What is your Go-To Handgun?

I enjoy hearing people's opinions on what their favorite handgun/caliber is and why it suits them.

Personally, my go to is the Beretta Px4 Storm, full size, .40; this caliber's recoil isn't too severe for close quarters when firing multiple shots quickly, but it is big enough to give me a peace of mind knowing there will be a good size hole in any attacker.

I plan on getting a .45 in the near future for when I'm out hiking or camping since it's your best bet against bears. Any recommendations on what .45 I should get?


Let's try not to turn this into a debate on which caliber is the best...I just want to hear why the gun/caliber you use is good for YOU.


Thank you all,

I'm a big fan of the Walther P22's. It's light, accurate and a breeze to fire rapidly. Looks nice and easy to fit in your pocket.

The only "downfall" is that it has a very strong recoil spring, so you can't run a box of cheap rounds from Wal Mart through it. You have to buy a higher quality round......but you should be buying the best you can anyway.

ETA: For a .45, I would recommend a Kimber 1911. A joy to shoot.

Me too!
I use the standard backstrap.
but these days i use a custom beretta 96 brigadier as my carry.
Never jammed yet.

Ruger LC9.

Fits my hand well and balances and sights well too. Easy to carry and conceal and more than enough protection for me at a decent price. Bit of a long trigger pull but I've adjusted. I did shoot a Glock 9mm a while back that was pretty comfortable too.

Shouldn't you have something fires the same thing that the government does? I imagine they will be the biggest threat at "go-time" and you might not find much for ammo as time goes on other that what you manage to steal off the enemy.

I guess you could snatch their guns too when it came to it.

a reply to: Honestabe28

MIne is a Glock 45 acp with 230 hp. Everyday, everywhere, always with me (CPL/CCW holder). Once in a while Ill grab my 9mm with 145g hp, but I favor the 45 subcompact.

Powerful, heavy and smaller than the mid-size frames, anything at 7-10 yards from me wouldnt stand a chance. And thats why my everyday carry a large bore "hand cannon".

a reply to: MALBOSIA

Good point, but that's why you should own an AR. You only use the pistol to get to your AR. Plenty of .223 556's out there.

If you're looking for some sort of 'apocalypse' firearm, there's nothing better than 9mm. Most common ammunition in the world.

I had to use a glock 17 and while it is extremely light and accurate, the trigger is awful split safety that doesnt do much, and it lacks a manual safety, which I hate being without. I like cocked and locked. If you are getting a 45 for bear defense, yeah some kind of classic 1911 style is adequate, but I hate their slides.

S&W .357 Highway Patrolman.

It's a bit bulky, but I'm a big fan of revolvers and it has great balance.

Go-to pistol is definitely my USP Compact 45.

Can't go wrong with any HK!

The .88 Magnum. It shoots through schools.

My ED is a M&P .45c. Wilson sights, Apex trigger kit set to rear and a storm lake after market barrel.

I prefer .45acp. 9mm a close second. Crazy right..

My gun fight gun would be a Beretta M9. Stopping power is a non issue if its coming out the back of your targets head.

My bear killing gun would be S&W Mod 29 Bounty Hunter .44 mag.

a reply to: Honestabe28

Personally, my go to is the Beretta Px4 Storm

I dont have a CHL yet, so my opinion is coming from a home defense/car gun.

My go-to is also a Beretta, but it's the Beretta M9.

I have somewhat large (but skinny) hands, and the M9 fits my hands perfectly. Full size handguns in general always fit my hands much better than compact/sub compacts. One day I'll own a Sig 226, but I need to save up a good amount of $$$ for that.

I prefer 9mm for a few reasons. There's virtually no recoil, it's the most common handgun ammo out there, and there's plenty of variety to choose from. I keep my magazines loaded with Speer Gold Dot 124 gr. HP's. I also have some Hornady Critical Defense 124 gr. I dont think there's much difference between the 2, I just happen to have more Gold Dots than Critical Defense at the moment.

Also, being the militarys primary sidearm, there's a ton of M9's out there. If there's a SHTF scenario, there's going to be a ton of spare parts out there....or I could just go pick up another M9 in that situation.

The only downside to the M9, is that the magazines hold only 15 rounds. For the size of the gun, I would think that it would hold 17 or 18 rounds. That's really the only downside I can think of though. I've put roughly around 4,000 rounds through my M9 without any problems in the past 1 1/2 years. I had 1 or 2 light primer strikes out of that 4,000 but I pass that off as ammo related issues. I only shoot steel case through my M9 to. I maybe have shot 200 rounds of brass through it, but the remaining 3,800 rounds have all been Tula or Monarch steel case. Additionally, I didnt clean the gun at all for about a span of 1,000 rounds and it still worked flawlessly.

That's about all I can think of at the moment.



ETA - Also, I live in an area without any big, dangerous wildlife. If I lived near a place with bears for example, I would probably choose something else.

Glock 23 and a S&W 640.

I will be buying a Sig P229 next time I'm home. Not sure that'll replace the Glock ... but you never know.

I hope you don't have to face down a bear with a .45.

Springfield Armory XD 40 service model, I put an aftermarket guide rod with a little stiffer spring that calms down the "snappy" of the 40. It has a natural feeling point also.

We cant own handguns in the UK anymore. (though i have done plenty of shooting in the states though im not sure of it was all legal or not so hopefully wont get in any trouble for admitting that)

But if i was permitted to, i would own a 1911 .45 ACP - as fancy finish on it as i could afford. Black, stainless, wood grips, definitely not hugely bothered.

Those flimsy glock's might be light, but they suck and look like a little metal brick.

Also if a gun still exists for over 100 years and hasnt changed much, that sounds like a good model to me!

a reply to: Biigs

I agree. A 1911, whether it's a Kimber or a Springfield, is a great weapon....but you have to make sure not to drop the slide too much. It can cause issues.

Never been big on Glock's, but you have not lived until you've shot a fully auto G18. It's quite satisfying.

I really like my Ruger SR9. My wife has a Sig Sauer P238 that's a lot of fun to shoot, but a bit small for my hands.

Been considering getting one of the Hi-Point pistols and carbines. Probably .40 for each. Got to shoot those awhile back and they were surprisingly nice, even if the pistol was very heavy. The carbine was smooth and accurate too.

I know we are talking about our favorites.

However, if it was purely for home defense id go with a revolver. not any hand cannon like a magnum, but theres practically zero chance of a jam, and if you get a dud round it will cycle anyway - you dont want to pull a gun on a guy with a gun and it jams on you.

a reply to: Biigs

Hey!! What's wrong with my Glock?

Damn thing is as reliable as an AK-47. Nothing to fiddle with as you pull it out and put it into battery.

I've always wondered how they got your guns away from you. Now the picture's becoming clearer.