No one gun can do it all. But if, like me, you are stuck with only one pistol to try to do it all, which do you choose? Here's my case for the G20.
One of the main arguments for the G20 is the argument for the 10mm Auto-- you can't really separate the two. There are lots of good options out there for the more popular calibers. But if you want a striker-fired 10mm? Only one comes to mind. All the other 10mm I'm aware of are 1911-based.
The basic case for the 10mm is versatility. Bullet weights from 135gr to 220gr in power ranges from .40SW to nearly .41Mag (and some .44mags in shorter barrels). That's the versatility just within the 10mm Auto caliber.
However, the G20 can very easily be converted to shoot .40SW and .357Sig which derive from the 10mm Auto case. Only a barrel swap is needed. Unlike many other conversions, these are actually pretty reliable-- no extractor fishiness and radical changes to proper recoil spring pressure, etc. This adds a lot of versatility and aids the ammo availability aspect.
It's pretty hard to find any overlap between a potential hunting handgun and a carry pistol, but the G20 arguably threads that needle. It's certainly on the big and clunky end of carryable, and on the small and frail end of a hunting handgun, but it does seem to fit narrowly within both categories.
It's not bigger than a standard 1911, and plenty of people carry 5" 1911s. It's actually a good bit lighter and more compact than a full size 1911. Yet it holds a lot more rounds, and each round can be considerably more powerful.
Converted to .40SW shooting a "short barrel" or low recoil load gives you something as mild as most 9mms. Running full house 10mm gives you something approaching or even exceeding the very hottest .357 Mag loads.
I don't expect the 10mm to suddenly become THE gotta-have-it caliber any time soon. But it DOES seem to be experiencing a resurgence of sorts recently. The availability of decent 10mm ammo has never been better. I think the 10mm will probably be around awhile, occupying the somewhat unique niche it does.
It's possible that the availability of better 10mm ammo will increase the sales of 10mm pistols, and that cycle may feed off itself to help increase 10mm popularity. That seems to have been occurring recently, but I don't know how much more popular a 10mm can realistically get.
A G20 already represents about as much firepower as one can carry in a handgun. 15 rounds that are over 700lb-ft each? I can't think of anything that comes close. 10,350lb-ft per magazine is a considerable amount of power.
It seems to me then that the G20 is sort of a class of one. A Striker-fired gun that's reasonably reliable, very versatile, just small enough to carry, just big enough to hunt with, reasonably priced, and very powerful.
One of the main arguments for the G20 is the argument for the 10mm Auto-- you can't really separate the two. There are lots of good options out there for the more popular calibers. But if you want a striker-fired 10mm? Only one comes to mind. All the other 10mm I'm aware of are 1911-based.
The basic case for the 10mm is versatility. Bullet weights from 135gr to 220gr in power ranges from .40SW to nearly .41Mag (and some .44mags in shorter barrels). That's the versatility just within the 10mm Auto caliber.
However, the G20 can very easily be converted to shoot .40SW and .357Sig which derive from the 10mm Auto case. Only a barrel swap is needed. Unlike many other conversions, these are actually pretty reliable-- no extractor fishiness and radical changes to proper recoil spring pressure, etc. This adds a lot of versatility and aids the ammo availability aspect.
It's pretty hard to find any overlap between a potential hunting handgun and a carry pistol, but the G20 arguably threads that needle. It's certainly on the big and clunky end of carryable, and on the small and frail end of a hunting handgun, but it does seem to fit narrowly within both categories.
It's not bigger than a standard 1911, and plenty of people carry 5" 1911s. It's actually a good bit lighter and more compact than a full size 1911. Yet it holds a lot more rounds, and each round can be considerably more powerful.
Converted to .40SW shooting a "short barrel" or low recoil load gives you something as mild as most 9mms. Running full house 10mm gives you something approaching or even exceeding the very hottest .357 Mag loads.
I don't expect the 10mm to suddenly become THE gotta-have-it caliber any time soon. But it DOES seem to be experiencing a resurgence of sorts recently. The availability of decent 10mm ammo has never been better. I think the 10mm will probably be around awhile, occupying the somewhat unique niche it does.
It's possible that the availability of better 10mm ammo will increase the sales of 10mm pistols, and that cycle may feed off itself to help increase 10mm popularity. That seems to have been occurring recently, but I don't know how much more popular a 10mm can realistically get.
A G20 already represents about as much firepower as one can carry in a handgun. 15 rounds that are over 700lb-ft each? I can't think of anything that comes close. 10,350lb-ft per magazine is a considerable amount of power.
It seems to me then that the G20 is sort of a class of one. A Striker-fired gun that's reasonably reliable, very versatile, just small enough to carry, just big enough to hunt with, reasonably priced, and very powerful.
