As a multiple-discipline instructor for 40 years, a sportsman, enthusiast, and hunter, and knowing that there are other enthusiasts in our club, I thought it would be a shame if we couldn’t discuss any aspects of firearm ownership and use.
Over the years, I’ve seen a lot of YouTube creators in the firearm ownership and use space. There are good ones, bad ones, popular ones, and everything in between. There are some creators who are very popular, and I think they do a great job, but their channels just don’t interest me. Take Hickok45, for example. Don’t get me wrong - I think he’s fantastic, and he’s certainly one of the people I’d love to spend an afternoon shooting and talking with. Much of his content just doesn’t interest me.
That brings us to Honest Outlaw. He’s not my favorite, but he’s pretty good, and he recently released a video that I thought was very interesting and certainly one of his more comprehensive efforts.
So, what’s your favorite? I’ll answer that with a short story.
I didn’t come from a family that owned firearms or hunted, or did any of the things I eventually became interested in as a young man. I had an interest in firearms from a young age. I was attracted to the history, mechanics, and engineering… and, of course, as a teenager, the cool factor. Hunting would come later as I spent most of my time as a bow hunter.
I purchased my first firearm as soon as I was old enough. I had no mentor. There was no internet. There were books and the old-timers who hung around the gun store, whom I would quietly listen to. It was there that I learned their disdain for stainless steel. These were old-school, blued-gun men.
I was well aware of the potential challenges with stainless steel, such as galling, but I also liked many of its advantages, including not having to be psychotic about fingerprints. I remember thinking, I hope when I get older I don’t become like them, resistant to different technologies.
That would soon be tested.
Just a few years later, Glock introduced the Model 17. My reaction? Plastic, Tupperware pistol!
In the years and decades that followed, Glock would prove itself. So, 25 years later, I purchased my first Glock, a Model 19. Today, I own several, including one I use as a trainer with thousands of rounds and never having been cleaned. No stoppages to date.
That’s my answer. If I could only own one handgun - a terrible thought - the answer would be the Glock 19. For me, it’s the Goldilocks of handguns.
So, what’s yours? There is no wrong answer. There is only your answer.
In the video, he mentions the P226, which in its day was a phenomenal platform. It still is for those who prefer a DA/SA. I don't, and it's simply too heavy for me to carry today when there are options like the G19. The P365 is another matter. It’s not a fighting pistol like the G19, but it’s reliable and convenient to carry.