Gun, Caliber or maybe Romantic
 

We have all seen the "caliber wars".....I am guilty of starting threads on calibers and different types of bullets. For a learning process, of course. However, today isn't a pissin' match type question(s). We all have pistols. Some might be mainly for target, or weekly matches. And some may be for self home defense. And of course some are owned for a mixture of fun, self defense, even investment. But when it comes to shooting......

Do you choose the gun first?...meaning that some are so loyal to the 1911 platform it has to be .45 cal and they will carry nothing else.

Do you choose the round first?....meaning if it is, say 9mm, does it matter what gun you buy...say 1911 style or polymer style...long as it is your caliber of choice?

There is a sort of romance connected with 1911's. I get it. I get it so well I own 70+ of them. But I can buy a poly that shoots .45 that is lighter and holds more rounds. It will kill a bad guy just as dead as any other .45.

So what really motivates you to buy a particular pistol type?

1911
.45
romance is overrated and causes child support

***note to self...ah, forget it..:D

I like different make, model, and calibers. So I go for reliable and dependable makes.

I'm a casual fan of firearms but when it comes to handguns I like the classics.

I'll take .45 in Colt 1911's and my .38/.357 in S&W revolvers ... maybe the odd Ruger Security Six too ;)

Cool idea for a new post.

For those who want 'em, poly strikers are fine...but I'm not one of those folks. My flavor is 1911 because they speak to me (whatever the heck that means but sounds better than "turns me on" or "excites me").

I like .45 ACP a lot, so most of my handguns are in this caliber. 9 mm is fine but I enjoy shooting the .45s more. 9 has a nicer price, though. Recently had an opportunity to fire a .38 Super and really liked it. Liked it enough to purchase a guardian in this caliber. Should arrive later this week.

I like 1911s that shoot well, fit my hand well, nice balance, good fit and finish, and are pleasing to my eye. Examples of pleasing to the eye: I was attracted to my Baer Monolith because it looks so powerful. On the other hand, I loved the finely crafted lines of my DW PM-9, and ECO.

Hope this is what you were askiing.

Rick

I only buy 1911's anymore. Have a block, Ruger that are not 1911 but the rest are 1911. I like the .45 and that is my normal purchase but I love the 10MM.....My preference would be a 10MM. You have to reload though so that brings back the .45 for playing around.
I am very satified with only ever shooting 1911's from here on out!

I choose caliber first, could be 9 or 45, then the platform for it based on ergos/size and mission statement.

I shot 9mm in a SA/DA for years and had no romantic notion about 45 ACP in an Ol' Slab Side.

Then for a while it seemed like every gun rag had cover story after cover story about 1911s, so I decided to see what all the fuss was about and bought a used DW Panther at a pawn shop.

I discovered that the platform was a natural for me, almost effortless to shoot. My carry gun at the time was a Walther PP in 32 ACP, and I found that the 45 was more comfortable to shoot than the 32. And a helluvalot more comfortable to shoot than the next carry gun, a Charter 44 Special.

Oddly, my aluminum framed 3.3" Sig Ultra 1911 is just at comfortable to shoot as the 5" DW Panther. Really odd since my steel framed 3.5" RIA compact is not as comfortable to shoot as the Sig. Go figure...:confused:

I even ran an IDPA match with the Sig and did not feel like it was a handicap. Try THAT with whatever your favorite carry gun is...

And because my first 1911 was a DW, well the rest, as they say, is history...

http://www.cotep.org/forum/picture.p...&pictureid=866

Because: "If you want to win...this is the gun you will use." Chairman Cooper

http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/i...psd51384e0.jpg

Because they don't make a .46 :D
http://www.cotep.org/forum/picture.p...&pictureid=866

I have to use that RIA if I want to win? :eek:

I'll send you my addy ------ I don't want to lose.

On another note, the 1911 did win twice, but the P35 and the p226 each proved they could win also. I have a feeling it's not the shooting iron as much as it is the shooter and a lot of damned luck :D

I prefer 1911 45ACP for carry, but I have a hankering for 357 just for fun. However, my next two handguns will be 1911.

Because 1911's Look Good, Feel Good, and Shoot Good!
And if you run out of ammo, they can be used to pistol whip your attacker into
unconsciousness! I also like 1911's because they make these:
http://i1353.photobucket.com/albums/...ps211a513f.jpg

I have a group of calibers: 9mm, 38 super, 45acp, 45colt. The gun must be one of these calibers. Then I have guns that match the calibers: 45acp and 38super...1911; 45 colt...Ruger vaquero or Colt single action action army. 9mm...Glock.

All that said, there is just something romantic about the Colt SAA.

My .02 cents.....

I stick with 9mm or .45......

My 1911's are .45

My Glocks are 9mm

Probably 90% of my pistols are for self/family defense. The other 10% are pistols I am buying to customize when my kids leave the nest. The 10% consists of older Springfield Champions, bushing/plug style, which caught my eye years ago. I may speak of collectible pistols, but in reality I don't consider anything I have a "one in a million"....Well, maybe one...maybe

To me 1911's have a historical romance attached to them, they stay on target best for me, and I actually like maintaining them. I carry 1911's whenever I am out and about, alone.

Glocks can be abused and will run, but in reality I no longer neglect cleaning my Glocks for years. I used to. All of my Glocks are G-17's. Near twenty of them from Gen 1 to Gen 3....no Gen 4's as of now. I mainly carry G 17's when out and about with my family, due to rounds on board. Not a spray and pray guy, but I can create havoc with 17 round mags, some with extensions.

And sometimes the carry gun of the day is dictated by events. My Black Stainless is a barbecue gun. And a funeral gun. Go figger, I don't know, just happened.

I've reached the point where I now buy a gun based on my personal need, rather than a platform. I think we all go through "Platform fatigue" buying several sizes and calibers of a platform we like. And eventually... most of us will offload the ones we don't shoot.

An example: I now cycle between 50-75 miles a week and prefer to carry. Yes, I can carry my Glock 19, but it's too bulky. Yes, I can carry my Colt Mustang Plus II, but it's steel and I sweat. And so..... a small 9mm polymer will work well. In the office or about town, I'll just carry my DW CCO, and that works fine.

One caveat here: When it comes to Ruger 10-22's, I'll buy another one anytime, and in a New York minute. I've already got three too many if there is such a thing. There is just something about that little 22 platform that I enjoy shooting.

I have 2 FM 9s and love them both . Very easy to shoot and hit what I am aiming at . The "Detective " is my favorite to carry even though it is only a 9mm . But with 13 rounds I have a chance . I got my first and only 1911 out of romance . I have longed for one since I was knee high to a grasshopper .;)
I do carry it but it is very heavy as you all know . It is my home defense pistol and I loe to shoot it also .

Ruger 10/22 s rock I have had 2 and still have one to plink with , that is if I could afford bullets for it .:(

My 10-22 take down is never going to be sold, what a great rifle they are.

Why?
 

Let me just leave this right here, I wrote it out.
http://www.ammoland.com/2014/06/1911...#axzz3EoaXIl7q

I'm not tied to a particular platform or caliber. Sometimes the mechanics of a gun interests me. Some guns are just sexy and I want to own one even if it's a POS. I like some platforms because they are super reliable. I absolutely love accurate guns with really light triggers. I like the impractical, to small, to big, to powerfull...

Not if you shoot blanks! :D

I just buy stuff.

Haven't gotten a take down yet, but that's because people sell me their old, underused 10-22 (with a birch stock and the aluminum trigger group).... "for a hundred bucks or so"......

I just keep sayin'..... ooooooo kkkkkkk.........

DaFadda