Two questions for people that know a lot about guns?

First of all, would it be unwise to buy Italian police surplus beretta from a gun show? They are really cheap to buy and are only $250 a piece. The barrels and inner components are certified to fire and they are incredibly smooth on the surface. Some cosmetic wear and tear, though. I ask because a brand new Beretta isn't cheap and tgese older 92F models are cheap.

Second question

Is the.45 a one hit kill bullet? Meaning one well-placed shot to the torso will instantly drop a guy? A guy w as trying to get me to buy his 1911 instead of a Gen 5 Glock 19 because he told me his 1911 was made to a higher standard of quality. Like buying a Ford Mustang V8 vs buying a Honda Civic. He told me .45 is more powerful and efficient than 9mm and that there have been more Medal of Honors awarded to people with 1911s than 9mm handguns in combat. But a former police officer told me 9mm is the way to go since you can carry more bullets. So which is it? The main reason I didn't want the 1911 was because he wanted 2 grand.

My husband says the Beretta is fine, and so is the Glock.

Any bullet can be a one hit kill or drop shot.

The 1911 can be anywhere from $450 for a basic to $2,500 for a custom.

If you are only going to buy one gun, the Beretta is fine, and so is the Glock.

I will admit I don't know beans from Beretta's, but I do know my 1911. If you hit a person in the finger with a .45 ACP, it will break their arm in 'several' places and put them smartly on the ground, and down for the count.

I don't know if they still sell magazines for the 1911 which hold up to 10 or more rounds, but they used to, and I have some, (but not for sale) and I have always favored the ole Colt 1911. New ones are for sale by Colt for much less than the old ones, which are now antiques. Mine went through the Normandy invasion back in WW2, for instance.

Ok… Let s dissect this. (1) does the barrel still have good rifling? (2) does it function smoothly? (3) One shot from almost anything, in the torso ( center of mass) will affect anyone, depending on what type of round it is. ( a 9mm hollow point vs a 45acp fmj, for example ) (4) I would say that a modern Honda engine is much more advanced than a 1968 Mustang 289… No comparison for the decades difference in technology. Apples & oranges, at best. Btw, why does he want to sell his 1911 ? (5) There are more CMH winners who had 45 s because that was their only sidearm. ( since 1911 ) (6) A $2000 dollar 45 has got to be pimped to the hilt. If you want the larger caliber, get a Glock 20 or 21 and save yourself a LOT of money for one of the best & most dependable guns on the planet… But that s just my ( biased) opinion and I've had / shot both types. Bottom line? If you can, go out and shoot both… See what you and your budget like. It's your money.

I would feel safe buying a surplus Beretta from an Italian police force at $250. #1 is because cops don't use their guns in real life like tv shows. A lot would depend on their program to keep familiarized with their weapon but I would venture to say more people outside the police force that are enthusiast fire 100 (or many more) to 1 more shots than the average cop. Some cops have been known to have never fired their gun on duty at retirement.
The hit from a .45 or any other caliber all depends where hit. All are unique.

Buying surplus police and military firearms can be a very good deal, yours included. However, like most used items, it is likely "as-is" and there's no warranty to back up the actual condition of the gun. Samples can vary and either you need to trust the seller or make an informed inspection of the gun before purchase.

That guy is just feeding you a steaming hot pile of BS. There's no such thing as a "one hit kill bullet" handgun caliber or a one it will guarantee to "drop" a guy with one shot to the torso. Guns stop threats immediately one (or more) of three ways: fear, pain, or destroying a primary system of the body (nervous, cardiopulmonary, skeletal). The later will guarantee death, but likely be a mortal would if not treated. A shot destroying the heart, spinal cord, brain, pelvis, or major artery will likely stop an attack instantly, whether it is a .380ACP or 44 Magnum. The problem is that in a real life or death situation adrenaline is flowing and everybody's are moving, making it VERY difficult to make a "well placed" shot to one of those places, even those that are well trained (and people don't train/practice enough as it is). Police, who train more than most, only hit their suspect about 35% of the time.

When it comes to 9mm vs .45 Auto, modern 9mm +P pressures and expanding bullets do a lot more to equalize the performance. The most important criteria of a handgun round is penetration of at least 12" to increase its chances of reaching a vital area and both 9mm and .45 Auto have that capability. When it comes down to it, the fact that the Glock 19 has twice the capacity and manageable recoil in a lighter gun, the answer is pretty clear when choosing a defensive handgun.
And for an even more informed opinion check out the FBI report:

The 1911 was the standard issue sidearm for more than 70 years through major conflicts, including WWII, so statistically more medal of honor winner would have been carrying that, and chance are few were actually carrying it in the action they received the medal for, let alone used it as their primary weapon.

A 2 grand 1911 is not what you want to use for self defense, especially if it is used. 1911s were designed with loose tolerances. Custom high-end 1911s are designed with tighter tolerances to improve accuracy, but that could make them unreliable, depending on who actually manufactures it. You can get a decent 1911 for the range or even defense if you want for under $1K.

Make double sure that those Beretta's are in fact Model 92F's and not the 92S. Typically the cheap Italian police trade in Beretta's are Model 92S's, not the F model. There's nothing wrong with either except the S model takes a different magazine. You can modify surplus F and FS magazines to work if you're good with a Dremel tool. I own several Beretta's, one of which is an Italian Police Model 92S. There are many internal differences, some external differences, different sights (very low profile) different magazine as mentioned earlier, and different grip panel than on modern F and FS models. If the Beretta 92S should ever break down and/or need parts you might have a problem locating them.

To address the guy trying to sell you his 1911, he's feeding you a load of bull, because he's trying to get you to buy his gun. Period. With the advent of modern controlled expansion ammunition that is readily available from several different manufacturers, the playing field is damn near level when you compare the "The Big 3" in defense handgun calibers. That would be 9mm, 40SW and 45ACP. There are very slight differences in their performance if you read the FBI ballistics gel comparisons when they tested controlled expansion hollow points in all 3 calibers. The 9mm due to its capacity alone is the best choice. There's die hard fans of each of the 3 calibers who will still tell you that theirs is the best. I'm a huge fan of 45ACP, that's one that I carried for years. With this new ammunition, I carry for capacity now, and carry a 9mm.

Dude, If a 45 hits you in the finger it will break your arm in 3 places and knock you backwards at least 15 to 20 feet.
No joke dude. Dirty Henry carried 2 45 guns. A bad dude.
A 45 is without a doubt a arm breaking bullet if it hits you in the finger. I'm sorry you are so uninformed.

Everything you are asking would be a matter of opinion.

Would I buy a surplus gun? I have and I probably will again. You know that at least some of them will be in good condition, and everything will have a nice tight fit without a lot of wear. You also know that there are going to be some that are quite worn out.

The stopping power of a large slow bullet is well established, A .45ACP will stop a man with good reliability. But because it is slow, it does not have the same killing potential as a high velocity bullet that is smaller and lighter, you are talking about totally different forces involved.

I do not like Glock Pistols and do not own one. My Brother who has equal experience, loves his.

I own only one 9mm pistol. It is a very old Luger with all matching numbered parts. I lover the Pistol but hate the cartridge.

I carried a S&W model 19 .357Mag. My usual partner carried a 1911. Neither one of us had any need for a gun so weak that it required a magazine that was able to hold half a box of ammo.