What Is Your Most Unpretentious Handgun? - Page 2

ligonierbill · January 11, 2021, 03:23 PM

If by unpretentious you mean "scruffy" or "run hard and put away wet", here is my example. It's a Colt Army Special in .41 Long Colt made in 1920. Someone cleaned off a lot of rust and doused her in cold blue, but she's still ugly. But timing is on, and the bore isn't bad at all. Came cheap.

bamaranger · January 11, 2021, 06:12 PM

I bought a Ruger Bearcat, an early one, from a woman at church, it had belonged to her Dad. Early pistol, they had it in Alaska when they homesteaded for a few years....and it looks it. The cylinder base pin was lost and the Dad fashioned a new one from......a Phillips screw driver shaft!!!!!
I bought a new pin and carry the little shooter frequently in my big wool pants pocket.

After watching "Tombstone", I just had to have a single action. "Bubba's Pawn Shop" (honest, now closed) had a very worn, blued, Ruger Blackhawk 4-5/8" in .357. Somebody had re-varnished the grips..by coating the panels and the metal backstraps as well......apparently never took them off the gun. Bluing was thin and worn as well, lots of character, but mechanically sound, and the bore/cylinders looked good. Cleaned up the grips, still have the gun.

Kreyzhorse · January 11, 2021, 07:03 PM

All of mine are unpretentious.... but my beaters are a Colt New Frontier and a Colt Agent.

Sure they are Colts, but they've been used well and will continue to be shot. Great fun old shooters.

kymasabe · January 11, 2021, 08:46 PM

My S&W SD9. The Honda Civic of handguns, does everything pretty well, does nothing exceptional well.
Ugly, but reliable as all hell. I'll probably never get rid of it.

Sanch · January 11, 2021, 11:01 PM

All of my handguns are deferential, respectful, and exhibit proper decorum ;-)

tdrizzle · January 15, 2021, 05:44 PM

The Gen 2 G19 I got at a show more than 10 years ago. I replaced the sights, and put a factory guide rod in to replace the laser guide rod that was in there, dead. Got a couple bucks for that, too.

No finger grooves or rail, no idea who had it before me, but it sure shoots well for me. First among my Glocks, even the newer ones.

1911_Hardball · January 15, 2021, 06:37 PM

That would be my Smith & Wesson Model 28 with a crappy aftermarket nickel finish. It's a pleasure to shoot ugly duckling.

Mike38 · January 15, 2021, 06:59 PM

For handgun, my Taurus Model 83. It's not pretty, holster worn bluing, an ample supply of rust pimples, but it's accurate and reliable. For rifles, an old Remington bolt action model 510. Bluing is totally gone, it's now brown. But the bore is perfect and as accurate as any other newer .22 rifle I own.

Tad_T · January 15, 2021, 08:30 PM

NAA 22M w/ 1 5/8” barrel.

HiBC · January 16, 2021, 12:22 AM

RIA 1911 frame. Remington GI slide. Original Parkerize ; VN vintage chrome bore GI bbl.
Trijicon tritium front sight,GI type U-notch rear. Cyl and Slide duty/carry trigger set The rest of the small parts,various quality parts.

Just a parts bucket generic franken 1911. Feeds empty brass from the mag and goes bang every time.

Sevens · January 16, 2021, 04:46 AM

I have a Feg GKK-45 that is far more than the sum of it’s parts and it shoots irrationally well. It’s a good looking pistol also. The double action trigger pull is very rough but the single action isn’t bad at all. I wish the sights were a little bigger, but it will outshoot most “duty” type pistols in a bullseye shoot-off.

I’ve had it probably 4-5 years, I think I paid around $300 for it?

JC57 · January 16, 2021, 11:16 PM

Probably my old S&W Model 10-7, 4" pencil barrel blue steel revolver. I bought it new in 1979. Just a basic 6-shooter.

ms6852 · January 17, 2021, 06:48 PM

All my guns are unpretentious . When Garth Brooks wrote his song "friends in low places" it was about me.

Cheapshooter · January 19, 2021, 08:38 PM

I don't but, nor am I impressed by pretentious, "look at me" anything!
Especially firearms.
But I think CajunBass nailed it. Nothing says not pretentious more than a Rough Rider. I have two of them.
close runner ups in my "accumulation" are my EDC BUG LCP, and a KelTec P32

Ingramite · January 19, 2021, 09:03 PM

1953 S&W Chief Special Hammerless.
1st year for that model. Affectionately known as The Lemon Squeezer for the grip safety.

This revolver has a beautiful blue finish that has all soaked into the steel, leaving a nice soft gray.

This one is a low 4 digit serial number with the matching high horn factory grips that are numbered to the gun.

She doesn't make a big to-do over it all. Everyday she just dives into my pocket like she has done for the past 67 years.

aarondhgraham · January 20, 2021, 11:30 AM

That would be "Libby",,,

Plain Jane - No Frills,,,
3" S&W Model 36.

In a moment of weakness I offered to sell Libby to a good friend,,,
No one was more happy then I when my friend replied,,,
"I really want something prettier."

Aarond

.

Carl the Floor Walker · January 20, 2021, 11:38 AM

Midland BackPack shotgun. Single shot, very well build, even drilled for chokes. Actually have two of them. One a 18" and the other a 22" 12 ga. which came with a Turkey choke and scope mount. Also have a 20ga insert and 9mm and 22.cal insert.

Excellent build quality for $150.00.

natman · January 20, 2021, 12:16 PM

Charter Arms Target Bulldog in 44 Special. It's my trail gun. Light, powerful and compact. It would fit the category even better with what was left of the original finish, but I redid it in GunKote.

I wanted an S&W 329PD, but it would have been over $1000 more.

CajunBass · January 21, 2021, 08:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Forte S+W

I wanted one of those so badly when they were first announced, but then they got delayed for several months and once they were finally released they had issues with light primer strikes so I ended up getting a Ruger LCP instead. Did they ever manage to fix them or did you just experiment until you found ammo that ran reliably?

Actually I haven't even fired it. I just saw it in the used case at the LGS one day, it was cheap, so I grabbed it. I was able to buy one box of 380 FMJ ammo that day but haven't seen another since then. Shooting it's not a high priority for me, so it's just riding the shelf in the safe for now.

bull bob · January 22, 2021, 08:31 AM

I would have to say my S&W 1917.

It is dated to 1918, missing the lanyard and swivel, some previous owner had a dovetail cut in the top strap to fit a 1911 rear sight, and the half moon front sight was cut in half to make a squared up sight picture. And the barrel is pitted pretty good, probably from corrosive primers.

I have replaced the ejector rod as it was bent and obtained a new old stock US Property marked replacement barrel. Soon I will be talking to a smith about fixin her up.

TRX · January 23, 2021, 03:32 PM

"Unpretentious" would be my Taurus Model 85 .38 snubnose revolver, which now has a few dings and some truly disgusting sweat damage. I've sweated on it enough to stain the stainless steel bits, and you don't even want to know what some of the aluminum looks like. It looks like an "after" prop from the set of an "Alien" remake.

It has been my EDC for a long time, and it's miserably hot and muggy here. Which is why my "good" guns are carefully stored in humidity-controlled indoors.

The Taurus is also the most unpleasant-to-shoot pistol I've ever fired. It's only .38 Special, but the grip is small and there's not much gun there; the felt recoil is much worse than my guns in .44 Magnum or .460 Rowland. However, the recoil signature would be the last thing I would be thinking about if I ever had to use it.

It's not a fancy gun, but when the "carry rotation" stopped years ago, it was the Model 85 that I reach for every morning when I get dressed. It's so small and light that not-carrying it is never even an option; if I'm wearing pants, I'm wearing the Taurus. It's just one of those things that's always there, like my watch or my glasses.

pete2 · January 23, 2021, 07:50 PM

Scruffy would be my 586 that was used for IDPA in a Kydex holster. Unpretentious, a Ruger LC9 and a Rossi snub nose.

tallball · January 23, 2021, 11:07 PM

Wow... tough call. I have a number of cheap ugly handguns that are good shooters.

I bought a NiB Russian Makarov in the late 1980's for $89. It is ugly and clunky. Its DA trigger is stiff. But it's surprisingly accurate and I don't recall it ever malfunctioning.

I have handguns that I would rather CC or use as a "nightstand gun", but the Makarov would do either one just fine if needed.

FairWarning · January 24, 2021, 02:14 PM

Ruger MkIII .22 LR.

Plain black/not flashy, but deadly accurate!

larryf1952 · January 24, 2021, 04:17 PM

I guess the closest thing to "unpretentious" that I have would be my Jennings J-22 that I bought for $56 in 1985.

Of course, it had the obligatory jams and failures to extract on almost every shot, until I took it apart and applied some critical and high level gunsmithing to it. It cost me a fortune, after all. And, I thought it was cute. How could I get rid of it?

To my incredible surprise, the thing started to work at nearly 100%. Rare is the jam on those once in a decade times when I actually shoot it these days. I'll probably sell off the Colts before I get rid of the Jennings.

January 11, 2021, 06:12 PM	#27
bamaranger Senior Member Join Date: October 9, 2009 Location: North Alabama Posts: 8,300	Rugers I bought a Ruger Bearcat, an early one, from a woman at church, it had belonged to her Dad. Early pistol, they had it in Alaska when they homesteaded for a few years....and it looks it. The cylinder base pin was lost and the Dad fashioned a new one from......a Phillips screw driver shaft!!!!! I bought a new pin and carry the little shooter frequently in my big wool pants pocket. After watching "Tombstone", I just had to have a single action. "Bubba's Pawn Shop" (honest, now closed) had a very worn, blued, Ruger Blackhawk 4-5/8" in .357. Somebody had re-varnished the grips..by coating the panels and the metal backstraps as well......apparently never took them off the gun. Bluing was thin and worn as well, lots of character, but mechanically sound, and the bore/cylinders looked good. Cleaned up the grips, still have the gun.

January 11, 2021, 07:03 PM	#28
Kreyzhorse Senior Member Join Date: April 12, 2006 Location: NKY Posts: 12,463	All of mine are unpretentious.... but my beaters are a Colt New Frontier and a Colt Agent. Sure they are Colts, but they've been used well and will continue to be shot. Great fun old shooters. __________________ "He who laughs last, laughs dead." Homer Simpson

January 11, 2021, 08:46 PM	#29
kymasabe Senior Member Join Date: June 10, 2005 Location: SW Florida Posts: 2,747	My S&W SD9. The Honda Civic of handguns, does everything pretty well, does nothing exceptional well. Ugly, but reliable as all hell. I'll probably never get rid of it. __________________ God's creatures big and small, eat them one, eat them all.

January 15, 2021, 05:44 PM	#31
tdrizzle Senior Member Join Date: September 11, 2007 Location: St Paul Posts: 209	Handgun The Gen 2 G19 I got at a show more than 10 years ago. I replaced the sights, and put a factory guide rod in to replace the laser guide rod that was in there, dead. Got a couple bucks for that, too. No finger grooves or rail, no idea who had it before me, but it sure shoots well for me. First among my Glocks, even the newer ones.

January 15, 2021, 06:37 PM	#32
1911_Hardball Senior Member Join Date: September 25, 2009 Location: SD Posts: 198	That would be my Smith & Wesson Model 28 with a crappy aftermarket nickel finish. It's a pleasure to shoot ugly duckling. __________________ Shot placement is King, penetration is Queen. Everything else is faeries dancing on the heads of pins.

January 11, 2021, 11:01 PM	#30
Sanch Senior Member Join Date: November 22, 2020 Posts: 154	All of my handguns are deferential, respectful, and exhibit proper decorum ;-)

January 15, 2021, 06:59 PM	#33
Mike38 Senior Member Join Date: December 28, 2009 Location: North Central Illinois Posts: 2,710	For handgun, my Taurus Model 83. It's not pretty, holster worn bluing, an ample supply of rust pimples, but it's accurate and reliable. For rifles, an old Remington bolt action model 510. Bluing is totally gone, it's now brown. But the bore is perfect and as accurate as any other newer .22 rifle I own.

January 15, 2021, 08:30 PM	#34
Tad_T Senior Member Join Date: December 14, 2012 Location: Idaho Posts: 231	NAA 22M w/ 1 5/8” barrel.

January 16, 2021, 12:22 AM	#35
HiBC Senior Member Join Date: November 13, 2006 Posts: 8,283	RIA 1911 frame. Remington GI slide. Original Parkerize ; VN vintage chrome bore GI bbl. Trijicon tritium front sight,GI type U-notch rear. Cyl and Slide duty/carry trigger set The rest of the small parts,various quality parts. Just a parts bucket generic franken 1911. Feeds empty brass from the mag and goes bang every time. Last edited by HiBC; January 19, 2021 at 02:55 PM.

January 16, 2021, 04:46 AM	#36
Sevens Senior Member Join Date: July 28, 2007 Location: Ohio Posts: 11,756	I have a Feg GKK-45 that is far more than the sum of it’s parts and it shoots irrationally well. It’s a good looking pistol also. The double action trigger pull is very rough but the single action isn’t bad at all. I wish the sights were a little bigger, but it will outshoot most “duty” type pistols in a bullseye shoot-off. I’ve had it probably 4-5 years, I think I paid around $300 for it? __________________ *Attention Brass rats and other reloaders:* I really need .327 Federal Magnum brass, no lot size too small. Tell me what caliber you need and I'll see what I have to swap. PM me and we'll discuss.

January 16, 2021, 11:16 PM	#37
JC57 Senior Member Join Date: September 2, 2010 Posts: 375	Probably my old S&W Model 10-7, 4" pencil barrel blue steel revolver. I bought it new in 1979. Just a basic 6-shooter.

January 17, 2021, 06:48 PM	#38
ms6852 Senior Member Join Date: April 3, 2010 Location: Texas Posts: 1,394	All my guns are unpretentious . When Garth Brooks wrote his song "friends in low places" it was about me. __________________ ONLY TWO DEFINING FORCES HAVE GIVEN UP THEIR LIVES FOR YOU. ONE IS JESUS CHRIST FOR YOUR SOUL AND THE OTHER IS THE AMERICAN SOLDIER FOR YOUR FREEDOM.

January 19, 2021, 08:38 PM	#39
Cheapshooter Senior Member Join Date: December 2, 2007 Location: Missouri Posts: 8,306	I don't but, nor am I impressed by pretentious, "look at me" anything! Especially firearms. But I think CajunBass nailed it. Nothing says not pretentious more than a Rough Rider. I have two of them. close runner ups in my "accumulation" are my EDC BUG LCP, and a KelTec P32 __________________ Cheapshooter's rules of gun ownership #1: NEVER SELL OR TRADE ANYTHING!

January 20, 2021, 11:30 AM	#41
aarondhgraham Senior Member Join Date: December 1, 2009 Location: Stillwater, OKlahoma Posts: 8,638	That would be "Libby",,, That would be "Libby",,, Plain Jane - No Frills,,, 3" S&W Model 36. In a moment of weakness I offered to sell Libby to a good friend,,, No one was more happy then I when my friend replied,,, "I really want something prettier." Aarond . __________________ Never ever give an enemy the advantage of a verbal threat. Caje: The coward dies a thousand times, the brave only once. Kirby: That's about all it takes, ain't it? Aarond is good,,, Aarond is wise,,, Always trust Aarond! (most of the time)

January 20, 2021, 11:38 AM	#42
Carl the Floor Walker member Join Date: June 3, 2017 Location: South Posts: 1,422	Midland BackPack shotgun. Single shot, very well build, even drilled for chokes. Actually have two of them. One a 18" and the other a 22" 12 ga. which came with a Turkey choke and scope mount. Also have a 20ga insert and 9mm and 22.cal insert. Excellent build quality for $150.00.

January 20, 2021, 12:16 PM	#43
natman Senior Member Join Date: June 24, 2008 Posts: 2,605	Charter Arms Target Bulldog in 44 Special. It's my trail gun. Light, powerful and compact. It would fit the category even better with what was left of the original finish, but I redid it in GunKote. I wanted an S&W 329PD, but it would have been over $1000 more. __________________ Time Travelers' Wisdom: Never Do Yesterday What Should Be Done Tomorrow. If At Last You Do Succeed, Never Try Again.

January 22, 2021, 08:31 AM	#45
bull bob Senior Member Join Date: October 29, 2010 Location: Michigan Posts: 114	I would have to say my S&W 1917. It is dated to 1918, missing the lanyard and swivel, some previous owner had a dovetail cut in the top strap to fit a 1911 rear sight, and the half moon front sight was cut in half to make a squared up sight picture. And the barrel is pitted pretty good, probably from corrosive primers. I have replaced the ejector rod as it was bent and obtained a new old stock US Property marked replacement barrel. Soon I will be talking to a smith about fixin her up.

January 23, 2021, 03:32 PM	#46
TRX Senior Member Join Date: September 24, 2008 Location: central Arkansas Posts: 400	"Unpretentious" would be my Taurus Model 85 .38 snubnose revolver, which now has a few dings and some truly disgusting sweat damage. I've sweated on it enough to stain the stainless steel bits, and you don't even want to know what some of the aluminum looks like. It looks like an "after" prop from the set of an "Alien" remake. It has been my EDC for a long time, and it's miserably hot and muggy here. Which is why my "good" guns are carefully stored in humidity-controlled indoors. The Taurus is also the most unpleasant-to-shoot pistol I've ever fired. It's only .38 Special, but the grip is small and there's not much gun there; the felt recoil is much worse than my guns in .44 Magnum or .460 Rowland. However, the recoil signature would be the last thing I would be thinking about if I ever had to use it. It's not a fancy gun, but when the "carry rotation" stopped years ago, it was the Model 85 that I reach for every morning when I get dressed. It's so small and light that not-carrying it is never even an option; if I'm wearing pants, I'm wearing the Taurus. It's just one of those things that's always there, like my watch or my glasses.

January 23, 2021, 07:50 PM	#47
pete2 Senior Member Join Date: May 15, 2012 Location: Texas Posts: 2,566	Scruffy would be my 586 that was used for IDPA in a Kydex holster. Unpretentious, a Ruger LC9 and a Rossi snub nose.

January 23, 2021, 11:07 PM	#48
tallball Senior Member Join Date: October 17, 2014 Posts: 2,444	Wow... tough call. I have a number of cheap ugly handguns that are good shooters. I bought a NiB Russian Makarov in the late 1980's for $89. It is ugly and clunky. Its DA trigger is stiff. But it's surprisingly accurate and I don't recall it ever malfunctioning. I have handguns that I would rather CC or use as a "nightstand gun", but the Makarov would do either one just fine if needed.

January 24, 2021, 02:14 PM	#49
FairWarning Senior Member Join Date: September 9, 2008 Location: GA Posts: 1,149	Ruger MkIII .22 LR. Plain black/not flashy, but deadly accurate! __________________ Mauser Werke, Schmidt-Rubin, Colt, Walther, HK, Weatherby, Sig Sauer, Browning, Ruger, Beretta, etc, etc....a few friends of mine

January 24, 2021, 04:17 PM	#50
larryf1952 Senior Member Join Date: July 17, 2004 Location: KCMO Posts: 615	I guess the closest thing to "unpretentious" that I have would be my Jennings J-22 that I bought for $56 in 1985. Of course, it had the obligatory jams and failures to extract on almost every shot, until I took it apart and applied some critical and high level gunsmithing to it. It cost me a fortune, after all. And, I thought it was cute. How could I get rid of it? To my incredible surprise, the thing started to work at nearly 100%. Rare is the jam on those once in a decade times when I actually shoot it these days. I'll probably sell off the Colts before I get rid of the Jennings.

Thread Tools	Search this Thread
Show Printable Version Email this Page	Search this Thread: Advanced Search