Among many in the safe, my absolute favorite to carry is the Beretta .40 p Cougar. When loaded with BRASS case +p Hydrashock 185g it is very reliable. I was seduced by the shiny stainless casings, but they grab the chamber and will not eject reliably. Brass is best.
The gun points very instinctively and I shoot 10" groups while running toward the target, firing from 75' to 50' after a 25' start-up. At combat stance from 50' all are 10-ring in rapid fire.
Also, the gun is invisible when simply tucked into the waistband in front or back. I love it.

That said, the nightstand has a .38 longcase S&W stainless revolver with mahogany grip. It is a DA, DC revolver tho.
It fires every time unless the round is a dud.
I have a Beretta Tactical Automatic 12 Ga. in the hiding room if the sleeping quarters get too hot for the revolver.(RETREAT if necessary!)

All of this is leftover paranoia from growing up in Memphis. The Keys have little in the way of crime, and very few home invasions. Some burgulary occurs without occupants once in a while. If one must face the spectre of having firearms stolen, the #s from the items are essential information for the police, and one MUST keep records to get one's guns back. If possible, keep the peices locked in a safe which is well secured to the floor (concrete @ my place). Sacrifice very easily identified, difficult to sell weapons to the criminals. Odd chamberings (.500 woohoo!) are also less likely to be taken in the event of burgulary(.38 long is not sold down here except for internet).
Be safe, and do not enter your house if you think it has been violated-call the cops, it is what they are paid for.

I have a younger cousin in Iraq with the Army Infantry, and I think he is going to be the recipient of what remains of my gun collection. The guy is an explosives worker-blows up ied's and suspicious vehicles. Fully patriotic kid ready for action. I understand his desire to serve, I only wish he was serving a better purpose-i.e. not in combat. I don't think anything in my arsenal will impress him tho.[&:]

Do any of y'all have family/friends in country (or went yourselves)? While we're on the subject of gun nuts.

 

I do agree here. My Springfield Arms 1911 has never jammed onme (it is nearly identical to the Colt you pictured, except I addedHogue rubber grips). If you want a semi auto that will NEVER jam, buy aRuger.My dad has aRuger P89 9mm that we have shot over a thousand rounds through and it has never jammed. not even once! We have alsoshot the cheapest of the cheap rounds through it (even re-loaded ones we bought at gun shows!)
When I was looking toget a handgun (my dad bought me one for my college graduation present)I was interested in the (new at that time)Springfiled XD pistols. My dad borrowed one from a guy he worked with. It was the .40. I was extremely dissapointed. The thing jammed once every 5 shots or so. I said: "what good is it if it's going to jam on you like that?" Everyone always says "you can't use cheap ammo, you have to use the expensive kind" to which I respond: "Why?The 9mm Ruger has never once jammed on me or my dad."

I also agree on the 357 comment too Tony. I shot my buddy's dad's colt python (6" barrel)and it kicked almost as hard as my .45, but ut was heavy. If you got one of those super light .357's that they make now, it would kick like a mule. And for relaibility, you will never beat a revolver. I want to get a Taurus .44 Magnum too. If anything can stand up to a .44 magnum, you are going to die anyway.I don't see the necessity in anything stronger than that aside from shock value.

 

damn all of you and your over 21-ness.
ive got to stick with my CO2 bb gun.

 

don't shoot your eye out!!!

 

I'd believe it, anyone who fails to hold a gun properly could EASILY do that. I nearly knocked myself out when I was like 12 and shot my dads Thompson Contender (he had the 30-30 barrel on) I hit my target but I didn't have a good enough grip (or enough strength who knows) and it kicked back and I knocked myself in the forehead with the scope the first time I shot it.

I would agree too, Kimber firearms rock! In fact their corporate center is up here in my hometown.

 

I think carrying a concealed firearm is one of the most serious responsibilities a person can undertake, so I'm going to do a bit of promotion for the revolver design as THE BEST for that purpose, and the Ruger SP101as being the best design for high-power concealed carry.
First, pictures. The one I carried was either SA or DA.

The hammer can be a bit of a pain for carry, so others may prefer the DA only version with the"bobbed" hammer.

Here's a nice aritcle about the SP101:
http://www.snubnose.info/docs/sp101_2.htm
(But I have to disagree with the author about the "comfort" of firing .357. This is why I'd like to read what some here have to say about it.)

The nice thing about this gun is that you can practice at the range using the cheapest, lightest-load.38 ammo you can find, and then use more expensive.357 for carry, orstick with a suitable .38 load.

So there are lots of options with a .357.

Unless you have unlimited funds, .44 mag ammo is expensive, so regularpractise at the range (something a person who is carrying should do veryfrequently)can be an expensive proposition, plus, .44 mag can be tough on the hand, especiallywhen firing it from a small, light gun. IMO, if .38 +P or .357 mag doesn't get the job done, .44 mag isn't going to do it, either.

Semi-autos are more difficult to clean than revolvers and, therefore, most semi owners put off cleaning their guns.That's OK fora range gun, buta bad thing for a carry gun.

Used a lot, semis are just an overall PIA compared to the comfort, reliability, ease-of-maintenance and peace of mind of the time-proven revolver design. The one and, imo, only advantage of a semi is a high-capacity magazine, and even that is almost certainlyuseless for carry.

Even with all of the above being said, can you imagine carrying around Dirty Harry's gun on a daily basis? I can't. No doubt that some will also find that eventhe relatively smallSP101 istoo big and heavy for day-to-day carry, so for those folks who want the ultimate in comfort,here's another recommendation - the Taurus Model 85 .38 Special in titanium.

I owned one of these, too, and depending on how I felt on any particular day, I might very wellwear this instead of the 101.You wouldn't believe how small and lightthe 85 is, but it has 5 rounds of .38 +P on board. Because of that, it isabsolutelywild to shootit at the range.

Itcan actually be carried in a pocket, but I used a very small, light,inside-the-waistband cloth holster that wasbarely bigger than gun itself. I carried it in front,maybe four inches to the right of the waistband snap, usually underneath a loosegolfshirt that was not tucked into my pants. I could raise the shirt with my left hand and draw the gun in wellundera second. It was invisible, and the thing was so comfortable that I wore it everywhere, even whiledriving, without being aware that it was there.

Additionally, in a hot climate, where a carry gun will likely get wet from sweat, titanium isthe perfect material that will resist corrosion - even better than stainless -and certainly better than any blued steel gun.You never have to wipe the gun down after use, for example.It has a titanum barrel and frame, but ithas a stainless-steel bore/insert to take the abrasivewear of bullets blasting through it, so it's extremely strong for its size and it will have a long lifetime, even if it is used frequently at the range.

If anyone shoots either the 101 or the 85, I'd love to hear what you think of the experience, so please post.

 

That's a nice looking piece, I know my dad has an older .357 that's fairly short but I can't recall what model it was. It was his dad's I believe and it was machined professionally so the trigger pull on it is amazingly smooth and effortless. Which brings me to my second point, it's usually a lot harder to misfire a revolver (unless you **** it first) as compared to a semi-auto which I think is nice for concelead weapons use. Additionally, to anyone who thinks that carrying a 9mm for safety I'd STRONGLY advise you got get at least a .40, a 9mm is a worthless round against an attacker unless you're a crack shot under extreme pressure

 

i would imagine everything from a .22 up is a pretty good weapon against just about anybody.

you gota remember, it might only leave a 1/4 inch entrance wound
but it leaves an exit wound the size of a grapefruit.
in fact, .22's are what most assasins use. when cops see a murder with a .22, they immedatly assume it was an assasins bullet.

and do you honestly think that crackhead is gonna keep after the $80 in your wallet after you just shot em? i dont think he'll be like "oh, its just a .22 in my thigh. Ill keep going."

guns are mostly used for intimidation anyway.

 

I'd take a hollow point .22 or .22 LR over a 9mm, it's been shown in more than one circumstance that someone who is really hopped up on various drugs won't stop from a 9mm round, just not enough punch. Also, if you go hiking and want to carry something besides bear spray (which sucks btw...) a 9mm will literally bounce off the scull of a bear...

I know a while back that it was rumored the old police kevlar wouldn't stop a 22 since the round was so small it wouldn't disperse properly and the bullet would penetrate, this in turn slowed the rate of the bullet enough that is could bounce off bones internally and cause more damage... as I said though that was just a rumor I heard.

 

.22 hypersonic fmj LR (like mini-14/22-243)used to penetrate the layered kevlar vests, but won't now due to the new material weaves.
.22 is very deadly due to the lack of recoil and the greaterpotential accuracy of firing a light load from a heavy pistol (ruger bull barrel ftw). The Mob was famous for putting 2 in the head of their targets, from muzzle contact range.

The titanium snubnose is sweet. I have not fired one, but the klunker in my night stand is great, and the advanced metals must make it better-kudos for technology.

Bears, really? I picture the Colbert report, or South Park's Uncle Jimbo- "It's coming for us, kill it Ned kill it!!!".[&:]
I'll stick to hypothetical crackhead intruder situations rather than consider my ability to shoot after having my skull crushed by a Kodiak Island Monster. I figger if I have time to contemplate a shot, running for cover might be a better option. Or, don't sleep outside. Of course, black bears in Tennessee will let you pet them after you give them an open beer or ten. The also love grape sodas. Perhaps yankee bears are bitter due to their geographic ineptitude.