Best 9mm for shooting

[Rm105629]

I think everyone can agree that the one that fits best is the best choice, whether it be a Beretta, Glock, M&P, CZ, Sig, HK, XDm, FN, etc

 

[Sugarbug]

I have my Kimber for carry and enjoy carrying it. This is strictly for the range. I do like the m&p and Gen 4 glocks since they have interchangeable back straps and I'd like my wife to be able to shoot it too. Unfortunately she isn't also 6'3" with large hands (actually quite fortunately ). But I will be the primary shooter so want something more in tuned with my ergonomic requirements

 

[Black Zulu]

Partial to Sig . I like the rail. Dependable, accurate, more than $500 but worth every penny. If not Sig, glock, springfield xdm, browning Hi Power, etc. Try to shoot them before you buy them. It's the only way to be sure.

 

[jazzdunn]

Beretta PX4 Storm sub Compact $499 @ Academy
I have only had mine for a month, but have put 250 rounds through it.
Smooth.

 

[Russo]

i have shot an M&P 9mm and an XDM 3.8 9mm... i would prefer the XDM, but i would like to shoot a G19c to compare

 

[enutees]

I will disagree with DA/SA being outdated as I think it gives you a big advantage. The Beretta does feel like a brick in my hand but Ben Stoeger just won nationals with one. I won't argue over what's best but for $500 I would pick up a Cz 75B. Change out the recoil (11 lb), hammer (13 lb), and firing pin spring (reduced power, can't remember pounds) for about $30 or so and some sights of your choice and you are good to go. The CZs I've owned are as reliable as any gun out there.

For me it is more of a choice of weight rather than trigger style. The glocks and m&p's can get really good triggers as well but I like a heavier pistol. It's all a choice of what you like and what you will practice with and enjoy. Try to shoot as many as you can before you buy.

 

[Sugarbug]

Partial to Sig . I like the rail. Dependable, accurate, more than $500 but worth every penny. If not Sig, glock, springfield xdm, browning Hi Power, etc. Try to shoot them before you buy them. It's the only way to be sure.

I agree. I picked up a P226R for 650 shipped a few years ago but stuff came up and I had to sell. Maybe if someone is selling one used for a logical price.

 

[chad]

I loved my XDM when I owned one. It was extremely accurate and a really fun 9mm for the range. Stock mags are 19 rounders plus it comes with the holster and all those goodies. I still to this day can't shoot glocks nearly as well as I shot that gun!

 

[Bayoupiper]

Out of the box, my PX4 was the best shooting 9mm in my collection.


It was a real shame I lost all my guns in that boating accident.




.

 

[Sugarbug]

Out of the box, my PX4 was the best shooting 9mm in my collection.


It was a real shame I lost all my guns in that boating accident.




.

seems to be going around.

 

[Sin-ster]

As plainly as it can be stated...

For $500 with price being your biggest concern, and a desire to eventually run the gun in competitions, you will not do better than a Glock.

--In that range (a bit more with tax and what not included), you can get a brand spankin' new G17-- no need to look for something "lightly used."

--You can take it right out of the box and run it with any ammo you can find-- including in your first USPSA match. No concern for replacing parts, figuring out what it will and will not feed, finding mags that it likes, etc. *And you will have a competitive pistol.* You may be surprised to know that the Master and GM class guys in USPSA are running closer-to-stock than their A-D class counterparts.

--You will have a WORLD of easy to find, easy to use accessories available to you. Every holster maker on the planet will offer every model for said handgun, as will every sight company and countless aftermarket part manufacturers. Furthermore, you'll be able to find people getting rid of used stuff all of the time-- and these guns do NOT wear out under the use that 99.5% of their owners put them through.

--You can watch a YouTube video and in 15 minutes, be able to fully pull your handgun apart and work on it *without tools*. Not that you'll probably ever need to... but that's a HUGE plus in my book.

--If you do decide to mess with the internals, they are cheap, plentiful, and easy to install. A lighter connector is the easiest of upgrades, and makes quite a difference.

Best of all, this gun will do EVERYTHING that you'd ever potentially ask of it. The notion of being "just for the range" is cast aside, and even if you go crazy on making it a "race gun" with spring swaps and such that render it less reliable/unfit for carry... You can change it back to stock configuration in a matter of minutes.

As to the gun's performance... As Speed said, "It's the Indian, not the Arrow." Not a single thing about the Glock makes it impossible for *anyone* to shoot well; in fact, it's quite conducive to the task. I can almost guarantee that in your lifetime, every pistol that's been suggested will be more mechanically accurate than you will be able to shoot it. If the Glock shoots 2" at 25 yards, the Beretta shoots 1.75" and the Sig shoots 1.5", but your groups are never smaller than 3", what's the difference? What's 1/2" anyway??? Yes, you might pick all three up and shoot one better than the other-- but how long is that going to last as you get more and more practice?

In the end, it's your money and your time, so it'll be your decision based on your preferences. I strongly suggest you determine your end goal and go from there. If you want a conversation piece, a trinket to show your friends, a toy to add to your collection, or a gun that's "easy to shoot" (whatever that means) but limits both your uses for it and the level of performance you may some day reach, then perhaps the Glock is not your best option. If you want the work horse that with a little time and effort on your end will become just as adept at filling any and EVERY role you ever assign it, go with the Glock.

Now, if Whit will sell you his Phantom for $500... I'd go for that.

On a side note-- I've excluded the M&P from the conversation based solely on the issue of cost and dedicated "adjustments." IMHO, they have the capacity to become the best striker-fired pistols on the market, but as Guate noted, it takes money and effort on behalf of the end user. No doubt, out of the box, the Glocks are king; I've said that from day one of my M&P fandom, and stick to it! I may shoot M&Ps now, but I honestly miss my Glock from time to time, and it still feels "just right" when I pick it up. I took it out with me a few Friday's ago to my practice session, and wound up spending half of my ammo on it. I honestly think if I had to pick one handgun for the rest of my life, it'd be a G17.

 

[chad]

HK P7.

 

[762NATO]

Chad, quit trying to convert people into HK snobs.

 

[chad]

Chad, quit trying to convert people into HK snobs.

My comment was meant as sarcasm. I am out of the HK game. I am now 100% in love with Bersa's.

 

[ericlosh]

I'm not sure what the problem is with a DA/SA gun is, the two drawbacks i understand at this time is a more complex trigger mechanism and if carrying decocked, you can mess up your first shot in a defensive situation due to the DA trigger pull. But for punching paper, he wouldn't have to be in DA mode, he could just be in SA mode which would make a better trigger for target shooting right? Also what about DA/SA guns that have a safety and decocker? They can be carried in SA safety on as well which only leaves the trigger mechanism as a flaw.

 

[chad]

I'm not sure what the problem is with a DA/SA gun is, the two drawbacks i understand at this time is a more complex trigger mechanism and if carrying decocked, you can mess up your first shot in a defensive situation due to the DA trigger pull. But for punching paper, he wouldn't have to be in DA mode, he could just be in SA mode which would make a better trigger for target shooting right? Also what about DA/SA guns that have a safety and decocker? They can be carried in SA safety on as well which only leaves the trigger mechanism as a flaw.

Every shooter is different, and DA/SA vs. striker fired each have there place.

 

[ericlosh]

Every shooter is different, and DA/SA vs. striker fired each have there place.

I like em all!

 

[Sin-ster]

But for punching paper, he wouldn't have to be in DA mode, he could just be in SA mode which would make a better trigger for target shooting right?

Exactly. Which means you're less likely to practice the DA pull, have a firearm with a distinctive limitation ("I can only shoot it SA"), and therefor have a gun that literally only serves the purpose of wasting ammunition at the range.

Try to holster that thing without the hammer dropped in USPSA if you want to go home early.

And for what? All of these suggestions, and nary a qualifier for them in sight.

You're also confusing the SA pull of a DA/SA pistol with a SAO one. Weight wise, which is honestly the least of concerns when it's in the proper range, they are about the same as a striker fired action. The important aspects of trigger travel are often worse in a DA/SA pistol, regardless of the position of the hammer. MOST Sigs are definitely at the top of the barrel in this regard, and the Beretta isn't too awful. (We won't include HKs because they're out of his price range.) The FN's are humdrum at best, before anyone goes there.

And that's the problem with the guns that have a combo safety/decocker. You're rolling in Condition 1 with a gun that really wasn't designed for it, and more often than not, those levers are FAR less easy to deactivate than on a pure SAO. Further, you've got a comparatively crummy trigger as well.

None of the SA pulls on the DA/SA guns are as clean as the Glock, nor provide as quick and tangible of a reset-- especially after the polymer gun has been shot in. The striker guns have a rolling break that takes some getting used to if you're super-familiar with other trigger types, but with a relatively empty slate, it's not even an adjustment one has to make. There are people (myself included) that prefer a rolling break on everything, including rifles. Personally speaking, I think prepping a striker fired action is infinitely easier than anything else on the market, and you get a LOT of feed back off of them as well.

Just to clarify-- I've got a 92 F/S and a P226, with at least 10k through the two of them combined, plus an FNP 45 Tactical with 5k+ on its own. This isn't blind hatred towards a particular brand or style, nor is it idle chatter or parrotting of common stereotypes. It's certainly not "my way or the highway", and while I personally find the concept of a "range gun" in pistol form to be pointless and laughable when we're talking about combat-style 9mm's, I recognize that there's a roll for the aforementioned DA/SA pistols in that realm.

But the OP has a limited budget, and a single stipulation for usage (without restrictions on other duties, either). Naturally, I assume "competition" to mean action/speed shooting of some type, and that means (Ben Stoeger aside) that a nearly-full-custom CZ is the only completely viable option in DA/SA. And it's just a "little" out of his stated price range... And of course, the Glock qualifies him for GSSF matches t'boot!

Further-- you ain't changing sights on the 92 F/S without considerable cost, or on the P226 without considerable headache. Nor are the options even remotely as plentiful as for the striker fired guns.

 

[deafdave3]

My comment was meant as sarcasm. I am out of the HK game. I am now 100% in love with Bersa's.

Touche.

 

[Vanilla Gorilla]

Every shooter is different, and DA/SA vs. striker fired each have there place.

What is the place for DA/SA? You realize the point of it right? It exsist for agency adminstrators. Its a hardware solution to a software problem.