From: n9020351@henson.cc.wwu.edu (James Douglas Del-Vecchio)
Newsgroups: rec.guns
Subject: Re: Which Semi-Auto should I buy?
Date: 27 Jul 92 13:53:29 GMT
Organization: Western Washington University

stx@msus1.msus.edu writes:

#My needs are simple.  I want a semi-auto that is accurate (plinking of course
#but I plan to target shoot a lot when working up reloads.)  I also want a gun
#that I can rely on for home defense if necessary. I would also like it to have
#a fairly decent magazine capicity. 11+.  I am a large person with big hands.
#would want adjustable sights but I realize these can be added after the
#purchase of the gun.  I would like the gun to be reliable 


My Astra A-90 has never jammed in ~1000 rds.   It holds 10 rds of .45 ACP
with one in the chamber.   It can do about 1.5 inch at 25 yrds (but my
shaky hands can't), and is in whole, a wonderful gun.  It is double action
with a decocker and a safety.  They come in blue or nickel, and the 9mm
version holds 15+1 rds (of a puny caliber).  I understand that an 11+1
.40 caliber version is coming.     You may like the Glock 10mm or .45 also,
which hold 15+1 and 13+1 rds respectively.   The Glocks have no manual
safety and no exposed hammer, however.


##From the reloading point of view I would like a lot of choices.  I am
#interested in learning to cast my own bullets as well.  I almost forgot.  I
#shoot left handed so having a safety that was ambidextrous would be a good
#thing on guns equipped with manual safeties.  I want a gun that has a double
#action first shot single action afterwards.  

.45 slugs cost me about 3.5 cents each, so even assuming I could cast 100
per hour, and the materials only costs 1 cents/slug, I would in effect,
be paying myself $2.50 an hour to do a hot, nasty, messy, job with toxic 
chemicals.   No great deal in my book, even if I could work that fast.


#In my reading I have come to a few conclusions.  The quality of handguns today
#is excellent. 

	According to gun mags, the quality of every gun is, yes.  ;-)

#Sigs seem to be the popular best choice, but closely followed by
#Glocks, Beretta's and Tuarus's (correct me if this is an incorrect

	That is perhaps a ranking of advertising dollars spent by the 
various manufactures to Petersons Gun Magazines.     ;-)

The Astra A-90 beats the Taurus any day, as do many Star products, such
as the M30 9mm.  Star's current m31 .40s and 9mms come in all steel, or
alluminum framed, like sig, taurus, and beretta are.  Colt and Springfield
.45s are good, and will hold 9 rds with 8 rd mags (almost 11, kinda).  
Taurus is ok, though, from what I've  handled.  I like their revolvers most
of all though.

First: if you reload, ammo cost is meaningless wrt caliber choice.   Any
one of these calibers is as cheap to reload for as any other.  If you do
no reload, and want _cheap_ shooting, then 9mm is the only way to go.  
The others are like $15-20/box vs $8-12 box for 9mm.

#9mm:  	Pleasant gun to shoot.  Ample reloading choices.  Models offered by 
#	all major pistol makers. Marginal on power.  High Velocity.
		
#40S&W:	Developed as a compromise between the 9 and 10mm for law-enforcement
#	use.  avail? reloads? Mag cap? recoil?

Availibility is no issue for any of the 4 calibers, as they are all 
common.   Mag cap is 11 to 15.  The compact Glock holds 13, while the
full size holds 15.   This round is a compromise between .45 and 9mm, 
being almost exactly halfway between in all measures.
	
#10mm:	Really big case.  Kicks (how much?)  Don't know much about this round.
#	Powerful.  Who makes guns for these?  What's the Mag cap?

If you want this caliber, look at the Glock, nothing tops it, imo.
Mild 10mm kicks no more than .40, but with 10mm, you have the _option_
to load much hotter.   15+1 rds for the Glock 20.   

#45ACP:	All the gunwriters and target shooters darling.  Lots of reloading
#	choices.  Big bullets at a low velocity.  Low mag cap because of size
#	of bullet.  Recoil?  Availability is excellent.

Or big bullets at a high velocity.  +P loads do 1100 + fps.   The mag
cap thing is not very important, really.   The Glock .45 holds 13+1 rds.
My little Astra holds 9+1.  A Colt holds 7+1 or 8+1, but so what?

	My feeling is that you will be happy with whatever you get.  I
would avoid 9mm, though, unless you are very adverse to powerful calibers
for some reason.         ;-) 

Jim