Thanks to Skeeter I have the perfect Trifecta!

[harley45]

I saw a photo of three of Skeeters personal guns and for some reason it struck me as the perfect combination of handgunning bliss! He had a Balckhawk a 1911 and a J frame. Those three guns it occurred to me would do anything I would ever need to do with a shortgun. I now have my version of his guns. 1. My Wilson Combat Tactical Elite in 10MM for everyday use and some hunting chores, 2. My Smith and Wesson 442 for when I can't hide the 5 inch 1911, and finally a Ruger Bisley Vaquero is on the way in 45 LC and a 5.5 inch barrel. The Ruger will be the fun gun and probably a deer gun at times. Now to just find the one perfect mold for each gun and spend the rest of my life playing with loads development!
What about you guys what are your top 3 or 4 choices?

[osteodoc08]

Top 4:
1911
Smith Model 57
Ruger Blackhawk in 45 Colt

Small auto or J frame

[Artful]

It's varied over the years - At one point I considered my Colt .45 1911, S&W 44 mag Model 29 and Colt Woodsman Match Target my Trifecta.

These days I would take
Ruger Mk2 Target model with rail for optic's and threaded for suppressor use,
Dan Wesson .357 with barrels in 4, 6 and 8 inch,
Ruger 44 mag, 45 Colt or 454 in either double or single action for Dangerous Game Defense.
and the Civil Defense pistol of your choice of CCW (S&W Shield, 1911, CZ, Glock whatever fits YOU)
and say I could live with it if I had too.

[lar45]

My favorite handgun has got to be my Ruger MkII stainless target model.
After that my other favorite woods bumming is my Stainless Ruger Blackhawk 45 Colt, 4 5/8bbl
For my carry piece I packed an East German Mak for many years, but now have a Star PD 45acp 3.5" bbl. It's lite(aluminum frame), accurate, compact(6 rounds) and has never hickuped with everything that I've tried in it. My only problem with it is now the wife really likes it, so I may have to get another.

[crawfobj]

Colt 1911 in 45
4" S&W 686
Blackhawk Bisley Convertible 45lc/45ACP

...if I can choose only 3.

[claudesapp]

I'd go:
Colt 1911 .45 Gov't
4" S&W 629
Blackhawk Bisley 45 Colt 5.5"

[shoot-n-lead]

642 S&W
Ruger Flattop 4 5/8 44 Special
Ruger Bisley 357

[harley45]

642 S&W
Ruger Flattop 4 5/8 44 Special
Ruger Bisley 357
thats a great combo!

[Deep Six]

I was thinking I should pick up one of the 45 flattop convertibles Ruger has out. That would complete my flattop trifecta along with my 44 and 41 flattops!

[RED333]

My little 1953 H&R Sportsman in 22.
Ruger BH in .357 with a 5 inch barrel
Ruger SBH in 44 mag

[Groo]

Groo here
I would pick my SP101 to hide and my TRR8 as a long gun ..[357mag shells are not so heavy but will do the job if you do]
For social work I have a new one , my Coonan compact.
Thats for east of the Mississippi,for west, my 3in 657, 3 3/4 in mondago, and my 5 1/2 bisley all in 41mag.

[MT Gianni]

5.5" Redhawk 44 Mag, Pre Regulation Police S&W 32 long, [cheaper to shoot than 22, more power and one of the most accurate guns I have ever fired]. Defensive pistol would be down to several, Kimber 45, CZ 75 in 9mm or the Kahr 40. If I owned one I would go for the CZ 75 in 40 S&W. 4th would be the BH 45 dual cylinder.

[tazman]

My Taurus 992 22lr for light work.
My Taurus 627 tracker in 357 mag for target and hunting( I can't handle more recoil than that. Arthritis)
My Taurus PT92 with Beretta barrel for social occasions. Consistent 4 inch groups at 15 yards or less.

[leftiye]

Yuh gotsta have a K frame , better still three or more. And a blackhawk or five or so too. Maybe a Dan Wesson .445. Some Contenders. Couple or five N frames. Some old colts, and some new colts. It's a good start. Dern, I plumb forgot the automatics, didn't I?

[Lefty Red]

I am going to catch HELL, but........

Glock 19
S&W 642 or 638
T/C Contender with a 357 mag barrel, 12".

Glock for a fighting weapon, the j frame for the pocket pistol, and the Tender for hunting. I have just decided that a 35 cal handgun bullet will take anything I need to deal with around here.

If I get a fourth, then its a Uberti 1873 Cattleman or NM Vaquero with a 7.5" barrel and in 357 mag. I have a crossdraw holster waiting for one. Or a 22lr is really needed, but I can cast and reload 38 Special just as cheap. Would rather have the rimfire in a rifle anyways.

Jerry

[mozeppa]

my trifecta

sig 1911
ruger blackhawk in 45acp /45 colt
s&w 44 mag model 629


also

sig sauer 1911 in 9mm
sig sauer 1911 in 40 s&w
sig sauer p238 in .380

[Wasalmonslayer]

My trifecta would be
springfield 1911 emp 45
smith N frame 357 mag
Ruger super red hawk 6" 44mag.

Oh this is not wish list I own em all and have em all chompin lead perfect.
If I had to throw another auto in the mix it would be my sig 229 40 cal

[Jupiter7]

My current "trifecta"

Kahr CM9 9mm- concealed carry

Springfield Armory 1911 MC Operator 45auto- home defense

Ruger Blackhawk 45 Colt 4 5/8"-hunting

for a close 4th

STI 2011 Eagle 40s&w-competition

[salvadore]

Skeeter's favorite shooters were a M-27 5" barrel loaded with 358156 loaded over 13.5 grs of 2400 in .38 spec. cases. He went to great pains to make a M-28 and a Ruger flat top into .44 spec. He was also enamored with a friends K-22. OH yeah, he also favored a Colt 1908 in .380.

[Mtnfolk75]

A little different train of thought on my Trifecta ..... :mrgreen:

1- S&W Model 38 No-Dash Airweight Bodyguard for Daily pocket carry.

2- Glock Gen 3 OD 26 in 9mm for Serious Social Work ( always with
the Model 38 as back-up ).

3- Glock Gen 3 OD 32 in 357 Sig for backcountry & woods bumming
( with either the G26 or S&W 38 as back-up ).

I have gotten away from the 10mm and 44 & 357 Mags due to old hand and arm injuries, and feel comfortable in my choices. YMMV :popcorn:

[BruceB]

Looking at the lists of guns on this thread, and also into my gunsafe, it's pretty obvious that the "trifecta" is actually more like looking in the closet and deciding which shirt to wear today:

-short sleeve?

-long sleeve?

button-down?

-plaid?

-pastel?

-cotton?

-polyester knit?

On a daily basis, I generally carry a Ruger LC9. BUT, as soon as I begin thinking about what to use or carry BEYOND the mundane, day-to-day 'pacifier'..... well, the possibilities are very wide-ranging indeed.

The nice thing is that virtually anything I decide to carry will suffice for the worst eventualities (I don't carry .22s). Also, exercising the "other" guns beyond the daily-carry piece keeps me current with the different "feels" and controls, and gives the guns some needed shooting time as well.

Still, I must say that I consult Skeeter's writings rather frequently... "Good Friends, Good Guns, Good Whiskey" is lying on my kitchen table even as I post this.

[grampa243]

Glock 30 that is my everyday/combat carry.

A J-frame ( the wife has a taurus 905)for pocket carry.

GP100 with 6 inch barrel. for hunting and target shooting.

(before the 22LR crunch i would have put a Ruger mark III in my top three. but now i load 38spl. for less.)

[Forrest r]

Extreme accuracy coupled with 4 & 5 way adjustable triggers and hand fitted target grips. A 10m air pistol/25m sport pistol/ 50m free pistol.

http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t242/forrestr-photo/russianpistols.jpg (http://s162.photobucket.com/user/forrestr-photo/media/russianpistols.jpg.html)

[Lefty Red]

A little different train of thought on my Trifecta ..... :mrgreen:

1- S&W Model 38 No-Dash Airweight Bodyguard for Daily pocket carry.

2- Glock Gen 3 OD 26 in 9mm for Serious Social Work ( always with
the Model 38 as back-up ).

3- Glock Gen 3 OD 32 in 357 Sig for backcountry & woods bumming
( with either the G26 or S&W 38 as back-up ).

I have gotten away from the 10mm and 44 & 357 Mags due to old hand and arm injuries, and feel comfortable in my choices. YMMV :popcorn:

All we would have to do is add a 22lr conversion kit (when the price and supply stablize) and I think we are covered.
Jerry

[Petrol & Powder]

The CCW is easy - some S&W DAO J-frame in 38 Special (442, 642, 640, 40) ; done.
The next two guns are a bit harder.
I'm kind of with Lefty Red on the Glock 19 but I could substitute any number of combat type handguns in that role including: H&K P7, Walther P5 or even a S&W model 65 or Ruger Speed Six with say a 3" barrel.
The last one is where it gets really tough to choose.
The first thing that comes to mind is a N-frame in 44 Special with a 4" barrel but a good .22 like a Ruger MK II could round out the three.....

[aap2]

Hard to pick just 4, but if I had to:
1. Defensive use-Glock 19
2. Target/plinker 22lr-Ruger 512 MKII
3. Knockabout woods gun-Colt SAA 44 special 2nd generation
4. Centerfire target-Sig Sauer P226-X5 9mm
But I could still be happy if I only had one pistol: Ruger Old Model Blackhawk .357 (my first and $99 new in 1973) or my ancient Colt Police positive 38 S&W...

[BruceB]

Forrest;

I bought a TOZ-35 Free Pistol like yours many years ago.

Being a left-hander, and also being on the wrong end of the horrendously-long supply line from Russia (then USSR), I set out to build a set of left-handed grips.

Using the right-handed grips as a sort of "pattern", one-inch mahogany planks were used to laminate the grips up to the thickness needed to create the wrap-around/curl-over contours.

Metal pins re-inforced some areas to prevent breakage.

The effort was worthwhile, and even today the home-made grips serve well.

I haven't fired a Free Pistol match in decades, but it's still a fascinating activity. I consider the Free Pistol to be the "sling-shot dragster" of the handgun world..... utterly useless EXCEPT for its designed purpose, where it excels.

(For anyone interested: it's called a "Free Pistol" because the rules are relatively "free" of restrictions.... unlike most competitive pistol events.

-it must be fired one-handed

-It has to be .22 LR;

-it may NOT use optical or any other sights than regular open irons;

-the grips cannot extend back far enough to support the wrist.

That's about it!)

The result is what you see at the bottom in Forrest's fine photo. The trigger can be set to measure in OUNCES.... I think my own TOZ 35 has it set about 4 ounces right now. It's a martini-type falling block action with a set trigger.

The course of fire is sixty rounds, fired in 2.5 HOURS with unlimited sighters. The ten-ring at 50 METERS (55 yards) is about one inch in diameter.

To say it is "difficult" is about the greatest understatement that exists in the shooting world.

[Markbo]

I could not choose just 3. But I could begrudgingly and with great trepidation do 4:
Kimber Pro CDP Alloy frame commander .45 ACP for carry
Ruger MK II Competition 5.5" stainless .22 for target & small game
"Hartonized" Ruger Single Six .32 H&R (I have no use for a .357 since making this gun)
Custom FA .41 mag for anything larger. Which means I would close the door on handgun hunting anything larger than whitetail deer. See why I say begrudgingly?

[waco]

Kimber 1911 .45ACP
S&W 29-5 .44 Mag.
S&W 14-2 K-38

that would about do it for me

[harley45]

Anyone else notice the trend of N frames and 1911s?

[Michael J. Spangler]

I would have to say my top 3 would include
1911 variant
S&W revolver. Probably a 686 for all purpose work. Though most any K/L or N frame could be argued over the other.
For carry it would have to be my s&w shield right now. Great little gun for sure.

[Lefty Red]

Anyone else notice the trend of N frames and 1911s?

Yea, and with all the information on the WWW, you would think these guys would know better. :kidding:
Jerry

[Urny]

Have to put my .02 in on this one.

Commander .45 ACP
New Frontier 7.5" .44 Special
Cobra 4" .38 Special.

All by Colt.

Of all the gun writers, Skeeter was the best read for me. I am more given to rifles than handguns, but Skeeter's work always kept a lively interest in handgunning, and I wonder if any handguns would have ever entered my possession if there had been no Skeeter. H. V. Stent was my favorite rifle writer, though I never found much of his work in U.S. publications.

[Forrest r]

Forrest;

I bought a TOZ-35 Free Pistol like yours many years ago.

Being a left-hander, and also being on the wrong end of the horrendously-long supply line from Russia (then USSR), I set out to build a set of left-handed grips.

Using the right-handed grips as a sort of "pattern", one-inch mahogany planks were used to laminate the grips up to the thickness needed to create the wrap-around/curl-over contours.

Metal pins re-inforced some areas to prevent breakage.

The effort was worthwhile, and even today the home-made grips serve well.

I haven't fired a Free Pistol match in decades, but it's still a fascinating activity. I consider the Free Pistol to be the "sling-shot dragster" of the handgun world..... utterly useless EXCEPT for its designed purpose, where it excels.

(For anyone interested: it's called a "Free Pistol" because the rules are relatively "free" of restrictions.... unlike most competitive pistol events.

-it must be fired one-handed

-It has to be .22 LR;

-it may NOT use optical or any other sights than regular open irons;

-the grips cannot extend back far enough to support the wrist.

That's about it!)

The result is what you see at the bottom in Forrest's fine photo. The trigger can be set to measure in OUNCES.... I think my own TOZ 35 has it set about 4 ounces right now. It's a martini-type falling block action with a set trigger.

The course of fire is sixty rounds, fired in 2.5 HOURS with unlimited sighters. The ten-ring at 50 METERS (55 yards) is about one inch in diameter.

To say it is "difficult" is about the greatest understatement that exists in the shooting world.

Shooting a freepistol course is extremely challanging, if every 3rd shot was a 9 the score would be 1 point away from the worlds record. In the 100+ years of the sport a 581 is the worlds record, most nra experts shooot in the 560's.

Another pistol sport that is extremly hard & is becoming popular in my area. Standing silhouettes. No Creedmore position, no supports of any kind, just offhand @ 1/5th scale rifle targets on a 100yd course.

http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t242/forrestr-photo/silhouette_zps47f0d87b.jpg (http://s162.photobucket.com/user/forrestr-photo/media/silhouette_zps47f0d87b.jpg.html)

For a centerfire trifeca:
1911 45acp along with a 22 conversion kit
daw wesson 15-2 with the 7 bbl set
contender with the 6 different bbl's.

[Markbo]

Ok first let me be clear that i do NOT participate in standing silhouette competition. So please explain to me... what possible advantage do you get mounting a scope that high?

Oh yeah...you`re cheating on your pistol choices! :mrgreen:

[Mtnfolk75]

Lefty Red,

No need for a conversion, I have a MkIII 22/45 P4 & about 2.5k CCI Mini-Nags stashed out for the grandmunchkins ....... :mrgreen:

[Lefty Red]

Lefty Red,

No need for a conversion, I have a MkIII 22/45 P4 & about 2.5k CCI Mini-Nags stashed out for the grandmunchkins ....... :mrgreen:

I am thinking of putting a MKIII in layaway! I really miss my 22lr pistols.

[Moonie]

1911 (full size for OC officers for CC)
NMBH 45/45 convertible
Security Six 357

[Forrest r]

Ok first let me be clear that i do NOT participate in standing silhouette competition. So please explain to me... what possible advantage do you get mounting a scope that high?

Oh yeah...you`re cheating on your pistol choices! :mrgreen:

I use a modified taco hold & that setup allows me to use rifle scopes on that pistol. That's a 4-12 with the bdc elevation wheels in it. Easy enough to just put lines for the different yardages on them instead of counting clicks. I normally run that scope on 12 or switch over to a -18 sightron with a target dot.

http://www.kenlightmfg.com/

[Markbo]

Yhanks Forrest. I knew there would be a good reason. :mrgreen:

[Green Frog]

I made my "perfect" list about 30 years ago based on what I thought I might need then. At the time, I figured I could "get by" with
1) a High Standard 22 semi-auto target gun (or similar spec S&W, Ruger, or Colt)
2) a S&W k-frame 357 such as the Model 66 I then owned, and
3) a 45 of the 1911 A-1 persuasion such as my Series 70 Gold Cup
:guntootsmiley:

As I have aged and my needs and desires have changed, I think if I were to limit myself to just 3 guns today, the 22 would be a K-22 for more versatility with what it would shoot, the 38 would be my S&W Baby Chief, and I would still have that venerable Gold Cup. But, I would also probably want to have my custom 327 stainless K-frame for its versatility, since that's why it was built. Maybe I could substitute this for the K-22 and hold on to my 22 Ace conversion kit for the Gold Cup just in case 22s ever become more readily available once again. :coffee:

I'm glad I'm in Virginia where the number of guns I own is not limited by anything but my desires and my pocketbook, but from a speculative standpoint, it's sometimes a good exercise to analyze which guns are the most useful and desirable to own (or to look for) to make one's shooting experience the fullest. :coffeecom

Regards,
Froggie

[Markbo]

Dont worry. .22 will be readily available befor very much longer. But have a restocking plan before November 2016! And... i try not to analyze my guns TOO much for fear ill decide i have some I can get rid of. ;)

[rking22]

"... i try not to analyze my guns TOO much for fear ill decide i have some I can get rid of. "
Me too but it generally leads me to look for something I feel I am missing :)
To the OPs point, I'm too fickle to get by with 3.
Maybe 3 Rugers Bearcat, 4in GP, 5.5 Redhawk? or 3 smiths M18, M36-6, M696, or TC Contender, Series70,Beretta 84 ????? I can't do it, I WON'T do it ....

[harley45]

I kinda had to do it, the wife and I made the decision that with our photography studio doing so well and the holsters starting to take off I needed to leave the Sheriff's Department. I used my gun collection to pay off all of our debt so it was kinda a labor of love for me. I have been on nights 20 years and it was time to be home more.