Best two gun combo (handguns)

[rideac]

Hey all, been thinking about this for awhile. I know that a rifle is superior to any pistol, but as far as handguns go, what combination of guns do you think is best? As in, 2 is 1 and 1 is none.

I know having two guns that use the same cal would be good like a glock17 and 19 combo (bonus for being able to use same mags!)

but I was thinking post shtf (my scenerio is economic collapse) it would be good to have a multiple caliber options to increase the likelihood of finding ammo you can use when and if you run out.

So all things considered I like a 9mm like a g17 and a .357 revolver combo so you have something with a bit more stopping power and you have something that doesn't tale mags just in case.

What are your thoughts? All same cal or 2 different?

 

[grunt soldier]

you will get a million different answers on this because everyone has there preferences. i will give you my opinion on it also. i would say get 2 glock 22's instead of the 17 and then just buy 2 drop in 9 barrels and some extra glock 17 mags. then you have 40 (most common law enforcement round) and 9 mil (army/law enforcement, civilian) covered. they are also 2 of the cheapest pistol ammo's around. you can also do this with a few other brands of gun i think like sig and maybe h&k but i am not positive though. i know personally the drop in barrels work awesome in glocks though.

 

[IndySSD]

I have 2x Glock 22's in .40 cal.

I plan on getting two identical 9mm Glocks sometime in the not too distant future.

SHTF ammunition/caliber thought process. -

Think less stopping power and more about availability if ammunition isn't being stocked at ChinaMart. Guns don't do crap without ammunition. Think about it, 9mm is a NATO round and is easily the most prolific pistol (and PCR) round worldwide and .40 is (arguably?) the most widely used LE caliber here in the US. Both are relatively easy to reload and cost effective. The big thing is availability, availability, availability.

SHTF Firearms selection thought process.

Like you said, 2 guns is 1, 1 is none. Should you need to ever refer to your backup I prefer to keep the platform as identical as possible. Both for ammunition purposes as well as familiarity purposes.

Also I wanted firearms that I could use parts from should one of them experience a catastrophic failure I can use whatever parts may be left over to maintain the second going forward. There are TONS of Glocks and Glock parts all over the US.

Most people don't train nearly enough with their one firearm, how many people can switch from firearm to firearm seamlessly and shoot equally well with both? Not me and I put a few thousand rounds per year downrange. However I can shoot my backup about 99% as well as my EDC primary. (there is a little bit of difference as my EDC has a partial set of "Decal Grips" on it)

just my

 

[JoshuaW]

Just a gun with caliber conversions.

Personally, I want a rifle, and a handgun. Those would be my two caliber diversification. I have my 9mm, and a .223 rifle. Or maybe a 7.62x39 rifle. Go for common calibers.

Another option, especially good economic collapse would be to buy a common caliber (9mm in this example) and a carbine for that same caliber. Think G17 and a Sub2k. Shared mags, shared caliber. Then, buy a Lee hand press and dies, 1000 bullets, 1000 primers, and a pound of powder, and store it all in a .50 Can or two. Then you can keep purchasing 9mm until you can no longer find it, then you can just continue reloading your own.

Ultimately, I wouldnt want just two handguns. It is more practical to have a rifle and a handgun.

 

[dom1104]

If you plan on surviving that many running gunfights to run OUT of defensive handgun ammo, you are rambo indeed.

buy 2x 9mm guns, buy 1k rounds of ammo, be done with it.

Move on to rifles.

 

[IndySSD]

If you plan on surviving that many running gunfights to run OUT of defensive handgun ammo, you are rambo indeed.

buy 2x 9mm guns, buy 1k rounds of ammo, be done with it.

Move on to rifles.

I agree with this logic, I have a son and a wife to help out if need be so I want to make sure we're all able to be armed and can share ammunition if something cataclysmic happens.

For a single guy, I 100% agree with Dom. Two glocks in 9mm, ammo and move on to the next topic of preparation....(which should be training!.... THEN rifles... etc...)

I've even considered getting a 9mm PCR in maintaining the same thought processes.

 

[dom1104]

I agree with this logic, I have a son and a wife to help out if need be so I want to make sure we're all able to be armed and can share ammunition if something cataclysmic happens.

For a single guy, I 100% agree with Dom. Two glocks in 9mm, ammo and move on to the next topic of preparation....(which should be training!.... THEN rifles... etc...)

I've even considered getting a 9mm PCR in maintaining the same thought processes.

I agree with SSD.
Here is how I do it here at home.

There are two types of handguns here.

1911s, and M&Ps.

Thats it.

The 1911s I use for competition and CCW, the M&Ps are setup for bedroom duty, and SHTF.

I shoot the M&Ps in Production class and Stock Service Pistol in IDPA, and treat them as what they are. Service Pistols. They have CT lasergrips, TLR1 lights, 23 round magazines and reside in Raven Concealment OWB holsters.

I shoot the 1911s in SS, ESP, and CDP, and carry a lightweight Commander for CCW. I treat them as what they are, low capacity target pistols that are safe to CCW. Lasergrips will be purchased for the CCW, waiting on a new model from CT, the rest are competition based.

Thats pretty much it as far as handguns go.

19 M&P mags, 10 w/ 23 round basepads, 9 with the stock 17 rounders.

Thats 385 rounds of 9mm+P+ Doubletap ammo, if we ever, EVER shoot that much in defense of our lives, we would be ... immortal.

+ 9 rounds of 45 in the 1911 in my belt + 10 rounds in the pocket, just like always. That will always be there, and never change.

 

[sshelton]

I carry a g26 everday...I'm planning on getting a g23 throwing a trl1 on it and dropping a 9mm barrel, then stocking up on g19 mags so they can be interchangeable...then if I find 9mm or .40 I can use it

I have a wife and 2 kids so after that will be a very common round .22lr and outfit my wife with a 10/22 ...

 

[Ronald]

you will get a million different answers on this because everyone has there preferences. i will give you my opinion on it also. i would say get 2 glock 22's instead of the 17 and then just buy 2 drop in 9 barrels and some extra glock 17 mags. then you have 40 (most common law enforcement round) and 9 mil (army/law enforcement, civilian) covered. they are also 2 of the cheapest pistol ammo's around. you can also do this with a few other brands of gun i think like sig and maybe h&k but i am not positive though. i know personally the drop in barrels work awesome in glocks though.

You can convert Glock 22's into 9mm just by swapping barrels and magazines? This is news to me, can you swap a 23 to 9mm? Does anything else need changed? That may sound like my the ideal setup if it's just a simple 2 part swap.

 

[DanO]

"A guy I know" has a Glock 22 and 27. He got .3578 SIg barrels for them, so both guns function with either caliber. THe mags work for either cabliber. Then he got some 9mm Glock mags for both frame sizes. Now I, er, HE just needs 9mm barrels and ejectors for the guns to make them 3 caliber. Then he bnought a bunch of springs, pins and conncectors to keep the guns running into the next century.

BTW, the guns will run OK with the 40/.357 size ejector, but to run 100%, you want to put a 9mm ejector in.

 

[grunt soldier]

"A guy I know" has a Glock 22 and 27. He got .3578 SIg barrels for them, so both guns function with either caliber. THe mags work for either cabliber. Then he got some 9mm Glock mags for both frame sizes. Now I, er, HE just needs 9mm barrels and ejectors for the guns to make them 3 caliber. Then he bnought a bunch of springs, pins and conncectors to keep the guns running into the next century.

BTW, the guns will run OK with the 40/.357 size ejector, but to run 100%, you want to put a 9mm ejector in.

hum i guess it depends on what your buying. if you buy the lone wolf drop in barrels they run just fine with the 40/357 ejector/extractor. you will not be able to use the 40/357 sig mags with the 9 mil rounds. you will have to buy separate 9 mil mags. if your going for 40-357 sig or vise versa you can use the same mags for them. this is my personal experiences i suppose there could be problems but i have both 357 sig/ 40 and 9 mil and have run a couple thousand rounds through them no problem. if you buy a drop in conversion barrel from glock or some other companies you need to change the ejector.

 

[grunt soldier]

You can convert Glock 22's into 9mm just by swapping barrels and magazines? This is news to me, can you swap a 23 to 9mm? Does anything else need changed? That may sound like my the ideal setup if it's just a simple 2 part swap.

to answer you directly yes you can do this for the glock 23 also. just buy a drop in lone wolf conversion barrel and some extra mags. when its time to plink take the gun apart drop in 9 mil barrel and get load up 9 mil mags. insert and shoot. very quick easy and mine conversions have worked flawlessly. if you look around enough you can find the conversion barrels for steals. i got one for my 27 for 75 bucks off one of the forums exchange.

 

[Iroquois]

I like the idea of multi-caliber handguns. A friend has a single action .45 acp/ long
colt .. Ruger used to make lots of these combos. I think to answer the original question
I'd go with a long barrel .357 for shots out to 100 yrds. Also a pocket auto in .40.
Don't over look large capacity revolvers in case we go back to black powder...

 

[rideac]

i like that idea. so i'll buy a g22 (or two) and buy a 9mm lonewolf drop in barrel and all i have to do is swap barrels and mags and its good to shoot 9mm? thats exactly the kind of idea i'm looking for.

 

[.45 Dave]

I like the idea of multi-caliber handguns. A friend has a single action .45 acp/ long
colt .. Ruger used to make lots of these combos. I think to answer the original question
I'd go with a long barrel .357 for shots out to 100 yrds. Also a pocket auto in .40.
Don't over look large capacity revolvers in case we go back to black powder...

Interesting thought. I hadn't really considered the possibility of not having modern gunpowder but I suppose it could come to that. However, I think it would take essentially another dark ages to get that far, not that that isn't out of the question mind you!

On another thought I would like to throw this out: Might having 4 or 5 handguns in different calibers make finding ammo a little easier? I mean in a SHTF scenario, if everyone is shooting 9mm then finding it is going to become more difficult as everyone will be grabbing 9mm. Finding .45 ACP or even .45 LC won't do a 9mm any good, but if you ALSO have a .45 ACP or a good cowboy gun with both a cylinder for .45 ACP and .45 LC (like I have ) AND a .380 or whatever, then you can have a better chance of using anything you might find to buy or barter for. Just a thought.

 

[John Galt]

1) Wilson .45
2) Glock 19

Just because ...

 

[Fireaxes]

I'll never be without a .22 handgun. As for the other, probably a 1911 or 357 magnum revolver.

 

[sshelton]

I'll never be without a .22 handgun. As for the other, probably a 1911 or 357 magnum revolver.

What .22 handgun do you own? I like the idea of having one, especially if a 10/22 is in my shtf gear.

 

[SemperFiUSMC]

Suppressed GSG 1911s.

Why .22? I get a good deal on great suppressors Yeah, 9mm is sexier. But when someone hears the boom they will make out your position. A suppressed 22 is awful quiet. CBs or Super Colabris are silent, if you have the right suppressor (shameless plug). The 5 inch barrel allows for higher velocity, and the action captures more of the explosion released therough the blowback than the P22, Mosquito, or Ruger 22/45.

There are more accurate pistols. There are larger caliber pistols. But if I am engaged in a shooting match, I want one that is stealth-silent with quick followup shots, no matter who is shooting it.

Now, I might also have a couple M&P 357 Sigs with 30 or so magazines, but they weight much more and would be more stash weapons, if I had them.

 

[Jerry D Young]

Glock 21SF .45 ACP for primary
Beretta Tomcat .32 ACP for hideout