Hypothetical handgun recommendation
 

This is completely hypothetical as I dont have any spare hundreds laying around to spend on this. But I would like to have an idea for what would be good when the zombie apocalypse gets here.

Would like something thats easy to use, and has common, easy to find, cheap ammo. Ive never shot anything more dangerous then a paintball gun, and I know very little about firearms.

Let the firing squad begin.:giggle:

The gun you can sight in on gangrenous foreheads the easiest, in the largest dead flesh removing caliber for that frame.

Wanna give us a rough idea of something you're looking for? Something Big that'll take a zombie's head off, something small that you can CC, something in between?

uh... yeah. I guess in between.

Glock 19. 9mm, 15+1 capacity.

Don't get a Glock. Handguns should not be plastic.

http://www.kimberamerica.com/product...ls/ultracarry/

^ My sentiments exactly - you won't feel bad when you drop, scratch, or ding or otherwise abuse a Glock. Mine is absolutely reliable (all CC's should have a couple hundred rounds through it before carry to establish performance/break-in) plus they are cheap. Avoid the super cheaps like "Bersa", etc. On the other hand, scratching or dinging a Kimber/LesBaer/WilsonCombat would make cats cry although .45 ACP has quite the stopping power...

Vag gun, 9mm is for pussies, bounces off of windshields. Get at LEAST a .40. Glock 22.

Baddies soak up .40 and .45 all day long...shot placement is king.

9mm is cheap, plentiful, easy to shoot, and plenty powerful when you use the right load.

cheap, plentiful, easy... vag reasons.

Shot placement? Yeah OK, but you usually don't have time to shoot between heartbeats in a handgun fight, you shoot for center of mass and hope for the best. .45ACP is my number one choice, big slow moving hunk of lead. Is it more expensive to shoot? Yes, so what?

.45 - Ammo is common enough. It will stop anything it hits, but recommend using hollowpoint ammo when available. A flesh-impacting hollowpoint from a .45 will:

A. Stop whatever it hits in its tracks. Anything smaller than a silverback gorilla will be knocked backwards
B. Create a conical shaped wound, whereas the entry wound in a normal human sized body would be approximately the size of the bullet, and the exit wound approximately the size of a large grapefruit.
C. The affected area will be much larger than the actual 'wounded' area. A Shockwave will rip through the surrounding tissue, crushing nervous system and vital organ components.

Fill 3 coffee cans with water. From near range, with proper safety equipment, shoot the 3 cans with:

9mm
.38
.45

When the 9mm puts a small hole in the coffee can, and the .45 splits the coffee can into nearly unidentifable parts, then decide if you prefer 'exact shot placement' or 'significant area of effect'.

If you've got money to blow, get a .50 - But good luck finding ammo during the apocalypse.

Please don't listen to the misinformation in this thread.

There is no major difference in "stopping power" (stupid term) of major service caliber rounds, they all suck.

Go somewhere that rents handguns, try a few out and buy what you like.

Get something that is vetted and has a proven track record. Glock, S&W M&P, etc...

Whatever you say bro, I'm just a ex-military FFL and competitive shooter, I don't know shit. :)

So what? That's what the OP asked for, that's what. He specifically mentioned cheap ammo.

Seriously, every handgun caliber sucks balls in stopping power. None of them do enough damage to physically stop someone unless you get very lucky and blow up their brain or their heart. So, unless you're confident you can do that, pick the caliber that lets you punch as many holes in their major organs as possible.

He's a first time shooter and you are recommending a .40? I know experienced shooters that don't like shooting .40's -- I'd rather shoot a .45 than a .40, personally.

None of that means that you have an extensive knowledge about terminal ballistics.

EDIT - To the OP, if you want to learn more about ballistics, take a gander at - http://www.m4carbine.net/forumdisplay.php?f=91

DocGKR, who posted the stickied threads, is Dr. Gary Roberts.

"Dr. Roberts is currently on staff at Stanford University Medical Center, a large teaching hospital and Level I Trauma Center were he performs hospital dentistry and surgery. After completing his residency at Navy Hospital Oakland in 1989, Roberts studied at the Army Wound Ballistic Research Laboratory: Letterman Army Institute of Research while on active military duty, and became one of the first members of the International Wound Ballistic Association.

Currently Roberts has been tasked with performing military, law enforcement, and privately funded independent wound ballistic testing and analysis. Roberts remains a Navy Reserve Officer and has recently served on the Joint Service Wound Ballistic IPT, as well as being a consultant to the Joint FBI-USMC munitions testing program and the TSWG MURG program. Roberts is frequently asked to provide wound ballistic technical assistance to numerous U.S. and allied SOF units and organizations.

Roberts is also a technical advisor to the Association of Firearms and Toolmark Examiners, as well as to a variety of federal, state and municipal law enforcement agencies. He has been a sworn Reserve Police Officer in the San Francisco Bay Area, where he now he serves in an LE training role."

That said, if the OP decides he does want a .45, I happen to have one for sale....a mere $1100.

If you're going to CCW it, i'd recommend a 1911 bodied gun.

i'm not good with recoil and have smaller hands, so i went with the Springfield EMP, but even the big guy instructing my CCW class had a Springfield EMP in 9mm like mine, it's definitely one of the best CCW firearms.

If it's the zombie apocalypse you are preparing for as you originally stated, you might want to look shotgun/rifle before a handgun.

+1 googol.

I can't comment on any other gun that what I own, but what i do have is a little .38 special colt knockoff (armscor is the brand I believe) it was dirt cheap, works extremely well, and is fun to shoot. The only downside is obviously the unload/reload times, and .38 ammo is pretty expensive.

Get a glock 30. I love .45 acp. Everyone has their own ideas on the best ammo though. Shoot, see what you like and go with it. I have a sw990l right now. I love that damn thing too. I wouldn't cc it though.

Good read. 5.56, another crappy round particularly in the god awful m16/m4 platform. One of these days (hopefully soon) our military will figure out that a main battle rifle should have a piston and be configurable in 7.62 nato.

Glock30 is my normal carry piece and a great pistol although I've started carrying a 27 (.40s&w) during the summer as it's a bit thinner and more comfortable.

Want a really kickass G30? I'm selling my G30 that was completely worked over by Boresight Solutions.

Would love to but I've got too many ahead of it on the list...

suppressed .22
M1 Garand
Civil war Springfield

.22 suppressor has been near the top of my list for a long time but it keeps getting pushed down. Hard to justify $400 and the time spent on paperwork just for a toy.

I actually have the pistol ready for a suppressor...S&W 622 with an aftermarket barrel bushing threaded for a suppressor.

I absolutely love my Kimber Compact Stainless... looks great, shoots great, and isn't too large to carry. Only bad spot is 7 round magazines, but if you need more than 7 you have bigger problems.

I vote .40 or 9mm whichever is more comfy for you. I personally have a mini Desert Eagle in .40 and my wife has a subcompact XD-9. I can't shoot her's for shit. The barrel is just way to short to get tight consistent groupings. Mine, on the other hand, I can keep nice tight groups all day long with it.

Wirelessly posted

Fuck I say 9mm sig plastic frame. 18 rounds of sig quality , glock style.

Start with a good quality 22 L.R., like these Browing Buck Marks for example:

http://www.browning.com/products/cat...k-Mark-Pistols

22 ammunition is roughly 1/10th the cost of just about any other round. Shoot the shit out of that 22 so you can learn how to hit something without having to mortgage the house, and while you figure out that a .45 is really what you really need. Sell the 22 for most of what you paid for it, or keep it for shits and grins and cheap plinking (your girlfriend will be happy you did), buy the .45, and you'll be good.

Holy smokes, a guy just offered to trade me his Springfield SOCOM II straight up for my worked-over G30...that's a $2000 rifle for a pistol I've got a grand or so in.

For zombies? .22 LR hands down. Stopping power is a non issue when it comes to zombies so you're better off with a light recoiling pistol that will enable you to rapidly regain your sight picture on a flesh eating zombie's head.

Kimbers are nice, but are expensive. I carried the Glock 19 in Iraq and I loved it...light, you can drop it and not give a shit, and cheap. I recommend 9MM over .45 anyways but that's a different subject.

umm zombie apocopalipse 357 magnum /thread. it shoots the magnums and normal 38's making it versatile on ammo it is dead reliable and fairly accurate + it actualy has enough heft and, clout to brain said zombies if you run out of bullets. the downfall however is that it only has 6 shots. but find some dead cops and take there speed laoders and you will be a ok.

This. Ammo is cheap enough. Then for a Main Battle rifle, choose an AK variant, and you should be good to go. The PMR would be nice in .22LR though.

.45 carbine with a pistol that uses the same mags.

+1 your handgun will be your last line of defense - I reccomenda 22LR - ammo is plenty and cheap. A pop in the head and most are down and out. Why not have all 3 and start some 3-gun? My rifle calibers that I reload for are based on what the military uses - 223/5.56 and 308/7.62 That ways, when the zombie horde is gnawing on the flesh of fallen soldiers, I *might* have a chance to grab some ammo. A good 'ole 12ga shotgun is nice to have too - perfect home defense weapon that shreds the living and undead to tiny pieces - although blood spatter may be a problem - just don't get any on you!

For a reasonable weigh of ammunition one can carry around, you get about TWICE the 5.56mm rounds than the 7.62mm. Having said that, the 7.62x51mm IS my preferred ammo when it comes to stopping power on a carbine (I used to shoot a H&K G3A4 and an HK11 when I was still stationed in a SAM site). It will definitely rip your arm off and split your rib cage in half on impact on anything less than 300'.

Dimitris

These aren't handguns but they will probably do a good job on zombies in close range. 12 GA ammo will be plentiful during the zombie apocalypse (lots of dead rednecks from what I have seen in the movies). During the actual apocalypse I will most likely be in a bunker on a hill with a high powered rifle. I prefer to kill my zombies long range.

http://www.lightweightmiata.com/proj...oomstick35.JPG

FWIW, a friend and I shot a little more than 500 rounds of .22LR today through a Walther P22 pistol and Ruger 10-22 rifle. It was cheap ammo purchased at Walmart and I think we had two fail to load problems with the Walther and two or three stovepiped spent rounds with the Ruger.

http://www.lightweightmiata.com/projects/projects09.JPG

If you are serious about CC I would highly recommend the Keltec P32. I've fitted mine with a laser and carry it in my front pocket every place I go. A lot of people will give you jazz about using a .32 ACP round but I have yet to meet anyone who carries their .45 around with them on a daily basis. Yes, it will let the blood out of the bad guy but I am hoping that the red dot on their chest will stop the conflict before it gets to that point.

http://www.lightweightmiata.com/projects/p32/p3201.JPG

Walther has a .40cal version of the P99. The good part about this gun was that you could buy match grade 9mm and .357 barrels for it. practice with cheap 9mm until you get good, then practice with .40 or .357 to carry. Just a thought. I think each barrel was an extra $100 bucks.

Sorry, I had to post it...

Figured I chime in...

General Use: 9mm or .45 auto w/ 4-in barrel. - It makes a good range gun that can double as a carry or home defense weapon *if necessary*

Daily Carry: Ruger LCP .380 or any of its siblings on the market, using CorBon JHPs and a laser sight. - But CC would be its only function...

Home Defense: Ruger GP-100 .357 Magnum w/ 4-in heavy barrel, using Glaser Safety Slugs. - More manueverable than a 12-ga; just need to pull the trigger again vs clearing a jam/misfire on an auto.

Anything over 15-20 meters: A rifle.

Moral of the story: "You should own more than one firearm..."

- L

This is what happens when you shoot someone in the head with a .32 ACP:

http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/news...uspect_ca.html

Agreed. Deer are about human size (and they are generally tougher) and its not at all uncommon for them to run quite a distance after being shot with a .308 or similar sized rifle round. The .308 makes about 4 times the energy of the almighty .45

After the fun hand gun recomendation thread I started awhile back in here I have made progress. I now have a 12G Maverick (Cheapo Mossberg 500 basically) thats 5+1, and a .357 on the way. 3" 00 Buckshot is awesome. So are deer slugs. So is 100 rounds of trap shooting ammo at Walmart for 20 bucks, and that's coming from someone who hates Walmart.

After firing a lot of guns recently, I just dont like most of the CCW stuff. Guns that light and small have a ton of precieved recoil no matter what round they chamber. I fired neat little Taurus Ultra-light .38 (Not even super-P ammo in it.), and it kicks much more than the .357 I'm getting (Dan Wesson B model without the adjustable sights.) Despite the fact that the .357 has a much higher muzzle velocity. Maybe an automatic will negate that a bit, but it seems like a lot of comprimise for one benefit most people dont even need.

Not that it really matters a whole lot for Zombies, but put some .45ACP and some .357 Mag through a dishwasher or refridgerator some time. The .357 will usually go right through, where a lot of the .45 rounds will still be inside the appliance when you are done. .357 has a ton of penetrating power. That might allow for multiple undead targets with each round in a melee situation.

So unless you absolutely need to carry comfortably a lot, I vote for a larger frame gun all the way. And when the Zombies come, every state is an open carry state :)

So get a shotgun, then IMHO something like a Springfield XD .45. I like those a lot.

Clearly you would keep on coming if you were shot with a .45 from 10-15 feet away... are you people fucking joking or are you just plain stupid?

I guess nobody told this guy that he was supposed to stop coming...

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,...est=latestnews

Says he was black...clearly he was on crack and this doesn't count :fawk:

I wish I could find an article about the 9v40v45 debate. It was written by a cop that had seen all 3 rounds fail to stop people. He basically recommended to split the difference and go with the .40. Enough punch but still small enough to carry plenty of ammo.

Only CNS damage stops someone from coming. A .45 gives you an additional 52% frontal area with a hollowpoint compared to a 9mm. That just means you have a little bigger circle to hit a tiny target that's moving very quickly.

Handguns don't drop people with determination to kill or those on drugs. They make little finger sized holes that scare a normal person for their life or hurt someone enough to make them rethink.

No need to find an article written by one cop. Just go here to see actual data from thousands of people shot with guns. It will allow you to compare the "one shot stop" of different rounds:

http://www.handloads.com/misc/stoppi...=18&Weight=230

My little 32 ACP FMJ has a 49% chance for a one shot stop (203 actual shootings) vs a 45 ACP hydroshock with a 96% chance.

IMHO, the problem with any study like this is - will I be actually have my gun with me (and will I get "lucky" enough with shot placement). Since I have no control over the luck of shot placement I can only control if I have my gun with me. If you see me on the street I WILL have my 32ACP on me - 100% of the time. I doubt that there are many who carry a concealed 45 100% of the time and I think that will make all the difference in the world.

I am serving my 2nd year on county Grand Jury right now (yes, 2 years!) and you would not believe the number of cases that come before us where people are just walking to their car in the middle of the day at Walmart and get robbed/beaten/etc. It has been a real eye opener. Carrying a CW has made me more aware of my surroundings and given me a little edge that I never had before.

I carry a CZ P-01 in 9mm. It's a medium frame gun, but is decently narrow, lightweight, and conceals pretty decently. So far it's been 100% reliable, even with cheap ammo. It's testing is also some of the most rigorous tests on any available handgun out there on the market. NATO classified and based on the most used pistol in the world, the CZ75. All of that fancy shmancy talk, talked me into it.

Some of the info on the testing. Impressively reliable. Very simple to strip and clean as well. I also love the internal slide design, very sturdy and stable.

http://cz-usa.com/press-releases/102

http://czcustom.com/images/products/detail/P01.png

Of course this has to be a fucking civil rights issue, and the goddamn NAACP has to get involved. It makes me so damn mad every time I see a case like this. If they were black, the NAACP will be there to be sure racial tension is high and to try and pass it off as a racist issue. "White cops hate the black man, so they shot him".

I want to change my comment. If you are going zombie, you want through and through to get to the next zombie. 7.62x25 Tokarov.

cz52 ftw

I actually alternate between two handguns and three calibers in my CC guns. The two guns are a Russian Makarov (.380 or 9X18, depending on which barrel I have in) and a Colt Series 80 MK IV Officer Compact (.45ACP). Love them both...

How big a guy are you? I've been looking for a carry gun for a while, leaning towards a G19 at the moment.

I have one of these, a CZ 75 B SA (single action):
http://cz-usa.com/assets/product-ima...37x200_q85.png

But because I'm a small-frame guy (150lb) I might as well carry a 1911: full size double stack 9mms are just as big H x W, and about 50% thicker.

I'm pretty small now. Was ~200 at 6', now about 155. It is noticeable and I wouldn't recommend it for summer carry, but winter or any other season where you can wear a light jacket, it's perfectly doable. I've been preparing to buy a smaller gun for year round carry though, something tiny and pocketable. If the 75B is too big, the P-01 is nearly as bad, it's only an inch or so shorter in barrel length. There are better carry weapons, but I like my P-01, it's good overall.

as far as handguns go u want a silenced .22, easy to carry, shoot, you can carry 1000's of ammo most are easy to convert to full auto, and homemade silencers are simple to make. there are plenty out there and not to mention u can carry more than one, they usually r not too heavy but still durable. unless u want to have some fun blowing shit away, and be as loud and obnoxious as possible carry a taurus Judge lol