What is the worlds best handgun?

Question

i like 1911's

Answer 1

There's a lot of ways of describing "best." Are we talking about the best . . . military handgun . . . personal defense handgun . . . police sidearm . . . hunting gun . . . historic gun, what?

The best military sidearm has to be the Colt M1911A1. It was used for most of the 20th century until NATO standardization caused the United States to change to the entirely inadequate 9mm Luger/Parabellum. The M1911 design has been known for reliability, accuracy, and its ability to tolerate a dazzling variety of chamberings . . . from .38 Special (YES, there was a .38 Special-chambered M1911 that used bullets seated flush with the case mouths,) all the way to the mighty .45 Super and .460 Rowland cartridges.

The M1911's slim profile, and ability to function as a shorter-barreled firearm makes it one of the better choices as a police or self-defense handgun, for those who don't mind the heavier weight of an all-metal gun.

The best hunting handgun would have to be a Ruger Blackhawk with the Bisley grip. In a .44 Magnum or .45 Colt load, it will handle game animals clear up to 1000 lbs with proper shot placement at appropriate range. The Ruger Bisley Blackhawk is also the gun of choice of gunsmiths in the know when they look for sixguns to convert into five-shot monsters . . . from .45 Colt loads that'll make a stock Ruger wake up in a cold sweat, to .475 Linebaugh and .500 Linebaugh loads that'll put moose and grizzly bears clean out of this life.

The best historic handgun has to the the Colt Peacemaker. The Peacemaker is known as The Gun that Won the West. While Smith and Wesson beat Colt in producing the first revolvers with modern bored-through cylinders supporting modern cartridge ammuntion, they produced relatively weak top-break actions. The relatively stronger solid-frame Colts pointed the way to the future. Such is the romance behind the Peacemaker that not only have old Colts (though not very old Colts) returned to regular service, but there is an incredible demand for replicas of the old sixgun . . . and the old Colt Peacemaker was the parent action for strong single-action hunting sixguns we see today.

Answer 2

Best? It depends what you are doing.

For air pistol target shooting the Feinwerkbau pistols are pretty good. For high power I don't think there's a revolver or semi-auto that will touch my T/C Encore 308 Winchester, and that's not the most powerful caliber chambered for it. My 223 Encore pistol will group under an inch at 100 yards, always. It's not that I did it once. I shoot target patches instead of targets.

But let's assume you mean center fire revolvers and pistols.

For revolvers I like the Ruger GP100, I wouldn't carry one under any circumstances, but I like to shoot it at the range and find the double action much better than the S&Ws. For single action I'll be picking up a Ruger Super Blackhawk soon.

For posing at the range with a historic perspective the 1911s are hard to beat, but in the grand scheme of things they are a complex old design. They can fail from any number of trivial causes including very slightly different magazine feed lips and slightly differnt ammo.

If you want total dependability and think you may get involved in a short range war then the full sized Glock 20 and 21are hard to beat.

The first article, below, is on 1911 reliability, from my perspective a defensive pistol that doesn't go bang when you need it is a very very bad thing.

The second article is a guy trying to kill a glock with missuse, so far he has submerged it in a variety of muds and salts, thrown it from an aircraft into a field, driven over it and shot it upwards of 15,000 times without proper cleaning. It's still going, though even less elegant than when he started.

Personally, my Glock 20 has failed to feed twice in nine years, both times on commercial reloads, one had the case mouth bent back and the other had the jacket outside the case.

Answer 3

Best is subjective. Possibly the best, being overlooked by these answerers, is the Browning Hi-Power. The same Browning that invented the 1911 improved it and that became the Hi-Power, although in 9mm. If it was made in .45acp, it might be the perfect handgun. Sig makes very well made and functioning pistols but $$$$. Kimbers have fallen apart from reports I've heard. Kahr & Kel-Tec have lousey triggers. Rugers are very good but not perfect. There have been some big boomers introduced lately for hunting like Smith & Wesson's giant .500 Magnum and .460 XVR and Ruger's .480 Super Redhawk. revolvers.

Answer 4

I got more 1911's than fingers in one hand. That tells you something about my self :) different people, different taste, different use, different gun. There is no way one gun will do everything. Most people tend to forget this.

Now, if you were to ask me if I could pick just one gun to have, which one would it be. I would go with a 357 Magnum revolver. I think revolvers are the best all around handguns. For one, they are simple to use. Two, oppose to magazine feed pistols, they are much less prone to malfunction. Semi Auto pistols could be just as reliable as a revolver. With it's proper maintenance, you should be in good shape. This is where experience plays a big role. People who know how to field strip their 1911's and other semi auto's, know what to do. They know how their firearm should function, they could spot issues and so on. It's nothing that can't be learn. To a beginner, this could be a nightmare. A revolver in the other hand, there is not much to it.

Reliability is big for me. That is why I put a revolver over a magazine feed pistol. That and it's simplicity to use and maintain. For caliber, I would go with 357 Magnum.You really don't need anything bigger.

Answer 5

Best handgun for what ? target shooting, protection, hunting. Well I think you'd like the answer for protection because you have shown 1911 (45acp).

We all have choice in life and what he or she may have is there choice.
What are you proficient with, what feels comfortable in your hand, do you flinch because of recoil on those magnums, etc.

As I have told many others, what is the choice of most Government agencies around the world then any other handgun, GLOCK and there pick of caliber 40S&W.

I am a Lifetime member of GSSF and own three, G23 & 2-G35s all of witch shoot the 40cal.
I own an aray of handguns but on the job or around the home it's my Glock 9 out of 10.

Answer 6

I'd say a Colt 1911, Sig Sauer, Glock, or H&K are among the best semi-autos. Smith and Wesson and Ruger are among the best revolvers. The caliber, barrel length, model, etc depends on the situation.

Answer 7

If you're going to war, you're right: the 1911 is best. It's designed to be almost as good as the best, with the added ablity to reload quickly, which isn't important for civilian use. The best? Same caliber, same army, same original manufacturer: the 1873 Colt SAA, the most natural pointer ever made, with underappreciated versatility using handloads in the original 45 ("long") Colt.

Answer 8

Depends upon the situation.

I like my 1911 for self-defense.
My Ruger SP101 when the 1911 is too big to carry.
My Ruger GP100 for trail/hiking use.
My Kel-Tec P32 for 'ultra small carry'
If I was travelling in bear country I would love to have a Super redhawk in .454 casull with a 4-5 inch barrel.

Answer 9

Horace Smith & Daniel B. Wesson M686 Distinguised Combat Magnum .357 really kicks some major butt

Answer 10

This one is right up there with "which the most powerful", "which is better than which", asked almost ad nauseum.
With so many excellent firearms on the market, available to Americans who appreciate them, instead of fearing and trying to ban them, there are as many answers as there are weapons!
Everyone has, and is entitled to their opinion, so to this, there IS NO REAL answer!
I feel my H-K USP.45 is best, and wouldn't carry anything else, but that's just MY opinion!
Let's all just hope that the bleeding-heart Liberal gun banners that are running Congress let us KEEP 'em! ! ! ! !
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