In most cases a handgun is accurate for about 25 to 35 feet. So you had better be very close to whoever you are shooting at in order to even hit them let alone kill them.
I prefer rifles. They function up close, and can reach out and touch from afar. Best rifle ever would be the M1 Garand.
Revolvers are very unbalanced. The first handgun I know of that distributed most of the weight above and behind the grip was the German luger in 1898.
Its interesting to note in the replies that some people just picked out certain characteristics and the best gun for it. For the best selling guns, manufacturers try to create the best overall balance in a weapon as stated in the OP. The most accurate gun might be a single shot target pistol for example, but thats no good for general purpose home defense, or the police. The mafia's most famous hitman Richard Kuklinski was a huge person, very strong, who could have wielded the heaviest most powerful handgun. But no, he used to carry two little Deringers, one in each pocket, because they were easily concealed. A prostitute could carry one in her stocking! Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
You listed too many things that the gun had to be to be considered the best, so I picked out one characteristic that I know about.
I don't know jack about guns, but an interesting thread. I have a thought though thats always intrigued me. You often see Terrorists or some vigilante groups firing off their guns into the air. If the gun is pointed at somebody it might maim or kill somebody, but if its shot straight into the air directly perpendicular to the ground it will travel straight up methinks into the couds, hit its peak, with its kinetic energy now being transformed into potential energy. Then it comes down, hitting terminal velocity at 9.8metres/sec/sec. You never hear of anyone being hurt by a bullet coming down and hitting them on the head. In fact cops often fire a warning shot into the air before a real shot and those bullets have to come down somewhere. Is it just like a light hailstone that might give you a bit of bruise on the head? or is determined by the size of the bullet? i.e its mass, like small bruise from Kulinski's derringer and a bigger bruise from Dirty Harry's 357 magnum. I'm sure it would make a difference from a heavier piece of artillery than a ligher bullet 'cause of the physics, Force = mass x acceleration, but I'm really not sure. Is that right, or am I missing something?.:shrug:
It does happen. http://www.local6.com/news/4084756/detail.html The reason it doesn't happen so often is probably that there is not normally a lot of people to hit if you think about it.
Yeah, you're missing some interesting statistics and probability calcs. Think about the chances that something falling from the sky will hit someone. There are cases where large objects like airplanes crashing, even into cities or suburbs, even smashing into homes .....and yet hits no one. And don't forget, even bullets that have been aimed carefully at a target might not hit that target .....and it's being aimed. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! Baron Max
Missing nothing, except the relevant episode of 'Mythbusters', where they recreated this. The falling bullets from fairly straight up shots aren't much to worry about. Sure they'd hurt, but not kill you.
Thanks Steve. I wasn't sure and now that's confirmed it. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
For best ever, I'd go with the .45 caliber M1911. It's still what I picture when someone says the word "gun." Any design that gets used in WWI, then WWII, then Korea, then Vietnam, then some more years after that before anyone thinks to redesign, has to be pretty good. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
Czech 75...the highly copied by many gun makers http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CZ_75 Jeff Cooper, long-time advocate of the Colt 1911, hailed it as the best-designed double-action autoloader available. It has become one of the most popular pistols of its class. Česká Zbrojovka claims it is in service with "more Governments, Militaries, Police and Security agencies than any other pistol in the world
I agree with the Colt 45 Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!. Mine is a series 70 chrome, a beautiful handgun. Great for "at home" protection, but for concealed carry I am considering the Kel Tec P-3AT Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!.
I would agree with both the 1911 and the CZ-75. I've shot both and prefer the .45 caliber round but the double-action of the CZ is nice.
Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! You mean this one? The decocker is a nice feature. http://world.guns.ru/handguns/hg51-e.htm