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Your Top 5 Most Influential Handguns

6K views 75 replies 61 participants last post by  FLSlim 
#1 ·
#30 ·
1. Ruger Super Blackhawk .44 magnum. A 10 1/2" blue model was my first owned handgun purchased when I was nineteen and just back from Viet Nam.
2. Colt Single-Action revolvers. Mine are a 1919 single-action Colt Frontier .44-40, a 1959 Colt SAA .45 Colt, and a 1978 Colt SAA .45 Colt. I grew up in the 1950s watching westerns on television.
3. Colt Anaconda. My 8" nickel plated Colt Anaconda .44 magnum is my favorite handgun to shoot.
4. Colt Python .357 magnum. Mine are a blue 2 1/2", a blue 4", and a blue 6". I couldn't afford them when I was young.
5. Government model 1911s . Seven of mine are Colts in .45 ACP, two are Colt Delta Elites in 10mm, one is a Dan Wesson Valor in .45 ACP, and two are Springfield TRP Operators in .45 ACP and 10mm. I carried a 1911 in Viet Nam. I carry one from the time I get dressed until it goes on the nightstand when I go to bed.
 
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#31 · (Edited)
1. S&W Model 66 4” : First gun I ever bought for myself. Carried for several years as a young deputy. Went through Louisiana POST law enforcement basic training academy with it (1984). Still carried at times.

2. 1911 .45 : First semi auto. Covers a lot of basics. Still carried at times.

3. S&W J Frame : Instilled my comfort with very small defensive handguns. My first was a 36 now days it’s a 642.

4. GLOCK 19 : Innovative design for it’s time. Stellar performance. Just about perfect size and weight for any defensive need.

5. Ruger S/A’s : I have ‘em in .44 Magnum, .45 Colt, .45 ACP and .22 LR/Mag ..... they make me feel like my childhood hero, Hoss Cartwright, and they’re just fun !
 
#33 ·
Five Most Influential Handguns in My Life

1. Colt Diamondback .22LR – I *think* this was the first handgun I ever shot. I later became a big fan of its smooth action and its (quite literally) tack-driving accuracy.

2. Colt Python .357 Magnum – Where do I start. Dad used this gun to shoot a .38 cal blank at a coffee can, thus indoctrinating me into the world of gun safety. This was his Duty weapon (for a time). This was the first magnum handgun I ever shot. This was the first gun I ever reloaded for (Dad taught me to reload for this gun, and we put the gun through its paces with some pretty hot loads from the Speer Reloading Manual.

3. Ruger Super Blackhawk .44 Magnum – This is probably my favorite big-bore handgun. I’m at a loss for words to describe it, though. The classical, Old West styling, deep blued finish, silky-smooth hammer and light, crisp trigger are all factors. Using this one and the Python, Dad taught me to not flinch.

4. Colt Government Model of 1911 has the perfect combination of aesthetic beauty and functional utility. Dad’s was made in 1918 and became his duty weapon about the time angel dust became a thing, largely for its knockdown power. He defied many who criticized its lack of accuracy by being able to shoot accurately out to 100 yards with it. Perhaps that is why he was a firearms instructor at the county police academy.

5. Glock. While my first polymer, striker-fired pistol was a Taurus PT-145, I really learned to appreciate polymer pistols after shooting a Glock 21. The way it so easily came back on target after firing allowed me to look past its butt-ugly appearance and appreciate it for what it was, a rugged, reliable, well-made tool for self-defense in a caliber I liked (.45 ACP). Likewise, the Glock 19x expanded my world to include 9mm as a carry option. With its 17-round magazine in a concealable, easy-to-shoot-accurately package, I looked past the FDE. (Full disclosure - I have retired the 19x to the safe and use its 'civilian dressed' counterpart the G45.)
 
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#36 ·
Ruger Single Six - First handgun I ever handled
Beretta 96 - First handgun I ever bought - was the only real lefty-friendly pistol available at the time but ultimately not a good fit for me
Glock G26 - First carry pistol I ever bought and it still gets plenty of carry time
Ruger SP101 .357 - First revolver I ever bought
S&W 1911 - First foray into 1911
 
#37 ·
Ruger Super Single Six- first single action I owned
S&W Model 15 snub-nose- first CCW I ever carried while aircrew on helicopters
1911-first .45 acp I owned while in USAF
Ruger Security Six- went through Police Academy with
Glock 17- First striker fired gun I carried as a cop
Shield 9mm- been a primary carry gun since retiring
Sig P-365 is quickly replacing the Shield which I still really like


* I couldn't decide which (2) to delete to equal (5) choices :embarassed:
 
#43 ·
IKR !!! I recently got a Springfield Hellcat. It’s better than my old Shield 9mm in so many ways. Smaller, lighter, more accurate, better sights, higher capacity........ but still, I can’t leave my beloved Shield for it just yet for some reason !!!!!
 
#40 ·
1) The flintlock (can be carried ready to fire)
2)The Colt-Paterson Revolver (first true repeating firearm)
3) Browning M1900 (the locked breech action pioneered by Browning is now the most common pistol action in the world)
4) CZ 75 (perhaps the pinnacle of DA/SA designs)
5) Glock (lightweight polymer on a successful scale)
 
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#41 ·
I've only owned handguns since I started carrying in '16 and have just four.

Citadel 1911 OP
Glock 20SF
Dan Wesson Model 15-2 revolver
H&K USP Tactical

I have tried others at the LGR's in Ohio and N.C. From those occasions I enjoyed shooting:
Glock 19
S&W Shield 2.0 9mm
Sig P226 (I think that was the model).

Everything else I've tried was underwhelming.


Of all those, the most influential to me is still the 1911 platform, followed closely by K frame revolvers.
 
#42 ·
For myself, the first two informed me of what didn’t work for me:

1. Beretta M9 - first handgun I ever shot, in the Army. Did well with it, but hated the DA/SA transition...so I did what most do, and cocked the hammer. In the years since I noted that most who shoot a DA/SA pistol either cock the hammer, or never de-cock it when they insert a mag, so they hardly ever practice using the DA trigger...which contributes to poor accuracy on the first shot when used “for real.” This informed my preference for handguns with consistent triggers.

2. Kahr P9 - my first civilian handgun. Bought on the recommendation of the gun store owner, who had a relationship with Kahr. Mine was an early one, and jammed constantly. Finally got a refund when it jammed for one of the gun store owners too, who had of course blamed me for the issues. Sent back to Kahr, found out the polymer frame had too much flex. This taught me the importance of reliability.

The next three informed me of what did work for me:

3. Next was my first Ruger SP101 snub, which replaced the P9. Accurate, powerful, and utterly reliable. I ended up selling it when money was tight. Later replaced by my current DAO version.

4. Wanting more capacity, I got a Glock 19 gen 3, which I still have and will never part with. Accurate, powerful enough, almost as reliable as a revolver, inexpensive ammunition, etc. A Glock 26 and 30 followed. Still have all three.

5. Ruger LCP - easily my most carried pistols. I carry a pair most days, and my wife has one as well. After a rocky start (ours are all early gen 1s) they proved reliable, and Ruger service has been outstanding when needed. They allow me to be well armed when I otherwise wouldn’t be. They are also surprisingly accurate, as proven in a low light class I took with one. With two special needs kids, having my sidearms in my pockets rather than on my belt also has other advantages, like keeping them from banging their heads into the guns.
 
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#44 ·
My Top 5 Most Influential Handguns...

Colt Junior .25ACP (1st auto and pocket carry gun. The reason I hate pocket carry 50 years later.)
S&W Model 19-4 Nickel .357 combat magnum (My 2nd duty weapon which I carried the last 24 years of service.)
Colt Detective Special .38 Special Nickel (My BUG and off-duty gun for a quarter-century.)
Walther PPS40 (1st semiauto CCW)
S&W Model 4054 (This gun turned me on to the S&W single stack, double action only handguns)
 
#45 ·
( in no particular order )
Berreta 70S in .380 This was my first handgun and was nice little sleek natural pointer. I got it from family and passed it down to family.
S&W J frames in 38 flavor. My 1st was a nickeled 36-1 and I've had several other variants since then.
Ruger Standard This was my first plinking/small game pistol and the last one I ever needed.
Colt 1911 I wanted a piece of history and since getting one, I totally understood why so many have loved the platform.
Glocks It took me a while to get over how butt ugly they are, but when I finally got one, it grew on me... a lot! They work well and are as dependable as a brick.
 
#47 ·
For me?
Blackpowder revolvers changed the world.
The peacemaker or variation thereof
1911 and the Hipower
the Glock for starting the revolution
..and ...you guys are gonna laugh, but The grendel P-10...which became the Kel tec P3AT which became the Ruger LCP etc. etc etc....That weird little grendel p-10 and p-12 were something new ( we sold em) and they started ALL the small stuff , and EVERYONE owns at least one tiny pocket pistol of some type.
 
#49 ·
S&W M65
Colt 1911
Glock 19
Glock 36
S&W M60

In no particular order.
 
#50 ·
Great thread, Howard! A little tough to prune the list down to five, but here goes, with the approximate year I was first "influenced")...

Llama Model IIIA .380 (1975) - My very first pistol, and "influential" in several ways. "Influential" does not necessarily have to be a good thing! Taught me that a single-action semi-auto is a very poor choice for a first handgun for a newbie. (Those who push Sig 238's and 938's on newbies, take heed!) Taught me that I don't want to depend upon a cheap semi-auto if my life depends on it. Taught me that Llama's are crap. Taught me that hearing protection is important!

Colt Combat Commander .45 ACP (1977) - My first 1911, and my first Colt (I think. I might have bought the Detective Special first, but don't remember for sure). Planted the seed for a lifelong appreciation of Colts, and 1911's (though I didn't actually get my second 1911 for many years).

Dan Wesson M44 (1981) - My first Dan Wesson, and my first .44 Magnum. Ultimately created a DW fanatic, for both their revolvers and their 1911's, and a hardcore .44 Mag enthusiast!

S&W M&P's (2010) - Since you saw fit to generalize about the older S&W semi-auto's, I'll do the same with the M&P's! The Shield, and the M&P 9C convinced me that the plastic fantastics had actually surpassed old-school 'walnut & steel' as the optimum CCW's.

Dan Wesson ECO (2017) - The compact 1911 that's got me rethinking the plastic fantastics for a CCW. I am in awe of the ECO. Maybe my favorite pistol of all time!

YMMV!
 
#53 ·
For me, I had an ex who thought handguns were murder weapons, but a Beeman P1 .177 cal air pistol in the basement for about 3 years got me started on the fundamentals of sight alignment and trigger pull and was deemed tolerable by the ex. I put over 20,000 rounds through that gun, and with only one shot before needing to reload it drove home the need to make that one shot count - as I suspect Howard's black powder pistol did for him.

Rimfire and centerfire handguns trickled in over the years, but by far the most influential was a Springfield Armory 1911-A1 in .45 ACP. This was my 40th birthday gift to myself, and my first centerfire handgun. In the vein of "beware the man with one gun," I got to be fairly proficient with it as it was my only defensive sidearm for a few years and was used for training, recreation, competition and of course carried for defense. Others have joined it in the safe with more fancy stuff, but this piece loaded with 230 gr ball as Saint John intended is a reliable piece I'd trust my life to, so it gets the nod as the most influential handgun in my life.
 
#58 ·
I figure if I'm going to reply, there should be a bit of a story with each gun.

Colt Police Positive Special: My father bought this revolver for almost nothing back in the 80s. Since my parents were divorced, he gave it to me in my early teens to protect the family if necessary.

This revolver almost deserves two positions on the list, because 30 years later, after carrying an auto for many years, I broke out the Colt only to realize I shoot it better than the semis I have been practicing on for many years, which restarted my relationship with revolvers in general and led to me buying a bunch of S&W revolvers.

Gun Firearm Revolver Trigger Starting pistol


Browning's 1911: Some of my earliest recollections of firearms in movies are of the 1911. Fro some reason my most prominent 1911 memory is from the 1951 version of "The Thing". When he was about to open the door to confront this alien creature, he pulls out his 1911 and cocks it, which stuck with me for some strange reason. Not long after, I found a all-metal 1911 mock-up at a garage sale, and it became my favorite toy for the rest of my childhood. Fortunately, I never got shot while playing with it, because it looks quite real from a distance!

Gun Trigger Gun accessory Starting pistol Finger


SIG P380: This one is what truly got me carrying a gun. I had long toted my (real) 1911 on road trips, but even after I got my CCL I didn't carry a gun on my person. Then about 10 years ago I stumbled onto the P238, and it lived in my pocket most of the time for the next 5 years. It was displaced by a S&W 637 after my rediscovery of revolvers, and lately my pocket gun is a Kimber K6S.

Firearm Gun Trigger Airsoft gun Starting pistol


S&W Model 29-10: I got this a few years back, and it has since become my favorite gun. It was used and the owner had run about 10000 rounds of 44 SPL thru it, so the trigger is like glass. I have since shot another ~2000 rounds of light magnums thru it. I go thru phases where I carry it or the 3" M629 I got later. This is the gun that started me reloading, and I now reload the vast majority of the rounds I shoot in many different calibers. I recently got a Winchester Model 70 in .458 Win Mag, and I will never shoot a factory loaded round thru it, which is only possible because I bought that M29.

Gun Firearm Revolver Trigger Starting pistol


Browning's Hi Power: Since I started carrying full time, I have almost always carried a revolver. But after the attacks on US servicemen a few years back and some of mass shootings, I felt like more capacity might be a good idea. I bought a well-used Hi Power literally a couple of days before Browning/FN ceased production and prices skyrocketed. This gun has proven to be flawless and I shoot it better than any auto I own. I carried it almost exclusively for a couple of years. These days this is the gun I carry when I'm feeling more paranoid than usual or going to the movies, but lately I'm back to carrying my M629 most of the time.

Firearm Gun Trigger Air gun Gun accessory
 
#59 ·
...Browning's 1911: Some of my earliest recollections of firearms in movies are of the 1911. Fro some reason my most prominent 1911 memory is from the 1951 version of "The Thing". When he was about to open the door to confront this alien creature, he pulls out his 1911 and cocks it, which stuck with me for some strange reason. Not long after, I found a all-metal 1911 mock-up at a garage sale, and it became my favorite toy for the rest of my childhood. Fortunately, I never got shot while playing with it, because it looks quite real from a distance!

View attachment 319088 ...
Hey, I had one of those, too!
Solid cast aluminum, if my memory still works. Painted "gunmetal" color.
They were available via mail-order, even in New York City.
Mine got lots of play-time.

There was a .32 revolver replica, too.
It was just like the real one that our beat-cop carried.
 
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