• We’re currently investigating an issue related to the forum theme and styling that is impacting page layout and visual formatting. The problem has been identified, and we are actively working on a resolution. There is no impact to user data or functionality, this is strictly a front-end display issue. We’ll post an update once the fix has been deployed. Thanks for your patience while we get this sorted.

YAGT- Well not girl but Hand Gun!

Page 2 - Seeking answers? Join the AnandTech community: where nearly half-a-million members share solutions and discuss the latest tech.
Do you just want a pistol or are you intending to conceal carry it?

From the ones you listed, any would be good. My recommendations:

SIG Sauer
Glock
Springfield XD/M
S&W M&P
Ruger SR9

The caliber is up to you but I would go with 9mm first, as you have mentioned. Go to a shop, hold them all, work the action and do a quick field-strip (if they allow), and buy one. You're really not going to be disappointed, IMO. Most of these have been time-tested and most modern pistols are quite good, it's more up to the shooter to make the shots hit where you want. I have a Springfield XD-9 and a SIG P226 .40 caliber and love both.
 
Rubycon said:
Whatever you do please don't try to water cool it. 😀
Click to expand...

Madam, i say water and urine cooled firearms have a long and proud tradition tut tut.

http://www.firstworldwar.com/weaponry/machineguns.htm
Vickers1.jpg
 
boomhower said:
I've shot Glock's for years and have really loved them. I trust my life to one every day on and off duty. Last month I picked up my first Sig and I'm a convert. I like the trigger much better and the weight of the steel just feels right. P229 would be my pick. My current off duty carry is a P239, I love that darn gun.
Click to expand...

This is why i cant get rid of the glock from my list.

Too many people i talked to live by them, and say its a very solid gun, with very easy maintenance..

clamum said:
Do you just want a pistol or are you intending to conceal carry it?.
Click to expand...

no just a straight pistol i can take to the range with my friends.
Nothing for law enforcement, or personal secruity.

I want a good gun with thats easy to maintain.. easy to fire, and fun to use.

Also i dont mind a higher price if its worth every dollar.
 
Last edited:
Then just go with the SIG. If you are like most who enjoy responsible firearm sport in the US, you won't stop at just one and you can get the Glock next.

Which of the Glock and SIG do you feel most comfortable with? Also, if you like the fact that many law enforcement officers rely on Glock, many rely on SIG as well. The Secret Service comes to mind.
 
Last edited:
Minjin said:
http://www.cdnninvestments.com/sigsauer.html

vs

http://www.cdnninvestments.com/glock.html

Having a gun that requires expensive mags and expensive parts sucks, especially for your first gun.
Click to expand...

Valid point, but 10 bucks more per mag for someone who will go to the range once in a while does not seem too bad, considering what the base cost is. Also the OP does not seem overly concerned with price, as long as quality is returned.

But again, a good point that the OP should be aware of.
 
Minjin said:
http://www.cdnninvestments.com/sigsauer.html

vs

http://www.cdnninvestments.com/glock.html

Having a gun that requires expensive mags and expensive parts sucks, especially for your first gun.
Click to expand...


Well, the Sig 229 9mm can use the same mags as the Sig 228, and mec-gar magazines can be found for about $24.

The problem is that the OP is in CA, so he will be limited to 10rd magazines anyways and are going to cost more on the sig side.

10rd mecgars can be found cheaper if you look though, and are fantastic quality. I use them almost exclusively in my Berettas.
 
adairusmc said:
Well, the Sig 229 9mm can use the same mags as the Sig 228, and mec-gar magazines can be found for about $24.

The problem is that the OP is in CA, so he will be limited to 10rd magazines anyways and are going to cost more on the sig side.

10rd mecgars can be found cheaper if you look though, and are fantastic quality. I use them almost exclusively in my Berettas.
Click to expand...


I second this. I got an 18rd mec gar for my 226 as I couldn't stand the stock 20rd's not being flush. The mec gar I find to be far nicer than the stock ones sig supplies (which is odd since I've heard varying accounts mec gar might make them, although I guess spec'd less). It really is a great mag, loads ways easier than stocks, slides in/out very smoothly, and hasn't caused any loading issues yet.



The Fnx-9 is also a good suggestion. Just from handing the various FNX models I'm pretty impressed with them and I've heard good things about them but they don't seem to garner much attention.


Also heard some decent things about CZ's, like the CZ-75, although I've no real experience with them. Felt nice in my hand when I handled a couple at the shop though.
 
Where are you in California? Have you joined calguns.net yet?

If you're around me, I can take you out some time. Quick breakdown of my thoughts regarding semi-autos. Granted, I wouldn't say I'm the most knowledgeable person. There is always more to learn.

Glock - Called Block for a reason. I personally don't like how they feel, but I respect them. Very reliable, plenty of aftermarket.

Springfield XD - For the person who likes glocks, but wants more "safety features."

Smith Wesson MP - I like these. Feel better in my hand, adjustable backstraps, apex makes great aftermarket internals. Great customer service.

Kahr - More boutique. Single stack firearms for a nice slim feeling, fits great in smaller hands. Has a break-in period. More for ccw.

Sig - I love their guns. Too bad their slide release/lock is in the wrong area for a "thumbs forward" grip, prevent lockback after the last round since everyone rides the slide release/lock. Not enough people fire these in double action since it defaults to single action after a range is chambered. Then when they need to actually use it, the gun fires into the dirt because they can't handle the extra 5 pounds of trigger pull. Granted, this applies to all DA/SA guns and range "ninjas" who only go to the range and never take training classes.

CZ - I like these as well. Make steel frames if you don't want the plastic feel. I also like porn actresses from this area.

Beretta - 92fs is designed to be on safe when you need to fire or off your finger. "Slingshot" slide rack will engage safety so they extend the barrel so you can do a chamber check with your finger right next to the barrel. The px-4 is pretty nice. Rotating barrel helps eliminate recoil. I wouldn't trust my life to it yet.

HK - I think they're over priced. USP's also feel like blocks. P2000 feels ok but I don't like the magazine release.

Rugers - Nothing too competitive from them.

Taurus - Stay away from them.

1911's
Springfield - All-around bang for the buck these days. Great customer service history.

Kimber - I think these are overpriced. No better than the rest but you seem to pay a little more for what?

Dan Wesson (CZ) - Great deal. Lots of hand fitting, you're getting "almost" ed brown quality.

Sig - Their 2nd generation is a significant improvement. Seem like a decent deal now. I hear of holster compatibility problems though.

RIA/Armscore - Cheap and will work. Great customer service right over in Nevada. Going through what Springfield did some years ago. Back then it was wtf do brazillians know about 1911's? Well, Springfield had a good rep now and those Filipinos like to shoot.

I don't know much about revolvers and I'm sure I'm missing a lot of brands above. Feel free to ask any questions.
 
Last edited:
Check out nutnfancy for in depth video reviews on just about all the major pistols you can think of.

I think you can't go wrong with about any of the major ones: Glock, Sig, S&W M&P, Springfield XD/m, Ruger, H&K. Though H&K and Sig seem awful expensive for perhaps a small advantage over most competitors. Also I heard mostly good things about the FN FNP/FNX pistols. They sound like a good option for someone wanting a DA/SA style like a Sig but for like half the price.
 
Glock 19 is going to be really easy to use, clean, work with. I think you'll be satisfied with it. Of course super reliable too.

If it turns out you like a sig or something better you can always sell it.
 
Kelvrick said:
Rugers - Nothing too competitive from them.
Click to expand...

??? Ruger makes some great pistols. I owned a Ruger P90 and P91 DC, even though they might be considered "cheap", they were super reliable.

A buddy of mine has a Ruger P85 he bought somewhere around 1992, and its still working great. We used to go out to a gun range and shoot probably close to 2,000 rounds of 9mm in a single day. None of the Ruger pistols never had any problems.

I dont know how many hundreds of rounds of 45 acp I put through that P90, and never had a malfunction, and the majority of hose rounds were reloads. Regardless if it was speer, hornady, remington, winchester,,,, that P90 ate everything.


HybridSquirrel said:
yeah....nutnfancy talks too much though -_- thats my only gripe....
Click to expand...

nutnfancy makes some good videos, but he just goes on, and on, and on,,,,,. What it might take someone else 5 minutes to say, nutnfancy takes 50 minutes.

If I were to buy a brand new pistol this very second, it would be a tough choice between a Ruger and a Springfield XD.
 
Last edited:
I prefer hickock45 because he actually shoots the guns as he reviews them. Nutnfancy spends 15 minutes alone talking about the uses of the gun....and then refers everything back to a glock and if its a polymer gun he just says its a glock copy, and you should basically just buy a glock. His xd, sr9, and m&p review basically said "just buy a glock"


but then again, hickock45 also preaches glocks a lot.

Kelvrick said:
Beretta - 92fs is designed to be on safe when you need to fire or off your finger. "Slingshot" slide rack will engage safety so they extend the barrel so you can do a chamber check with your finger right next to the barrel. The px-4 is pretty nice. Rotating barrel helps eliminate recoil. I wouldn't trust my life to it yet.
Click to expand...

and seriously? you wouldn't trust your life to a 92fs? they've only been serving our military for 20+ years now....and beat all the competitors in a really long and in depth competition to see who would win the contract of the us military....they are arguably the best 9mm pistol in existence.

there was 1 failure every 17,500 rounds during testing, after the intial bugs were worked out with the designed. they are flawless now.
 
Last edited:
Texashiker said:
Springfield XD(M) in 9mm.

Once you shoot a springfield XD, you wont go back.
Click to expand...

I love my Springfield xDM in 9mm. This would be my recommendation for a non-1911 style 9mm (based on my experience).

I also have a Ruger SR9 that is good.

I had a Kahr 9mm, but didn't like the long double-action trigger pull.

I've never owned a Glock because I don't like the way they feel in my hand.

Never had a Sig either, but hear good things.
 
Collectively, my father and I own over 100 different makes/models of pistols. All of them would be considered first rate firearms - HK, Colt, Beretta, Glock, S&W, Sig, et. al. Ranging from matched-set Colt 50 Desert Eagles and Gold Cups to a Beretta Tomcat.

My daily carry is a Sig P229 9mm and my cycling carry is a Beretta Px4 sub-compact.

I have immediately available to me practically the entire catalog of pistols offered by the aforementioned manufacturers. I chose the Sig for reliability and accuracy and the Beretta for size and weight and reliability.
 
Last edited:
HybridSquirrel said:
and seriously? you wouldn't trust your life to a 92fs? they've only been serving our military for 20+ years now....and beat all the competitors in a really long and in depth competition to see who would win the contract of the us military....they are arguably the best 9mm pistol in existence.
Click to expand...


People that talk bad about the Beretta 92F probably never read through the military test of the 1980s. I had a subscription to Shooting Times magazine while the test were going on. Every time the military did a new part of the test, Shooting Times would run a big article.

I remember the first phases of the test, which were no magazine safety and ambidextrous manual safety. The majority of the pistols in the test were kicked out due to those 2 requirements. It finally came down to Sig and Beretta, and the 92F edged out the Sig.

When the winner was announced, the cover of Shooting Times magazine had a picture of the 92F on an American flag, with the title "Beretta has won the war". Probably half of that months issue was dedicated to a recap of the test.

My Beretta 92 was bought in January of 1989, and is still going strong. I could not ever start to tell you how many thousands of rounds have been put through that pistol over the past 20+ years.

But to each their own, some people like beretta, some people like ruger, some people like springfield, some people like colt,,,,,,. I think its a matter of personal preference.
 
But to say you don't trust your life to a combat proven gun is just silly talk. True, they weren't perfect initially. What did they used to say? You're not a seal till you've eaten italian steel? I think two or three soldiers died from the slides flying back into their faces in the mid 80s. Ever since they tweaked the designed they have been fantastic guns.

Isn't the sig229 used by SEALs and specops units now though? Or they have the option of using it or the m9 or something...
 
HybridSquirrel said:
I think two or three soldiers died from the slides flying back into their faces in the mid 80s. Ever since they tweaked the designed they have been fantastic guns.
Click to expand...

If I remember right, the rounds that finally broke the slides were +P+ loads with higher then normal CUP (Copper Units of Pressure). And, the failures happened at something like 30,000 - 40,000 rounds,, maybe even as high as 50,000 rounds.

A lot of people use the breaking slides as a reason not to buy Beretta, but keep in mind the military test were supposed to break the pistols.

Due to the military testing, Beretta is at the top of my list.
 
Texashiker said:
If I remember right, the rounds that finally broke the slides were +P+ loads with higher then normal CUP (Copper Units of Pressure). And, the failures happened at something like 30,000 - 40,000 rounds,, maybe even as high as 50,000 rounds.

A lot of people use the breaking slides as a reason not to buy Beretta, but keep in mind the military test were supposed to break the pistols.

Due to the military testing, Beretta is at the top of my list.
Click to expand...

They are at the top of my list too. Its funny, because people will use the slides breaking as an excuse not to buy beretta. But they don't even care that glocks have blown up in peoples hands before...while it doesn't happen a lot it still has happened...but that doesn't matter.
 
HybridSquirrel said:
They are at the top of my list too. Its funny, because people will use the slides breaking as an excuse not to buy beretta. But they don't even care that glocks have blown up in peoples hands before...while it doesn't happen a lot it still has happened...but that doesn't matter.
Click to expand...
Show me a 9mm Glock that has blown up.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Back
Top