Did anyone ever find "the one"

[SquarePizza]

I think I am nearing a dozen handguns, all of them interesting at one point or another. Five of them are in carry rotation... but I've never found "the one". That one gun that I say, "Yes, this suits all of my needs, I enjoy it, I can dress around it all year, etc, and I can now get rid of all the others and be completely happy."

I dream of the day when I cut my collection down to that one... or hell even those two! But that special gun always seems to allude me; I am completely into this gun or that one for a month and then I start switching.

 

[Sevens]

Would be like trying to do the same thing with your kids or with your dogs.

It's never been a goal, never will be.

 

[apollo99]

As I sit hear pondering the OP's question, I am thinking of all the hand guns in my safe trying to pick just one. Out of my 1911s. Colt Pythons, S&W revolvers I just can't do it. Different calibers, different barrel lengths, different finishes. If however, I had to pick just one, I would pick my Glock 19. Not my favorite, not even close to my most expensive nor the prettiest, but there is a lot to be said for 15 +1 and very dependable. I would be Ok with that choice but not completely happy. I think I need an array of handguns to be completely happy.

 

[RGVshooter]

Well after considerable thought I came to the conclusion that guns are like golf clubs. Each club is designed for a different use/purpose. Yes they all achieve the same goal, but in order to achieve that goal you need different clubs. The same goes for handguns. There doesn't exist a handgun that does it all. IE conceal carry, hunt, home defense, precision target shoot, competition, plink.

But if I had to only choose just one... I'd say my 4" 686 comes real close.

 

[fdw]

Great question. I've bought and traded a number of guns over the years (I'm relatively new to handguns) mostly to see what I liked and what I could shoot well. I've come to find that now I feel like I'm getting pretty settled in with an inventory that means something to me. I've even sent one off to a custom gun shop.

So I think that anything new I buy will be something that is special, that I have a real need for or something I will pass down one day.

For instance, I just purchased an Alaskan in 44 mag. This is special to me and I'll have it customized and passed down to my children. Did I need it, bout like a hole in my head...

 

[Andyd]

I have well over 60 handguns remaining in my collection and sold about fifty to sixty handguns over the years and gave many to my sons.

I still have not found the one gun that can fill all the needs, from plinking to target shooting, action shooting sports, home defence, and concealed carry.

 

[cadmike]

Like others have said different handguns serve different purposes.

Right now, I’m pretty sure I’ve found “the twenty”.

 

[eveled]

The people who can do that aren't on internet gun forums. We are a collection of addicts and enablers.

I've always envied the one gun guy. Not the guy who can only afford one, but the guy who has the only one he needs.

Truth be told if I could only keep one it would probably be a s&w 1911pd. Although if I could keep two it would be my 340pd and my 627.

 

[SquarePizza]

I'm glad that I am not alone.

To the guys saying if they HAD to choose one, I was more curious if you ever bought one and that gun fit you so well that it made you WANT to have just that one.

For me I had hoped my 686 3" would make me never want to buy another gun, until a 657 PC came along and outshot it... too bad it carries like a boat.

Now I am hoping to find a 19 with a 2.5" barrel in hopes that will be the gun that makes me what to never look back.

But in reality I know my glocks will still have a place when it gets muddy, and my J frame will still be in my pocket when I cannot have anything else... so I really don't think I will ever be happy with just one.

 

[Eddietruett]

There is really no such thing as “the one”. If there was, none of us would be on this forum.

 

[Adk.IBO]

I don’t have the room or the resources for more than the 4 hand guns I own. That said if I were to wittle it to one it would be my 649-3 with big dot front sight and LG350G that was overhauled by S&W. Enough power, enough accuracy, enough consealability and it just fits my hand. It is not currently my only carry gun but would be the last to go. Also, if finances suddenly changed, there are others I’d like to add to my collection, motorcycles too!

Stay safe, John

 

[BAM-BAM]

If I only did one thing......I'd only need one handgun.

For many years I pretty much got by with 2 for concealed carry..... a Walther PPK for work and a 3" 65 for weekends.

But our family has a cabin in the Laurel Highlands of Penn's Woods..... so a.22 was needed.....

For a few years I hunted deer with a handgun.......

Later.......I started shooting PPC and USPSA........ then IDPA

I could probably limit myself to one gun for each>>>>>>

 

[Jeppo]

Safe fulla S&W's

I own several pistols given to me by my dad. Only one is a Smith (Combat Masterpiece .38).

Of those I've actually bought, all but two are S&W. They're a mix of new production (442, Shield 2.0, Compact 2.0, FS 9mm, FS .22) and old (442 nickel, 39-2, 3913, 3914, 3914DAO, 639). The two I purchased that aren't S&W are both H&K (VP9 and VP9SK).

I enjoy all these guns and don't foresee unloading any of them. Saying that, every time I pick up the SK, I utter a little AHHHHH. There's just something about how it fits my hand, the balance, the construction and the sight picture that satisfies. Just one guy's very subjective viewpoint.

 

[gwpercle]

Handguns are like shoes.....how many pairs of shoes do you have ?
I bet you got more than one...and I bet you wear all of them at some point in time.

I do have one favorite for concealed carry ....an Airweight J frame and a favorite pair of tennis shoes.... I carry and wear them a lot but I can't get rid of the others because they serve different purposes .

Variety is the spice of life.
Gary

 

[cmansguns]

My $0.02 worth?

I just cannot get my head around opening a gun safe and seeing only 1 very lonely occupant!

In addition, think of all the "honey dew" list items that would have to be attended to because of no more useable excuses like: "I HAVE to clean the Model X, Y, Z, (maybe several)"; "I really should get on the Forum and check the value, ship date, condition...of that Model X that you know I stole from the guy and is now worth at least 4 X what I told you I paid yesterday", or "Wonderful....now that the weather is just breaking decent enough to shoot a little at the 100/200 yard range with the M1 I really should take advantage....Honey....Do you want to come along? Hint; they never like prone with the M1".

Of course not saying any of you have ever been where I'm coming from......but to get down to 1 gun does it all? No way possible in this neck of the woods.

 

[C J]

For a long time I had only one carry pistol. It was a Sig P220. I felt like I didn't need anything else. Accurate and dependable are two really good things to have in a pistol and it was both.

Then came other pistols that were smaller, lighter and held more rounds. So I bought another pistol I thought would be all I needed. It was accurate and reliable and held 10+1 in a pistol I could hide with my hand. I was happy with it a few years. Then I decided I really wanted a true high capacity gun and I happened onto a really good deal on a Springfield XDm .40 which holds 16+1. So far I haven't been tempted to buy a lighter pistol because this one shoots so well. I did buy a 9mm for times when the weight of the XDm was too much to be concealed easy (summer clothes). But I rarely carry it.

I could trace my "one pistol" back to the 70's when I bought my first pistol which was a Raven P-25. Clearly it was a piece of junk but I was in college and it was all I could afford. I went through other guns I could afford before I got to the Sig. Like a Tokarev which was actually a nice pistol but it got impossible to find ammo for a long time. Eventually I bought the Sig. I carried it over a decade. It really is a nice pistol. Very accurate to this day. I get it out of the safe sometimes to do target shooting.

I didn't mention my revolver. A .44 magnum I keep for bear protection. The farm is swarming with black bears these days. I don't really worry about them but it's best to be safe rather than sorry.

 

[bronco45]

If this photo manifests then this one would come close! I love the Kimber and the SP is a close second. Put a front night sight on the SP, got it from Novaks.

 

[ExRanger714]

A white whale but not THE ONE

I thought I'd found the perfect compromise in my newly and dearly purchased no lock 60-10 until Misters Supica and Nahas pointed out in that darn book of theirs there might be a few transitionals out there with forged triggers.

This new quest will not produce the true grail either but the effort keeps me warm.

And FWIW Tex Shoemaker marked my owb FBI cant thumb-break holster 3TB and it fits full lug with adjustable sights well

 

[bigwheelzip]

My husband only owns one firearm, his PCR, but he's got the combination to my safe when he wants to play.

 

[CajunBass]

I've only got one handgun I've got any real reason to have. That's a Ruger LCP that's my EDC. I know a lot of people would tell me it's not a very good choice as an everyday carry, but it's a lot better than the bigger, heavier gun I'd leave at home. I know, because I've carried a bunch of those bigger, heavier guns over the years.

All the rest of them are just because I want them.