So many 9mm's to chose from????

[Lt102]

Was out looking today for a 9mm pistol, most likely full sized. Found so many that I liked and would like some opinions from those who own the following. And just head off the fire them and buy what you like question, I don't know of any place that rents in my area. , also looking to see how the prices I got are

I found a HK USP (lightly used 399.99) felt and pointed good, but it seemed a little big and blocky in the slide

Sigpro 2009 (used 375.00) seemed like anice gun but not too sure I like where the controls are located is ti tought o adjust too

Walther p99 (new 475.00) Felt the best of anything I picked up but the operation of the decocker and the general looks of the gun turned me off

Also have heard great things about CZ 75's and XD's

I know these are all good guns but I want to be sure I get a gun that I am going to be able to shoot for a long time and I would like to hear from others about their experiences with 9mm autoloaders

[WaltherP99]

It's gonna come down to what fits your likes and needs. I would say to look at the Walther and the XD line (but then again I own both and they fit what I "prefer"). I 've heard plenty of good about the CZ's, Hk's and SIG's so you can't really go wrong. Try to find a range that rent's and see what fits you the best!!!

[w4klr]

You get what you pay for, some swear on Sigs, others Glocks, etc... my recommendation would be the USP Compact (since you mention the full size to be bulky). The USP compact doesnt have the recoil buffer the full size has, but it is a dream to shoot in 9mm and .45 IMO.

[sindiesel666]

CZs are probably the best all-steel guns you can find anywhere, at any price. They point like nothing else out there and are very, very accurate. Occasional problem with them lies in weak extractor spring, but Wolff makes +25% spring that should cure any FTEs you may encounter.
XDs are great polymer guns, SA style action, kinda like plastic 1911, replete with grip safety. My buddy dry-fired the hell out of his 5 inch Tactical 40, and broke the firing pin retaining pin. Now his gun is so messed up, not even our local dealer (a very knowledgeable guy) can fix it. My buddy is sending it in to Springfield for repairs.

CZs can be had for 350-450 new, depending on style and caliber.
XDs are about 400 and up.
Both good guns.....

[BigGun97B]

CZ75's are world famous, carried by cops and soldiers all over the damn place. Very reliable and dependable. My CZ97B is just an expanded 75 for the most part.

You cannot go wrong with an XD9 either. If I were you, I would get a 75 or one of the XD9's. Just my opinion of course.

[WaltherP99]

My buddy dry-fired the hell out of his 5 inch Tactical 40, and broke the firing pin retaining pin.
Not to go OT, Did he ask Springfield if Warranty will cover it? Just out of curiosity!

[KeithB]

I say check out the Beretta 92fs. Helluva good gun.

[tom650604]

Czp01 Or Xd9 Imo.

[carolinaflats]

Pick up a sig classic that has a metal frame instead of polymer. Looks like everything you looked at was poly framed. Not that there is anything wrong with poly framed guns, some people perfer them. Check out a Sig 226 or 228 as well as a beretta 92 and others like it. If you liked the sig pro you'll probably like the classic sigs as well. I think an all metal gun balances better, but that is just me. Good luck!

[Lucky 7]

Try the Baby Eagle (aka Jericho 941). It's based off the CZ-75 system, is all-steel, looks great, has a superb grip, ambidextrous safety (slide mounted), holds 16+1, good sights, polygonal rifling and a good trig out of the box. All for $400 to 450 out the door (sometimes less). It seems to have gathered a huge following here while I was gone and for good reason. Try one out if possible.
Good Luck!

-L7

[chris in va]

I have a CZ 75BD, which replaced the XD9 4" for CCW.

The XD was sick reliable. Not one misfeed, FTE or anything. Fired every time in 1500 rounds. It also takes 5 seconds to field strip. Problem is, I couldn't hit a group smaller than 8" at 15 yards with it no matter what I did. Now I feel that's not really a problem considering the purpose of the XD, which IMO is close-in defense. It was never meant for longer range accuracy. Have a BG running at you from 10 yards, this is a great pistol for that. And from what I understand most encounters fit that description.

The CZ. I enjoy a pistol that fits my larger hands perfectly and is easy to shoot accurately from day one. This does that. Point, fire...hits where you aimed. Just as a test I sent a smaller paper target out to 50 yards and aimed carefully on a bench rest. No problem. :D Mine is all-steel and just feels like a tank. Very well balanced unlike the XD which felt top-heavy to me. The drawbacks are a hard trigger pull that needs to be corrected with various springs. I had FTE issues that were caused by a weak mag spring, and the heavy trigger pull was fixed with a 16# hammer spring. No biggie, they don't cost much at all.

My advice, try out a few extensively. If you have smaller/medium hands the XD would probably work just fine.

[donkee]

I use my CZ75 for IDPA, fantastic gun, quickly becoming my favorite (I have a soft spot in my head for my beloved Makarov, my current favorite). Some of the guys there are trying to get me to buy an XD. One of them let me run a couple practice rounds with his and for me it fit well and I picked up on it very quickly. Just haven't become a polymer fan yet, though that may one day change.....

[Hal]

My only real gripe about the CZ75b is that the inner rail style of the slide makes for a fairly narrow and small slide. Not much to grab on to for people like myself that wake up out of a sound sleep with "thick and puffy hands".

I prefer the wider slide of say a High Power in 9mm, (or my Kimber in .45acp for a bedroom gun).

If you're comfortable keeping one in the chamber and using the CZ75b D/A, or cocked and locked,,,this is a non issue.

[sindiesel666]

Not to go OT, Did he ask Springfield if Warranty will cover it? Just out of curiosity!

They would've fixed it, but he did not want to send the whole gun in for that small repair, so we bought about 8 spare pins online and fixed it ourselves. Weird metric size that's hard to find (3mmX16mm), but I was told some folks found them locally at various places for dirt cheap, like 20 cents...

Now we both dry-fire with snap caps, no problems whatsoever. :)

[WaltherP99]

kewl!!! Glad he's back on track!!!

[FirstFreedom]

I wouldn't get one of the older SigPros *IF* you plan to put something on the accessory rails (because it's proprietary dimensions). But *IF* you are not, then they're a good deal.

For most uses, I'm partial to CZs and CZ clones myself (Baby Eagle, Witness/Tanfoglio), for top value guns. You might even want to wait on the soon-upcoming CZ 75 SP01 or SP01 tactical. Very similar to a standard 75 but with acc rail and a P01 style frame (but in steel). Holds 18+1 of 9mm.

[CougarRed]

I have the following in 9mm:

1. Kahr K9 Elite 98
2. Kahr P9 Covert
3. HK P7 refinished in NP3 by Robar

The Kahr K9 was my first 9mm. I bought it used from Collector's in Houston. Great gun. Small, but very solid feeling. Very accurate with minimal recoil. Fun to shoot. Too heavy for pocket carry, so I bought the P9 Covert next.

I carry the Covert every day. Again, very accurate. I was worried about recoil with the 15 oz gun, but I put an AGrip over the polymer grip, and the gun shoots as softly as my K9. Great gun.

I just purchased the HK P7. I have not even had a chance to shoot it.

Despite owning three 9mms, I still very much want:

1. 9mm Barsto conversion barrel/MecGar 17 round mags for my Sig P226-40
2. Steyr M9

I have also had thoughts in passing about

1. Glock G34
2. CZ SP-01
3. Beretta 92F
4. BHP

If I didn't already love the Kahr K9, I am sure the Smith 3913TSW would be on the wish list as well.

And I have barely scratched the surface. So many great 9mms out there.

[Mike Irwin]

Without really realizing it, or really even intending to, I accumulated quite the collection of 9mm handguns.

At one point a few months ago I had the following 9mms:

P-35 Radom

Beretta 92 (a first generation model, no decocker).

Kahr K-9

Browning High Power

HK P7PSP

2 Star BMs.

Not bad for someone who professes to love .357 magnum revolvers above all else.

Well, I got realistic about what I had, so I ended up selling the Beretta, the Kahr (that one hurt, but I really just couldn't justify keeping it anymore), and gave one of the Stars to one of my best and oldest friends.

That's a little more realistic, I think.

Of those that I have left, I really have a hard time choosing my favorite among the High Power and the HK. Both are incredible handguns.

[9x19]

For a first 9mm, I would suggest:

Ruger KP-95 ~ the absolute best value in a full size 9mm pistol.

Glock 34 or 17 or 19 (even the 26, tho' it is a subcompact) ~ The absolute best choice in 9mm pistols, period.

Good luck, and let us know what you decide on...

[Lt102]

Just had another thought....When buying used will the mfg still honor the warranty....speaking specifically of HK sig and S&W

Didn't think of Ruger before will have to look..Also Glock is out ahve handled my brother in-laws G17 and didn't care for the feel of it and didn't shoot it very well

[Northslope Nimrod]

Take a hard look at these:

CZ P0-1 or PCR (PCR is slimmer for carry)
Browning Hi-Power (but only if you feel comfortable carrying C&L)
XD's
Kahr (for deep concealment)

[Bullrock]

[Quotation]
I know these are all good guns but I want to be sure I get a gun that I am going to be able to shoot for a long time

It is my experience that very few us accomplish your goal with only one! Maybe you'll get lucky, or maybe you will end up buying them all like me and allot of others on TFL. What you buy will have to fit you, but seeing you asked, here's my two cents worth.

The Browning Pro-9 is the best I own. Well made, sweet trigger pull, nice decocker, very accurate. Draw back is finding larger mags.

The Taurus PT-92 SS5. My range and HD choice. Nice shooting right out of the box. Looks and shoots like the Beretta f92/96. 17Rd. mags...

H&K USP Compact. I wear a medium to large size glove and do not find this piece to be bulky. It is my CCW and has a nice trigger pull, decocker system, but the recoil is a little heavy which is OK with me. A very well made piece.

Taurus Millenium Pro SS9. An OK pistol for the price. DOA with manual safety. Easy concealment. Trigger pull is a bit long. I don't use it very much.

Glock26, Shoots OK. Needs extensions on everything. Don't use it.

I just ordered a CZ 75 B. I wanted the BD for the decocker, but wanted the glossy blue style more. I'm looking forward to receiving this pistol. I hear allot of good and very little (if any) bad about it.

If I'm still above ground, let me know how many handguns you own in a year or two. Good Luck

[Sturm]

Lt102, as you know everything is subjective. First off, the price of that USP you mentioned sounded pretty good. The USP and the Taurus P-92 series have the best of all worlds, safety systems that allow you to carry cocked and locked, or DA by use of the built in decocker, letting YOU decide which mode is best for you!

I don't own a full size CZ, but I do own the P-01 that has been subjected to all of the highest test standards of any NATO country, which includes many of the models mentioned. The P-01 is the only one of all of them with a NATO certification for use by any member nation by previously meeting ALL of their testing protocol. Yesterday, I went to the range to test 5 different handloads I had developed as potential handloads for defense and sport shooting. My opinion is that out of the box, nothing available is more reliable or accurate than a SIG P-226. I shot it and the CZ P-01 yesterday with the handloads rested from the bench and the P-01 was more accurate across the board and I was surprised. I had already known that it was slightly more accurate than my buddies 228, but I have frequently fired 5 shot rested groups under 1" @ 50' with that 226. Yesterday I fired 10 round groups at that distance, so when the P-01 outshot the 226 with 10 round groups, I decided then that my next 9mm will be a full size CZ 75. It is available single action, or DA (My preference) in either manual safety (B) or decocker (BD), so you have options. If anyone thinks there is a more accurate pistol at +/- $200, I would have to see first hand proof to believe it. Then again that compact P-01 might give it a run for the money. It has a forged aluminum frame with light rail vs. cast aluminum on the PCR without the rail, but the grip is identical on either pistol and still large enough to fit larger hands.

I believe we are in the early days of a future pistol trend that started with polymer framed, striker fired pistols. The current trend seems to be polymer frames with interchangeable backstraps to allow the user to fit the pistol to his hand, along with a DA/SA trigger. The future trend may be where Beretta is headed, with their new service sized Storm Pistol with interchangeable backstraps, mag release buttons, sights that glow in the dark for 30 minutes at a time after exposure to light, including flashlights. A lightened hammer to speed locktime to a competitive level with striker fired designs. Last but certainly not least, an improvement to their already successful rotary lock barrel system that handles gas pressure and locking/unlocking better than anything previous to it. In fact the rotary lock-up is not new itself, just a new concept with modern pistols in a way to keep stress in the barrel and slide and away from the polymer frame.

CZ gripframes fit most hands as well or better than anything available. Accuracy is second to none. If you want a true full size service pistol, it's gonna be hard to beat, so at least try one. If you want something you can tailor to your hand, the Beretta Storm will be released any day now. First Pistols are going to LE. The barrel is at 4", so it will cover a large area of use including CCW, but it is a compromize as far as size. The 5" tactical XD could also be a great candidate, but if the trigger goes CLICK, you don't have a second strike capability that in my mind makes the DA pistol the best choice for a combat pistol. The Storm is going to have some people going back to the drawing board, for sure! ;)

[VaughnT]

I have a Colt 1911. It's my overall favorite pistol. Nothing looks better or makes me more proud to own.

I carry a CZ 75B every day. Just finished running through the Trident Concepts CP1 course with it and she never faltered. The accuracy of the weapon is more than most can take advantage of. The ergonomics are superb. The appearance is certainly pleasing.

My Browning HP is a great 9mm, and I enjoy her a great deal. But, that dang CZ is just incredible.

I'll be buying another 75B and that new SP01 when it comes to market. Great weapons!