Glock 19 in 9mm would be a really nice pistol to start off with, you can get tons of "cheap" ammo, couold care less if it get's bumped about as it's a Glock & anybody that says 9mm is a wimp round has never been shot by one.....

Or ya can get a Sig P229R and strap a TLR-1 on it :U:

I really like my G19, it's a beater pistol & here's my bedside pistol & it's chambered in 357 Sig...

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Hands down SIG P229 you can get it in 9mm, .40, 357 sig, .45 and a .22lr kit. That was my service wepon and thats what i own.

Sig, CZ, and Glock are A+ handguns, they can handle any ammo made and are rated for SAAM military ammo pressures. They can handle +p, +p+, and military surplus ammo with no problem. Those loads can be a bit more snappy on the wrist tho. 1911 style pistols are great and look awesome but they have a lot of parts and fit and finish is very important. Some are hit or miss on dependability. Alot are made from cast frames even Dan Wesson are cast. Taurus 1911 PT is a very good compromise for price and options. It is not cast and comes with a unconditional lifetime warranty. I think Para Ordinance makes a 1911 with a double stacked magazine makes for a tough grip with small hands but you get more firepower. But with any semiauto, you must practice with your ammo. A semi that gobbles down fmj can jam with hp, especially personal protection loads with oversized hollows. And if you are comfortable with the thought of it, get one that doesnt have a safety. A decocker, grip safety, or trigger safety is the best for CC cause you dont have to worry about flipping a safety. And Sig, CZ, and Glock have those with other internal safety"s available. If you drop them they will not fire, cause pulling the trigger actually releases the other safety features, very nice.
If you prefer a revolver, get one with aleast a 3" barrel. That with get the full velocity of the load. A 2" snubby will have lower velocity. S&W are great with Taurus right behind. If your gonna carry(CCW) it go with a hammerless(double action) or shaved hammer(single/double action). Keeps from snagging when pulling in a self defense situation.
A 357mag. would be a good choice cause you can shoot 38special too. They are the same caliber. You CAN NOT shoot 357 in a gun labeled for 38special tho, it will cause RDCP!(Rapid Dissassembly of Component Parts!) A 3" 357mag loaded with 38special +p ammo and a couple 357mag in the wheel is an awesome CC option.

If you do conceal carry whatever handgun you decide on remember to switch out your ammo from month to month cause it can absorb moisture from your body. And if you get a auto, buy extra mags and rotate them out so the springs can relax and stretch out. And load it with higher velocity in the winter months to get thru clothes, and get a hp with a polymer tip so it wont clog with the clothing material and not fully expand. Price is not a option when you and your families lives are involved! Keep that in mind!

Good Luck with the search! Get a hold of as many as you can and test them out before you buy.

that has a lot of truth in it. good explination bucket truck. its all about what your comfortable with. and most important cost shouldnt matter. very very well put!:c:

Ummm, Taurus= junk and needs it's unconditional lifetime warranty.....otherwise you would be stuck with a door stop....

Glock's can't take all that snappy ammo & the 40;s tend to blow up every now and again due to not having a fully supported chamber & 40's are the ones that seem to KaBoom most often. Not to mention the safe action is not safe, but it's good if you have a holster toat fully covers the trigger guard.

Modern self defense ammo is sealed, it's not needed to swap it out all that often, once a year is plenty as long as you don't swim with it & check it ever now and again. Plus it's harder on a magazine to load/unload than leave it fully loaded. It's cycling the spring that wears them out, not having them fully compressed.

Again, polymer tip ammo is more of a gimmick and waste of your money than anything as a good modern hollow point will still expand after shooting bubba in the middle of a Wyoming winter...

Comp-Tac and Raven Concealment make some of the very best holsters on the market, after ya figure out your pistol take a look at them, I love my Comp-Tac CTAC (have a Sig 239 in it) and have heard nothing but good things about the Mtac. Plus you will need a good solid belt, I really like the Wilderness 5 stitch belt..

My Sig 239 in it's CTAC holster:

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Reaaly? how many
Tauruses have you owned? i have a ruger, 2 taurus'. my father has an S&W, ithaca (from WWII) a ruger, browning, and a springfield. i love my Taurus well hell i love all of em. i have had no problems with any of them. just about all of these brands are good in my book. thats my opinion. just like yours is that they are junk. i dont think so. it aint about what we dont like. its about what has worked for us and what will work for him. only he can choose what works for him. and I dont think i wanna find bubba in the middle of winter ha ha

Well if Colt still made a wheel gun it would be supreme hands down! Ruger is tops right now. But some cannot fork the money and may not be going to put cases of ammo thru a revolver. And I guess for pp ammo, just make sure it is corelokt of somekind so the jacket doesn't separate from the lead.

have not owned any, buying a tarus is like buying a hi point....it's only as good as the warranty and needs the warranty.....

But then again, I'm new to shooting, have only been shooting since 1977 (the YMCA camp in the early 70's does not count as we only shot 500-1000 rds of .22 ammo) when in high school I was on a .22 rifle team shooting matches & shot my 1st hi power match with a M1 Garand when I was 18 & got the M1 Thumb as my prize....oh and I've have had my concealed carry permit continuous since 1984 except when stationed overseas.....

This is part of the current stable of pistols....

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However, instead of reaching for a pistol, I'd much rather reach for this little jem...
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Nice collection! And I love the M1, best rifle ever made! That's a very nice "black evil rifle you have there. you buy or build it?

Yes...:U:

She's a LaRue Stealth upper with a LaRue SPR mount and DMS 1x4 scope (soon to be replaced) & magpul XTM and ladder rail covers & a Primary Arms 3 cell 123CR LED light that illuminates targets out to about 150-200 yards (not pictured)

The lower is a Lauer (LMT) with a RRA 2 stage trigger, KNS anti rotation pins, Vltor Emod stock, Magpul MIAD grip (soon to be changed)