Best SHTF handgun

[cmamath13]

I'd go with a .357 revolver.

I 2nd this! A S&W revolver is the best option IMHO. Proven, reliable, with more than enough stopping power.

 

[Aaron1776]

Ok I'll bite. Who doesn't like SHTF senarios? I mean seriously, whenever the ER is slow, I fantasize about the coming zombie/nuclear/collapse of the dollar apocalypse where government no longer exists. lol

I take an opposite approach, instead of choosing one gun, I eliminate all of the bad decisions and see what's left.
1911- Great gun, unparalled performance when well built and kept, bad idea. Too finicky, too easily mucked up, requires a lot of upkeep and TLC to operate at 100%.

92fs- Great weapon. Lots of them around. Lots of 9mm around. The operation of the gun however just simply isn't as good as others. Trying to clear malfunctions with that thing, which are likely when you consider how dirty everything is going to get and how you probably won't have the time to clean stuff often, without tripping the safety is a giant PITA. Plus it's a 9mm round. I'll explain why I think 9mm isn't the best choice below. I'd call it a tier 2 choice.

M&P and XD- I love them, but frankly they haven't been around long to enough for us to know just how reliable they are. In your typical awesome SHTF senario, it could be a long time before any semblance of normalcy comes back. I would go with something more proven. 2nd tier choice

Anything SIG: Great guns but not as common. Harder than say a glock to find parts for. 2nd tier choice.

Glock: I am not a glock fan at all, but until the XD and M&P have been around long enough and proven their reliability over the long haul, this is probably where it is at. Get it in .45, so a Glock 21.

Why the .45 and not the 9mm? Well think it through. Your handgun is going to be at best a secondary weapon...unless you decide you're just gonna leave your long gun behind before taking on that looter gang. That means the weapon will need to be able to take a beating, but won't be fired as much, thus reducing the amount of rounds you'll need for it. However when you DO need to draw your sidearm, that probably means you're in a really tight situation and need to put down your target NOW. Thus the .45. A FMJ 9mm is really a **** poor man stopper. (Just ask our military) You need quality JHPs to know you have a decent shot at stopping your target right away, and I don't expect many of those to be lying around after the apocalypse. The .45 FMJ however is still a good man stopper (relative to the handgun world). Also, this is America, so there will be enough .45s around to scrounge if need be.

I forgot to mention revolvers: Bad idea. Yes I know they're super reliable, but, since your handgun will likely be a secondary weapon, if you pull it you're likely in a desparate situation and will need more than 6 shots. Moreover the limited amount of ammo you would be able to physically carry with you compared to the easily portable mags of a semi-auto also make it a bad idea.

 

[Jordan]

Beretta and Glock 9mms are the most widespread service pistols in the US. So most military or police armories will have parts and ammo for these. Go with either.

I would be bringing my FNP 45 and using it till it breaks or ammo is impossible to acquire at which point I will use whatever can be found. Hi-cap 45acp pretty much takes the cake as long as it lasts.

 

[Amishman44]

I'd go with a .357 revolver.

Ditto...keep it simple and get a good .357 magnum revolver...either a 2.75 - 4" version would probably be more than adequate! .357's shoot .38's as well...so less cost and recoil for target practicing!

Recommended revolvers are:
1. Ruger GP100 - 3 or 4"
2. Ruger Security-Six - 2.75" (and older model revolver)
3. Smith & Wesson 686 - 2.75"

Good luck!

 

[dyerwatcher]

Sig P226

 

[sig-guy]

snip... Anything SIG: Great guns but not as common. Harder than say a glock to find parts for ...snip

Not when you have multiples of the same pistol. lol

 

[snowwalker]

Why the 23 converted to 9mm? Just so you can switch between calibers?

That is one thing, but I can use my G23 holsters and gear with the 9mm conversion using G19 magazines. For $250.00 (Lone Wolf barrel and G19 magazines) I have one gun that is two without buying more gear. Having two calibers in one gun is a win win any day of the week, plus it takes only 3 minutes to make a swap. For The money involved and ease of operation and parts availability it just doesn't get any better. IMO

 

[Colts]

Colt 1911 tried and true

 

[BehindBlueI's]

Whatever happened to the Medusa revolver?

Medusa Model 47 [Revolver]

Range Report: Shooting the Medusa Revolver | 1 With A Bullet

It was billed as a SHTF revolver with the ability to fire a lot of different calibers besides the standard .38/.357. It also shoots 9mm, .380, about two dozen calibers in total.

 

[blueboxer]

Ok I'll bite. Who doesn't like SHTF senarios? I mean seriously, whenever the ER is slow, I fantasize about the coming zombie/nuclear/collapse of the dollar apocalypse where government no longer exists. lol

I take an opposite approach, instead of choosing one gun, I eliminate all of the bad decisions and see what's left.
1911- Great gun, unparalled performance when well built and kept, bad idea. Too finicky, too easily mucked up, requires a lot of upkeep and TLC to operate at 100%.

92fs- Great weapon. Lots of them around. Lots of 9mm around. The operation of the gun however just simply isn't as good as others. Trying to clear malfunctions with that thing, which are likely when you consider how dirty everything is going to get and how you probably won't have the time to clean stuff often, without tripping the safety is a giant PITA. Plus it's a 9mm round. I'll explain why I think 9mm isn't the best choice below. I'd call it a tier 2 choice.

M&P and XD- I love them, but frankly they haven't been around long to enough for us to know just how reliable they are. In your typical awesome SHTF senario, it could be a long time before any semblance of normalcy comes back. I would go with something more proven. 2nd tier choice

Anything SIG: Great guns but not as common. Harder than say a glock to find parts for. 2nd tier choice.

Glock: I am not a glock fan at all, but until the XD and M&P have been around long enough and proven their reliability over the long haul, this is probably where it is at. Get it in .45, so a Glock 21.

Why the .45 and not the 9mm? Well think it through. Your handgun is going to be at best a secondary weapon...unless you decide you're just gonna leave your long gun behind before taking on that looter gang. That means the weapon will need to be able to take a beating, but won't be fired as much, thus reducing the amount of rounds you'll need for it. However when you DO need to draw your sidearm, that probably means you're in a really tight situation and need to put down your target NOW. Thus the .45. A FMJ 9mm is really a **** poor man stopper. (Just ask our military) You need quality JHPs to know you have a decent shot at stopping your target right away, and I don't expect many of those to be lying around after the apocalypse. The .45 FMJ however is still a good man stopper (relative to the handgun world). Also, this is America, so there will be enough .45s around to scrounge if need be.

I forgot to mention revolvers: Bad idea. Yes I know they're super reliable, but, since your handgun will likely be a secondary weapon, if you pull it you're likely in a desparate situation and will need more than 6 shots. Moreover the limited amount of ammo you would be able to physically carry with you compared to the easily portable mags of a semi-auto also make it a bad idea.

Agreed man, with a few exceptions. I do think the XD and M&P are more than reliable enough on their track record. Why I wouldn't chose them and why I might choose a 1911 or 92fs is this: parts availability. Even though 1911's can be a bit temperamental, if there is any single handgun I KNEW I could come across parts for in a crazy apocalypse scenario, it would be the 1911. The 92fs/M9 would be close seconds. Glocks are in the same boat partswise.

So I would probably settle for any of those three. Although I HATE how the G21 feels, and it's the "least good" of the Glock line IMO. Wouldn't do the revolver route, wouldn't want to do the 9 route because of FMJ issues. On the other hand, as you said, I wouldn't be using my secondary much...so maybe a 9 is ok.

So although I read this thread title and thought "Glock, or an M&P45"...I might actually go 1911. Or M9. Which I find quite surprising actually.

 

[seedubs1]

Agreed man, with a few exceptions. I do think the XD and M&P are more than reliable enough on their track record. Why I wouldn't chose them and why I might choose a 1911 or 92fs is this: parts availability. Even though 1911's can be a bit temperamental, if there is any single handgun I KNEW I could come across parts for in a crazy apocalypse scenario, it would be the 1911. The 92fs/M9 would be close seconds. Glocks are in the same boat partswise.

So I would probably settle for any of those three. Although I HATE how the G21 feels, and it's the "least good" of the Glock line IMO. Wouldn't do the revolver route, wouldn't want to do the 9 route because of FMJ issues. On the other hand, as you said, I wouldn't be using my secondary much...so maybe a 9 is ok.

So although I read this thread title and thought "Glock, or an M&P45"...I might actually go 1911. Or M9. Which I find quite surprising actually.

Although many of the 1911 parts are not "plug and play." They would need to be fit to the gun, and require someone with the knowledge to do so.

So even if there's plenty of parts available for your broken 1911, you may not be able to fix it.....unless you're a gun smith (or armature DIY smith).

That's why I'd recommend one of the more recently designed guns instead of the 1911. They can swap parts easily because they were designed for today's manufacturing processes where parts are not hand fitted.

 

[blueboxer]

Although many of the 1911 parts are not "plug and play." They would need to be fit to the gun, and require someone with the knowledge to do so.

So even if there's plenty of parts available for your broken 1911, you may not be able to fix it.....unless you're a gun smith (or armature DIY smith).

That's why I'd recommend one of the more recently designed guns instead of the 1911. They can swap parts easily because they were designed for today's manufacturing processes where parts are not hand fitted.

Totally agreed. I should add that I would take it if/when I was comfortable fitting most parts that might need replacing to the gun. Very good point, should have remembered to put that in there myself. Essentially when you boil it down what I was saying was: take a gun you know you will be able to fix/get fixed if it breaks, and that you can find accessories (holsters, mags, etc) for readily.

 

[mdmayo]

Whatever happened to the Medusa revolver?

Medusa Model 47 [Revolver]

Range Report: Shooting the Medusa Revolver | 1 With A Bullet

It was billed as a SHTF revolver with the ability to fire a lot of different calibers besides the standard .38/.357. It also shoots 9mm, .380, about two dozen calibers in total.

This is seriously cool. I'd so forgotten about it, thanks for the reminder. I now have a new "bucket list" item.

 

[Hookeye]

I bet it messes up the brass though.

 

[ocsdor]

 

[Big Ram]

I'd go with a xd service compact, or m&p in .40 or .45. I like the way 45 feels over 40. 40 snaps to much for me plus I love the size of whole a 45 leaves. If I were you I would shoot both calibers and choose which one youre most accurate with and whichever feels best. Also you can never go wrong with a 1911 a little more annoying to carry but if you ever have to use it you won't have to worry about it doing the job.

 

[kcw12]

cz 75b

 

[Cat-Herder]

6" revolver in 357 magnum is my choice...

 

[dtkw]

In situation like SHIF, just grab whatever you can shoot well and move on. But you'd be better off with an AR than a handgun.

 

[traderdan]

I 2nd this! A S&W revolver is the best option IMHO. Proven, reliable, with more than enough stopping power.

3rd or 4rth this! 4 inch barrel.