Keeping your handgun safe and locked up is a very important thing to do. Every year there is a news story about a young child finding a gun in their parent’s bedroom and accidentally shooting themselves or another sibling. It’s a sad and horrible thing and is something that can be almost completely prevented by locking your guns up in a gun safe. Most gun safes are made for larger rifles and shotguns, but there are also a large amount of smaller handgun safes that are meant to fit about anywhere and are perfect for keeping a gun in your bedroom for easy access while keeping it locked up to prevent a horrible accident.

What is the Most Reliable Handgun Safe?

If you’re looking for a reliable handgun safe, the V-Line Pistol Safe is the best option available. This safe is constructed with solid 12-gauge steel and features a Simplex mechanical lock that has over 1,000 possible combinations, making it difficult for someone to guess the code. Its compact size allows it to store up to two handguns, and it is approved by the California DOJ for firearm safety. The V-Line Pistol Safe is a highly secure and durable option, offered at a reasonable price point.

V-Line Compact-Pistol Safe

Access Method

The main reason that we’ve chosen the V-Line Pistol Safes over some of the biometrics or key entry ones is because of the simple, mechanical entry method. It is simple and extremely reliable. The biometric ones are pretty cool and are a neat gadget, but from everything I’ve seen, the more fancy things on something only mean there are more things that can go wrong. These have to be battery-powered also, so in the rare circumstance that shit hits the fan, and you can’t get power or new batteries, you can’t get to your gun. The V-Line is a simple 5-button row and knob mechanical opening system that is simple and reliable. No worrying about battery levels, or if the electronics have a bug or glitch, just a simple open anytime.

Construction / Durability

I personally own one of these safes, and my family has a few of them, and they are absolute tanks. They are made out of fabricated steel and their clamshell design is naturally resistant to prying open. Everything about them feels sturdy and solid, and they will definitely stand the test of time. I was surprised by how heavy they were also, but I guess that just goes to show the quality and solid material that went into building them.

Styles

There are two main styles of these pistol safes, the standard top opening version, and the hide-away or under-mounted version. I own the standard top opening version but have heard that both styles are absolutely fantastic. The best handgun safe for you will just have to depend on the situation where you will be using it. I will definitely be buying at least one under-mounted safe in the future, and probably a few to keep guns at hand when and where I need them.

The Best Handgun Safe in 2023

The bottom line is that you absolutely need to lock up your guns, especially if your house is insecure, or you have young children around. You would never forgive yourself if your young child were to get a hold of your handgun. The V-Line Pistol Safe is the Best Handgun Safe you can buy to securely lock up your handguns and will be a reliable and solid safe for access in almost any circumstance. There are no fancy electronics or fingerprint scanners, therefore fewer things to possibly go wrong and not work when you need them the most.

The 1911 pistol design has been around for almost 100 years now. Originally designed by John M. Browning, this was the standard-issue side firearm for the United States military for over 70 years. It is arguably the best handgun design of all time, and certainly one of the most popular handguns available today. The design is a handgun classic and the favorite of many handgun aficionados around the world. The M1911 handgun is made by many manufacturers, but a few have risen to the top. Those top few include Kimber, Springfield Armory, Smith and Wesson, and Colt. Some argue that others should be in there, but these are universally recognized as the best 1911 pistol brands.

Which Brand is Best for a 1911 Pistol?

Out of these gun manufacturers, we have chosen the Colt 1911 as the Best 1911 Pistol.

Which 1911 does the Military use?

Out of all 1911 brands, none can beat the Colt 1911 for its history and reputation. The Colt M1911 was officially adopted by the United States Military as the official sidearm all the way back in 1911 (where it gets the name). It was still officially issued all the way up to 1985, giving it over 70 years of combat experience in every American military conflict. It was replaced by the Beretta 92F in 1985. All through those years it has been one of America’s favorite guns available.

What is the Most Postol Sought After 1911?

The Colt M1911 is extremely popular as a handgun throughout the world. It is a prized collector’s gun, and today is usually more expensive than some of the other brands because it is less common. Ask any handgun fanatic about the 1911 and they will surely admit they are one of the most popular handguns out there. If you can get your hands on one, definitely do. Its single stacked magazine makes the handle fairly narrow, which has made it one of the preferred standard-size concealed carry guns.

What is the Price of Colt 1911?

The only issue with the Colt 1911 is the usually higher price tag. Because of the name and current production levels, the Colts are generally a few hundred dollars more expensive than the other similar 1911 pistols. But if you are paying that much for a handgun anyways, many people suggest just shelling out the extra money to get a Colt.

The Best 1911 Pistol
The bottom line is that you can’t go wrong with a Colt 1911. It truly is the Best 1911 Pistol. The design itself is one of the most popular gun designs in the world, and the Colt M1911s are the reason for much of that popularity. It has had over 70 years of military and combat experience and continues to this day to be carried, shot, and cared for by many happy owners. Just go on some of the 1911 forums and you can see how well-liked these guns really are. For the price, it may be a more economical decision to purchase one of the other brands, but for the overall cool factor, the Colt M1911 is your gun.

With recent events such as the Aurora, CO theater shootings and the complete lawlessness in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, Americans are realizing more and more that the only way to truly ensure the safety of themselves and their families is to arm themselves. If you don’t have a gun already, now is the absolute best time to get one before they get more expensive and more limited. But with so much information out there, making a decision on what handgun to get is difficult. This is why we are going to go over how to choose a handgun and get the gun that is perfect for you.

We’ll walk you through the decision process of figuring out:

• What you will be using the gun for
• What type and size of gun will work best for you
• Determining the perfect first caliber
• Figuring out your price range

This process will hopefully help you solidify much more what you are looking for, and help you make a final decision.

In the end, we’ll actually tell you what gun we recommend more than any other one to be the best overall gun for first-time owners. So stay tuned!

Continued Training

If you are new to the world of handguns, one of the best things you can do for yourself is to educate and train yourself on guns. For this, we have specifically written a guide of all the things that we WISH people would have told us when starting out. It’s titled the First Handgun Boot Camp and is available through Amazon for a fraction of the cost of a handgun class.

So please check out it, and let us know what you think!

What should I look for in a first handgun?

Let’s clear one thing up before we get started on anything else. If you ask anyone in the gun world about the best first pistol to get, you will likely get a variety of answers, mostly based on personal preference and familiarity. Sometimes all of these recommendations will overwhelm you.

In the end, the best gun to get for your first handgun is always going to be the one that feels the best to you. It should fit comfortably in your hand, be easy for you to use and manipulate, and feel great to shoot. Other factors than that really don’t matter a ton and should be taken with a grain of salt. Bottom line is that you should love your gun.

So now let’s start narrowing down what kind of gun will work best for you.

Purpose of Use

The first thing to consider with selecting your first handgun is what you plan to use it for. Don’t let this intimate you though, many people don’t really have a really specific reason or use for a gun in their day-to-day lives, but still want one, and like to have one around for various reasons.

But some people plan to use their handgun for very specific situations such as:

• Concealed Carry
• Home Defense
• Outdoors / Hunting
• etc.

For these purposes, there are certain types, sizes, and calibers of guns that will be better in those individual situations.

But for most people, a good, general-use handgun that can do everything fairly well is what they are going to want to select.

What are the 4 types of handguns?

So now let’s take a look at the best type of handgun you should get. Now there are basically two types of handguns out there – revolvers and semi-automatics. Revolvers are the guns with the revolving cylinders that you see in old-time, Wild West movies. Semi-Autos are the newer style guns that have removable magazines and usually a slide that slides back and forth to cycle the action of a gun.

Revolvers are generally thought of to be more reliable, just because of their inherent simplicity, but semi-autos have the ability to fire rounds faster and reload much faster and easier than revolvers.

With modern advances in the reliability of semi-autos, we would have to recommend that you look at one of these for your first handgun type. again, you will have to decide which type feels the best for you, but a semi-auto will give you the ability to carry more rounds in your gun and shoot and reload it faster.

Size

The next thing to think about when selecting your first gun is the size you want it to be. Now there are basically 3 different sizes of guns – small, medium, and large. Both revolvers and semi-autos come in both sizes, and the one you select will largely depend on what you plan on using the gun for.

If you plan on doing a lot of concealed carry, you will obviously want to look at a gun that’s a bit smaller in size, so you can conceal it easier. If you will be packing your gun on your hip while hunting or hiking, then you can probably get away with a bit larger size.

We recommend that for a general-purpose gun, you look at one in the medium size range. These guns will be more versatile in more situations, so you can use them for both concealed carry and hunting.

But we definitely recommend airing on the larger size of guns, just because they are more comfortable and easier to shoot, hold more rounds, and are generally better guns. So unless you plan on specifically carrying your gun concealed, we recommend that you don’t get a small-sized handgun.

What caliber pistol is right for you?

One of the most popular debates in the world of handguns revolves around calibers. There are many different calibers of rounds available, and each performs a bit differently. But for all intents and purposes, there are only a few different calibers that you will be looking at for your first handgun. These are (in ascending order of size/power:

• .22 LR
• 9mm
• .38 Special
• .40 S&W
• .45 ACP

Again, there are literally hundreds of other round sizes out there, but these are the 5 that are the most common for people to get for their first gun.

The .22 LR is the smallest common handgun round and isn’t good for anything when it comes to self-defense, but the pistols are fun and easy to shoot, with the bullets costing virtually nothing.

The 9mm is the most common round in the world and is a very common pick for the first semi-auto pistols.

The .38 Special is a revolver-only round that is probably the most common revolver round out there. This round is usually fired from short-barreled revolvers, known as ‘snub nose’ revolvers.

The .40 S&W is now the standard round for most police forces in the US and is a great general round for a variety of uses.

The .45 ACP is a larger round that has been the standard issue round for our military for over 100 years. While you can’t carry very many of these, they definitely pack a great punch.

So in the end, we would recommend that you select either the 9mm or the .40 S&W for your first handgun. These are both rounds that perform great, have good stopping power, and are readily available for cheap.

Price Range

Now is the time to determine your price range. For this article, we’ll say that there are 3 main price ranges to consider for your handgun: low (less than $400), medium ($400 – $600), and high ($600+).

Most solid-quality handguns will fall within the medium range, which is where we recommend shopping if you have the money to. Obviously, there are fantastic guns in the higher price range, and surprisingly quite a few good ones in the lower range, so things all depend on your budget a bit.

But always remember – you get what you pay for, and guns are an investment that you can always resell for a very tiny loss (and sometimes gain).

So after all of this talk, it’s time to tell you what gun we recommend to a majority of people looking to buy their first handgun.

What is the most reliable handgun to carry?

Again, the gun that you should pick is the gun that works best for you and feels the best in your hand.

But we would have to recommend the Glock 23 as a fantastic all-around gun to get for your first one. It’s a great balance of size and power, chambers the very versatile .40 S&W round, and is one of the most reliable guns out there. It will run you around $450 – 550 in most places but is well worth the cost.

Conclusion – How to Choose a Handgun

So in conclusion, just go out there and shoot some guns! See what types, manufacturers, and calibers feel the best for you, and decide for yourself! Welcome to the gun club too, we’re glad to have you!

The .40 S&W caliber is a fascinating round that bridges the gap between the raw power of the .45 ACP and the high-capacity, lighter recoil advantages of the 9mm. Compact, yet potent, the .40 caliber provides a bullet with a nice balance of stopping power and magazine capacity. While multiple manufacturers like Springfield, Walther, and Smith & Wesson offer excellent .40 cal pistols, the Glock 23 reigns supreme when evaluated based on four critical factors: reliability, reputation, price, and size.

The Rise of the .40 S&W

Before diving into the Glock 23, it’s essential to understand the genesis of the .40 S&W round. Developed in the early ’90s as a joint venture between Smith & Wesson and Winchester, the .40 S&W was engineered as a compromise cartridge. Law enforcement agencies were searching for an alternative to the high-recoil, full-power 10mm Auto rounds, and the .40 S&W perfectly fit the bill. It provided impressive terminal ballistics without overwhelming recoil, gaining rapid adoption by several law enforcement agencies.

The Intricacies of the .40 S&W Round

The .40 S&W cartridge was birthed out of a quest for optimization. It was designed to offer the best of both worlds: the capacity of the 9mm and the stopping power of the .45 ACP. Its 10mm parent case was shortened, and the powder charge reduced, giving birth to a round that was more manageable yet still maintained adequate energy levels. Most .40 S&W rounds are designed with a heavier bullet, typically ranging from 155 to 180 grains, leading to a slower muzzle velocity but a harder-hitting impact. This balances kinetic energy and momentum, making it suitable for both law enforcement and self-defense applications.

Glock 23: The Gold Standard in Reliability

The most crucial factor for any firearm intended for self-defense or law enforcement use is reliability. Here, the Glock 23 shines extraordinarily. Built to stringent specifications, Glock pistols are renowned for their almost indestructible nature. Torture tests involving extreme conditions like being buried in mud, sand, or snow have demonstrated that a Glock can handle just about any abuse you throw at it and still function flawlessly. Owners have reported running tens of thousands of rounds through their Glocks without a single hiccup. The Glock 23 is no exception. Its robust construction ensures that it will work under the most taxing conditions. This reliability is a cornerstone of Glock’s reputation and one of the reasons why it is the go-to choice for many professionals.

Unblemished Reputation: The Glock Legacy

While the Glock’s boxy, almost utilitarian design has been a point of contention among firearm aficionados, what it may lack in aesthetics, it more than makes up for in performance and functionality. Glocks are widely respected for their consistency and reliability. Unlike some firearms with external safeties that can snag or be forgotten in high-stress situations, the Glock’s integrated trigger safety system ensures that it will fire when you need it to. It’s a no-nonsense approach that ensures maximum operational readiness, making it a preferred choice for law enforcement and military agencies worldwide.

Affordability: High Quality Without the High Cost

Another compelling reason to consider the Glock 23 as the best .40 cal handgun is its price point. For just a little over $500, you get a high-quality, reliable firearm. In a market where many competing models from brands like SIG, Kimber, and H&K can cost hundreds more, the Glock 23 presents a cost-effective yet uncompromising option. Its performance-to-cost ratio is simply unmatched, providing exceptional value for your money.

Size and Concealability: The Best of Both Worlds

When it comes to size, the Glock 23 strikes an excellent balance. It’s compact enough for potential concealed carry while still being large enough to handle the snappy recoil of the .40 cal round effectively. Its ergonomics are well-thought-out, making it comfortable for extended shooting sessions. Although it might be on the larger side for daily concealed carry for some people, its dimensions are manageable enough for most to carry effectively with the right holster and clothing choices.

Comparative Analysis with Other .40 Caliber Handguns

When pitted against other .40 caliber handguns like the Springfield XDm, Walther P99, and Smith and Wesson M&P, the Glock 23 holds its own remarkably well. The Springfield XDm boasts a higher capacity and an excellent grip but falls short in terms of price and aftermarket support. The Walther P99 is known for its ergonomics but doesn’t offer the universal reliability that Glock is famed for. The Smith and Wesson M&P series comes close in terms of ergonomics and reliability but still can’t overshadow the Glock 23 when it comes to track records in rugged situations. In summation, each of these guns has its merits but none can fully usurp the Glock 23 in an all-around assessment.

Accessories and Customization Options

The Glock 23 doesn’t just win in terms of the gun itself; it also offers an unparalleled array of accessories and customization options. Whether you’re looking at extended magazines, optics, or custom barrels, the market for Glock 23 accessories is robust. Tactical rails make it simple to attach lasers or flashlights, and the options for holsters are virtually limitless. This provides an avenue for shooters to tailor the Glock 23 to their unique requirements, thereby enhancing its versatility exponentially.

A Comprehensive Buying Guide

Purchasing a Glock 23 is not just about walking into a gun store and picking one off the shelf. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you make an informed decision:

1. Legal Requirements: Understand the gun laws in your state or country. Make sure you have all the necessary permits and paperwork.

2. New vs. Used: Decide whether you want a brand-new gun or if a used one would suffice. Used guns are generally cheaper but ensure that they are in good condition and preferably get them inspected by an expert.

3. Retailer or Private Seller: Both have their advantages. Retailers often offer warranties and are a safer option, whereas private sellers might offer better deals.

4. Budget: Keep your budget in mind, but remember that this is a lifetime investment.

5. Accessories: Plan for the cost of any additional accessories or upgrades you may require.

6. Test Fire: If possible, test fire the gun. Many ranges have rental options, and this will provide insight into its performance, recoil, and suitability for your needs.

7. Final Inspection: Before making the purchase, give the gun one final inspection. Check for any signs of wear, tear, or malfunction.

8. Purchase and Paperwork: Once satisfied, proceed with the purchase and complete all necessary paperwork.

Additional Considerations

While the Glock 23 has much to offer, it’s important to note that it is also compatible with higher-capacity magazines, making it even more versatile. Its polymer frame keeps it lightweight, and its simple design makes it easy to maintain. Glock also offers various accessories and customization options, further allowing you to tailor the gun to your specific needs and preferences.

Final Thoughts

All said the Glock 23 stands out as the best .40 cal handgun available today, excelling in every category that matters. It’s an all-rounder that offers a perfect blend of size, firepower, and reliability. Its reputation as a rugged, dependable sidearm is well-earned, and for an average price of around $500, it’s an incredible value. Whether you’re new to the world of firearms or a seasoned veteran, the Glock 23 provides everything you could ask for in a .40 cal handgun. From self-defense to law enforcement applications, it is a proven performer that won’t let you down.