OT: Whats your favorite SHTF Handgun and why?

[VashHash]

Yeah, the grip on the Taurus was bigger than the Beretta for some reason. I had both and the Beretta felt perfect, while the Taurus felt much bigger.

Was it wider or longer? I held a beretta 92 and it was just a little too short for me. My pinky wasn't quite on it but wasn't enough off it to tuck under.

I kinda want a 92 just for the fact that it served in the US military for so long. Not as long as the 1911 but I still see it as an iconic pistol.

 

[Blueoak]

An Ed Brown 1911 Executive Elite built on a Les Baer frame and slide from the early 90's. It works and always instills confidence. The trigger is magic and the gun has never malfunctioned in all these years.

 

[Cobalt]

Was it wider or longer? I held a beretta 92 and it was just a little too short for me. My pinky wasn't quite on it but wasn't enough off it to tuck under.

I kinda want a 92 just for the fact that it served in the US military for so long. Not as long as the 1911 but I still see it as an iconic pistol.

It seemed to be a thicker grip. So wider.

 

[VashHash]

It seemed to be a thicker grip. So wider.

That's not good. I need a longer grip. Thanks for the feedback.

 

[Cobalt]

The model I had was stainless and had thick wooden grips. It may have been the grips themselves that caused a problem. But if I was going to choose I would spend the extra hundred or so and get a beretta instead

 

[VashHash]

The model I had was stainless and had thick wooden grips. It may have been the grips themselves that caused a problem. But if I was going to choose I would spend the extra hundred or so and get a beretta instead

I like the way the brigadier model looks. I'm sure I'll wind up with one eventually.

 

[Cobalt]

I like the way the brigadier model looks. I'm sure I'll wind up with one eventually.

Don't know anything about that one except that the slide is overbuilt to handle 40sw and 357sig. It's also a little heavier because of it. I am really liking the new M9A3 in FDE. That thing is sharp looking. But it's $1k

 

[budthachud]

Don't know anything about that one except that the slide is overbuilt to handle 40sw and 357sig. It's also a little heavier because of it. I am really liking the new M9A3 in FDE. That thing is sharp looking. But it's $1k

if you keep an eye out you can find them (M9A3)for $750 or so pretty regularly.

 

[AndreLinoge]

A pilum.

 

[cpirtle]

I was a long time Beretta fan but sold them off when I got away from SA/DA triggers. The Cougar and Vertec were probably my favorite. Always appreciated their refinement and glass like precision. Still have a SAO Bobcat .22 in the safe and it's fun for plinking but that's about it.

 

[Cobalt]

if you keep an eye out you can find them (M9A3)for $750 or so pretty regularly.

That's not bad at all. I will likely have to wait till the panic buying has gone down. Transfer waiting time was u to over a week. Now it down to about a day or so. Which means there is still plenty of Deer that are panic buying.

 

[Cobalt]

I miss my 220 dearly, one of those pistols that felt like ......pardon my expression, felt like sex in your hand. Or as an old range master used to say, you’re pistol should feel like you holding your own “d” in your hand. You have to master your pistol like you know how to handle your own self. Though he was much cruder and more hilarious . But that Arex Rex Zero 1.....looks the part.

Pulled it out of the safe. Been with me longer than my gen 1 G21.

 

[Gravelface]

W. Germany. I like it, I don’t recall If mine was a WG or just Germany...... horrors of growing old.


Just wondering when the “wise” part kicks in.

 

[Cobalt]

W. Germany. I like it, I don’t recall If mine was a WG or just Germany...... horrors of growing old.


Just wondering when the “wise” part kicks in.

If it was late 80's or early 90's then it was most likely west german. If it was mid to late 90's it was german. After that USA made.

 

[Adian]

Wow. I am really surprised that in 11 pages I am the only one to go with the Beretta 92. More military mags and parts for me!

Gotta remember, the Beretta has begun being phased out of military use as the new contract award Sigs and others start filtering down. As those come in the Berettas will be removed from inventory, destroyed or possibly sold. And really not even very many of em are issued. Hell Marine Corps Infantry folks like me only ever received a rifle until you reached SSgt and above or are an officer.

 

[clampdaddy]

Gotta remember, the Beretta has begun being phased out of military use as the new contract award Sigs and others start filtering down. As those come in the Berettas will be removed from inventory, destroyed or possibly sold. And really not even very many of em are issued. Hell Marine Corps Infantry folks like me only ever received a rifle until you reached SSgt and above or are an officer.

Still. With its 35 year service record, I figured there would be more folks on board with it just for the fact that there are lots of GI parts and mags floating around out there.

 

[Cobalt]

Still. With its 35 year service record, I figured there would be more folks on board with it just for the fact that there are lots of GI parts and mags floating around out there.

you are talking a very small sample size on this forum. So, there are no takeaways from few picking it as their favorite. Which is the other point. We are talking about picking your favorite gun, the one you would walk away with if you had to and even though all you said is true, it really holds no advantages over other guns mentioned. And even though it is a well liked pistol it may not be anyones favorite. I like the 92, but I would not pick it over several other platforms. It will always be in my top 5 favorites though.

 

[Adian]

Still. With its 35 year service record, I figured there would be more folks on board with it just for the fact that there are lots of GI parts and mags floating around out there.

I’m more active in the gun realm these days than Knives now that we are back in the states. I regularly interact with some of the top trainers in the industry, owners of gun companies and gear seller and manufacturers hell even the VP of Magpul on occasion.

I say that because I have a large pool of people to pull info from and can say that when they post up data on firearms used in classes and those with the highest fail rates, Beretta seldom even makes the list of a firearm used unless it’s a newer model. Even in the military they were reportedly pretty problem prone, but there wasn’t as much to choose from 20 years ago due to Contracting laws. Now you have companies like Glock, FN, etc who have opened up factories in the US to allow them to compete in military solicitations since many require items to be produced in the US.

Glock and Sig are the most overwhelmingly popular, with the 2011 STI and offshoots becoming much more popular since the new mags have drastically increased reliability, S&W and HK are also popular in certain models. Springfield is normally listed as the most failure prone in high round count classes. CZ has some following, but are moving more to competition. Sig is known to use early adopters as beta testers. Glock is the Honda Civic of the Gun world.

but everyone has their preferences. I currently run an STI Staccato P and DVCP and man do they shoot! Here is a target of 2 17 round mags at 21 and 33 feet. I also have a HK VP9 that I really like as well as my backup. My wife is a Glocker

 

[clampdaddy]

I’m more active in the gun realm these days than Knives now that we are back in the states. I regularly interact with some of the top trainers in the industry, owners of gun companies and gear seller and manufacturers hell even the VP of Magpul on occasion.

I say that because I have a large pool of people to pull info from and can say that when they post up data on firearms used in classes and those with the highest fail rates, Beretta seldom even makes the list of a firearm used unless it’s a newer model. Even in the military they were reportedly pretty problem prone, but there wasn’t as much to choose from 20 years ago due to Contracting laws. Now you have companies like Glock, FN, etc who have opened up factories in the US to allow them to compete in military solicitations since many require items to be produced in the US.

Glock and Sig are the most overwhelmingly popular, with the 2011 STI and offshoots becoming much more popular since the new mags have drastically increased reliability, S&W and HK are also popular in certain models. Springfield is normally listed as the most failure prone in high round count classes. CZ has some following, but are moving more to competition. Sig is known to use early adopters as beta testers. Glock is the Honda Civic of the Gun world.

but everyone has their preferences. I currently run an STI Staccato P and DVCP and man do they shoot! Here is a target of 2 17 round mags at 21 and 33 feet. I also have a HK VP9 that I really like as well as my backup. My wife is a Glocker

When I got my Beretta it was because I wanted one ever since I was a kid and saw Mel Gibson blasting bad guys with one on Lethal Weapon. Lol! Once I started reading about military experiencing slide failures with the Italian made slide (which led to American production) it did make me a bit leery. As luck would have it my brand new gun shot way to the left and the barrel was actually touching the side of that ring on the front of the slide. I sent it in for warranty and it came back with an American slide and barrel mounted to my Italian frame. Best of both worlds. Lol! Just need to get some of those improved mags that handle sand and grime better now.

 

[cpirtle]

In my experience of talking to a lot of soldiers Beretta got a really bad name among them in the sandbox because they had a high failure rate. The vast majority of that was the magazine and Beretta addressed it with Sand Resistant Magazines, but I think by then the damage was done. I'm not going to argue that even with the new mags a Beretta will stand up to the torture tests Glock and others have gone through but I put many thousands of rounds through Beretta's over the years and have found them just as reliable as other high end pistols.