All right, here's my question, *** story. I own quite a few guns, including pistols, shotguns, rifles and others. I'm able to go out and shoot my pistols more than anything else because I have an indoor range close to my work.
I have 9 pistols, but shoot only 3 of them on any kind of regular basis. Since I'm married, kids and mortgaged, I cannot afford to buy any more guns for the time being.

What I was thinking is this. Since I get to shoot my pistols the most and of the pistols I shoot, only a few of them get used, should I sell the rest of them? I was thinking of selling all my handguns and only having 2. 1 for me to shoot regularly and a carry gun.

Now my question....My three favorite pistols are a Springfield .45 thats tricked out, a Sig P226 and a Springfield XD .40

The pros and cons of each....the 1911 I love, it fits like a glove and it's balanced great, but a have a hard time carring it "cocked and locked". Just a problem I'm sure if I work at it I'll overcome. I also love all the parts that are available for it.

I love carring the Sig especially since it has that hammer drop safety and then it in double action. Its accuracy is awesome also. Not sure of its reliability because I forgot to clean it once and the next time I took it out, I had nothing but jam after jam. Now to be fair, I have no idea how long it sat dirty. I was shocked to find it that way because I ALWAYS clean my guns and take great care of them. Guess I forgot that one time.

The XD fits my hand great and it is awesome in the reliable department. I'm not crazy about not having a thumb safety or something like that. I know it has the grip and trigger safety.

What do you think? .....Oh by the way...whatever I deceide the caliper will be .45. I'm just not sure of the make or model.
Please give me your thoughts.

Welcome to the forum. Its hard to beat a Sig., but my favorite is anything in 1911. Like you said, fits well and well balanced. I can shoot my 1911 better than any other handgun I have ever shot. I know others will have a gun that fits them better, but the 1911 fits me perfect.

If you have that many sitting around and you don't shoot them at all, or very seldom because you have favorites you like to shoot more, I would sell the ones you don't want, and get you a nice 1911 compact to carry. The 1911 is one of the safest guns you can carry with the hammer cocked. Its not going off untill you have your hand around that grip and squeazing against that grip safety. I know the XD is the same, but like you said, there is no thumb safety like the 1911.

I have been there but with rifles I bought and hardly ever shot. I traded two of them for the 1911 I have now. Its the gun I shoot the most, other than my Anschutz 1416.

Getting rid of guns is a hard decision for any of us on here. Good luck on what ever you decide.

Yeah, getting rid of guns is very tough. My father in his younger years was an actual cowboy. He used to tell me of the pistols he owned, but sold them when he married my mom. He regrets it to this day.
I have 2 boys of my own, but they are very young and it will be a long time before they could shoot a pistol. I'm rationalizing that by that time, I could afford to buy them their first pistol as my parents did when I turned 18.

I'd love to buy a Ed Brown Kobra Carry, but there is no way I could afford that hefty price tag. This is why I'm thinking of selling all my handguns and buying 1 or 2 that I can practice with all the time and carry with me.

I'm definetly leaning toward the 1911, but my only hesitation is that I've never heard of any "torture" tests done with them.
By that I mean, covered in mud, sand etc...and still functions.
The XD series is a proven proformer in this reguard, just don't like not having another external safety.

Here I go again.....I love some stuff about all the pistols I mentioned earlier, but I wish each had a little more of the others features.

I guess thats way I'm posting, because I know I need to compromise, but I want to make the right decision and NOT repeat my dads mistake by getting rid of the wrong one.

Heres a question for you. Do you want ultimate accuracy, or funtionality? I guess thats two questions in one. If you want accuracy you know where to go. The 1911. You plan on rolling in the mud at the range? :D I know some pistols are tested for that, but unless your in the business to have to carry a gun in all weather conditions, including crawling on your belly in the mud or getting your gun knocked out of your hand in the mud, then I would get the gun you like. I love my Kimber. Have never had a jam of any kind out of it. I am fitting it with a magwell now. Not really any fitting to it. Looks great though. The throat of the Kimbers is such a high polish that the ammo just slides right on in. Just keep them and your mags clean.

This would be a nice Carry gun:

http://www.kimberamerica.com/pistols/tactical/tacticalultra.php

1911 definitely. If you're worried about reliability in difficult circumstances, look up the proving tests through which the US Gov't put entrants in 1907 when searching for a new service pistol. If that's not enough, two world wars, Korea and Vietnam should help in demonstrating reliability and longevity of the 1911 design. In short, the 1911 is probably the greatest fighting pistol ever invented, so much so that our armed forces are now either reissuing inventory, or contracting with manufacturers to buy new ones for the current conflict. It's one model I would definitely keep.

All right, here's my question, *** story. I own quite a few guns, including pistols, shotguns, rifles and others. I'm able to go out and shoot my pistols more than anything else because I have an indoor range close to my work.
I have 9 pistols, but shoot only 3 of them on any kind of regular basis. Since I'm married, kids and mortgaged, I cannot afford to buy any more guns for the time being.

What I was thinking is this. Since I get to shoot my pistols the most and of the pistols I shoot, only a few of them get used, should I sell the rest of them? I was thinking of selling all my handguns and only having 2. 1 for me to shoot regularly and a carry gun.

Now my question....My three favorite pistols are a Springfield .45 thats tricked out, a Sig P226 and a Springfield XD .40

The pros and cons of each....the 1911 I love, it fits like a glove and it's balanced great, but a have a hard time carring it "cocked and locked". Just a problem I'm sure if I work at it I'll overcome. I also love all the parts that are available for it.

I love carring the Sig especially since it has that hammer drop safety and then it in double action. Its accuracy is awesome also. Not sure of its reliability because I forgot to clean it once and the next time I took it out, I had nothing but jam after jam. Now to be fair, I have no idea how long it sat dirty. I was shocked to find it that way because I ALWAYS clean my guns and take great care of them. Guess I forgot that one time.

The XD fits my hand great and it is awesome in the reliable department. I'm not crazy about not having a thumb safety or something like that. I know it has the grip and trigger safety.

What do you think? .....Oh by the way...whatever I deceide the caliper will be .45. I'm just not sure of the make or model.
Please give me your thoughts.


OK Mark Just what was your question?

I guess my question was: Of the 3 mentioned pistols, which would be the best all round to have if I only wanted 1?

I'm thinking by just what I knew and by what others are posting that its the 1911.

Keep the 1911. Carry it in a holster with a thumbstrap and dont worry about it. Later you can get a 22 lr kit for practice.

As for the rest of your collection,

Let me know what you have that needs a good home!

partial to .22 rimfire these days. :D

You must cut expences someplace else is my answer. Macoroni and cheese, beans, rice, etc are pretty cheap when you get it on sale and in bulk. You can clean and store the guns that you don't shoot much. You will save money buy not buying ammo for them.
Hunt and fish for protein. It is fun and cheap. It is also good food that goes well with beans and rice.

Load your own ammo. You can save a lot here. Use a Lee Loader or a single-stage press. It will take up enough of your time that you will quit going to bars after work. You might save enough here to buy another gun? It is better ammunition too! So you will not need as much of it.

Bottom line: Do not sell guns. Save money and buy more!
Cheezywan

I would have to agree with Cheezy.
I have bought and sold many guns only to find later that I wished I hadnt sold them. I have never made any money on any of them, most were sold to pay for other things like food or bills.
So, unless its something you just cant stand to own, or you are hurting for cash, I would just keep em.

Yeah...thats kind of what I was thinking. I really don't want to sell any of my guns, but I really want a couple more. My thinking was that if I sold all the ones I don't shoot, I'd have enough money to buy the 1 or 2 that I really want. But I keep thinking of my dad and him telling me how much he regretted selling his "cowboy" guns. I'd like to kick him also and I don't want my kids to feel the same way about me. :)

I guess I should just somehow save up some money and buy what I want.

Thanks for all your imput!