If you could go back in time

[ClydeFrog]

Ruger SP101 .357magnum DA only, P93DAO 9mmNATO...

My 1st handgun purchase was a NIB model SP101 DA only revolver(.357magnum).
I debated between buying the .357magnum snub & the new Ruger P93 9mm pistol in DA only.
I didn't really care for alloy frame semi-auto styles and I did not like the Ruger P93 series plastic grips with the "waffle" pattern design.
I did like the high cap magazines & DA only hammer fired format.
As a left-hander, either Ruger firearm would be a good pick but I chose the DA only SP101.
A few years later Ruger chose to drop the P93s & P93DAOs. DA only pistols were just starting to gain more support by CCW license & permit holders.
The P93s & P94s(.40S&W) got a lot of good press too.

I thought of buying a new Glock 20 10mm but in the long term I'm glad I got the Ruger SP101 revolver first.

 

[Auto426]

The first handgun I bought a few years ago was a Springfield G.I. 1911. When looking into a handgun to get for myself, I sort of knew I wanted a 1911, but I still wasn't sure. I had only shot my father's Ruger .357, a Bersa .380 my grandfather gave me, and my brothers S&W M&P .40. So I decided to get a low end model, just to see if I liked it.

Well, it turns out that I do, and the gun taught me a good deal about what I want in a 1911. It turns out I'm just fine with a G.I. hammer and grip safety, and I don't need an extended ambi safety or giant beavertail. However, you can tell that's its still a low end gun. The parkerizing is pretty fragile, the trigger is close to 8lbs, and the arched mainspring housing makes the gun point a little high in my hand.

Last year I bought my second 1911, a stainless Colt 1991. It's everything I wanted in a high quality package. The trigger is right around 4lbs, the gun is very well fitted and finished, and it's much more accurate than I am. I wish I would have bought it first, but paying almost $800 for a gun I wasn't sure I would like would not have been a smart move on my part.

 

[cougar gt-e]

Well, I wouldn't have passed up the Bren 10 that was sitting at a discount because it had no magazine. Wouldn't have passed on the 357mag Coonan to buy something disposable that I can't even remember what it was. Wouldn't have bought a mountain bike instead of a tommy gun. Wouldn't have scoffed at the guys that were in a "machine gun club" at work when the price of the tax stamp was a large portion of the total bill for the gun. Wouldn't have scoffed at the guys that were buying old commie guns for 50 bucks, etc etc etc.

Yeah, I'm really not able see the future real well am I?

 

[Brian48]

I would have picked up a new Colt Combat Elite while they were still available in MA.

I would have also not traded away my custom Essex 1911, which was the first gun I ever bought.

 

[ClydeFrog]

Colt Python .357magnum revolvers...

As a teen in the 1980s/early 1990s, I saw a few great Colt Python models.
They were considered the "Cadilac" of DA revolvers when Colt made them and were sold NIB with different styles, barrel lengths, etc.
I was just not thrilled with the wide gap in the grip area. My med/large size hands didn't get a solid feel(both right & left) with the standard Colt Pythons.

I know well made custom grips were available too but the high price(in 1980s-1990s $) just didn't seem worth it.