A Pattern Emerges: 10 Handguns, 5 Calibers

By John W. Myers, Internet Photojournalist

I came full circle and bought the pistol I said I was going to way back in July 2007, the G20. Here she is with her little brother, my G29, my pair of 10mms.

Now the pattern begins to emerge, though I must admit, I did not plan it consciously. Next is my pair of 357 Sig pistols, S&W M&P 357 at left, Steyr M357-A1 at right.

Then you have a trio of 9mms, small, medium and large: Steyr M9-A1 with 4" barrel at left, CZ75 SP01 Custom with 4.72" barrel at right and Kel-Tec PF-9 with 3.1" barrel down front.

Last are the two big "4's": S&W 21-4 .44 Special with 4" barrel at left, Llama IX-C with 5.125" barrel at right; and the surviving .22LR, S&W 22A-1 with a custom grip.

Back in July 2007, when I started researching the "Baddest Tactical Pistol I Can Afford" I wrote:

Quote: I'm thinking my next pistol should be a full-size "Tactical" (whatever that really means) semi-auto with as much capacity as can be crammed into the grip, which can definitely be as fat as the fattest Glock 'cause the Good Lord blessed me with big, skinny hands. When I say "full capacity" I'm thinking at least 15 rounds or more. I realize that leaves .45 ACP out of the running with only 13 rounds max capacity of any semi-auto I know about, but I decided to make an exception for that caliber and leave it in.
At present, I have two subcompacts, S&W 9mm and G29 10mm, one compact 357 Sig Steyr and one 9mm Kel-Tec PF-9 pocket pistol, so I'm thinking a full-size SHTF pistol is the next hole to fill in my personal defense outfit.

Going large was the basic pistol plan. I rated the calibers I would consider thusly:

Quote: So to rate the calibers from baddest to least bad (but still pretty bad), 10mm is 1st, 357 Sig is 2nd, .38 Super and 9x23 are combined for 3rd place, .45 ACP is 4th (with the 13+1 handicap) and 9mm is 5th.

The two leading pistol models at that point I identified as:

Quote: The Glock 20 and the EAA Witness and Elite Match are, so far as I know, the only 15-shot 10mm pistols available. The EAA Witness and Elite Match are also available in .38 Super/9x23 with a full capacity of 18+1, which in my mind gives it a leg up over the 10mm choices.

More than three months later, on Nov 9, 2007, I zigged instead of zagged and chose neither, selecting instead a cheaper candidate, a Llama IX-C .45 ACP wideframe for $350 as BTP No. 1.

Here's where I stood at that time, with six pistols: Steyr M357-A1, Llama IX-C, Walther P22 .22LR, Glock 29 10mm, Kel-Tec PF-9 and S&W 669, both 9mm.

Since the Llama, I have purchased a CZ75 SP01 Custom 9mm as BTP No. 2, S&W 21-4 .44 Special revolver as BTP(R) No.3, Steyr M9-A1 as BTP No. 4 and S&W M&P 357 as BTP No. 5, all of which I have loosely included in the "Baddest Tactical Pistol" category despite one of them being a revolver.

At least they're all called "full-size" or "Tactical" except for the M9-A1, which Steyr calls "compact." The M&P barrel is only a quarter-inch longer than the MA1 and they call it full-size, so I guess if I want to call my two MA1s "Tactical" size I can do so.

I failed to mention two .22LR pistols I also purchased during the same period, one of which I sold, a Colt Huntsman, and one I kept and customized a wee bit, a S&W 22A-1.

Then finally on April 4, 2008, I came full circle and bought the pistol I said I was going to way back in July 2007, the G20, which is BTP No. 6. At right, there she is with her little brother, my G29, my pair of 10mms.

Now the pattern begins to emerge, though I must admit, I did not plan it consciously. Next is my pair of 357 Sig pistols, S&W M&P 357 at left, Steyr M357-A1 at right.

Then you have a trio of 9mms, small, medium and large: Steyr M9-A1 with 4" barrel at left, CZ75 SP01 Custom with 4.72" barrel at right and Kel-Tec PF-9 with 3.1" barrel down front.

Last are the two big "4's": S&W 21-4 .44 Special with 4" barrel at left, Llama IX-C with 5.125" barrel at right; and the surviving .22LR, S&W 22A-1 with a custom grip.

I suppose I should call these last three my recreational shooters since the .44 and .45 are a bit big for carry and I'd have to be loony to carry the S&W .22LR for defense. The Llama has been my car gun, but I suspect the G20 will take its place after a break-in period.

So there's the 10 handguns I have now, of which all but two fall into my "Baddest Pistol" classification. The G29 is a bit small to call tactical, but 10 rds. of 10mm is certainly potent enough for carry or home defense plus it will use my G20 mags, which hold at least 15; 17 with the mag extensions I've added.

As Hannibal Smith used to say, I love it when a plan comes together. (Even when I don't have a plan.)

Join the Baddest Tactical Pistol conversation on Steyrclub.com.

Next: Baddest Tactical Pistol 6A: 9x25mm G20

(John W. Myers is a photojournalist, Sunday School teacher and blogs at "Gun Nuts 'R' Us"