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Top 10 handguns for the Apocalypse!
10. Springfield XDCaliber: 9mm Parabellum, .40 S&W, .357 Sig, .45 ACP
Capacity: 9-19
Trigger: Striker
A Croatian design known as the HS2000, Springfield Armory licensed the design for their own manufacture and renamed it the XD (Xtreme-Duty), creating a number of sizes, finishes and calibers, for a service sidearm directly competing with the Glock. The XD was labeled "gun of the year" by multiple publications after its release, and it's performance has been repeatedly stated as excellent.
The XD has been praised for being ergonomically superior, with a decent trigger, applied safeties (which the Glock has been both criticized and lauded for lacking) along with similar caliber and capacity.
It's a perfect design for those looking for polymer, who just don't like the Glock. It's large caliber versions tend to be less a handful than Glock variants, as well.
9. Smith & Wesson M&PCaliber: 9mm Parabellum, .40 S&W, .357 Sig, .45 ACP
Capacity: 8-17
Trigger: Striker
Smith & Wesson had experimented with polymer pistols several times. Their Sigma became widely known as a sub-par pistol with a terrible pull and poor accuracy. Their next plastic pistol would be a significant success, competing with the Glock's dominance, much like the Springfield XD. Distinguishing itself internally and ergonomically from the rest, the M&P series was met with immediate adoption by many within the United States, as well as a number of international communities.
The pistol introduced a number of useful features, such as exchangeable backstraps, like the Springfield XD and Walther P99, self-cleaning frame rails, and a striker that does not require dry firing for dissembly. All packaged into a frame that is fairly comfortable to shoot. Night sights are standard, and the gun lacks sharp edges.
The M&P series redeems the failings of the Sigma, as a very underrated service and carry pistol that's steadily gaining in popularity.* While not as flashly, or used in movies as often, the M&P is a good shooter, not only for the buck, but well worth carrying in a duty holster or in the bedstand.
*Even Chris Costa of Magpul Dynamics carries one!
8. Ruger Double Action Revolver SeriesCaliber: .38 Special / .357 Mag / .44 Mag / .454 Cassul
Capacity: 5 or 6
Trigger: Double w/exposed hammer
Ruger is known as the company that innovated the field of affordable, mass produced revolvers. Their Service Six was a staple of police and private citizen armories for many years, as was the GP100 after. With solid construction that stands up well to full power ammunition and a cylinder release not displaced by recoil, Ruger has been directly compared to designs by S&W and Colt. Ruger seems to produce a revolver for every possible use:
The GP100 series, full sized revolvers still strong from the days where every patrolman packed a .357 Magnum revolver with a four-inch barrel and speedloaders. The SP100, all-stainless wheelguns with an exterior as smooth as a cue ball, and made small enough to be carried comfortably in a purse or belt holster, but with the weight to control recoil. For sheer power, the Redhawk and Super Redhawk, with extended barrels and scope mounts, have been steady favorites of big-bore hunters, packing the formidable .44 Magnum and .454 Cassul chamberings. Such firepower is available even crammed into a snub-nose, like the Alaskan in .44 Magnum.
Their selection even extends the Blackhawk series of modernized Single Action Army revolvers, and the classic New Vacquero, designed with cowboy action shooters in mind. In a market where the giants like S&W and Colt have all but thrown away their revolver designs, Ruger remains a favorite for many.
7. Ruger .22 LR SeriesCaliber: .22 Long Rifle
Capacity: 10
Trigger: Single
The Ruger Standard was an instant success when Bill Ruger introduced it in 1949, as an utterly reliable .22 LR that delivered for the price.
From the picture to the left, it makes sense why people tend to attribute the Luger to the design of the Ruger. However, most of the shape and internal build came from the Nambu pistols used by the Japanese in World War Two. Ruger had examined and reproduced captured pistols, and used the cocking system and grip in his design, the first of Ruger and Sturm Co.
The first model lacked even a serial number, simply being called the "Standard." It was produced for thirty years before the Mk1 Target and Mk2, the variant which most will recognize, were produced. The current model being the Mk3, each v
ersion added improvements, like a better magazine release, added safeties that were easier to manipulate. Ruger, a pioneer in investment castings, managed to keep the price down, and over three million units have been sold. For a single model from a single company, that is quite the achievement. Ruger Mk2's are quite often found suppressed or accurized for target shooting as well.With continual improvements from over forty years of use, the Ruger is still a classic that is widely held as a necessity in any collection. It's a good gun to gift onto children as a starter gun, or to friends to just plink with. Cheap ammo, lots of ammo available, and also cheap ammo. Like all .22s, the Ruger needs good high velocity ammunition and regular cleaning (.22 LRs are even dirtier than most rounds) to keep functioning.
While it won't ricochet inside a skull as much as we'd hope, .22 LR is far from harmless, and they make good survival guns.
6. Taurus JudgeCaliber: .45 Long Colt / .410 Shotshell
Capacity: 5
Trigger: Double w/exposed hammer
Called Taurus's craziest success, it is a wonder if the Judge deserves to actually belong on this list. It's name allegedly came from Miami Judges purchasing the Taurus 4410s for self defense. It is definitely a bit of a unique piece, firing the .410 shot shell as well as the .45 Long Colt. Though pretty damned intimidating, it should be noted that these chamberings are rather expensive for the ultimately mediocre stopping power they offer. The big gun is awkward to load or reload with shotshells due to length, and few holsters are made to fit the gigantic cylinder.
.410 is normally used for plinking or shooting snakes. However, the Judge is not completely a one trick pony. It has been cited as being intended for very close range defense, as a bedside gun or car gun, where the somewhat erratic spread pattern ensures hits, and the lack of penetration prevents breaking through interior walls. With a version capable of accepting 3 inch shells instead of the previous 2 1/2 inch version, the Judge may be a decent point blank defense.*
*The difference is that a 2 1/2 shell only holds three pellets, while a 3 inch packs five, with more power behind them, too.
5. Sig Sauer P220 seriesCaliber: 9mm, .40 S&W, .357 Sig, .45 ACP
Capacity: 8-20
Trigger: Double / Single
The Sig P220 was the result of trying to cheapen the excellent Sig P210 handgun. The result was one of the most successful and highly regarded pistol designs, one that expanded into an entire family of automatics. The P226, while failing to win over the US military for general issue, became adopted by the Navy SEALs, the Army CID (as the P228 compact variant), as well as numerous law enforcement agencies. Variants such as the P239 have gone so far as being adopted by the elite United States Secret Service, and a cartridge introduced by the P220 series, the .357 Sig, has become one of the major success in the firearms industry.
Outside of the US, the Sig P226 is popular in British law enforcement and military, notably being a favorite sidearm of the Special Air Service. Sig P225s are available quite commonly on the used gun markets, being extremely common before the Glock became more popular.
The company itself however, has been a bit less stable. Swiss being unable to easily export firearms, Sig collaborated with Sauer, a German firearms manufacture, to market their products around the globe. Eventually, a separate SigArms USA branch was established, before the company went back to Sig, then Sig Sauer. Over the years, they, like H&K and other competing firms, have run numerous training courses centered around their products. However, unlike H&K, Sig offers nearly all of it's products to the civilian market.
The Sig is known for being supremely accurate and reliable, due to both excellent ergonomics and well thought out mechanical design. The slide rides within the frame rails for less play, the trigger is slick and the grip well-shaped. The original double action with decocker mechanism has expanded into such variants as the Sig 250, with a swappable firing mechanism, the Sig 226 X-5 with 1911-style controls for competition use, and Sig has recently produced it's own 1911s. For many, Sig means quality.
4. Beretta 92F (M9)Caliber: 9mm
Capacity: 15 / 18
Trigger: Double / Single
The Beretta has a reputation outside of the firearms community for being underpowered, unreliable, and cool looking. But the pistol that won over the US military is not without it's strong points. It is reliable, accurate, and durable enough for most work. A rocky initial service have not stopped Beretta from continually improving it's most famous design.
The design has a history deeper than may be apparent. It's overall appearance was taken from the Beretta 1934, a straight-blowback sidearm popular in WW2. Gradually improvements were made to the design, the first design to be imported into the US being the 951, a single-stack 9mm. When Beretta opted to follow the market trend of "wonder nines," they made the 92, following the same classic lines of their previous models, the same European heel-magazine catch, thumb safety (which was arguably better than the current one), along with the locking block mechanism from the Walther P38.
When the US Army conducted in the XM9 trials, Beretta submitted the 92SB, which relocated the magazine release to a conventional push-button design behind the trigger, and added a safety-decocker on the slide. With an aluminum frame and an open action that assisted function, the Beretta edged out most of it's competitors, losing to the Sig P226 in terms of performance, but ultimately winning the contract as the 92F, or M9.
Early combat trials in the Gulf War and South America proved the 92 an effective design. However, in the second Gulf War, the Beretta started to run into serious issues. The most well known is slides breaking in half. The problem was sourced down to over-powered ammunition, and Beretta confusing materials for contracts. (With the US military? Quite a feat!) The redesigned 92FS had a reinforced locking block that did not allow the slide to leave the frame if it broke. Other problems continued when the US military issued lowest-bidder magazines with improper lubricants. Complaints about the Beretta and a call for the old .45s continued. The situation is the same today, though with marginally better magazines. It has been speculated that the open slide has been a cause of many problems, as there is a clear shot to the locking block during operation.
In civilian use, the 92 has had no such problems, being steadily popular for every year of it's production. Even with the modernized 90-Two and the Px4, the 92 has been as prolific as always. Parts and accessories are widely available. Notably, the 92 has been used to great effect in the USPSA Production category, and is also a common choice in IDPA Stock Service Pistol.One area the Beretta has been constantly criticized in was ergonomics, with a big grip, long trigger and an overall size that simply seems too big for the tame round it fires. This can make it difficult to shoot for those with small hands. However, the slide stop is extended and the magazine release is quite large, assisting manipulation.
The 92 series is ideal for duty work, competition and home defense, although somewhat large for concealed carry. It's elegant lines have given the Beretta a huge pop culture reputation, and the chances of finding one during an apocalypse are pretty good.
3. FNH Five-seveNCaliber: 5.7x28mm
Capacity: 20 / 30
Trigger: Striker
When the requirement was set out for a PDW (Personal Defense Weapon), a compact firearm granting better firepower than a pistol without the training requirements and size of a rifle (much like the M1 Carbine of WW2), Fabrique Nationale designed a totally unique sub machine gun firing a new pistol round, the P90 (named so for the fact the bullets rotated ninety degrees before feeding). With it, came a new pistol, named after the cartridge. The Five-seveN packs a significant amount of firepower into a pistol of it's size and weight, without the terrible ergonomics similar concepts had been prone to.
What truly distinguishes the design, of course, is the unique caliber. This chambering generates even less recoil than a 9mm Parabellum, so little that the gun utilizes a delayed blowback mechanism to operate properly - the bullet rubbing against the barrel on it's way out is literally the operating system in itself. Despite this, the gun is very simple to break down and maintain.
This is also the primary weakness of the gun. With a caliber that's been round for well over a decade by now, 5.7mm is not especially common, still far behind peciuliar-but-common rounds like the .357 Sig. On top of this, the round is a royal pain in the ass to load, because the cramped cartridge leaves next to no margin for error. However, it's lack of total popularity have made is significantly easier to find and purchase than many popular chamberings. Regardless, if the 5.7mm plays any central role in apocalypse armories, it requires a good stock of ammunition and components.
There is good reason to own a Five-seveN, however. 5.7x28mm is essentially a miniature rifle round, designed specifically to defeat the Warsaw Pact CRISAT body armor, twenty layers kevlar with a tough titanium plate. It is a round that will casually punch through the heaviest of soft body armor at any range up to nearly a hundred meters. Even for civilians who do not have access to armor-piercing ammunition, the Five-seveN has staggering ballistic capabilities and retains it's accuracy at far past the range of other handguns. With a magazine that holds twenty rounds without modification, the Five-seveN is truly a rifle stuck into a pistol, with the capacity and firepower to match.
2. GlockCaliber: .380 ACP, 9mm, .40 S&W, .357 Sig, 10mm, .45 GAP, .45 ACP
Capacity: 8-32, or 100 round drum
Trigger: Striker
The Austrian army for the longest time had stuck with the Walther P38, a reliable and workable design. However, the Walther couldn't keep up with the times completely, and the politics called for a new service pistol. Contracting a man who had absolutely no experience with firearms, they got a lot more than they expected. Gaston Glock, following rigid requirements set by the Austrians, produced arguably one of the finest pistols ever made. The first successful polymer framed pistol, (the first polymer pistol being the short lived H&K VP70) the Glock 17 was slow at first, but took it's hold within the decade. Today, it commands a staggering 65% share of the Law Enforcement handgun market in the US.
However, as huge a following the Glock has, there are reasons people dislike it. As a no frills military pistol, it held a lot of rounds, was simple to maintain, and fed ball ammunition without a hitch. Everything else was secondary. The original design lacked a drop-free magazine and any type of grip checking. Though most things have changed with the years and thousands of Glocks sold, there are a few things that hold true. For all the applauding and citation of safety the Glock gets, even to the extent of being called a "safe-action" pistol, it has absolutely no applied safeties. Unlike a thumb, slide, or even grip safety, someone does not need the slightest knowledge of the Glock to make it fire.
An oversized chamber tends to beat up brass, and the barrel is not suited to lead bullets, both of which are issues with reloading ammunition. While not everybody reloads their rounds today, during a time where resources are short, reloading could very well be the only option. There have been some rather extreme examples of accidents (right) but fortunately they're extremely rare. Some cases have indeed been attributed to the oversized chamber, but there are still some that happened seemingly for no reason at all.
However, a good number of manufactures produce match-grade barrels that alleviate both of these problems. Rule of thumb, stick to factory ammunition, or buy a new barrel if you plan to reload a lot, especially with .40 S&W.
In terms of ergonomics, there are few glaring issues with the Glock series, with a trigger lighter than most and a fairly slip frame, although large-caliber variants have suffered from an excessively wide grip. Modification is also a bit tricky on the Glock. The Tenifer finish is nearly impervious, so milling and cutting is generally out of the question. Another curious aspect is although a multitude of manufactures produce magazines for the Sig or Beretta, no decent manufacture produces Glock magazines. Extensions are widely available, however, and they add two rounds to the capacity.
All Glocks past the second generation come with standard accessory rails for a illumination or a laser sight, and crimson trace also produces a laser grip that mounts onto the right side of the pistol. Skyline industries produce a "carry clip" that allows the Glock to be more easily carried in a waistband.
Above all, the Glock is the paradigm of reliability in a combat pistol, not perfect by any means, but damned good enough to exist for probably as long as gunpowder and cartridge weapons are going to. It's trouble free design makes truly a gun for any user.
1. 1911Caliber: .45 ACP (original)
Capacity: 7 / 8 / 10 / 15 (original)
Trigger: Single
*Much of the research for this comes from the Gun's Digest book of the 1911 Volumes One and Two, by Patrick Sweeney. It's well worth your time, for not only the history of the 1911, but almost every aspect of shooting it, maintaining it, even competing and reloading ammunition specifically for a 1911.
The 1911 is a pistol whose history is more complex than it's design. It has served for over a century, as easily the longest lived pistol still in common use. Towards the end of the nineteeth century, the US Army was switching from big-big revolvers like the Single Action Army, to lighter, higher velocity designs of the thirty-eight caliber. However, early experience, including a number of alleged conflicts with drugged-up natives, lead the Army to set out requirements for a new service pistol, an autoloader. The Thompson-LeGarde tests, conducted against animals set for the slaughter, lead them to the conclusion that the .45 was the ideal caliber.
How did they come to that conclusion? It wasn't a scientific process. The study was simply shooting cattle from different angles and observing the wounds inflicted. As one of the designers submitting pistols, John Moses Browning built upon his successful 1900 and 1902 designs, submitting the 1905 pistol to compete along designs such as the converted .45 Luger. With some modifications, the 1905 and .45 ACP (Automatic Colt Pistol) passed the tests with flying colors, and the US military adopted the M1911 pistol. It proved it's worth in trench warfare, and those who were not issued "the .45," bought them. Some slightly larger sights were installed (so slight you have to measure it to realize the difference), the hammer spur was clipped, the grip safety made longer, the mainspring housing changed to a curved type, and the trigger shortened to make the M1911A1. The design remained the same for the rest of its service.The story of its service is pretty well known. Serving with distinction through World War One, World War Two, The Korean War, The Vietnam War, and even late into the South American and Gulf War conflicts, the 1911s produced back in the 1930's were used till they literally fell to pieces. Soon enough, the US military ran the XM9 trials in 1985, adopting the Beretta 92SB. Even then, the Marine Corps held onto 1911s for their special units, and the pistol remained a strong favorite amongst Delta Force, the SEALs and numerous other Special Forces units.
The story less known, is how the 1911 changed for the civilian. First introduced in .45 ACP, the 1911 gained immediate popularity for packing the big round of the old Single Action Army, with the fast shooting and reloading an autoloader gave. The .38 Super version, released shortly after, had a spate of wild popularity for it's superior penetration against tough steel bodied cars and improvised body armor that became common in the roaring twenties. Up until the second half of the twentieth century, the 1911 was strictly a combat gun. It lacked the accuracy that a revolver offered, and dominated competition with. To put things in perspective, competition shooting meant firing one handed at a bullseye, without a time limit or course to move through. It was solely accuracy. In addition, if a pistol jammed, the shooter could ask for an "alibi" reshoot string. On the other hand, quick draw contests were incredibly popular.
Until Jeff Cooper came along, and combat pistol competition. It was "man on man," with each shooter having an identical course and simultaneously competing against each other. Even with courses as simple as shooting five balloons in a row, competition was rocked. With speed, accuracy, and stopping power added to the equation, people asked for 1911s that were both accurate and reliable, instead of one or the other. The pistol and its variants have dominated since. A superior trigger that allowed rapid, precise fire, a frame forgiving to modification and hot ammo, as well a design that did not need to be up-scaled to take most cartridges.As the gun to use and abuse for competition? The 1911 is the gun seen in every circuit, in one variation or another. In it's original single stack form, the 1911 has it's very own USPSA (United States Practical Shooting Association) division, the Single Stack Classic. As a double stack pistol, it's the tool of domination for open shooting. Custom, would not behind to describe these creations. No two comps guns are the same. Compensators may be cut into the slide, welded on, threaded. Grips may be exotic hardwoods, polymer, grip-tape like friction, aluminum. some go as far as removing grips entirely and taping the g
un for a slimmer grip. The normally modest 8-round magazine of the 1911 is nowhere to be seen, with double stacked mags packing nearly thirty rounds within the 170mm limitation. It is really possible to define the shooter by the amount of work done to their 1911, like owning a car.Would any other gun be able to changed in so many ways? Other designs are not necessarily inferior. Guns like the Glock, or the H&K pistols weren't built for modification. The 1911 can be built out of components, and the individual components are designed to be easily serviced or replaced.
However, the bog stock, single stack, steel framed design that John Moses Browning submitted all that time ago is still going strong. When the ten-round ban was placed nation wide durin
g the Clinton Administration, people didn't want their hi-capacity pistols if they only got ten rounds. If it was ten rounds, they wanted ten big ones. The 1911 became the natural choice.So, compared to modern handguns, we find the first weakness of the original 1911 design. At most, you get ten rounds out of a single stack magazine. It's a trade off between ergonomics and capacity, as double stack designs are indeed a fist full. While single stack magazines allow more mags to be carried in the same space, less rounds in the same gun at any time is a pretty big disadvantage, and a deal breaker for some. There are mid size options, like the Wilson Combat KZ-45, a mid size 1911 made specifically for the ten-round restriction.
Next is the trigger and controls. While very fast and precise, they are not intuitive, or very safe for a new shooter. It's not that they're mechanically unsound - the 1911 has a redundant level of safety with a breech safety, grip safety and thumb sa
fety. Even for an experienced shooter, such a light trigger (generally 5 lbs) can cause accidents from the stress of any frightening situation. The single action design means the pistol must either be carried locked and cocked, with a live round in the chamber and the safety activated, or with an empty chamber, hammer down, and a full mag. Such concerns have lead some police departments to restrict 1911s altogether. There are alternatives, like the series of Para Ordnance LDAs (Light Double Action), which give a long, but very light double-action only pull, but it isn't very common otherwise.The 1911 is also a big gun. The standard, full steel model is quite a lot of weight to lug around. Even lightweight aluminum models weigh more than any Glock, and pack less rounds. At the same time, a slimmer frame makes it more comfortable to carry th
an many designs.But it's strong points; reliability, flexibility, accuracy and ergonomics have endeared it to shooters, and like other Browning designs, it's here to stay. It's rare a design lasts so long. Shouldn't the 1911 be an outdated piece of crap? How has it kept up with the changes of the shooting world? People aren't too far off when they call Browning a firearms genius. He created a design that holds together because of it's structure, not because of expensive materials or finishes. He struck the golden spot between accuracy and reliability in both his pistol, and the caliber it was designed for. Even if both were to disappear from existence this very second, the ideas involved in the 1911 have already left an indelible impact on the nature of handgun shooting.
The users decided, as did all the years of service. The 1911 is king.
Above all, this is a personal look on a popularity contest. The 1911 is not the best pistol for everyone, nor is the Glock. They might be the worst, in fact. Guns are very much a personal thing, and the best learning is not from reading this, but just shooting in general. Compete, talk shop, modify. It's the fun and expensive part that you learn the most from. That said, hope it was an enjoyable read. - John_234
shadowmancer |
Latest page update: made by shadowmancer
, May 4 2012, 3:33 AM EDT
(about this update
About This Update
updated the year its 2012 now so the 1911 is now over a century rather than a year shy of a century
- shadowmancer
1 word added 4 words deleted view changes - complete history) |
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| Started By | Thread Subject | Replies | Last Post | ||
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| ben360 | Pistol vs. Revolver (page: 1 2 3 4 5 ... last page) | 279 | Nov 16 2012, 11:18 PM EST by White76Knight | ||
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Thread started: Jul 16 2011, 10:46 PM EDT
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I tend to think that a semi-automatic pistol is a much better self-defense weapon that a revolver for several reasons: round capacity, ease of reloading, compatibility with accessories, and always semi-auto (vs. some revolvers that are not). I'm interested in why so many people swear by revolvers, so let's hear some support from revolver fans.
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| wildwayneriley | Top Ten Handguns (page: 1 2) | 21 | Jul 10 2012, 9:22 PM EDT by joemetro | ||
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Thread started: Jan 14 2011, 4:53 PM EST
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wonderful thread. While the most popular handgun today is probably the 9mm. I still prefer the 45 ACP. And even though my 1911 will only hold 6 rounds vs 19 in my buddys Glock 9mm. The caliber alone is enough to scare a 9mm bullet back into the box. A 9mm will kill you, no doubt. But a 45 will pick you up, throw you down, flip you over, yell Booyah and then tell you ni-ni-ni-ni-ni in your ear while you're trying to figure out where is all this blood coming from. That's why I have a 45. Because shooting twice is just silly.
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| petranko | switch up | 12 | Mar 26 2012, 11:09 AM EDT by =jesse= | ||
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Thread started: Mar 24 2012, 3:56 PM EDT
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sense the m1911, five seven, and the judge only take in between 1 or two different kinds of rounds I believe the m1911 should be #2 and the judge shouldn't be on the list and the five seven should have a worse spot on the list also the glock should have the #1 spot because of the wide veriaty of ammo and the capasity and that the springfield should be bumped up a few
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