Discussion of Underappreciated Handguns

[TacC]

Bersa Thunder.380 is an excellent carry 

[papa61]

On 2/28/2023 at 7:05 PM, JHP45 said:

45 ACP isn't popular anymore because of projectile tech advancements. The question I always ask everyone who preaches 9mm is: how many cases of premium JHP rounds do you have on hand? If the answer is one 20 round box, I'd take the 45.

 

just for the record, I have TWO boxes of JHP,,,in 9mm. I lost count on .45. And yes, loaded .45s are heavy. I find that weight comforting.

Edited April 3, 2023 by papa61

[hipower]

On 2/25/2023 at 8:15 PM, Moped said:

Second was a Ruger P89. Big and kinda a clunky, but ate any 9mm parabellum out there. Used to go in with a friend and buy that cheap Egyptian 9mm machinegun ammo they sold on Shotgun News. They had really hard primers and not all pistols would shoot it. My friend had SIG 226 hated that ammo. The Ruger would sail through mag after mag, with no issue.

The worst pistol I ever is a tie between a F.I. Industries .380 and. Keltec PF-9. The .380 would jam at least once a mag. It looked like a Colt Mustang. The PF-9 would drop the mag about every third shot. Didn’t matter which mag I used. It also was the most painful pistol I’ve ever shot. 

I've only had one of the Ruger P-Series pistols...a P89. I really didn't like it at the time(early 2000s?). It was chunky and heavy to me. Since then, a tgo budy has made me see the error of my ways. LOL. I'm looking for 9/45 Ruger P gun.

Your comment about the F. I. 380, was that FIE? Never owned one, but had people telling me to stay away from them when I was looking for a smaller pistol.

Now...that PF-9. The mag drop issue I never had, but then I didn't keep it long!

My late father-in-law and I were in Specialty Arms years ago. Found the "new" PF-9. I liked it, at least the feel. It was fairly cheap price as I remember; so I bought one for myself. Then Frank(f-i-l) did the same thing. So we both went home proud of our new purchases.

Frank fired his before I did. Told me he didn't like it and slod it to a hunting buddy. I figured it was just him. UNTIL I shot it. Did a couple mags, maybe.

I concur with you..."It also was the most painful pistol I've ever shot."

Only thing worse was a Scandium frame Smith revolver in 357 that I shot once.

 

[Moped]

13 hours ago, hipower said:

Your comment about the F. I. 380, was that FIE? Never owned one, but had people telling me to stay away from them when I was looking for a smaller pistol.

This is an example of one. It was actually and F.I. Industries Model D.

https://www.threegunnuts.com/products/456

Edited April 4, 2023 by Moped

[hipower]

59 minutes ago, Moped said:

This is an example of one. It was actually and F.I. Industries Model D.

https://www.threegunnuts.com/products/456

Interesting. Not seen this, and a lot more likely that I've missed. Just remembered the FIE brand from somewhere.

Thanks for the information.

[Moped]

Those little FIE autos were sold under several names.  Targa was one. Someone here posted a Targa .25ACP for sale the other day.

This one was supposed to be a Spanish copy of the Colt Mustang. Pretty sure they were banned from import after 1968. Never could get that thing to shoot more than a couple of shots without jamming though. 

[dkelly27]

I'll vote for 2 different handguns.

#1- FNS-9

#2- Stoeger STR 9C

[Defender]

I’d have to say the original FNH FNP-45 acp USG  model.  This was developed, I believe to compete to replace the military’s Beretta handguns.  I think the military decided to stick with 9mm instead very early on, but after FN spent considerable to develop this gun and this was left hanging.  There were a couple original models, but the USG seemed the best choice for me.  It can be configured to function like a 1911, chambered, cocked, locked with a safety on for single action carry, or chambered, decocked and first shot double action , subsequent single action.  No parts switching required.  15+1 rounds of .45 goodness.  What’s not to like?  Well, the weight, LMAO.  I felt like I had an extra full length appendage when I carried it plus two spare mags all day.  But that thing will eat anything.  Wouldn’t surprise me if it ate 9mm and 10mm as well!   No, I’m kidding about that last part, but it fired reliably every round and cycled perfectly every time.  FN later came out with other .45 models bug nog sure what they changed or why.

[10-Ring]

I'll echo the others that have mentioned Taurus. I used to be 100% a Taurus hater. I though they have upped their game recently and I would consider them to be one of the best values out their right now. My TX22 is my favorite plinker out of the half dozen or so 22 pistols I own. I much prefer it over a couple of Ruger Mark series pistols I own, and others. I bought a Tracker in 44 mag several months ago and have absolutely nothing bad to say about it. At half the price of a comparable S&W if you are buying it to use there is literally no advantage in buying a Smith. Sure the Smith will retain it's value better, but I bought this one to drag through the woods. Heck, slightly related to this topic, I've made a shift in recent years on considerations for woods guns. What used to be a go to say a Marlin 30-30, is now a high dollar gun that I don't want to beat up. 

[MacGyver]

On the subject of .32s, I’ve always had a soft spot for them.  There are plenty of better options these days - but it wasn’t so many years ago that there weren’t.

I had a friend kill a hog with a .32ACP Seacamp. It wasn’t a giant - maybe 125lbs.

We were ready with the rifles - but dang if it didn’t drop it after about 5 steps. 

[Defunct Ammo]

I know that CZ has been mentioned once or twice in this thread. But I cannot appreciate the P-07 enough in comparison to some other mainstream compacts like the P320C and G19 (including Gen5).  DA/SA with either a safety lever or decocker (parts included), hammer fired with a beavertail , 15rd magazine, very comfortable grip, and excellent iron sights out of the box. Recoil impulse is very manageable thanks to the slide riding inside the frame instead of outside and over. Eats everything I feed it. Polymer frame reduces weight a little bit... can be a dealbreaker for some, though. Can't really complain about anything besides the lanyard loop at the bottom of the grip. Price is excellent too. I heard its successor, the P-09 C Nocturne, has had some reliabilty issues which is unfortunate to hear. Hope CZ irons that out soon. Besides that, the P-07 is the perfect do it all handgun in my opinion. As subjective as it may be. I wanted to get a P-09 before it was discontinued since the price dropped down to Taurus levels and missed out before the Nocturne series released. Will scratch that itch at some point.

[gun sane]

On 2/21/2023 at 4:59 PM, tacops said:

Let's see, right off the top of my head:

• Bersa Thunder .380 - I have several and have yet to be disappointed.
• Taurus revolvers in .22,.38 and .357 - I have had several over the years with never a problem and they were all fine shooters.  I still have several in .38 and one Taurus Tracker 6" .22 that is more fun than a drunk squirrel.
• PSA Dagger Compact - Relatively new to the market it is a "Glock 19 Knock Off" by some folks descriptions.  I like it far better than the Glock and put about 300 rounds through it last Sunday adorned with a Vortex Venom and it ran like Grannies sewing machine.  I think it is one of the best "Bangs for the Buck" on the market as far as compact 9mm.

That Bersa Thunder you sold me is a favorite carry, @tacops.  Together with the Bersa 9mm Ultra Compact, they are super dependable, and I'll probably never sell them even if I could get more than a few hundred for the pair.

[Tom B]

On 2/26/2023 at 4:34 AM, Jamie Jackson said:

I don't recall seeing the Star PD mentioned, I had one of these alloy framed 45 acp pistols around '89 -'90. Despite having to use it proprietary (edited for spelling) 6 round magazine and having to replace it's recoil shock buffer at least every 1000 rounds it was a great and very easy to carry little autoloader.

IIRC it had adjustable sights but shot great with 230 gr "hardball" and 230 gr Hydra-shoks. AND it didn't have a grip safety! I liked that feature as it was a "trend" back in the day to pin the grip safety to ensure reliable function in less than ideal grip situations. Think entangled fighting and/or non-dominate hand use.

It's thumb safety has a decent size and very positive in use.

I believe Star stopped making them around 1990. When I first purchased this little gem I bought around 20 of the plastic buffers. Those buffers sold out (dried up) quickly when Star dropped this PD from it's line up.

I regret selling it from time to time...but I ran several thousand rounds through it without a hitch. It was really a well made alloy frame pistol for the time. But without replacement buffers it's life/use would have been limited...

I'll "defend" it for what it was at the time LOL.

I had a PD when they first came out. I like it so much I had it customized with a commander hammer (gunsmith had to make one), polished feed ramp and had the ejection port relieved. Really wish I still had that one.