Name your top 5 handguns and why...

[blackwolfe]

Wise choice IMO.  I just expected to see it on nearly everyone's list though.

Why go with the SP101 when you can get the Security Six, Speed Six or Service Six.  I know theyare not made anymore, but they are six shot and built like a tank.
Having said that, I did post the SP101 in .22 and would love one in .327mag.  Those calibers are 6 shot.  I believe there are at least 2 factory SP101s in .22mag.  I know there is at least one.  Like a dummy I didn't buy it when I first saw it and a few minutes later it was gone.

[Timothy]

Wolfe,

Ruger dropped the .22 mag for the SP101, smallest bore is now .327 Federal.

[Big Frank]

1. Dan Wesson .357 magnum. I loved that gun and wish I still had it.
2. Para P-14. 15 rounds of .45 acp.
3. Ruger mark II .22. I have two of them. One was my dad's. The first shot I fired from his was a kill shot on a red squirrel I could barely see up in a tree.
4. and 5. Ruger GP-100 and blackhawk. I've been thinking about them a lot and may get one of each.

[MikeO]

S&W M15 Combat Masterpiece cuzz the USAF issued these to me.

M1911A1 cuzz the USAF issued these to me too.

M9 Beretta/M11 SIG. Ditto above.

S&W M&P45 cuzz I "issue" one of these to myself now.

[ericire12]

Godo to see you back on the forum posting, MikeO

[Sponsor]

[mgobel]

1)  SIG P226 (9mm) - Works every time
2)  SIG 239 357/40 - One of my EDC's
3)  SIG 229 357/40 - Never a failure in 1000's of rounds
4)  S and W 686+ - Just a great design
5)  Ruger Mk II - The perfect 22 handgun

[MAUSERMAN]

1. Springfield 1911a1 loaded never fails and it brings the pain.
2. Glock 20 10mm great for defense and putting food on the table.
3. Ruger GP100  its a hand held tank what more can i say.
4. Beretta 92fs   Hi mag capacity
5. Ruger Blackhawk 44mag puts food on the table and makes big holes in shit.

[JdePietro]

I think I can give you 5 but I'll be honest I don't spend a lot of time shooting or training on side arms I don't own and can't carry so YMMV.

5. I have yet to get one in my safe but its coming. The Sig Sauer P226 Blackwater Tactical. When I finally procure this pistol it will be in a .357 Sig flavor. I love how this pistol shoots, the sights, the position of the decocker just make sense for some reason. They run like Swiss watches and are made by some of the smartest people in the biz. 

4. Of all the polymer pistols I have fired or carried I think one rises up above the rest. The S&W M&P is my favorite! Great ergonomics, excellent fit and finish, best trigger I have felt on a plastic platform, I really have nothing but good things to say. My fiancée’s M&P 9c amazes me every time we take it to the range. I can admit I expect my big guns to shoot well and they do, but I don’t expect to replicate my shots with her little mousey polymer pistol, but I do. Makes me really question my choices for daily carry.

3. Third only because of my connection with Beretta is the S&W 327 M&P R8. I have only owned this revolver for a short time but I have had the luck of shooting it a few times in the past hence my current possession. In a world of polymer pistols this double action revolver rises above and captures the imaginations of even the youth of this nation. 8 shots of the proven 357 magnum is enough to get the job  done, if not carry two extra moon clips and you have 24 rounds that can be reloaded just as fast as any magazine. The hexagonal barrel provides sub moa accuracy and the lightweight Scandium alloy frame makes this just a pleasant firearm to haul around. I would go as far as to say that this revolver is gaining ground on my 1911. Just a well made, beautiful looking revolver.

2. My uncle spent 10 years with the company and helped design some of the small parts. For my family the go to high capacity 9mm semi auto is the Beretta 92FS. I don’t think there is much to be said that is not known. It is an extremely accurate, extremely reliable sidearm and has earned its place in the hands of our US military. I know everyone thinks that Glock writes the book when it comes to solid pistol platform but I think its just because people find them easier to carry. The 92FS is a solid sidearm and due to my connection it will always have a place in my safe. 

1. My absolute favorite sidearm and my all time and favorite carry sidearm is my SW1911PD. Pandora is a 5 inch 1911 variant. The frame is made out of a Scandium alloy with a picatinny rail molded into the dust shield. The slide is a high carbon stainless steel and the entire gun is coated in a melonite finish. I have had some trigger work done and replaced the factory three dot with a set of XS express standard dot size sights. This gun is on my belt as we speak and as with most days ending in y she is with me everywhere else. I do compete on a limited bases with the sidearm and she is never the reason I fall short. Total package is 32oz unloaded.

[sledgemeister]

1. Ruger Redhawk .44 Mag 7.5" stainles, what is shot, stays shot, what is aimed at is hit and if it gets too close you can club em with it as they are tougher than a sherman tank. Oh and they be fun.

2. Ruger Charger, once you modify the trigger and replace the placcy housing, change the stock over etc etc they undoubtly the funnest, most accurate .22 pistol about for the money, cheap as chops to buy and run.

3. CZ85 Combat 9mm, has never jammed despite the abuse and the number of rounds I have put through it, its getting long in the tooth but if Sh#t happened it would be the one I grabbed first.

4. Ruger Mark iii 6" 7/8th barrell modified trigger, compensated and changed grips is fun to use and despite what the naysayers do say runs just fine and is relatively accurate.

5 Taurus 608 SS 8.75" 8 shot in .357 just for when the knobs count six and think theyre safe. Again the naysayers can get well and trullied, has never given an ounce of trouble, is fun and bloody accurate.

[Walter45Auto]

1. Ruger Redhawk .44 Mag 7.5" stainles, what is shot, stays shot, what is aimed at is hit and if it gets too close you can club em with it as they are tougher than a sherman tank. Oh and they be fun..............

5 Taurus 608 SS 8.75" 8 shot in .357 just for when the knobs count six and think theyre safe. Again the naysayers can get well and trullied, has never given an ounce of trouble, is fun and bloody accurate.

Funny how many of our lists contain that .44 Mag Redhawk.

A couple friends worked at a pawn shop a couple years ago, and they had at one time a 6" barreled Taurus 608. If they had wanted less than $600 for it, my dad or I would have bought it. I still want one.