BigGameHunt.net Hunting Forums

WesternHunter · Joined: 05 May 2006 Posts: 685 Location: Western USA

Hello everyone,
Does anyone here have a favorite handgun that they care to affectionately talk about? Just curious to hear about them and why they are your favorite.

Not looking for this to lead to any critisism of anyones favorite. Please, no disrespecting of any calibers either.

I just know that when you shoot long enough you develope a fondness for a certain gun or guns.

I can say that after roughly 23 years of handgun shooting that I've favored a few different handguns, but my ultimate all time #1 favorite has been the single action FN/Browning P35 Hi-Power pistol. I just love this pistol :thumbsup1: Never get tired of shooting it, ever. Own a parkerized MkII and a newer MkIII (finished with a baked on matte black epoxy paint over a parkerized base finish). I also own a parkerized Inglis No.2 Mk I* (a hi-power that was Canadian made during WWII for issue to commonwealth airborne troops).

No one person introduced me to this gun. I remember reading about it in a book somewhere when I was a high school senior. About three years later I saw the Browning Hi-Power MkIII that I now own under the glass of a local gun shop. It was in the early part of 1994 and the MkIII had just replaced the older MkII version some five years prior. Asked to see it, the guy opened the action, verified an empty chamber, then showed me the empty chamber, then handed it over. Wow, my first thought was (with the exception of 1911's and some older revolvers) that the gun felt more solid and heafty than any other modern pistols I'd handled. It felt like pure solid quality (it's an all steel gun, slide and frame). The gun also balanced so well, and fit my hands like a tailored glove. I bought it, and never looked back nor regretted it since. The guy behind the counter commented at the time that not too many people, let alone the younger guys, are interested in the old P35 Hi-Power. Back then all the rage and hype was for the Beretta 92, and that's what I had originally gone in there for to buy.

Since then I've accuired the older MkII and Inglis Hi-Powers. All three are chambered for 9x19mm. I've put over ten thousand of all types of 9mm rounds through the MkII and MkIII without one single hang-up, not one!! I've put less through the 62 year old Inglis, still with total reliability, though it's chamber ramp is stricktly designed to feed military ball ammo. Field stripping is a snap on these too. I just love these guns :thumbsup1:

denverd0n · Joined: 09 Nov 2005 Posts: 166 Location: Colorado

remington · Joined: 30 Nov 2005 Posts: 237 Location: Misouri

19and11. Para Ord LDA SS with novack nite sites. Carried on duty for 5 years. Sadly my department will soon be going to GLOCKS. I'm crushed.

Unit5A · Joined: 07 Jun 2002 Posts: 224 Location: Arizona

I've always enjoyed shooting revolvers more than autos. I have a blast with my Redhawk .44 mag, but overall I prefer the .357. Just enough snap to make it feel good, and not over baring. I also tend to be more accurate with revolvers right off the bat, without practicing much.
Not that I don't like my .45ACP.... :D

coop · Joined: 02 Aug 2005 Posts: 74 Location: Florida

Favorite hand cannon :thumbsup1:

WesternHunter · Joined: 05 May 2006 Posts: 685 Location: Western USA

Ah, sometimes pictures are worth a thousand words :D

RRIES · Joined: 01 Feb 2006 Posts: 66 Location: WI/MT

Mr coop it is obvious to the most casual observer that you are a man of impecable taste. Or in other words nice picture.

French hunter · Joined: 18 Aug 2005 Posts: 15

That made a long time since my last message on this forum, so I answer to this interesting subject :

My favorite handgun is the Glock 26. I don't have this gun for the moment because is France it need a long time (after 6 months of inscritption in a shooting range we can ask the authorization to buy a handgun, and we wait a few weeks still to obtain the papers to buy a handgun :](*,) ). In 3 months approximately I will be able to buy the Glock 26.

http://www.glock.com/g26.htm

For the moment I have a copy of Kentucky, because black powder firearms are in free sale :

http://www.ardesa.com/avancarg.....ntucky.htm

You have many chance in USA, you can buy what firearm you want, in France we have a lot of administrative constraint to discourage people to buy firearm, especially handguns (and longguns in military calibers (.223, .303 British, 8x57 JS) for wich the law is the same of that for handguns).

I'm happy to have the time to go on this forum, it's the holidays :thumbsup1:

WesternHunter · Joined: 05 May 2006 Posts: 685 Location: Western USA

Thanks for the input French Hunter.

Hearing accounts like this from shooters outside of the USA should really urge more American gun owners to join the NRA and support the fight against gun control. Don't vote for politicians who don't respect the private citizens right to freedom and security. Any politician who fears it's citizens should not be in office. This should always be a nation of the free, not a country run by kings and queens or dictators who oppress their citizens.

Luckily we are still a free country (well in most parts of the USA anyway), but total gun control is sweeping this nation just like prohibition did in the 1920's. Prohibition started out small late in the 19th century going rural county by county, then slowly town by town, city by city, then progressed in the early 20th century to state by state, then after WWI our troops came back from Europe and the whole nation was under prohibitions grip. Gee imagine returning home from a war and not being able to legally buy a beer in your own country!!

The same thing has been happening with gun control in this country for the last 30 to 40 years (city by city, etc). Hopefully decades and centuries from now people here will still be able to have the freedom to talk about their favorite gun that they own unrestricted.

French hunter · Joined: 18 Aug 2005 Posts: 15

In Europe the "culture of firearms" isn't very developed, and the opponent of the right of firearms are listened by the newspapers, and the population in particular in France but also eisewhere in europe think that firearms of honest citizens are responsible of crimes. For example the film Bowling for Columbine that contains especially many lies has been well accomodated in France :](*,) It is most easy to make laws constraining for people who respect the laws than search illegal firearms of delinquents who makes fun of laws of gun control :[-X

In France without a hunting permit or a licence of shooting all the firearms are forbidden for the population, even a simple .22 lr rifle or a shotgun cal 12.

Only the firearms of defense with rubber ammunitions are in free sale, but it need a certificate of a doctor :roll: its firearms like this :

http://www.fusil-calais.com/shop/cat_main.asp?4$5

And for the handguns and longguns in military calibers the autorization must be renewed each 3 years, and if the person forget to renew the autorization before the 3 years it is the confiscation of all the guns (without compensation of the price of the firearms) :roll:

CVC · Joined: 04 Mar 2006 Posts: 1056 Location: Kansas

I just purchased a S&W MP 40 .40 caliber and like it alot. I have a Ruger .357 and a Berreta .380 that I like too, but I think the MP 40 could become my favorite.

coop · Joined: 02 Aug 2005 Posts: 74 Location: Florida

Thank you Rries. That is a Super Redhawk .44 topped with a Leupold fixed 2 power. I tossed the factory rings and used a Weigand Combat .454 base with Warne Rings, the strongest set up I could find.

stillhunter · Joined: 14 Jan 2004 Posts: 144 Location: NE Minnesota

coop, I had the same gun for a while with a 2x scope. Cool looking, but really hard to shoot well(recoil-wise), especially with hi-power hunting rounds. Tough as nails though, you will never wear it out, and you can shoot some nasty rounds through it with no worries!

Right now my favorite fun gun is the CZ-52. It's like the 1911 of the Czech Republic. Also, tough as nails, never heard of one jamming(the cases fly about 25 feet when extracted!), is accurate and a blast to shoot.

French hunter · Joined: 18 Aug 2005 Posts: 15

I think that the CZ 52 isn't produced now, this product doesn't appears on their website :

http://www.cz-usa.com/products_handguns.php?m=1

It's a very good manufacturer 8-) In my opinion one of the most interesting handguns of this one is the CZ 97, if one day I want to buy a .45 ACP I think it could be this handgun :thumbsup1: Look it on a better photo than the one on the CZ website :

http://www.armureriedelabourse.....p?item=651

(i think that this isn't the same completion than the CZ 97 on the CZ website, there is reflections on the carcass of this one, it's very beautiful :cool: ).

stillhunter · Joined: 14 Jan 2004 Posts: 144 Location: NE Minnesota

French Hunter wrote: I think that the CZ 52 isn't produced now, this product doesn't appears on their website :

Your right, it is a surplus gun that is readily available in the US for a little over a hundred bucks. A great deal if you ask me. Ammo is a little expensive(compared to 9mm, etc.) and and there isn't much for different types of factory loads out there, but hey, it's fun and different!