Old School

[STRIKER]

I finally gave up.
I've owned just about every high end auto out there in either .40 S&W or .45acp.

I have never been completely satisfied w/ any of them.

After a long period of reflection I finally decided to go to the GP-100 Ruger .357 mag. w/ a 4" barrell and Hogue grips.

My first day out after a zero session I destroyed the ten ring at 25 meters time and time again.

While I give up capacity, speed loaders help if I practice w/ them.

I've never been happier w/ a handgun. Carried in an inside the waistband holster I get no print and it's ruggedness makes it a reliable main combat weapon to carry in my tac-vest.

Anybody out there looking for a main line combat weapon should at least look into one before they buy.

Just my two cents worth.

[kawalekm]

I have an older Ruger Security-Six, the parent of your GP100 that I got back when I was a freshman in college. It has always been my personal favorate. Her name is Betsy! It's the only gun I've ever given a name to! I plan on having my son pass it on to one of his children some day.

[Badger]

Go with what you know.

[Stinger]

:) *The 357 is an excellent cartridge; and, as far as handguns go, it probably always will be. In a more civilized world I'd be happy to carry a 357 too; but, it ain't a civilized world.

In the middle of a skirmish, you don't want to run out after only 6 or 7 rounds; and, stopping to reload may be all the time the other guy needs in order to finish the fight. I love my 357's; I've got a lot of time and money tied up in them; but, nowadays, they're strictly for the range or backup.

Today, my ugly frigg'in 18 round Glock 45 is what I always carry. It's hard enough to survive in a gunfight without having to deal with: excessive muzzle lift, longer reload times, and shorter shot strings in between.

On the other hand ... my elitist friends like to carry fancy 1911's; and, with 2 or 3 extra magazines on their belts, they're able to work quite effectively with them, too. *

A 357 Ruger SP-101 is what my wife carries; so the cartridge does have its place in self-defense. Not saying that you haven't; but, she never will take the time to learn how to efficiently reflex her way through the complexities of rapidly firing a semi-automatic pistol without untoward risk to herself.

As a combat pistol instructor I've simply found it better to keep her working with a revolver. I take her shooting a lot; she's halfway decent, too; but, I frequently get to watch her deal with: a slower rate-of-fire, more recoil, less recoil control; and, if she doesn't keep up with her weekly practice sessions, then, double action trigger issues will suddenly begin to appear.

Naturally, it's these double action problems that I find the most time consuming and difficult to train around. The comments I've made about my wife's shooting, also, apply to a great many others whom I've watched fire major caliber revolvers.

In my experience the Jim Cirillo's of this world are few and far between; apparently, you are fortunate enough to be one of them; but, this places you in a distinct minority of handgun users. *

Like you, I love this:*

http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h39/Me_2U/MySW686.jpg *

And, again like you, I'm able to use it well enough, too; but common sense dictates I should carry this: *

http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h39/Me_2U/GlockModel214-1.jpg

Heavy, ugly, and cumbersome as it is, I do. *;)

[jim]

Chances of having to fire more than 2-3 rounds is actually pretty low. I'd not worry about carrying a revolver, especially a good one. I prefer the S&W L frames and N frames, Colt Pythons too... OK, almost all revolvers are good enough.

jim

[Stinger]

::) Pathetic! This kind of thinking can, literally, get you killed. Consider the following:

Lance Thomas (http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0BTT/is_156_26/ai_82533205/pg_4)

Then there's the other lessons we were, all, supposed to learn from the, 'Miami Shootout' in '86, and the Bank of America Robbery in '97.

Need I go on?

'3+3+3' is a popular gunfighting legend. If you ever find yourself in this situation, well ... you've already screwed up, flunked Cooper's awareness code, and are - in all probably - not going to be walking away unscathed.

Like I said: Times have changed. It's no longer a civilized world. You need to revise, both, your thinking and your equipment. ;)

[jim]

I will admit to carrying a hi-cap 9MM when visiting San Antonio or other places that can get wild and wooly. And Mr. Lance did some impressive "flat -footed shooting", the man probably has trouble walking swinging the pair he has. I'm guessing he hit his assailants many times before they could even fall. Adrenalin induced hyper drive can give impressive speed to anyone in a similar situation. I can find no fault with his course of action.

Perhaps I'm being over confident, but in a 1-1 or 2-1 senario I would not feel under armed with a good revolver and premium ammo. My individual chances of getting caught against multiple shooters is very low, given where I live and work. Some very impressive one shot stops have been rendered by the .357 Mag with 125 gr. JHP's and the much vaunted 145 gr Winchester Silvertips. Silvertips in a .45ACP are nothing to sneeze at either. Other premium ammo is great too.

I stand by my previous statement.

jim

[DM]

If i can't get the job done with my S&W M-19 357 mag. revolver, then i just won't get the job done, but a assure you i won't be the only one laying there wounded or dead...

I've owned "numerous" center fire auto handguns but i never liked any of them. Also, i've also never believed in the "spray and pray" theory either, so a revolver works out perfectly for me...

DM

[tufhelp]

:-/ Here in the city (Albuquerque) every wanna-be gang-banger has a hi-cap auto of some kind - the spraying and praying ain't from them, it's from the victim pinned down by superior fire power, praying that they won't be hit by the spraying of large volumes of ammo being thrown in their general direction. With no room for error or extra ammo to lay down your own return fire in a similar fashion I don't see the six shot revolver doing the same job it used to do, even combined with the iron will and skill of the carrier. Training or not, six shots don't go as far as they used to. In the urban setting and likely as not the rural one as well with the firepower available to the nair-do-wells these days, sufficient return fire capability is requisite, not the crutch of the so called “spray and pray” mentality –it’s spray and survive… Although “One shot, one kill.” is the revered tradition and benchmark, it is, I’m afraid out distanced by both modern firearms and society.

[DM]

Here in the city (Albuquerque) every wanna-be gang-banger has a hi-cap auto of some kind

There's nothing in this world that could get me to live in a place like that, it sounds like a good place to be FROM!

Having said that, i sure as hell won't be needing a hi capacity gun for "everyday" to survive where i choose to live, and around my farmstead i have "other guns" besides my revolver to choose from...

DM

[tufhelp]

It is and will be a good place to be from - regardless, you may consider yourself immune to punks just because you might live beyond the pavement, but in these days you might re-consider... Anyway, I thought this was a carry opinion, now could you have time to choose from a selection of weapons, how many do you carry?

[DM]

Anyway, I thought this was a carry opinion, now could you have time to choose from a selection of weapons, how many do you carry?

Perhaps you need to read my last answer again? I made it quite clear in how and where i'd have other options...

We just plain don't have those big city problems where i choose to live, and if some of them ever did bleed out this far, it wouldn't happen without some warning...

DM