Handgun Suggestions [For a Literary Project]

[theinterchange]

I'm currently writing a novel about a private investigator, and am trying to decide on what handgun he will carry. To this point, I've not filled in the obligatory info on said gun apart from it being a revolver his grandfather had bought in the mid to late 60's. [Note, this is a current day setting]

I was thinking the .38 Special Colt Diamondback snubnose.. But on second though, it's kind of cliche [to me at least] being the gun Frank Bullitt carried.

Or, should I ditch the nostalgia of carrying a dated firearm in favor of a more modern one? The character prefers revolvers to autos in most of his daily carry, so that part's a non-negotiable.

Thanks for any help, ideas, or suggestions!

Randy

[Chewbacca Jones]

Well, if he's a revolver guy in current times, he's either;

a. Very old fashioned - Would favor a .38 Special. You could vary it up by making it a S&W Model 10. As classic as it gets.

b. Very practical - .38 snubby ankle gun as a backup, but a .357 Magnum primary. S&W, Colt, and Ruger are your top revolver makers. .357 is considered a better defense round, and many such guns can take .38 Special as well. That would mean that, in a pinch, he could use either ammo type in his primary. That gives you some extra 'gun business' you could write into the story somehow.

P.S. - Thank you. I love revolvers.

[theinterchange]

He's a mix of old fashioned and practical. But, in the opening sequence, he carries an auto.. with a silencer.

Randy

[Chewbacca Jones]

He's a mix of old fashioned and practical. But, in the opening sequence, he carries an auto.. with a silencer.

Randy

Sounds like a Smith man to me.

[Michaelson]

I moved this to the gun section, as you'll have a better chance getting answers from our 'gun collectors' here.

Regards! Michaelson

[Dangerman009]

Although I have no experience with small frame revolvers I suggest a S&W Centennial Airweight. I don't think a medium to large frame revolver with 4" barrels would carry too well concealed all day.

The Centennial Airweight has been around in various model numbers and configurations since the 60s or before. In fact it was one of the guns Geoffrey Boothroyd suggested to Ian Flemming as a personal gun for James Bond instead of the .25 Beretta.

If it were me and the revolver had nostalgic value (it was my grandfather's), I probably wouldn't want to carry it and risk getting it damaged or losing it. Most likely it would stay safely at home. But that's just me.

Dangerman

[Hatch]

Got to agree with Dangerman on that point........what about having sequence where he picks up same model of gun in a pawn shop or from gun dealer like his granddad's (which he keeps in nightstand etc)

[theinterchange]

I moved this to the gun section, as you'll have a better chance getting answers from our 'gun collectors' here.

Regards! Michaelson

Thanks, I thought about posting there but didn't know if Lao Che's would be more appropriate.

One drawback to the Airweight, only 5 rounds. But, that is a viable option. The Smith Model 10 may be a good choice, though a .357 Magnum may be a wiser one.

As far as sentimentality is concerned. The detective isn't overly sentimental about guns, while he collects them, they're also to be used.

That being said, I may lean more toward him carrying a modern revolver. And in some scenes, he's carrying a semi auto.. when he's in situations where larger capacity of rounds are possibly going to be an issue.

Thanks for the help, this has been interesting, and I'm curious to see what others have to say.

Randy

[Dangerman009]

For modern carry revolvers, how about:


S&W Model 40 .38 Special, currently in production.


S&W Model 64 .38 Special.


S&W 686 2 1/2" barrel and seven shot cylinder, .357 Magnum.

I'm no expert, but I'm going to contribute my opinion anyway. For most people, including Private Investigators, I think .357 is overkill for most personal protection situations. And if he needs more than 5 shots, he'd better call for backup.

That being said, I may lean more toward him carrying a modern revolver. And in some scenes, he's carrying a semi auto.. when he's in situations where larger capacity of rounds are possibly going to be an issue.

That's a good idea. Plus, if he really gets in a really bad situation and he's out of ammunition for his revolver, he can always pick up one of the bad guy's guns.

I hope I didn't overstep my bounds.

Dangerman

[theinterchange]

I'm no expert, but I'm going to contribute my opinion anyway. For most people, including Private Investigators, I think .357 is overkill for most personal protection situations. And if he needs more than 5 shots, he'd better call for backup.

That being said, I may lean more toward him carrying a modern revolver. And in some scenes, he's carrying a semi auto.. when he's in situations where larger capacity of rounds are possibly going to be an issue.

That's a good idea. Plus, if he really gets in a really bad situation and he's out of ammunition for his revolver, he can always pick up one of the bad guy's guns.

I hope I didn't overstep my bounds.

Dangerman

Not in the least! Thanks for your suggestions. The Model 64 is one I thought about. I always love hearing people's opinions on guns, it's very interesting.

Randy

[Chewbacca Jones]

I'm diggin' the 64!

[Terryhimself]

About a thousand years ago when I did some P.I.work, I was often called upon to do body guard duties. Depending
on my mode of dress, I would often carry the Colt Detetective Special in my coat pocket. This was to keep the bad
guy busy till I could get the 1911 Colt from my waist band or shoulder holster. The Colt Detective Special was nice because it carried 6 rds. not five. The only draw back was in an ankle holster the rds. would make a clicking sound against the recoil shield in the frame when you walked.

[theinterchange]

Good to know about the Detective Special in a real world application, Terryhimself.

I'm leaning toward the Model 64, Chewie.

Randy

P.S now to figure out what his other pistol will be. I don't want to go the expected GLock, or Sig route. Thinking about the Walther PPS in .40 S&W, anyone have a better suggestion?

[Chewbacca Jones]

Well, some say the CZ-75 is one of the best auto's ever made. My auto of choice, though, which incorporates the CZ's mechanical trademarks, is the Springfield XD. And there is, of course, Terry's 1911, which comes in more variations than I can count.

My XD:

[theinterchange]

The 1911 is very popular. Chewbacca, that XD of yours is a good looking gun what caliber is it?

I didn't really pay attention to the XD M being the American Rifleman Handgun of the Year.

Randy

[Chewbacca Jones]

My XD is pre-"M" but functionally it's the same (M's have changeable backstraps and come with a second mag and a holster). It's a 9mm, but came in a 40 as well. The XD-M might have other caliber options. If I had known the recoil was so light, I would have gotten the 40 instead.

The high capacity magazine does not add the same bulk that other auto grips have (like the beefy Beretta). The frame is polymer like a Glock, but the slide is metal, giving it weight and heft. Low recoil, ambidexterous mag release, simple and clear sights, and the accessory rail doesn't clumsy-up the gun. The down sides are that it's single action only, and has no safety lever (just the palm and trigger pressure safeties). I don't even like autos, but I love this gun.

I wouldn't want to try concealed carry in the summer, but it could work fine in jacket and coat weather. At any rate, the XD has earned it's awards quiet rightly. I went through many autos over the years, and this one leaves them all in the dust.

(Never thought I'd end up talking about my XD on this message board, I must say! )

[carebear]

Depending on your setting, don't get too hung up on concealment issues, no pistol you've mentioned is a problem.

From personal experience, it is not terribly difficult to regularly comfortably and discreetly carry (some) full-size autos and K/L frame revolvers under even something as simple as an untucked polo/camp-type shirt.

Strange as it may seem, most people don't seem to notice even unconcealed guns unless something overt is done to draw their attention. If they do notice, the natural tendency seems to be for them to assume you're a police officer or something and go about their business. On top of that, depending on where your detective lives and works, even if they do notice the gun and don't think "cop", they still might not care. For much of the country carry just isn't a big deal anymore.

A bit to one side of your initial question, but something to think about for setting purposes, it isn't just cops, PIs and bad guys carrying in most places and the citizenry there behave appropriately.

[theinterchange]

Carebear, my detective lives in a smallish coastal Florida town. And I agree, that the "cops and robbers" aren't the only armed folks out there. Quite a few of my neighbors carry, and soon I will, too. Just need to take time and get the concealed carry license, it's the doggone class that I dread!

Chewie, I do believe the XD-M does come in several calibers. From what I'm reading, I like the sound of the XD.

[sallah4]

Magnum would be the way to go. (wow a hundred posts)

[Dangerman009]

What about an ASP?



This photo is actually an ASP 2000.

[theinterchange]

"Asps, very dangerous..." haha good one. another choice!

Randy

[FerFAL]

I have a classic and use it as backup to a much more modern glock 31:
Its a Smith Mod 12 flat latch Airweight.
Same as the model 10 but the 12 has an alloy frame that makes it lighter for carry and it was the first lightwaight revovler, 60's, so its as classic as it could get.



The Colt Detective is also very nice but I like the Smith M12 more.


FerFAL

[raider 57]

Donovan carried a nice weapon,nice back-up. One of my all time favorites:


Walther PPK...............

[theinterchange]

I've leaned toward the PPK as the auto recently. Just don't want to emulate Bond too much. It's a classy timeless looking gun, and one I have plans to own in the near future.

Randy

Oh, on the revolver. I decided on the Smith Model 64, with wood grips added. That'd be a good looking functional weapon.

[Dangerman009]

If you don't want too much of the Bond influence, why not make it a PPK/S in stainless steel? It wouldn't clash with the stainless S&W 64 then. Not that we need our weapons to coordinate. Have you considered the Kahr MK9? It's basically the same size as the PPK or PPK/S, 9x19 instead of 9x17 (very important to some people), stainless steel, no Bond connection.


Photo from The Firing Line

I think the PPK or PPK/S is more attractive than the Kahr. I don't think I wouldn choose the Kahr is because, right now, I prefer autos with external hammers. It almost works like a revolver in that if it doesn't fire the first time it can be tried again immediately without having to chamber a new round. I don't think this happens very often with centerfire ammunition, though.

[Dangerman009]

I saw this yesterday on another forum and I thought I'd submit it for your consideration.



It's a customized CZ PCR, the compact version of the CZ 75B.
http://www.impactguns.com/store/95038.html

Frankly, if you're leaning toward the PPK, go with the PPK. Don't be concerned with the Bond connection. Few guns have the aura of mystery and excitement that the PPK and PPK/S has. Maybe not the best choice for bursting through the front door of the villain's lair, but it does look good.

Just checking, that image in my last post, it was just the PPK right? Was there another gun in there?

[binkmeisterRick]

Randy, do you have enough suggestions yet? We should probably bring the curtain down on this one since it's not Indy related, though I wanted to be sure you got some feedback first.

[RaidersBash]

I remember once hearing about a "chicago rig" which was a two gun carry, like two snubby .38's, right next to each other, like left hand strong side and right hand cross draw, so both pistols are carried on the left side, but being 2" revolvers, are still somewhat concealed (especially with inside the pants holsters).

That gives the character 10-12 rounds, and a couple speed loaders in coat pockets and he's ready for serious action.

I carry a Taurus Ultralight .38. They make a titanium version (all variants of their model 85), that fully loaded, feels like a toy cap gun in your pocket, and both can handle +P loads.

[theinterchange]

Randy, do you have enough suggestions yet? We should probably bring the curtain down on this one since it's not Indy related, though I wanted to be sure you got some feedback first.

Thanks for keeping it open! It's been most helpful, and yes, you can go ahead and lock this down.

Randy

[binkmeisterRick]

Will do. Thanks for helping Randy out on this one, folks! If you have more suggestions, feel free to PM him offline.

Regards!