I've been wondering about shooters' preferences on weapons and calibers recently. I figured I'd ask what people who shot liked in regards to what caliber or weapon chassis and why they liked them. Asking in a firearms forum is pretty much a moot point because each forum is generally geared towards one chassis or caliber.
So....what do you like? Please back it up with reasons why you like it.
Let's start off with some pistols:
Caliber: .45 ACP. Been in use for 100 years. Widely known and accepted. Sub-sonic speeds help to reduce possibility of over-penetration. Higher relative mass than 9mm or .40 cal also translates to more kinetic energy on impact.
Style of pistol: Semi auto. Quicker loads/unloads, higher capacity
Pistol Chassis: Glock. Out of the modern semi-autos it is one of the most simple and safe. While lacking an external toggling safety, it has 3 internal safeties that prevent the weapon from discharging without the user depressing the trigger (drops, strikes, etc). This also simplifies the process of drawing/shooting. While most pistols that have an external safety can be safely carried with the safety off, it is one more thing to be jammed or have to actuate if jarred out of place (or if you carry it in the 'safe' position). The Glock also has a hammer-less striker system - as opposed to an external hammer - which also affords consistent trigger pulls from the first round to the last, eliminating the pesky side effects of shooting single or double action on most other semi-autos. In most SA/DA combination weapons, the first trigger pull is heavier than the subsequent ones, due to the hammer having to be cocked by the action of the tigger being fully drawn to the rear. Single action pistols, while having consistent trigger pulls each time, requires to be first cocked manually. This requires the weapon to either being carried with the weapon on safe with the hammer cocked (not safe) or the hammer being cocked by hand after drawing the pistol (longer reaction time, also not safe). While the Glock is superior in many regards it still has the stigma of being 'unsafe' because of the lack of external safety and being a 'terrorist gun' or 'cop killer gun' because of the polymer frame. In reality, most accidental or negligent discharges from a Glock are caused by people who have not been trained properly or are just plain not paying attention. The lack of the safety makes the Glock an easy target. The polymer frame has led to the Glock being portrayed as being all plastic and being able to go through metal detectors unseen. This is plain impossible as the whole slide assembly is metal - as are the bullets! There are also many other polymer-framed pistols on the market, but the Glock was the first. The main practical drawback of the weapon is that they are rather clunky with many sharp angles and are rather square in comparison to other weapons of the same type. This makes them uncomfortable to carry unless certain accomodations are taken.
Honorable Mention: Colt Double Eagle. Variation on the venerable Colt 1911, it has been adapted to have a Single Action/Double Action combination trigger system, standard on 90% of other pistol designs. While this makes the weapon more of a capable carry/duty weapon, it did not sell well and was discontinued after a few years. It is a collectors item now. It has all the pros of the 1911 - simplicity, accuracy - and fewer of the drawbacks - single action only, no external safety, merely a de-cocker.
So....what do you like? Please back it up with reasons why you like it.
Let's start off with some pistols:
Caliber: .45 ACP. Been in use for 100 years. Widely known and accepted. Sub-sonic speeds help to reduce possibility of over-penetration. Higher relative mass than 9mm or .40 cal also translates to more kinetic energy on impact.
Style of pistol: Semi auto. Quicker loads/unloads, higher capacity
Pistol Chassis: Glock. Out of the modern semi-autos it is one of the most simple and safe. While lacking an external toggling safety, it has 3 internal safeties that prevent the weapon from discharging without the user depressing the trigger (drops, strikes, etc). This also simplifies the process of drawing/shooting. While most pistols that have an external safety can be safely carried with the safety off, it is one more thing to be jammed or have to actuate if jarred out of place (or if you carry it in the 'safe' position). The Glock also has a hammer-less striker system - as opposed to an external hammer - which also affords consistent trigger pulls from the first round to the last, eliminating the pesky side effects of shooting single or double action on most other semi-autos. In most SA/DA combination weapons, the first trigger pull is heavier than the subsequent ones, due to the hammer having to be cocked by the action of the tigger being fully drawn to the rear. Single action pistols, while having consistent trigger pulls each time, requires to be first cocked manually. This requires the weapon to either being carried with the weapon on safe with the hammer cocked (not safe) or the hammer being cocked by hand after drawing the pistol (longer reaction time, also not safe). While the Glock is superior in many regards it still has the stigma of being 'unsafe' because of the lack of external safety and being a 'terrorist gun' or 'cop killer gun' because of the polymer frame. In reality, most accidental or negligent discharges from a Glock are caused by people who have not been trained properly or are just plain not paying attention. The lack of the safety makes the Glock an easy target. The polymer frame has led to the Glock being portrayed as being all plastic and being able to go through metal detectors unseen. This is plain impossible as the whole slide assembly is metal - as are the bullets! There are also many other polymer-framed pistols on the market, but the Glock was the first. The main practical drawback of the weapon is that they are rather clunky with many sharp angles and are rather square in comparison to other weapons of the same type. This makes them uncomfortable to carry unless certain accomodations are taken.
Honorable Mention: Colt Double Eagle. Variation on the venerable Colt 1911, it has been adapted to have a Single Action/Double Action combination trigger system, standard on 90% of other pistol designs. While this makes the weapon more of a capable carry/duty weapon, it did not sell well and was discontinued after a few years. It is a collectors item now. It has all the pros of the 1911 - simplicity, accuracy - and fewer of the drawbacks - single action only, no external safety, merely a de-cocker.
