The best all around do everything pistol!

There isn't much on the CONUS that can't be done with a S&W 10 or 64 variant.
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Bill Bates said:
I think the Smith & Wesson Model 19 or 66 with a 4 inch barrel is about as close you can get to a do everything handgun. It is small enough that the average person can conceal it. It is reasonably light on your belt. The .357 S&W Magnum caliber has taken about every animal you can hunt. Loaded with light .38 S&W Special loads it is pleasure to shoot and it is still very manageable with full house .357 magnum loads. With a 4 inch barrel you have enough barrel length to help shoot accurately and get lost everything out of the .357 load. A 4 inch barrel is still easy to carry.

You can make better use of the .357 Magnum caliber with larger N frame with a longer barrel but your looking for a gun with the maximum in compromises. Even in a 4 inch barrel and with its smaller frame the 19 will do most jobs. It is dead reliable, simple to use, loads can be tailored to your use. It might not be the best gun for most jobs but it will do many things well enough to not feel like you compromised to much. Darn few handguns can make that claim.

It seems I can remember reading some where some one said "the Smith & Wesson Model 19 has everything you need in a handgun and nothing you don't." I pretty much agree and I'm a guy that really prefers calibers that begin in point four.

130274783.Qve5mRsZ.sw19a.jpg


158933999.8GLiU9iR.sw19s.jpg
Click to expand...

Perfect! I would probably go with a stainless steel revolver though just because its a little more corrosion resistant but I wouldnt feel bad about having ANY one of those revolvers.
 
Definitely would be a .357 Magnum as its more versatile and deadly without having to step up to an N frame.

I would be hard pressed to choose between the 7 shot 686-5+ Mountain gun
(which btw weighs less than the 4" Model 66) and adds L frame strength with a 7 shot cylinder.


A close second would be a tie between the 3" PC Model 19-7 K-Comp (right)


And the 3" Model 65-5 Ladysmith


Honorable mention would be for the 9mm Model 547 with fitted .357 spare cylinder if one could find this unicorn.
 
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Engine49guy said:
Definitely would be a .357 Magnum as its more versatile and more deadly than any other round without having to step up to an N frame.

The two I would be hard pressed to choose between would be the 7 shot 686-5+ Mountain gun (which btw weighs less than the 4" Model 66) and adds L frame strength with a 7 shot cylinder.


A close second would be a tie between the 3" PC Model 19-7 K-Comp (right)


And the 3" Model 65-5 Ladysmith


Honorable mention would be for the 9mm Model 547 with fitted .357 spare cylinder if one could find this unicorn.
Click to expand...

Love the Lady Smith! That is one hot lady! Probably one of the best handheld cannons in the world!
 
BEST HANDGUN???

1 REVOLVERS: Ruger speed six 2 3/4" barrel 357 (I like fixed sights)
2 S&W model 681 4" 357
SEMI AUTOS: 1 Sig P226 9mm, Sig P220 45 acp both in stainless of course. Sorry 1911 guys, if it weren't for hand issues I might choose 1 of them.
 
Many years ago, when I didn't have any handguns, Bill Jordan and Skeeter Skelton convinced me that a medium frame, 4" barrel, 357 was just about the perfect handgun for someone who was only going to have one gun.

A Model 19 fit that bill perfectly.





However, upon further review, I think a Ruger Blackhawk with a 4 3/4" barrel, in 38-357/9mm might be a better choice. I'm just not a big fan of S/A revolvers, so I've never gotten one. It just seemed to me that you could probably find ammo of one type or the other, most anywhere in the world.
 
Randy

My Brother and I have had this very same discussion over a camp fire a few times. Your criteria describes a 1911 perfectly. :)

Mine would be a Colt!

Dan (who's a die hard wheel gun man)
 
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My M&P 40c qualifies:
Accurate.
Reliable as dirt.
Easy to use, especially with an Apex kit.
10+1 rounds of easy-to-find .40 cal. goodness.
Not picky. It has fired whatever I've fed it for 8300 rounds.
Easy to field strip and reassemble.
Can get with or without a thumb safety.
Parts and service readily available.
S&W Lifetime Service.
Excellent carry gun. Can be comfortably carried in a Nemesis pocket holster, a Galco KingTuk IWB holster or a 5.11 undershirt holster. I carry mine every day in one of these, usually the Nemesis.
I know it's a plastic gun.
I don't care.
So there! ;)
 
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This is kind of a "what's your favorite ice cream" question but its still interesting, and to me it never really gets old. For most it probably boils down to what you're most familiar with combined with a bit of what you like most.

I said earlier that it would probably be a 1911 and I still think that for ME, that is the best choice. If we all liked the same thing it would be a pretty boring forum.

My hands-on pistol experience is pretty much limited to 1911s, Smith da and Ruger sa revolvers, a few Hi Powers, two Glocks and a smattering of misc. rimfires.

I'm a recreational shooter, I don't depend on a firearm for my job/life. So I like these topics, it gives me insight into other options.
 
1911/586 pretty much covers my bases. A 617 matching the 586 for small critters and a 29 for big ones really rounds it out. I could keep going on this drift for a pretty long stretch.
 
swsig said:
My M&P 40c qualifies:
Accurate.
Reliable as dirt.
Easy to use, especially with an Apex kit.
10+1 rounds of easy-to-find .40 cal. goodness.
Not picky. It has fired whatever I've fed it for 8300 rounds.
Easy to field strip and reassemble.
Can get with or without a thumb safety.
Parts and service readily available.
S&W Lifetime Service.
Excellent carry gun. Can be comfortably carried in a Nemesis pocket holster, a Galco KingTuk IWB holster or a 5.11 undershirt holster. I carry mine every day in one of these, usually the Nemesis.
I know it's a plastic gun.
I don't care.
So there! ;)
Click to expand...

Nothing wrong with plastic guns. It is easier to super glue a broken plastic gun in a pinch than to weld a broken metal gun in a pinch.
 
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Besides the archaic Colt 1911 and Makarov PM automatic pistol downfalls the one revolver that I wish made it big or bigger than it has would have to be the 327 magnum. Thats a damn shame that it never made it big in the shooting world!
 
I think the answer for specific gun is a personal preference, but for me there are some specific characteristics:
- concealable size - this varies by person, but for me it is compact or smaller
- reliable and accurate
- capacity of 10+ rounds, with the more the better. If it holds more than 10rds, 10rd magazines must be available in case travel to a state with mag limits
- rail, just in case want to mount light or laser
- not requirement but ability to convert calibers by changing changing barrel and mags, is a benefit

For me a P229r in .40 would be the best with 9mm and .22 conversion barrel and magazines fits all my requirements.
 
Skeeter Skelton wrote an article on this very subject many years ago in which he concluded that a 5" Model 27 was his "one gun." The 3 1/2" gun was a close second. I won't go into all his reasons here as it was a long article, but it was enjough to convince me. I reckon my second choice would be a Glock 17. Easy to find ammo, enough power with good bullets, simple to repair, lots of spare parts and magazines, light weight and they're dishwasher safe.
 
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