What would be good pistol to buy for personal protection?

Question

IWhat would be good pistol to buy for personal protection?
I want to buy a reasonable priced pistol for personal protection. I don’t want to spend a mint for the pistol but I do wont it to be reliable. I would carry it while hiking in the wilderness and in the glovebox of the car. Please give me some recommendations’ on the type, brand and caliber.
Thanks

Answer 1

Anything over 9 MM Markarov is a good caliber. ANY 1911

Answer 2

Boy, you just opened up the box for a lot of different answers. You should get a lot of good answers.

First, what do you want protection from? In the wilderness, you probably want to carry a revolver with at least a .357 magnum. Especially if you might see a bear or other larger predator.

Given your interest in a glovebox gun and a hiking weapon, I suggest you go with a revolver. A .357 would be a good choice. You can also shoot .38 specials out of it. These have less recoil and are cheaper to shoot. I am in the market for a .357 myself. I found the Taurus Tracker .357 Magnum in 6inch barrel for $419. Some people will recommend Smith and Wesson or Ruger, which are also great guns, but are a little more expensive (S&W is a lot more expensive).

A couple other thoughts. In some states carrying a gun in the glovebox is considered "carrying a concealed weapon" which you need a permit for. You might want to check your state laws about carrying a gun legally in your car.

If you are interested in carrying a gun only for protection from man and not worried about animals, then a 9mm is a good intro choice. It's not the most powerful, but the ammo is cheap, so you can get practice.

No matter what you get, please go to the range and learn to shoot safely.

Answer 3

Well, you want one for both the wilderness and for personal protection. When you hike the trails depending on what part of the country you live in, the animal that will threatin your life the most is going to be a bear, you might have a mountain loin but they stalk their prey and you will have very little time to react to one attacking. You are going to want to have a bullet that can penatrate the skull of a bear. In my opinoun the very min. I would carry when I'm in bear country would be a .45 rem mag. it has enough stopping bear to slow or stop a charge. I don't think a .375 or 9mm has nearly enough power to slow one down. On the other hand a human can't take a hit like a bear, you want something that expands on impact for a human a .38 special, .375, or 9mm, hollow tip would be a good choice. Police now use automatic weapons because in close stituations you don't have to worry about the hammer being caught on a peice of clothing and not firing. My choice of weapon for your type of stituation would be a .45 rem. mag in an automatic weapon. The most important thing is, how popular is the bullet of the gun you are wanting to buy, can you buy it anywhere in the country.

Answer 4

Look at the Springfield Armory XD9102 in S&W 40. Reliable, good shooters and not two arms, a leg and a toe. Check laws concerning carrying the weapon - in most states carrying it in the glovebox is a no-no.

Answer 5

It's best if you go to a good gun store and try holding a few handguns. Don't let them push you into a certain model, if they do it probably mean they have a surplus of them. When you find one that's comfortable and seems well weighted for you and fits nicely in your hand ask if you can test fire it. Handguns are really a matter of personal preference. Colt, H&K, Smith & Wesson, Glock, Berretta and Walther PPK all make quality weapons.

Personally, I like a revolver. I'm not in the middle of battlefield where I'm firing 50 rounds/day out of it and I don't expect to be in an extended gun battle either. Revolvers are easy to use and maintain. There's no slide to jamb, no spring in the clip to weaken, they don't have to be disasembled to be cleaned and best of all it's really easy to tell if it's loaded and almost as easy to load.

Good luck on your purchase and remember to read the gun laws for your county/municipality.

Answer 6

I have a Glock 29 in my pocket now. Glocks are the most dependable pistols in the world, and the Glock 29 shoots the 10mm Auto round, possibly the most under appreciated round in history. It has almost double the power of a .45, and the Glock 29 holds 10 rounds in the clips that come with it, and it also can use the 15 round clips that come with the Glock model 20.

Answer 7

Glock 19, 9mm
CZ-75, 9mm
S&W or Taurus revolver, 357 mag
1911A1 (various makers), 45 ACP
Sig (various models), 9mm or 45 ACP
Beretta 92FS, 9mm

Answer 8

their a lot of good hand gun out their, but first you want one that fit your hand,,,, lot will buy it just for the name, but a gun , got to fit the person, just like buy a pair of pant,, what one like dont mean you will,,,,, now the 9mm, is a great gun,,,380,,38,,,, just to name a few, too it depenen ,on what yoy trying to stop,,,,, their a great 22mag,,

Answer 9

try a 1911 smith and wessen .45 caliber i used to have one and and i loved it