First and foremost I am a rabid fan of the Mdl. 1911 in .45 caliber, even with my small hands I can handle it easily. The only double stack 9mm I can handle well is the Browning High Power. I own a Springfield standard grade 1911-A1 "BB" ("Before Bankruptcy", when the pistols were made in the United States, not Brazil.). I have already turned down $700.00 offered for this pistol from a friend who wanted one made in the US, even though I understand the Brazilian made models are very good and a lot less expensive than what he offered me. IT IS NOT FOR SALE.

For the venue of this forum, I don't feel a need to discuss anything for getting along in an emergency in the Midwest larger than a .22 long rifle cartridge, preferably in a rifle. If you are talking about hunting, collecting, or combat, then the field would be a lot broader.

What brought about this post is that I was reading old posts and ran into one with all kinds of data being thrown back and forth, primarily about the 9mm. .45 auto, and .380 for their intended purposes by the posters.

Look at the pictures of the attempted assasination of President Regan and observe two very important things.

1) The shooter was able to keep tracking his target due to the light recoil of the .22. Hitting your target means a lot more than loud noises or force of impact.

2) A Secret Service agent trained and conditioned to run into the field of fire reacted from the impact of the .22 to the point of being thrown back and leaving an opening for the one bullet that went between the car door and the roof pillar and hit the President.

For the venue we cover, no one needs a big gun other than possibly aviators who fly over large areas of land where large animals may be a threat. A .22 may not be able to kill a Grizzly in a hurry, but if you put a few shots into the nose, eyes, and face, you will dissuade said Grizzly, and while it is hurt or blind, you should be able to put a couple .22's behind his ear into the brain which will give you food, and one really warm blanket.

The big guns I own are for the house (No CCW in Wisconsin yet, and even if there were, .380 is preferred for carry, and a .22 is an easy choice.), personal enjoyment, and collecters value.

Bountyhunter