Hammer Fire 9mm

[Jbar4Ranch]

The FNP9 is a real sleeper, and a great gun. I paid $382.50, new, in September of '09.



Taurus's 24/7 Pro is a great deal, but no external hammer, although it is SA/DA with second strike capability. Normally around $390 or so, but available for under $300 on sale.

[Leejack]

With hammer, under $500 new?

Here's a few: P95, Cougar and PX4, all cool guns.

My favorite under 5 bills is the PT92.

[hubris]

I have had a Cougar compact 9 for 4+ months.Very pleased with all about it.

[ClydeFrog]

A used SIG P225/P6 9x19mm, a LE trade-in 5946, P229/P226, Beretta 92F, a EAA EZ9, a CZ85 Combat, a Walther PPX(a hammer fired DA only/DAO), PX4, a SR9/SR9c, a Taurus 24-07 or 908.
There are many decent S&W 3rd gen(1988-2006) pistols in 9x19mm. You just need to scope around.

ClydeFrog
www.jgsales.com www.gunsamerica.com www.gilbertsguns.com

[Walt Sherrill]

Why limit yourself to a NEW gun?

There are many fine, accurate, durable, and much less costly hammer-fired guns available in the sub-$500 range: CZs, Witnesses, S&Ws, Kahrs, Berettas, maybe even a Browning/FN HP, or certainly a good FEG or FM HP, the older metal-framed Ruger P-series guns, or their polymer P95, etc.

All of these guns tend to be solid and trouble free.

[odugrad]

My brother-in-law had a similar question. He is looking at his first gun. He is willing to spend a little more in hopes to make this a "last a lifetime" gun. Probably a max of around $850. I can throw out some recommendations but since I'm new to this I thought I'd ask the professionals. What would you guys recommend?

[ClydeFrog]

As a first semi auto, I'd highly suggest a robust, high quality DA only type system like the SD9 or SD40(with Trijicon HD night sights added), the Beretta PX4 C format in .40 or 9x19(constant action), a SIG Sauer P229R DAK, a Walther PPX 9x19mm or .40, a FNS .40S&W or 9mm, or a HK P2000 LEM in .357sig, .40S&W or 9x19mm(9mm Luger).

Glocks, XDm, SR9s, Kahrs, PPQs, M&Ps, etc are better for advanced shooters or those gun owners who can train a lot.

Any of the listed DA only models can last years with proper care & protect the owner in a critical incident.

CF

[odugrad]

Why do you say the Glocks, XDMs, Kahr, etc need more training? Because of the quick trigger pull?

[ClydeFrog]

Yes, part of it is the striker fired system(s) but also with a hammer fired format like the SIG Sauer DAK or the Walther PPX or the PX4 Storm Constant action you can see the hammer & train to hold your thumb down on it as you re-holster.

DA only pistols the P226R & P229R, the P2000 LEM etc have been used by many federal & local law enforcement agencies for years. These designs avoid bogus claims of cocking a hammer or a light trigger pull that may cause a AD(discharge).
As a first weapon, it's a safe, practical way to start.

CF

[CurlyQ.Howard]

odugrad, Have him contact the CZ Custom Shop to see what they could do for him. At that price, he might be pleasantly surprised.
Address
Ghost Products Inc dba CZ Custom

1008 South Center St
Mesa, Arizona. 85210

Tel : 480 969 1311
Fax : 480 969 9687

Retail Store Hours:
10:00 am till 5:00 pm Monday to Friday

[odugrad]

Sounds good. I'll do that. Do they custom build guns? I'm not too familiar with custom shops and what they do.

Also, I'm sure there are several threads about hammer vs striker fired, but just off the top of your head, do you know of any reliability differences between the two?

[ClydeFrog]

Striker fired pistols are, IMO more accurate by design then hammer fired models.
They function like parts in a machine & can aid the shooter in a smooth, fluid operation.
The problem with a carry gun or duty sidearm is that you not dealing with a match target or cardboard cut-out, your in a violent, dynamic, high stress event.

You just need to hit a human size form & stop the threat.
Can you train or learn to use a Glock or XDm or a single-action/SRT type system? Yes. But if you have the time, $$$, training sources, skill training, etc you can do it. SWAT & military spec ops worldwide carry SRT type systems or the Walther QA(quick action) format.

They also have lawyers, $$$, laws, SOPs etc to help them, .

ClydeFrog

[LockedBreech]

Clyde, just to be clear, do you mean that it's easier for shooters to shoot striker-fired guns or that they're actually, mechanically more accurate? I can see an argument for the first but I've never seen evidence of the latter.

[pat701]

Sig Sp2022 DA/SA and Sig P250 DOA.

[ClydeFrog]

To my knowledge, the striker fires like a piston & strikes the primer of the round.

I'm not a firearms engineer or NASA scientist but it seems like a more consistent function over a hammer firing over & over.
Gaston Glock really made radical changes to the entire firearms industry with the Glock 17 line.

[dullone]

New........Bersa Thunder 9mm

Used.......S&W 3rd Gen

[foxytwo]

Look at the Sig P250

[CurlyQ.Howard]

Yes, they do custom guns, and they are nice folks to talk to. Also, you can email them as well. Here is their website address: http://czcustom.com

[pgdion]

There are 2 sweet ones that come to mind. The Stoeger / Beretta Cougar is an outstanding gun and comes in a little over $400. The S&W 5906 can only be had used but they are great guns and don't wear out (heavy as heck though). Nice police trade-ins go for about $450 I think. This is 1 of my top 3 favorite guns (along with the Cougar and the 92FS). I also like the CZ 75 compact for about $530 but frankly it isn't as nice as the Cougar and costs $100 more.

Phil

[RC20]

The OP did not ask about sticker fired pistols and he certainly was not asking for weird mechanical theories that then morph into a twisted push for glock

To my knowledge, the striker fires like a piston & strikes the primer of the round.

I'm not a firearms engineer or NASA scientist but it seems like a more consistent function over a hammer firing over & over.
Gaston Glock really made radical changes to the entire firearms industry with the Glock 17 line.
__________________

[Walt Sherrill]

Striker fired pistols are, IMO more accurate by design then hammer fired models.

They function like parts in a machine & can aid the shooter in a smooth, fluid operation.

The problem with a carry gun or duty sidearm is that you not dealing with a match target or cardboard cut-out, your in a violent, dynamic, high stress event.

Actually, none of the assumptions cited above seem to have much to do with the real world of handgun shooting.

1) The firing mechanism (striker or hammer fired) has little to do with a gun's accuracy... Accuracy is MOSTLY determined by the consistency with which the gun resets itself after each shot -- the barrel/slide fit. Proper care taken in the design and production of those components will give you a gun with great accuracy potential.

2) While better triggers can make a gun easier to shoot well, but quality of the trigger has nothing to do with the striker or hammer, but how the trigger mates to the firing mechanism.

Some striker-fired guns have horrible triggers, others are quite nice. (My first striker-fired gun was a WWII Luger, which had a marvelous trigger. I have a couple of Glocks, now, which have only so-so triggers by most standards, but they're still quite accurate; I shoot my Glock 38, in .45 GAP better than other .45s I have owned. My most accurate guns, a custom AT-84s, a SIG P226-X Five, a CZ-85 Combat, and a Browning Hi-Power, are all hammer-fired weapons.

3) As for striker-fired weapons being best reserved for experienced shooters: a surprisingly large number of Glocks are in use by police and military organizations around the world, and neither of those institutions have a reputation of equipping their personnel with difficult-to-use tools, or only highly-competent personnel being issued those weapons.

The vast majority of LEOs and military personnel probably aren't as proficient with handguns as many of the folks on this forum. (SWAT team and Special Ops personnel are different, but most of them, given a choice, would probably prefer a carbine to a handgun.)

4) Finally, while you assert that striker-fired weapons are more accurate, you don't see many striker-fired weapons used in the intensely competitive Bullseye contests where handgun accuracy is KING. Hammer-fired weapons seem to dominate that sport.

All said and done, I think the OP ought to look for a good quality USED gun, as his needs and desires will change as he gets more involved, and what seemed a great gun when first getting into handguns will arguably be found wanting later.

.

[jglsprings]

The OP did not ask about sticker fired pistols and he certainly was not asking for weird mechanical theories that then morph into a twisted push for glock

Actually the original post is from 2011 - I don't think it really matters what anyone answers.

[gc70]

What are the chances that the OP has already bought a gun since the first post on April 3, 2011?

[TunnelRat]

Was about to start typing away furiously, then I saw Walt had taken care of most of it. . Still a few things:

As a first semi auto, I'd highly suggest a robust, high quality DA only type system like the SD9 or SD40(with Trijicon HD night sights added), the Beretta PX4 C format in .40 or 9x19(constant action), a SIG Sauer P229R DAK, a Walther PPX 9x19mm or .40, a FNS .40S&W or 9mm, or a HK P2000 LEM in .357sig, .40S&W or 9x19mm(9mm Luger).

Glocks, XDm, SR9s, Kahrs, PPQs, M&Ps, etc are better for advanced shooters or those gun owners who can train a lot

So a SD9 is an okay first handgun, but an M&P isn't? You realize that the function is extremely similar? Granted an SD9 might have a slightly heavier trigger, but even then it's not a massive difference.

Can you train or learn to use a Glock or XDm or a single-action/SRT type system? Yes. But if you have the time, $$$, training sources, skill training, etc you can do it. SWAT & military spec ops worldwide carry SRT type systems or the Walther QA(quick action) format.

Actually Glocks and XDms function different. A Glock finishes cocking the striker when you pull the trigger, an XDm is fully cocked before you do. You also realize that a Glock and Walther QA style pistol also function extremely similarly?

You're recommending certain systems over others that are for the most part nearly the same.

[ClydeFrog]

As for post 46, point 3:
Military services & sworn LE agencies have the time, $$$, training resources(ranges, equipment, ammunition, etc) to properly instruct a new cadet or service member in how to use the Glock or XD or PPQ.

A new shooter or gun owner may not have these resources.

CF