amt .45 backup or or smith compact .45 or 9mm
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Porn

Any opinions on the H&K P2000SK in .40?

I don't know anything about the P2000SK but the USP's are IMO the best on the market.

You will never go wrong with an HK, they are awesome. I have a USP full-size and I'm thinking longingly about the 45C.

I have a 5-shot Taurus .357 snub. It has not been without issues, but after a little smithing it's a decent peice. It's also old, and their QC has improved since then.

Don't buy a Hi-Point. My buddy bought one that completely locked up on him. Sure they replaced it, but he was without gun for a while. They go bad because of all the pins, which are pot metal and prone to failure. Plus, the 45 is fucking huge. It's big for concealment and shit for accuracy, plus the recoil throws it off even more. If you're looking for a home defense 45 on the cheap that you can carry, get a Charles Daly 1911. You can find them used for a couple hundred bucks.

As for buying a used gun, I've got a few. A reputable firearms dealer with a gunsmith on staff will inspect all firearms before sale, that's the way they do it where I shop and I've never had a problem out of any of the used guns I have. If I did have a problem I'd take it back. It's no different than getting a used jacket.

I'd buy a military surpls Romanian/Yugoslavian/Russian/commies Makarov before I'd buy a Hi-Point or a Taurus.

Just make sure whatever you choose is small and easy to carry/remove without much effort. Practicality for your needs is more important than a big crazy gun that looks cool.

Picture related as it's the gun I recommend.

http://to.all.the.people.in.the.fron...t73784-149.jpg
http://twowheelfix.com/%5Bimg%5Dhttp....jpg%5B/img%5D

Bah, don't listen to the snobs.
Taurus has always done me right for the money.
Are they superior to the high dollar Euro or American marks? Probably not, but for average range, carry, or hunting use, I doubt most people would see an appreciable difference.

Amen! What I REALLY find funny is that some of the same guys who push the expensive guns wear cheapo <$200 helmets!!!

JMHO:

Nothing wrong with good used guns. If it's a carry gun, it means you intend to bet your life on it functioning first time every time so test it with a lot of rounds before you buy it. If you don't know guns, spend a few bucks and have a good gunsmith check it out.

Taurus...any of them built in the last 10 or so years are stone reliable...but all the units I've shot have stock high effort and very crunchy triggers, but can be cleaned up with a little smithing.

S&W... very good quality but high effort DA triggers but good smiths with SW experience abound.

Colt... wheelguns are expensive but the closest to custom ready...autos are expensive but need a little work. Small and medium framed Colt wheelguns are a bit fragile when stoked with a regular diet of +p's, but they do need the least amount of tuning when you find a good used one with low round counts. They ALL shoot sweet.

Ruger... some of the best guns built for the money. Period.

Glock... stone reliable, shoot well, good used units can be had in the $400 range.

HK... some of the finest handguns built if money is no object.

Walther... usually very good. Pricey.

Star... Spanish builder that put out some pretty rough stuff in the 70's and early 80's, but really improved quality in the last 20 years. They are no longer imported into the states, but good used examples can be had for $2-300. I have a PD and a Firestar M40 and they have literally 1000's of rounds through them without a single jam or misfire. The M40 is steel and heavy, but shoots very well and the PD in 45 ACP was my comp gun for years and now serves as my carry gun that I switch off with a venerable 44 sp. Charter Arms pitbull.

There are bunches of 1911 clone builders out there and most are pretty pricey.

Sig...wonderful guns but pricey.

Para Ordnance...expensive and uneven quality.

Kel-Tec...lightweight, tiny.....and crap. Had three; bought one and had it replaced by the factory twice more....none of them shot reliably and I tried every 9mm ammo out there. I was tired of heavier guns and REALLY wanted the Kel-tec to work cause of the light weight, but I wouldn't bet my life on one.

Beretta...never shot one (fancy that) but the US Armed Forces and a slew of law enforcement departments can't be wrong, right?

Those AMTs are pretty slick, but damn hard to find. This is my buddy's dad's 45 pistol that he's had I think since the 70s.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2034/...3463c43b4d.jpg

As Tigger mentioned earlier these gun manufacturs turn around a lot. Glock use to be top notch but now I'd only use a Glock to wipe my ass (Unloaded of course). 5 years from now H&K may be junk and Glock king again or Ruger might kick it up to Kimber status. Maybe S&W can save themselves. Which get the S&W incase you need to shoot around the broad side of a barn.

If I wanted a composite/plastic style semi-auto pistol, I'd fork over the cash for an H&K.

If cash wasn't a concern I'd get the Taurus Titanium 38.

My opinions of course. Use your best judgement.