Test driving a bunch of pistola's...

[BIGdaddy]

I'm also not a fan of XD and XDm (marketing hype, personally, a XDm is basically moves towards what any quality gun has by default), Sigma is also out I think. Ruger P95 is also sort of a junk gun I think too (works but nothing special).

I do like Beretta and the M&P Smith and Wessons personally on the American side.

A lot of it has to do with what feels good in your hands. I was able to make all of these decisions after shooting most of them which helped a lot. There is a local gun pit and with a bunch of buddies I happened to be in the right place at the right time several times... I have a larger hand that I don't think is massive but usually works out to a XL or XXL in standard glove sizing, but by no means anything comparable to a basketball player...

If I were to buy any gun right now along those lines it would be the 2022 Sig Pro in .40.

can I ask what disqualifies the sigma for you? I know the trigger pull is a heavy 10-12lbs, but anything other than that?

Same question for the XD...

I agree the ruger p95 is really only on the list because its inexpensive. I don't feel like I'm getting " a lot of gun for the money" when I consider that one.

thanks!,
Brian

 

[dieselcruiserhead]

Mostly just better options if you hunt. We are really lucky that we have good classifieds locally to find these things. The only Sig Pro (I'm not sure if they're even branded Sig Pro any more) is the 250. But you can find a very lightly used or even new/used 2022 for $400-$450 around here. I agree that they are a lot of gun for the money though. Just big, bulky, and not something that I would want to keep personally...

just my $.02

 

[BIGdaddy]

Mostly just better options if you hunt. We are really lucky that we have good classifieds locally to find these things. The only Sig Pro (I'm not sure if they're even branded Sig Pro any more) is the 250. But you can find a very lightly used or even new/used 2022 for $400-$450 around here. I agree that they are a lot of gun for the money though. Just big, bulky, and not something that I would want to keep personally...

just my $.02

Hey thanks for the reply...
...what I was saying was that the Ruger is NOT a lot of gun for the money to me. (basically agreeing with you, as far as the "junk gun" idea went. Not that I think they're dangerous, just "junky". They're supposedly an ok performer, I just feel like I'd be copping out and buying the cheapest 9mm out there if I got it.


Still searching and saving for my pistola in San diego.


thanks for all the replies so far.

 

[tombodad]

:sombrero:I was in the market a while back for a .45.

I wanted high capacity (12-14), 4-5" barrel, light weight, and toughness.

This nrrowed it down to a polymer, for me.

First stop? Glock. Tough as nuts, not comfortable at all in my hand, doesn't shoot well for me.

Next up: XD. Also very tough, with a reputation for robust reliability creeping up on Glock. However, the grip angle is all wrong for me, and the "eyes-closed aiming" test failed every time.

So what did I buy? Taurus 24/7 Pro. Awesome firearm. Light, tough, and fits my hand like it was born there. Points naturally every time, fast shooter (actually for a while, maybe still, this was the fastest production gun). Heinke sights (which i like, ymmv). Lifetime warranty (although that is not as important as some make it, being that merely needing to use a warranty is contrary to the purpose of a defensive firearm. you need it to work, period.
The coolest part? DA/SA. Only pistol in the world with second strike capability. You are firing the weapon, and have an FTF (failure to fire). Every other auto? Reach up with free hand, rack the slide, clearing the dud round. 24/7 Pro? Pull the trigger again, hammer strikes again. (Taurus says 85% of bad rounds will fire with a second hammer strike). These seconds could be life and death.

Above all, shoot what you like, like what you shoot.

...and don't buy a Bersa. Should be called Piece-a's.

 

[john101477]

:sombrero:I was in the market a while back for a .45.

I wanted high capacity (12-14), 4-5" barrel, light weight, and toughness.

This nrrowed it down to a polymer, for me.

First stop? Glock. Tough as nuts, not comfortable at all in my hand, doesn't shoot well for me.

Next up: XD. Also very tough, with a reputation for robust reliability creeping up on Glock. However, the grip angle is all wrong for me, and the "eyes-closed aiming" test failed every time.

So what did I buy? Taurus 24/7 Pro. Awesome firearm. Light, tough, and fits my hand like it was born there. Points naturally every time, fast shooter (actually for a while, maybe still, this was the fastest production gun). Heinke sights (which i like, ymmv). Lifetime warranty (although that is not as important as some make it, being that merely needing to use a warranty is contrary to the purpose of a defensive firearm. you need it to work, period.
The coolest part? DA/SA. Only pistol in the world with second strike capability. You are firing the weapon, and have an FTF (failure to fire). Every other auto? Reach up with free hand, rack the slide, clearing the dud round. 24/7 Pro? Pull the trigger again, hammer strikes again. (Taurus says 85% of bad rounds will fire with a second hammer strike). These seconds could be life and death.

Above all, shoot what you like, like what you shoot.

...and don't buy a Bersa. Should be called Piece-a's.

I am also a taurus fan. The 24/7 is a great sidearm and fit me perfectly, where as the rugers, glocks, and XD's where just out side of comfort. When I bought my taurus the dealer told me the specific 24/7 I wanted was not legal in CA (later found out he is full of crap and only 1 model of 24/7 is not legal in cali.) I ended up buying the millennium Pro Pt145pro. a semi compact frame with all of the attributes of the 24/7 in a smaller frame. Be carefull when purchasing though the PT145pro is a very different shooter than it's little sisters in the 40 and 9mm calibers.

I would personally buy the 24/7 unless you plan to conceal carry there are tons of holsters for the 24/7 where as there options for the PT145 are slim.

 

[AYIAPhoto]

The coolest part? DA/SA. Only pistol in the world with second strike capability.

UMMMM...CZ, Beretta and a whole lot more have second strike capability.It may be one of the few "striker fired" pistols with the ability, but there are plenty of DA/SA pistols out there.

 

[BIGdaddy]

Possibly some of you noticed that I put a up a "lookie what I got thread" and then pulled it down. I chose a RIA armory 1911, (it was between that and the XD. very close, very either/or) and then a bunch of snafu's happened with the purchase that I won't get into, and the manager of the store offered me a deal on a different gun just to keep my business.

He ended up givin' me a smokin deal on a XD9 tactical, 5" barrelled, zombie-killing sidearm.

Very happy with my decision, and the icing on the cake is that right now SA is offering a free mag promo if you buy an XD or XDm between Oct 8th and Dec 31st. So not only will I get the two mags with the purchase, I also get three extra mags (for a total of 5) and an extra mag holster.

yeehaw!

Now I'm on the lookout for a nice, inexpensive Left-handed OWB holster.

 

[thebrassnuckles]

Possibly some of you noticed that I put a up a "lookie what I got thread" and then pulled it down. I chose a RIA armory 1911, (it was between that and the XD. very close, very either/or) and then a bunch of snafu's happened with the purchase that I won't get into, and the manager of the store offered me a deal on a different gun just to keep my business.

He ended up givin' me a smokin deal on a XD9 tactical, 5" barrelled, zombie-killing sidearm.

Very happy with my decision, and the icing on the cake is that right now SA is offering a free mag promo if you buy an XD or XDm between Oct 8th and Dec 31st. So not only will I get the two mags with the purchase, I also get three extra mags (for a total of 5) and an extra mag holster.

yeehaw!

Now I'm on the lookout for a nice, inexpensive Left-handed OWB holster.

THOSE SUNSABITCHES

When they had the XD gear promo they were only giving out 2 extra mags...

oh well.. i think i have something like 10 now..

I have an RIA 1911

were you going to purchase the tactical model? If not its a pretty good thing the sale fell through, anything that you'd want done to a defensive pistol (ie sights, trigger, beavertail, ambi-safety, and skeletonized hammer) are all done on the tac model. the base model would need at least sights if you are wanting a fast sight picture.

i have trained with both, my XD40 and my 1911, i am considerably better with the XD.. but i have smaller hands... not tiny, but they just arent up to snuff on the 1911, myt bedside gun is my XD 45Gap in the 5" length. i may sell my RIA to buy an XD45 or G21sf.. i havent decided..

congrats on your purchase.

oh, and practice.

never know when it'll pay off

 

[02TahoeMD]

Quote:
Originally Posted by tombodad
The coolest part? DA/SA. Only pistol in the world with second strike capability.

UMMMM...CZ, Beretta and a whole lot more have second strike capability.It may be one of the few "striker fired" pistols with the ability, but there are plenty of DA/SA pistols out there.

Actually, I think he may have left out that it may be the only semi-auto without an exposed hammer that is capable of multiple trigger pulls on a defective round.

I thought there was another "hammerless" semi auto that had such a capability as well but my mind fails me.

 

[thebrassnuckles]

Quote:
Originally Posted by tombodad
The coolest part? DA/SA. Only pistol in the world with second strike capability.




Actually, I think he may have left out that it may be the only semi-auto without an exposed hammer that is capable of multiple trigger pulls on a defective round.

I thought there was another "hammerless" semi auto that had such a capability as well but my mind fails me.

I am not too sure why you would want to use a double strike feature..

If the round fails to fire the first time, what is going to make it go off the second time?

why waste the time of another trigger press when chances are you will have another FTF? You could just porform a proper type 1 malfunction clearance and be back in the fight in under a second.. instead of wasting precious tenths of a second on a second trigger pull, just get that defective round out of there. If you are on a range and it happens, train as usual, and pick up the cartridge and try it again later.
In a defensive scenario, do you think your assailant will wait whilst you press the trigger again? and again?

just get that thing out of there.

 

[BIGdaddy]

THOSE SUNSABITCHES

When they had the XD gear promo they were only giving out 2 extra mags...

oh well.. i think i have something like 10 now..

I have an RIA 1911

were you going to purchase the tactical model? If not its a pretty good thing the sale fell through, anything that you'd want done to a defensive pistol (ie sights, trigger, beavertail, ambi-safety, and skeletonized hammer) are all done on the tac model. the base model would need at least sights if you are wanting a fast sight picture.

i have trained with both, my XD40 and my 1911, i am considerably better with the XD.. but i have smaller hands... not tiny, but they just arent up to snuff on the 1911, myt bedside gun is my XD 45Gap in the 5" length. i may sell my RIA to buy an XD45 or G21sf.. i havent decided..

congrats on your purchase.

oh, and practice.

never know when it'll pay off

yup, already training in my house with an airsoft to deal with someone trying to break in. "Slicing the pie" is harder than it looks. I have kids spread out between three rooms, too, so I have to think about how to get to the furthest one from me, to clear that room and bring her back to us.

I might just go ahead and move her from the "Nursery" to the older girls room since she's a bit more mature now.

I'm also planning on getting into shooting sports such as IDPA, which is a major reason I bought the tactical. I figure since I won't be CCWing this one, I might as well have all the advantages of a 5" barrel, and the accompanying longer sight radius.

 

[thebrassnuckles]

Right on man.

I want to get into some of those shooting competitions, but I dont know that I could afford the ammo:Wow1:

try have someone stand up close to a corner and peek around, while you are playing the bad guy, and then have the person move back several feet, and see the difference in target size.

those movies where the good guys are up close to cover not the best move (although, better that standin in the open:sombrero

 

[BIGdaddy]

Right on man.

I want to get into some of those shooting competitions, but I dont know that I could afford the ammo:Wow1:

try have someone stand up close to a corner and peek around, while you are playing the bad guy, and then have the person move back several feet, and see the difference in target size.

those movies where the good guys are up close to cover not the best move (although, better that standin in the open:sombrero

Yeah, I feel ya on the cost of ammo. One of the reasons I chose 9mm. I figure that I'd be more apt to compete and hone my skills if I could actually afford to shoot on a regular basis..haha!

I'll try that in-home test. very interesting.

I'd honestly prefer to stay where I am in our back bedroom while my wife or myself calls 911. That's why I think I'll move our youngest daughter into the room across the hall from us, with her sisters, as I can look right into their doorway to check on them without entering the "fatal funnel".

Also, with all of them there, if i need to, I can make one lateral move, assure they're all in there, and with my wife on the phone in the room I just left, can be fairly assured anyone in the rest of the house is not one of my 4 lovely ladies.

Then there's the eternal question of target identificaion. Do I rig up a system that lights that part of the house from my position, or do I use a handheld flashlight, (either weapon-mounted or weakhand)

lots of idea's to choose from. I'm pretty committed with a good plan though. I've got solid core doors shielded by security screens on the two main entry's, as well as external motion sensor floods on the front and the back. Still on the fence about security systems, but I might spring for a set of those "door ajar" stand-alone alarms you get at places like Costco. I had them on a previous house, and they were actually fairly effective.

We live in a VERY mellow, quiet rural area, but I want my house to seem as univiting as possible. (best defense is a good offense, right?)

Cheers!

 

[thebrassnuckles]

If you are going to be using it as a dedicated bedside gun I would recommend a weapon mounted light such as the streamlight TLR1 or the surefire X300 I have the tlr and my father in law has the x300. Either one will work just fine.

A weaponounted light gives you 2 advantages.
1. You can't lose your light by knocking it off your nightstand. It's attached to your weapon.
2. You can have your light on someone and they will never know you have a gun pointed at them.
(ie someone on your backyard you put your Light in their eyes, they think you just have a light, you have them totally covered. Incase they try anything stupid.)

 

[robert]

Quote:
Originally Posted by tombodad
The coolest part? DA/SA. Only pistol in the world with second strike capability.




Actually, I think he may have left out that it may be the only semi-auto without an exposed hammer that is capable of multiple trigger pulls on a defective round.

I thought there was another "hammerless" semi auto that had such a capability as well but my mind fails me.

I can answer that one for you- The FN FortyNine came out well before the Taurus (FN also made the 49 years ago which was a semi auto rifle). It was the precursor to the FNP series and had a striker that was designed to replicate the feel of a double action revolver- it failed miserably. The trigger pull is horrendous; it's somewhat smooth, but loooooonnnnggg. The gun feels great in the hand and was very reliable, just had the cursed trigger as well as a retarded rail like the first Glocks instead of a picattiny style. A second strike capability may be nice in a .22 where rimfire cartridges occasionally fail to go off on the first strike (particularly with light hammer strikes), but in a defensive gun you need to be doing a failure drill as soon as it fails to go bang.

I've got one of the FortyNines I picked up as part of a trade in '06; it's been utterly reliable, but there are no accessories available for it and that trigger pull.... It's so bad it's not worth me trying to sell or trade it off- I'd feel guilty doing so. They don't sell when they show up on Gunbroker either; it doesn't help that factory 16rnd mags are near impossible to find and when you do they run around $60/each. FN has pretty much disowned and disavowed it, preferring to pretend it doesn't exist. http://world.guns.ru/handguns/hg19-e.htm


And FWIW, I really don't like Taurus guns. They seem to be very hit or miss but generally have average to poor fit and finish with mostly horrible triggers that are hard to get smooth and the ergonomics just don't tend to work for me (their Beretta 92 copy, PT99, is a decent gun if you do some work on the trigger). Yes, I've owned a couple of them and still have an early model 94 and an inherited model 85.