Curious how everyone here designed their collection.

[Gawernator]

After seeing how people acted towards each other during COVID, I figured we would need a bit of home protection. I researched a lot about gun safety but not actually about guns. I had shot an M9 Beretta briefly during bootcamp but that was pretty much it for pistols. I went to the LGS and I think I was probably going to end up with a Glock19 but Springfield Armory had a gear up pac as they seem to always do and I got the XD-9. I know a lot of people hate all the extra safety measures but as a newbie, having a trigger safety and a grip safety made my wife and I feel more comfortable. Started shooting more and realized this is getting kind of expensive and looked into getting a 22 to practice with and for the wife. Got a P22 and tons of ammo but the cheapo P22 only comes with 1 mag. Realized this thing loves to jam so now I'm in between selling it or buying another mag to be a range toy.

After a hiatus, I tested out some EDCs and liked the P365 xMacro and Hellcat Pro. Got an excellent deal on the gear up pac again lol. Springfield has a chokehold on me via overall value.

Btw consider the MP5 in .22lr, it's supposedly pretty reliable for a .22, and not that expensive at all

Oh and P.S. buy a Walther PDP Compact 4" for your EDC, you're welcome

 

[Gawernator]

XD9 is a solid first pistol. Mine has been flawless.

XD40 was my first personal handgun, during the S&W .40 craze, thought I was so cool getting the spicy bullet being 21 in the Navy lol

 

[Wolkenflieger]

Btw consider the MP5 in .22lr, it's supposedly pretty reliable for a .22, and not that expensive at all

Oh and P.S. buy a Walther PDP Compact 4" for your EDC, you're welcome

I still haven't shot this gun but I'm curious about it.

 

[Gawernator]

I still haven't shot this gun but I'm curious about it.

I got to hold it, felt so cool. I'll have to take the youtube reviews for the shooting. The gun range in Sac county has one for rent

 

[Spork]

In reality I overly research everything I do, but once you have all the basic categories covered and every size handgun from micro to full size what else do you really need

A beyond expensive 2011 to flex of course.

 

[Roxerz]

Btw consider the MP5 in .22lr, it's supposedly pretty reliable for a .22, and not that expensive at all

Oh and P.S. buy a Walther PDP Compact 4" for your EDC, you're welcome

I have an M4 in .22lr as my plinking rifle but I was embarrassed to mention that lol. I've heard good things bout PDP but no one ever recommending it for EDC. Most people told me P365 XMacro, Hellcat Pro, Echelon 4.0c, M&P Shield (some variant, Plus?). It sure is a beautiful looking pistol though.

 

[Gawernator]

A beyond expensive 2011 to flex of course.

That really is the next step for me. Sigh. I’ll wait for my birthday next year or something. I know it will be too good. Staccato maybe? The 2011 is the one I don’t have…

 

[Spork]

That really is the next step for me. Sigh. I’ll wait for my birthday next year or something. I know it will be too good. Staccato maybe? The 2011 is the one I don’t have…

Another option is a 10mm but unless you spend a lot of time in the woods I think the 2011 would be a lot more fun.

 

[Gawernator]

I have an M4 in .22lr as my plinking rifle but I was embarrassed to mention that lol. I've heard good things bout PDP but no one ever recommending it for EDC. Most people told me P365 XMacro, Hellcat Pro, Echelon 4.0c, M&P Shield (some variant, Plus?). It sure is a beautiful looking pistol though.

Why would you be embarrassed lol .22lr is fun to shoot and cheap, I still have my first ever gun a marlin model 60. Need to go shoot that and blow up some fruit or something.

Well you have to try both and decide for yourself really. Right now the trend and Internet culture is really pushing micro 9mm handguns like the shield plus or p365. And the shield is super nice I also have one on my CCW. However at least for me, it’s not heavy or hard to conceal at all a subcompact or compact handgun (because it’s not also who cares about printing anyways) so for a while I was daily carrying my P2000SK. However the walther is a bit bigger, it’s also much better to shoot due to the ergonomics and trigger and design. Small guns are hard to shoot well and less fun to shoot tbh.

I don’t exactly agree with carry the biggest gun you can conceal, because sure I could carry my P226 however it starts to feel heavy pretty fast and the muzzle is long enough the printing gets kinda funny in my pants lol.

The shield is the extreme other way, more recoil, everything is so tight, less capacity, can conceal in basically nothing and lightweight.

That’s why I like compact and SK, it’s the Goldilocks zone. Big enough to shoot really well and fun to shoot but still light enough and small enough to comfortably carry. I had my PDP compact for 15 hours today in a polo and I’m chilling. 15 or 18 round capacity depending on mag you use. Laser beam accuracy just about compared to a shield or hellcat

So I wouldn’t just get the smallest gun you can buy and CCW it because that’s the Trend right now. See if you can try others even if it’s just carrying about your house for a few min.

Depends on your lifestyle too.. I’ve had to use my CCW once already and deal with a lot of people so maybe subconsciously I like having a more capable CCW.

Never regret that capacity when you get attacked 3 on 1 or 2 on 1

Btw I’m blasted rn I can’t believe I wrote so much

 

[Gawernator]

Another option is a 10mm but unless you spend a lot of time in the woods I think the 2011 would be a lot more fun.

Funny you mention that.. my friend who is kinda new to guns suddenly wants a 10mm after learning about it in CCW class.

I’m like, man, you live in LA. You’re not fighting any big game haha

 

[Spork]

I have an M4 in .22lr as my plinking rifle but I was embarrassed to mention that lol. I've heard good things bout PDP but no one ever recommending it for EDC. Most people told me P365 XMacro, Hellcat Pro, Echelon 4.0c, M&P Shield (some variant, Plus?). It sure is a beautiful looking pistol though.

No shame in having a fun .22 for plinking, my buddy has an M416 and nothing better than just chilling at the plinking range making all the dings for pennies.

I think Echelon and MP 2.0 are definitely one of the most recommended online for a first pistol with Walther and Glocks up there as well, but when it comes to EDC most seem to prefer compact or subcompact single stacks for the comfort/concealment.

Like everyone says the best thing you can do is find a place renting them all and try them out to see which fits you.

 

[Gawernator]

Why would you be embarrassed lol .22lr is fun to shoot and cheap, I still have my first ever gun a marlin model 60. Need to go shoot that and blow up some fruit or something.

Well you have to try both and decide for yourself really. Right now the trend and Internet culture is really pushing micro 9mm handguns like the shield plus or p365. And the shield is super nice I also have one on my CCW. However at least for me, it’s not heavy or hard to conceal at all a subcompact or compact handgun (because it’s not also who cares about printing anyways) so for a while I was daily carrying my P2000SK. However the walther is a bit bigger, it’s also much better to shoot due to the ergonomics and trigger and design. Small guns are hard to shoot well and less fun to shoot tbh.

I don’t exactly agree with carry the biggest gun you can conceal, because sure I could carry my P226 however it starts to feel heavy pretty fast and the muzzle is long enough the printing gets kinda funny in my pants lol.

The shield is the extreme other way, more recoil, everything is so tight, less capacity, can conceal in basically nothing and lightweight.

That’s why I like compact and SK, it’s the Goldilocks zone. Big enough to shoot really well and fun to shoot but still light enough and small enough to comfortably carry. I had my PDP compact for 15 hours today in a polo and I’m chilling. 15 or 18 round capacity depending on mag you use. Laser beam accuracy just about compared to a shield or hellcat

So I wouldn’t just get the smallest gun you can buy and CCW it because that’s the Trend right now. See if you can try others even if it’s just carrying about your house for a few min.

Depends on your lifestyle too.. I’ve had to use my CCW once already and deal with a lot of people so maybe subconsciously I like having a more capable CCW.

Never regret that capacity when you get attacked 3 on 1 or 2 on 1

Btw I’m blasted rn I can’t believe I wrote so much

Also ironically sometimes small guns poke you more or don’t feel as comfortable for whatever reason. It’s weird. The shield is so thin the sweat guard is also small and I feel like it’s poking me sometimes where a bigger gun kinda spreads the weight out

 

[Roxerz]

XD9 is a solid first pistol. Mine has been flawless.

Same here .

Totally agree with both of yall. Only gripe was that it didn't come optic ready which I found out the hard way when I was ready to purchase one. I guess a lot of the choices I was looking at 3 years ago didn't have one either.

Hmmmm... maybe weird cat scooter guy is cool after all

Lol, it looks like that guy's ready to go to the World Cup.

 

[Roxerz]

Why would you be embarrassed lol .22lr is fun to shoot and cheap, I still have my first ever gun a marlin model 60. Need to go shoot that and blow up some fruit or something.

Well you have to try both and decide for yourself really. Right now the trend and Internet culture is really pushing micro 9mm handguns like the shield plus or p365. And the shield is super nice I also have one on my CCW. However at least for me, it’s not heavy or hard to conceal at all a subcompact or compact handgun (because it’s not also who cares about printing anyways) so for a while I was daily carrying my P2000SK. However the walther is a bit bigger, it’s also much better to shoot due to the ergonomics and trigger and design. Small guns are hard to shoot well and less fun to shoot tbh.

I don’t exactly agree with carry the biggest gun you can conceal, because sure I could carry my P226 however it starts to feel heavy pretty fast and the muzzle is long enough the printing gets kinda funny in my pants lol.

The shield is the extreme other way, more recoil, everything is so tight, less capacity, can conceal in basically nothing and lightweight.

That’s why I like compact and SK, it’s the Goldilocks zone. Big enough to shoot really well and fun to shoot but still light enough and small enough to comfortably carry. I had my PDP compact for 15 hours today in a polo and I’m chilling. 15 or 18 round capacity depending on mag you use. Laser beam accuracy just about compared to a shield or hellcat

So I wouldn’t just get the smallest gun you can buy and CCW it because that’s the Trend right now. See if you can try others even if it’s just carrying about your house for a few min.

Depends on your lifestyle too.. I’ve had to use my CCW once already and deal with a lot of people so maybe subconsciously I like having a more capable CCW.

Never regret that capacity when you get attacked 3 on 1 or 2 on 1

Btw I’m blasted rn I can’t believe I wrote so much

Its cause my .22LR is a M4 and not something that looks like a hunting rifle. In my head, if I think of a .22, I think of something like this.

When I take it to the range and it needs to be inspected, they look at the grips and buttstock and wonder why it isn't CA compliant and then realize its a 22lr.

I tried the regular P365 on 2 separate occasions and it was too snappy for me and I didn't like my pinky hanging off and my hands are on the med-small range so that was surprising so yeah, I'm not going for the micros. I wasn't around during the time of freedom mags so I'm stuck at 10 rounds either way. I purchased the Hellcat Pro Comp which I tested the non-comped version at the range and enjoyed it. I did like the P365 XMacro slightly better but I'm familiar with Springfield Armory and enjoy their promos. I don't think I can justify buying any more pistols to my wife at this point but I got to hold the MP 2.0 and a Staccato (1911 or 2011) at my LGS. They look and felt amazing so I'm eyeing to test those out at the range. And its all good, its the weekend, drink a few for me!

No shame in having a fun .22 for plinking, my buddy has an M416 and nothing better than just chilling at the plinking range making all the dings for pennies.

I think Echelon and MP 2.0 are definitely one of the most recommended online for a first pistol with Walther and Glocks up there as well, but when it comes to EDC most seem to prefer compact or subcompact single stacks for the comfort/concealment.

Like everyone says the best thing you can do is find a place renting them all and try them out to see which fits you.

I'm glad I'm not the only one lol. I'm headed to Florida next week so maybe I'll try a bunch of pistols I can't here.

Also ironically sometimes small guns poke you more or don’t feel as comfortable for whatever reason. It’s weird. The shield is so thin the sweat guard is also small and I feel like it’s poking me sometimes where a bigger gun kinda spreads the weight out

Yeah, I am still figuring all that out. I'm looking at the Vedder Lightcarry holster you recommended to me. Trying to figure out if I need a wing, wedge, etc. Just a few days ago, I didn't even know what they were.

 

[jayson_b24]

XD40 was my first personal handgun, during the S&W .40 craze, thought I was so cool getting the spicy bullet being 21 in the Navy lol

I almost got mine in .40.

 

[jayson_b24]

Why would you be embarrassed lol .22lr is fun to shoot and cheap, I still have my first ever gun a marlin model 60. Need to go shoot that and blow up some fruit or something.

Well you have to try both and decide for yourself really. Right now the trend and Internet culture is really pushing micro 9mm handguns like the shield plus or p365. And the shield is super nice I also have one on my CCW. However at least for me, it’s not heavy or hard to conceal at all a subcompact or compact handgun (because it’s not also who cares about printing anyways) so for a while I was daily carrying my P2000SK. However the walther is a bit bigger, it’s also much better to shoot due to the ergonomics and trigger and design. Small guns are hard to shoot well and less fun to shoot tbh.

I don’t exactly agree with carry the biggest gun you can conceal, because sure I could carry my P226 however it starts to feel heavy pretty fast and the muzzle is long enough the printing gets kinda funny in my pants lol.

The shield is the extreme other way, more recoil, everything is so tight, less capacity, can conceal in basically nothing and lightweight.

That’s why I like compact and SK, it’s the Goldilocks zone. Big enough to shoot really well and fun to shoot but still light enough and small enough to comfortably carry. I had my PDP compact for 15 hours today in a polo and I’m chilling. 15 or 18 round capacity depending on mag you use. Laser beam accuracy just about compared to a shield or hellcat

So I wouldn’t just get the smallest gun you can buy and CCW it because that’s the Trend right now. See if you can try others even if it’s just carrying about your house for a few min.

Depends on your lifestyle too.. I’ve had to use my CCW once already and deal with a lot of people so maybe subconsciously I like having a more capable CCW.

Never regret that capacity when you get attacked 3 on 1 or 2 on 1

Btw I’m blasted rn I can’t believe I wrote so much

I've got one of the mid-80s Model 60s: after they introduced the last-round bolt hold-open feature, but before they reduced the magazine capacity. I got it on the cheap with a broken trigger group and absolutely choked with carbon buildup.

 

[jayson_b24]

When I was younger, I was really into hunting and my collection revolved around that. Sometimes tragedy strikes, your whole collection quite literally goes up in flames and it takes the piss out of you for awhile.

Honestly, this iteration of my collection has been a mix of necessity, yearning, happenstance and odd coincidences. I'm sitting at right around a dozen guns, yet I've only paid cash for half of them. Yet again half that number was me walking into a gun store and picking something off the shelf.

 

[tomrkba]

Personal defense with a few hunting guns. Most of the collection consists of either handguns I like or handguns I tried but found wanting for some reason.

I do not sell guns off any more. The financial loss is too high.

 

[skyler831]

My collection is built around odd ball cartridges/ rebarreled and old stuff the local shop has deemed not worth fixing. Example 410 enfield
Sporterised p17 in 458 win.
Plus anything left handed.

 

[dvoncock]

My mindset is to classify gun purchases as “tools” or “toys” informed by my experience as a shooter.

For instance, when it comes to a CCW “tool” guns, I think it’s a good idea to buy something sturdy and reliable, knowing it’s gonna get beat on by holster wear, sweat, frequent practice with hot ammo, etc. rather than using a piece with any sentimental value.

As for “toy” guns, I guy whatever strikes my fancy and fits my budget.