Viggen
Just here...
Oh yeah! We are in the minority though. Those that know, know well. Those that havent shot one dont know how good they are. Ill take my CZ 75B over just about anything.
pistol decision - 9mm
- Thread starter Toyotero
- Start date
Oh yeah! We are in the minority though. Those that know, know well. Those that havent shot one dont know how good they are. Ill take my CZ 75B over just about anything.
NothingClever
Explorer
I don't have much technical advice but I'm reminded of a great quote...."It's the painter, not the brush."
I've had the privilege of working with guys who have nearly unlimited budgets for pistols and enjoy exclusive, personalized armorer support. You'd be surprised at what they shoot. But, as you're probably anticipating, I'd bet my paycheck they can outshoot under very real physical and emotional duress the great majority of those touting this brand or that brand. But, to be fair, shooting is what we do for a living so maybe the playing field isn't all that fair.
Anyways....
Go to a well-resourced gun shop and handle the weapons you are considering. Work the action (if they'll let you), familiarize yourself with the controls and then manipulate the weapon as much as you can with your eyes closed.
Get what fits your hands, your intended use and your wallet, not what will impress people on a forum.
Go the range and spend A LOT OF TIME working on dry fire drills. Resist the tempation to start frittering awat box after box of ammo. THEN, if you can afford it, put several thousand rounds through the weapon always with specific skill objectives in mind (IOW, plinking is verboten). Foundation courses from a reputable shooting coach will help a lot to develop your tables (skill objectives).
If you do all that, the brand will quickly become secondary.
I've had the privilege of working with guys who have nearly unlimited budgets for pistols and enjoy exclusive, personalized armorer support. You'd be surprised at what they shoot. But, as you're probably anticipating, I'd bet my paycheck they can outshoot under very real physical and emotional duress the great majority of those touting this brand or that brand. But, to be fair, shooting is what we do for a living so maybe the playing field isn't all that fair.
Anyways....
Go to a well-resourced gun shop and handle the weapons you are considering. Work the action (if they'll let you), familiarize yourself with the controls and then manipulate the weapon as much as you can with your eyes closed.
Get what fits your hands, your intended use and your wallet, not what will impress people on a forum.
Go the range and spend A LOT OF TIME working on dry fire drills. Resist the tempation to start frittering awat box after box of ammo. THEN, if you can afford it, put several thousand rounds through the weapon always with specific skill objectives in mind (IOW, plinking is verboten). Foundation courses from a reputable shooting coach will help a lot to develop your tables (skill objectives).
If you do all that, the brand will quickly become secondary.
BigAl
Expedition Leader
JamesDowning
Explorer
How about a Steyr M9?
Bigjerm
SE Expedition Society
I am a Glock fan as well. I carry a glock daily as a cop so I am partial. I also have the Glock 26 (sub 9mm)as my back up and it has been a great pistol. Glock maybe not be #1 for a comp gun right out of the box but it has been proven to be a reliable gun with little maintenance and a simple break-down procedure if you like to clean it a lot.
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demonslaer
Observer
Taurus pt24/7 9mm oss-ds tactical
john101477
Photographer in the Wild
not even a choice. Beretta Para 9, the other options are not even close. I am also a fan of the taurus 24/7 but I would not buy anything smaller than the 40. IMO thats the best it gets from taurus I actually shoot a millennium pro (PT145 w/ pic rail) in the 45acp.
plainjaneFJC
Deplorable
I carry the XD 3.5 barrel in 9mm. To me it looks a little wider than the glock, making it tougher to conceal. But the gun has been trouble free, never jammed.
dflesher65
Certifiable
Check out the Sig 2022, great gun, great price! Also check out the Sig 226 or 229. For a subcompact I like the River SR9C.
Dwight
Dwight
clandr1
Adventurer
This thread has probably been beaten to death, but the Glock x1,000.
I've owned a Ruger, and XD9, and neither compare to the durability, simplicity, and shootability of the Glock.
EdwardBernal
Adventurer
With all due respect, this is NOT a good response to the OP - I understand John likes his Baretta but to put this pistol ( or most modern, quality 9s for that matter ) leaps and bounds ahead of the others is foolish. Glock, HK, CZ, S & W, Ruger, Springfield (XD), Walther, etc etc etc (and I'm leaving out a bunch of others) , ALL make quality firearms. Will someone on occasion get a dud from any of the companies? - sure, and those are the stories that makes the intranets so interesting. Don't fool yourself - unless you are just surfing for the lowest price on a pistol get what YOU like and shoot one if you can for yourself. When shopping for and piece of gear that you will theorhetically rely on to save your life, why skimp? The difference between pot metal crap and a quality piece is a few hundred bucks (and BTW the 2 samples of "saturday night special" quality pistols - a raven .380 and a jennings pistol, they ran like typewriters when I had the chance to shoot them).
Caliber: a 9 will serve you well provided you load it with a quality cartridge. Cor-Bon, Hornady, Federal, Winchester are some companies that sell quality hollow point ammo whose performace will come close to larger diameter calibers. As always, shot placement is KING. Again, IMHO, ammo technology has evolved to the point that most of the major manufacturers offer quality hollow point ammo that expands reliably and produces the "desired effect". Pick a quality 124 grain load from these manufacturers and personally, I would feel well-defended.
My personal pick? Like alot of others who have responded, I like the glock 19 - the perfect 9 in the opinion of alot of gun guys aside from myself.. Almost in the "compact" category, 15 round capacity, cheap(er) magazines and as reliable as any of the 6 other nines I own - including a Ruger SP-101 revolver in 9mm. Just a sweet, sweet gun and it holds twice the ammo that a standard 1911 does. Biggest complaint by others is the grip angle - doesn't bother me a bit and it hits where I point it...good luck and if you get it down to 2 pistols and can't decide - GET BOTH!
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