed shots as fast with the 30, the 19 with 147s seems pretty easy for me to manage

Wife fired these with a Glock 30s. Federal 230 gr FMJ aluminum case full power factory rounds.

5 shots fired while retreating from 1 to 5 yards. From low ready, at the beep: first shot at .96; second at 1.41; third at 1.88; fourth at 2.34; fifth at 2.83--controlling full power rounds while on the move--from a smaller/lightweight rig, with reasonable accuracy. The times won't set the shooting world on fire, but I think this is fairly decent, considering that she is 5 foot 3, 140 lbs, and prefers the 9mm.





In some of the country we hike and climb in, I consider this rig/cartridge to be on the "smaller" side when it comes to grizz terrains though...

44 Mag = 'fun' shooting and 'reasonable' power?

You must be in Montana.

Hi Vel -- If my wife shot like that I'd let her carry whatever the hell gun she wanted!

Nice.

g19

"One gun" for what ?

-walking thru the ghetto ?

-hunting ?

-concealed carry ?

-hiking in bear country ?

Large caliber, ammo flexibility, reasonable weight, I'd stick with my S&W 329 44 magnum. If you can't get it done with a 26 oz 44 magnum equipped with laser grips, you're to blame.

Go away, Douche Lady,....

Save your chit for the Key West gay bars,....and your IP ex-spurts.

GTC

Tough choice but probably this:

Never seen one of those that shoots shot shells.....

Though I have "better" for certain applications, if I were to choose one it would be easy........the same worn, scratched old 229 that I've carried for years now. I would throw the .357 barrel back in 'er, though.

George

Mac, I'm with you on the G19. I've been carrying it for a month or so in a Kirkpatrick OWB Texas Stong Side, much like a Milt Sparks 55BN, Askins Avenger or Bianchi equivalent.

Next carry gun/next Glock will be the 30S for reasons you guys have already covered. And, as Hi Vel mentioned, I just wish the grip length were a tad longer. Have handled several , but have not yet had opportunity to handle with a 13 rd mag.

David, You gotta really have strong hands to get them shells in the mag.

Beretta .25 auto. It goes where I go and I'm often in gym shorts.

Hunting my 4 inch 629 , protection Glock 19

A lot of votes for the Glock 19, maybe I'd better add one to my arsenal

Shoot and carry the 17 first. You'll find you shoot it a little better, and that it carries about as well. Not to mention two extra rounds.

PS I have both, and the 19 stays in the safe.

1911 or SA .44 Mag....not in any particular order.

I would have to go with my Glock 20 SF.

XDS 45 converted to a rowland .460. 45 for light work and .460 for dangerous work.

As Mackay indicated, it all depends where you are and what you need to do with the gun.

Where I am in New England the Commander in .38 Super works just fine. When I was visiting Mackay in Idaho I carried nothing but a 4" S&W N-frame in .41 Magnum for over two months...

That said if I needed to combine the two I would look at a 1911 5" GM size gun in 10mm...something like the Kimber Stainless Target II. A 180 grain bullet at 1300 fps far out does a 9mm or .45 ACP...

Bob

S&W 629

In regards to wishing the grip was a tad longer, take a close look at the pic of my G30S.

I relieved the underside rear of the trigger guard. This allows a higher grip. I also slightly knocked down the finger grooves. These small things made a difference.

Mac, I'll take a closer look at that. Thanks.

Switching the mag release over to LH tonight.

I am down to just carrying one--an XDS in .45 Auto. Tried a Glock 43 and loved the trigger, but just could not warm up to the 9x19. However, the .357 Sig does intrigue me...

Is the Glock 43 rated for +p+?

If so, then that's the same as a 357 SIG almost.

Of course, there's no flies on modern 9mm Bullets when it comes to killin'

That's why the 40 S&W is on the decline, it just doesn't do the killin' part better than a good 9mm round.

Not sure my Security Six wouldn't be the answer to "all day, everyday, everywhere"
The argument could be made

...with a "KNIFE!!" like that what do you need a gun for....

It would be the 38 Airweight since it's the one gets carried. 5 rounds and bad language will have to do.

M9n clips are where its at

Picked up a G19 Gen4 the other day, I got to put a few rounds through it before I bought it and I must say I'm impressed

+1

Yes, they are +P rated, but, the best heavy 9mm loads are designed for duty length barrels. Not as highly rated, but not too far behind, the lighter weight short barrel loads have proven better for short barrels, and those are +P.

Years back, I'd say 45acp 1911 6 days a week and twice on Sunday, but with today's pistols and expanding loads, 9mm Glock, if only one handgun allowed. Even if it had to be 45acp, and was only shooting ball, it would be a Glock pistol.

I am not much of a handgun guy...I prefer rifles.
That said my Glock 19 is within reach. Since I got it I have not felt the desire for anything else.

If it was one and only one, and this is the HG forum, guess it would have to be one of these.....

if dispatching a snake under conditions where you cannot leisurely put on your ear pro a .45ACP with 230 grain ball will not ring your ears quite as bad as a 9mm. I have one remaining 1911 I carry while hunting for such occasions.

Oh you enablers with your Colt and Springfields, I feel a tug. Classic designs for sure.

Well my friend since you gave it to me, I have been packing it pretty steady. The dang thing is so thin and light for a "big" knife, that I find myself carrying it about everywhere.

The evening Kimber shot her cow elk last December, I gutted it using the Bushman before it got dark. Great knife.

It's nice to have choices! I own a bunch of handguns, but it would be tough not to have a 1911.




I stick to my original comment that it would have to be this one:

Mac, I have been thinking of getting another G19 but the G30 is a bit intriguing, how fast can you make COM hits with it compared to the G19? I am sure its a bit heavier than a 19 when fully loaded, which is another factor. Most everyone seems to be moving to the 9mm these days for some reason.

Because, with modern SD loads, it does the job just about as good as the .40, with less recoil and higher capacity. Also, fewer kabooms.

I wouldn't carry either one, though I like the 1911.

I've been shooting my new 629 with 4" barrel and fully loaded with 240 grain hollow points. I've really liked a lot of other pistols, that revolver with that load can do it all for me. It is my carry revolver.

I’m not Mac, but I definitely have slower split times with the 30SF (slightly clunkier and heavier than the 30S) than with the 19 when both are loaded with standard-for-caliber ammo. It doesn’t make a difference for something with least common denominator par time limits like a CCW/LEO type qualification, but it makes a difference, at least to me, when trying to shave precious bits and pieces of seconds in timed or man-on-man events, especially if both are required to compete in the same division.

Only hits count, any you can't miss me fast enough with the 45ACP to kill me while I'm hitting you with my 9mm.

Gunfights are open division man-on-man events.

Where recovery time between shots matters more than bullet mass, especially when I'm shooting premium 9mm ammo, and my Glock 43 is way easier to hide/carry/shoot than my 1911 ever was.

These newer 9mm expanding loads have greatly closed the terminal performance gap, if not completely eliminating the previous advantages enjoyed by rounds such as from the 45acp. Gains from the newer rounds in the 45acp, have shown to offer no additional advantage. In addition, regardless of skill level, most would tend to see greater performance effectiveness when managing the reduced recoil of the 9mm, especially if it can be packaged in a handier pistol.

So if you need to shoot accurate enough to hit vitals, while doing so at the quickest pace, without throwing shots....you will likely improve a marked degree, if running the 9mm, vs something like a 45acp, especially if under stress.

you guys have talked me out of a new Gen 4 model 30.

I'd really like something lighter, but I'd be lost without a 5" 1911...

Who TF is going to tell me I can only carry one gun? My first step would be declaring war on those who demand such!

But, I could get a lot done with a Roland Special...

The little bastids do kinda grow on you that way, don't they?

I have to throw something in here... I have dissected a couple dozen gunsmoke picnics and even attended a couple. 'Split Times' never mattered a whit in any of them. The first good solid hits decide them. Hesitation, poor marksmanship, complacency, going to rifle/shotgun fights with handguns, ricochets and plain old bad luck are what have gotten good men killed or crippled.