Horrible Question

The Gun Thing

…in the mail from Reader Glen D:

“If for any reason you were unable to carry your beloved 1911 — or any 1911 and derivatives — what pistol (not revolver) would you choose to carry, and why?”

Just the thought makes me shiver with dread, with ghastly options of striker-fired Mattel-looking things chambered in 9mm Europellet (most of the market nowadays it seems [sigh] ), or Glocks [shudder]  or things equally foul like Heckler & Koch, who hate me (and everybody else).

And seeing as Foul Glen has removed my immediate alternative — a revolver — I am forced to consider another semi-auto pistol in something like a decent caliber.  But which one?

I’m not going to bore you with the details of my search, because I ended up in several rabbit warrens’ worth of searches.  Believe it or not, I’d never even considered a carry gun alternative outside the 1911 universe before.  I mean, Kimber, Ed Brown, none of that?

But good grief, modern guns are ugly, in all sorts of ways, even if they (mostly) function as specified.  And while there are quite a few choices, most have short barrels (less than the 1911’s 5″), like the Kahr P45:


…which I actually really like, by the way, because I think the Kahr mechanics are actually better than Glock’s.

Anyway, I ended up with the SIG 220 in (of course) .45 ACP.  Yeah, I know, double action rubbish and square, blocky-looking monstrosity, but these would be the times I’d have to live in [whimper].

Anyway, at least the P220 comes in several flavors.  This one’s the “Elite”:


“Elite”, my aching African-American ass, it’s fugly.

Let’s look at some more. This is the [consults notes]  “X-Six II PCC”:


…and it’s quite fetching — redeemed by the grips, actually — but of course, SIG doesn’t make it anymore, so I’d have to find a second-hand one.

Okay, then there’s the “Alloy Stainless”:


…which is also quite nice-looking [yikes];  but guess what?  it too isn’t available anymore, at least not at the several retail websites I consulted.

Once more, with feeling.  This is the “220R-45-XTM” (try saying that after a couple of gins), and it’s sorta-okay:

But still… ugh.

On we go.  Here’s the “Super Match”:


…okay, this one is a lot more like it, and it’s at least single-action-only (SAO) like the 1911.

This would be my non-1911 choice.

Ummmmm…

FFS

Even at that price, I might be tempted — but I very much doubt that the SIG’s single-action trigger is on a par with any 1911, let alone mine.

To Reader Glen:  I hope you’re satisfied.  You bastard.

16 comments

  1. I’d get a Browning HiPower. It’s 9mm, but everything else about it is blued steel and they are a fine, accurate, reliable gun.

  2. Kim, you’ve picked a fine looking BBQ gun there.
    Not that I have anything against Sigs; I have several 220’s myself and their little cousin, the 245, as well. Their SA (after the DA first shot) triggers are not 1911-good, but they are OK. I carried the 245 for many years.
    That said, if you want to carry a self defense TOOL in .45 AARP, as opposed to an aesthetic statement, then you cannot beat a Glock 21 (13+1) and its little brother the Glock 30 (10+1). They even share magazines. You can consider the G21 a truck gun, with the loaded weight of the thing, but the G30 is very carryable and the 13rd reloads seem handy.
    By the way, hatred for H&K makes perfect sense to me, they’re assholes, but hatred for Glock, not so much. You might as well hate hammers.

    1. Hammers can’t win beauty contests. Nor can Glocks.

      The SIG 220, however…

    2. Glock is a damn good gun, no doubt. I like them. However, Springfield Armory makes superior plastic guns. I would never turn down any Glock, again GREAT guns, but if given the choice, Springfield would be my preference.

      Sig P226 and Sig P229 and Sig P220 are some of the best full size guns ever made.
      Glock FULLER size guns (45 ACP and 10MM) while reliable and affordable in price, are much wider in the grip than the 9MM size guns (17, 19 etc). The larger ones are like bricks in your hand.

      If you are stuck on a plastic gun in 45 ACP, or 10MM which generally uses the same size frame, check out the 10MM Springfield XD or the 45 Springfield XD. Much more comfortable to hold than the Glock.

  3. If the trigger on the 220 SAO is anything like the trigger on the 226 Legion SAO that my wife bought, it is as good as a 1911 trigger.

  4. My alternative would be an EAA/Tanfoglio Poly-Witness (CZ-97 licensed clone) in .45acp which has sat in a shoulder rig for a couple decades, or the Para-Ordinance 14-45 “Gun Rights” that sits in a El Paso Saddlery Texas Ranger belt rig along with 2 mags (my EDC is a Para “Warthog” in an El Paso Yaqui slide).

  5. 100% of the Kahrs we sold went back to the factory for repair. Probably dozens.
    I don’t ever remember sending a Sig back. That was pre striker fired Sigs,
    I carried both a 228 or 239 for years.

    1. Classic line Sigs (old DA SA Metal ones, 229, 226, 220 etc) are as Sig used to say “TO HELL AND BACK RELIABILITY”

      New Sigs suck hairy ball sacks.

  6. Got my vote. I have owned my 220 factory re-man (red Tupperware) for 20+ years. Blind hogs and acorns acquisition.

    Back when I had my FFL, a customer found it somewhere online and had it transferred in. A month or so later he was in my shop for something else and I casualty asked him how he liked his 220. Kinda looking at his shoes, he replied that he didn’t because it, “Shoots low”, and that he was thinking of selling it. I explained to him that different height front sights were available and that installing one was no problem. Nope, he was adamant, wanted to sell it.

    Hmm. “How much?” says I.
    Oh, what I paid for it, plus I’ll throw in the three extra mags I got for it. $500″.

    So yeah, a factory re-man 220 plus two SS Sig mags and three blued Excell mags. Shoots, too. When my eyes were younger, I could knock a one gallon paint can off a fence post at 50 yards, first shot, with ball ammo.l

    1. 227 seemed like a good idea at the time, but failed in the market. Out of production for a while now, parts availability might be questionable. Also the grip is … large.

  8. I carry an ugly gun, a Glock 20. It is 1mm better than a 9. It has the power and capacity.

  9. Carry a Howdah pistol in 45LC/410 (if you can). It’d be like a 9mm but for men.

  10. My favorite pistol is a tie (Maybe 51 49 percent, slightly more erring on the side of Sig P229)

    Metal – Sig P229 9MM (New Sig stuff sucks ball sacks. Stick to the Classic lines like the P226, P229 and P220. Stay the fuck away from P320 and P365 as those are junk).

    Plastic Fantastic stuff – Springfield Armory. (Got the old XDS 9, but the Hellcat Pro is tempting).

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