Looking for service pistol, what should i get?

[LockedanLoaded]

alright so im looking for a service pistol, here is the specs. 9mm, full size (4" or 5") , high capacity (15-20 rounds depending on the gun), spending limit is about 600 on this one. here is what i am currently looking towards.
Fn FNP-9, Springfield armory XD, Glock 17, Smith & wesson M&P, Beretta 92fs, Sig sp2022. feel free to sugest more or if you have any negative feedback on one of those firearms feel free to explain. all opinions are valued, and will be responded to, as long as you keep your comments civil (no unneeded language).
if it helps, im leaning towards the beretta (not duely because of it service in the military, i just like the open slide design) . also im not new to firearms so weight isn't an issue. thanks for your opinon in advance.

[KevK.]

If you haven't considered it yet. Look at a CZ-75 it meets with all of the requirements on your list. 5", 9mm, 15 round mags. It feels solid and when I owned one never had a failure (about 500 rounds through it). I regret getting rid of it.

Glock 17. I found comfortable to shoot (although it was a gen1 and not sure if the newer models are that much different) and fit my hand well. I did not care for the feel of the trigger.

Sig SP2022. I didn't own one, but have shot several 9mm sigs. My natural point of aim was always off. Very reliable though.

Beretta 92FS. I enjoyed shooting. The mag release was a bit of a reach for me and felt awkward to hit in fast reloading drills.

I haven't shot a FN FNP-9, S&W M&P, or Springfield XD so really cannot give you anything either way.

My vote would be a CZ75.

[TunnelRat]

You've got an assortment of strikers and hammer fired guns there. I think it might be easier if you can determine which of those mechanisms you prefer before going further.

[tipoc]

I second Tunnel Rat I'd just add that the choice of operating modes is likely more a factor. Do you prefer a single action, a traditional da/sa mode, a "safe action" type as with the Glock? Do you prefer a decocker over a safety? If so a type like the Sigs or a frame or slide mounted?

If you are not sure yet which you prefer then get the one you fancy, which sounds like the Berretta 92 FS. Get that one and take time to learn it. Down the road you'll have time to acquire skill with the others.

tipoc

[loose_holster_dan]

all are fine, reliable firearms. find what you like. personally, i'm not a fan of any of the ones you listed with the exception of the beretta. never felt the need to own one, but i've shot it on multiple occasions, and liked it. i will second the cz 75b. if you decide you like striker fire, take a look at the walther ppq. that is one nice striker fire pistol.

[aarondhgraham]

It's a great gun,,,



But then again there are lots of great guns,,,
Beretta and Sig-Sauer are among them,,,
The CZ-75B is simply my favorite.

I like DA/SA pistols with a hammer.

Aarond

.

[tahunua001]

Fn FNP-9
the FNP is a good gun, pretty well respected. as for personal experience I had a buddy in the navy that bought one and sold it 3 weeks later because he could not get used to the DA/SA design and so he sold it to another navy buddy. that was the only gripe he ever named and the guy he sold it too said it was a decent pistol but it would probably be the only FNP he ever owned.

Springfield armory XD
springfield XDs are great guns, the XDMs are even better, it's arguable the the differences between the XD and XDM is not worth the difference in price but I've always found the extra cost to be neglegable enough to only buy XDMS. I've had 2 XDM45s(full and compact) and 1 XDM9(full size). the XDM 9 was kindof goofy at first, it was the only XD I ever had to spend trigger time with to get good but it was less than 200 rounds before I was hitting center mass with boring reliability at 15 yeards. I like the triggers, ammo cap is 19 so it's the best factory capacity of any 9mm on the market that I know of, great accuracy, decent sights but nothing extravagant, I like the grips but some people don't. if I was ever to join law enforcement the XDM9 would be my number 1 choice. they normally go for $625 but you shouldn't have to look too hard to find a deal. I picked up my 45 compact for $600 even on newyears day this year.

Glock 17
I have little love for glocks but I have little hate for them either. I do not like the grips and the glock "perfection" that I hear so much about is pretty much a myth because I've seen glocks of all generations(though gen 4s have the worst reputation) jam and lock up more than any other handgun(with the exception of kahr). other than that I have no gripes with them. I shoot them accurately and it's not hard to find the target with it, if you get one, try to find a long slide, that long sight radius and more weight forward makes it super accurate with almost non existent muzzle flip.

Smith & wesson M&P
M&Ps are good guns from a good company. last I checked they are around $450 so they are one of the most economical choices in your list. I like the ergos, controls, capacity isn't bad and recoil management is decent. on the other hand I could not deal with that trigger. every M&P I've ever shot has had an non existent breakpoint and indistinguishable reset point. I have been forced to slap that squishy trigger on every M&P I've ever shot just so that I could be certain that the trigger reset. aftermarket triggers are available but I would rather spend $550 on a decent pistol that doesn't require special attention and parts replacement out of the box than to spend$450 on a M&P, plus $80 and shipping and handling for a new trigger to make it easier to shoot. but that's just me

Beretta 92fs
my experience is with the M9 and I know military doesn't take the best care of their range guns but the ones I dealt with were utter garbage.. some had the ammo bind up in the mags, some failed to feed, others stovepiped. mine ran fairly decent and I shot it quite well. the only gripe I would have with a well maintained personal use equivalent would be the safety. it's mounted high and far back on the slide and requires a forward and upward motion to disengage and downward and backward motion to engage, two motion sets that are not natural for most shooters and requires you to break positive control of the gun to actuate.

Sig sp2022
no experience so I plead the 5th.

EDIT: even though it's not on your list have you ever considered the ruger SR9?
RUGER SR9
generally $350-400, ammo capacity is 17, barrel length is 4.2 inches IIRC. the compacts seem to have had a rash of peening issues with the barrels of late but I and thousands of other shooters have yet to see issues with ours. the early SR9s had trigger issues but new triggers were introduced with the compacts that are fairly decent after breakin so from all accounts the SR9 gen 2s have better triggers than older ones. I put 500 rounds through my SR9C before I even attempted to clean it and it was a mess inside but it functioned flawlessly and having had it out in the fields a few times, being packed full of dust and hay chaff does nothing to hurt reliability. I heavily recommend them.

[LockedanLoaded]

See this seems to be my problem, i honestly don't mind either of the operating systems, i guess i would have to say I would like to have a da/sa, due to this might replace my current home defense firearm, but then again it might not, can you give me some specs. on the CZ, i have heard of them being well made guns but i have no experience first, or second hand. most of the people i know shoot .22's, and other small calibers, but me i have always favored 9mm over everything, i couldn't tell you why, its just been a personal favorite. honestly i have ruled out XD ( i found out that Springfield armory actually closed down before 2000 and some guy bought it and likes to make people think that its the same Springfield that used to make Military firearms) glock is more than likely ruled out, not because im a hater, i just don't like the thought of a "safe" action pistol, because to me a "safe" action pistol has an actual external thumb safety. i know that they call them "safe" action because of the trigger safety, but i just don't buy into it. my top choices as of now would be M&P, CZ75, Beretta 92fs, FNP, so work your magic and help me decide

[KevK.]

LockedanLoaded,

Probably time you spent a day at a range and rented those pistols.

You have 4 good choices. 2 Polymer (Fn, S&W) and 2 steel (CZ, 92FS). All 4 15 rounds +. Decide if you want a manual safety, or a decocker.

The CZ frame has been around for 30+ years, the 92FS almost as long so they are both tried and true platforms.

The FN and S&W (looks like a Sigma, though they say it isn't), are fairly new.

Poke around Youtube and watch some reiews, go shoot them and let us know which one you decided on.

[LockedanLoaded]

i have experience with the beretta 92fs, and the M&p, and a little with the FN, not many rounds down range though, the CZ is on my final list but i don't know anything about it. is it a heavy gun, what are the weights on the four guns (when i was shooting i really didn't pay to much attention to the weight, i was just having fun shooting with the family. (i live in a family of firearmnuts, INCLUDING MYSELF, and everyone has there favorite, i have serveral friends who favor the 92fs, and i know a guy who swears by his M&P, and i know several people who love military weapons that really like the FNP, but i don't know anyone that has much experience with the CZ. that doesn't mean its not a great gun (alot of the people that i shoot with are die hard AMERICANS so "made in america" is an automatic selling point for them, thats why i wanted a second opinion. everyone i know is saying go with the M&P or FNP, but i think the Beretta is just as capable, and the CZ could be to)

[LockedanLoaded]

well i here you on that one, the m&p is nice in hand, but i would have to disagree with you on the beretta grip (though in my defense i do have small hands, so the little angle that you do get in the top half of the beretta grip really does feel nice to me. thanks for the advice. unfortunately i am still undecided, im pushing toward the beretta but i have to find some information on this CZ before i pull the trigger (no pun intended.... oh wait, yes it its )
once again thank you for your time, i enjoy the conversation

[tahunua001]

i found out that Springfield armory actually closed down before 2000 and some guy bought it and likes to make people think that its the same Springfield that used to make Military firearms)

I'm not sure where you heard that but that is not the case at all.

the springfield weapons plant closed in 1968 and a private arms producer that wanted to market his M14s and 1911s trademarked the name in 1974. the company has been up and running for far longer than 12 years. also it makes little difference because the springfield XD and XDM are slightly modified versions of the HS2000 handgun manufactured by HS Produkt in eastern europe. springfield maintains sole importation rights and with the exception of custom work does nothing in house to the XD lines of handguns. HS produkt specializes in military and paramilitary weaponry including assualt rifles, semi auto bullpups and of course the HS/XD/m/s handgun lines.
springfield does little in-house manufacturing aside from their M1A rifles and a few select 1911s(many are made in brazil and assembled in the USA).

[10mm4ever]

Beretta92, CZ75, or west german SIG226, S&W 5906 or even the Ruger P89.. That's as good as it gets.

[LockedanLoaded]

oh, well i knew it was more than just since 2000, but i didn't know the exact date. but the point is a am not a fan of springfield i always thought it was an american proud country, but there are not. but what would you suggest, the 92fs, or the CZ75.

[RBid]

CZ, if steel framed.

Walther PPQ if you go polymer.

[tahunua001]

oh, well i knew it was more than just since 2000, but i didn't know the exact date. but the point is a am not a fan of springfield i always thought it was an american proud country, but there are not. but what would you suggest, the 92fs, or the CZ75.

alright. for the life of me I have no idea why someone would have a problem with springfield not being solely american when FN Herstal is belgian, sig is german, beretta is italian and CZ is Czech Republic but that's just my own ignorance speaking.

between the two I would recommend the CZ over the beretta. similar feel and function without the goofy safeties that beretta is so fond of.

[mumbo719]

+1 on the CZ 75B and I'd like to add the CZ SP-01 Phantom and the Walther PPQ.

Glock 17. Hard to beat a Glock but I am not a fan of the grip and especially the grip angle.

Sig SP2022. Never owned or shot one.

Beretta 92FS. I love the 92. The grip and trigger reach are problems for people with smaller hands or short fingers.

FN FNP-9 - Very nice shooter, I much prefer the feel of the FNX9 which is basically an upgraded FNP.

S&W M&P - Sold my M&P's not looking back.

Springfield XD - I like XD's and shoot them well, I like the XDm's best.

[TacticalDefense1911]

You're looking for a "service pistol". Is this going to be for duty use or are you just using the term service pistol? If for duty use the Glock 17 and M&P are going to be hard to beat. Many departments issue them and trust them. The are simple to operate and will hold up to the abuse of being carried around in a duty holster all day. The XD's seem to shoot well but its hard to get past the fact that hardly any departments issue these guns; probably from the fact that you cannot manipulate the slide without depressing the grip safety. This is not a good thing on a fighting gun IMO. The Beretta 92 is a very solid, proven platform. It just depends on whether or not you want to carry the extra weight around and if the DA/SA trigger is something you are comfortable with. I have no experience with the Sig SP2022 or FN but if you were looking at Sig the bar of performance would be the P226, not the SP2022.

[Roland Thunder]

I don't have most of the guns on your list expect for one, the M&P, and mine is a .45. I can tell you this, I can shoot the M&P more accurately than any of my other guns and that includes my Sig 226, and Walther PPQ.

One caveat, though, I have had the Apex trigger kit put on my M&P, it does make a difference.

[KevK.]

Lockedanloaded.

Some specs on the CZ75B (or if CZ85 - the only real difference that i know of for sure is that the 85 has ambi-controls).

Weight - 2.7 lbs
Length - 8.1"
Height - 5.4"
Barrel Length - 4.7"
Width - 1.3"

Most CZ's are have a steel frame and slide. Although there are some models that are polymer.

Manual thumb safety
DA/SA
15 rounds (+1)

The CZ-75 isn't made anymore, but was a Czech Military sidearm. You can still find them for sale in various conditions. ($300-$400) depending on condition.

New, you are looking for a CZ-75B. The only real difference from the -75 is that the -75B has a ringed hammer, firing pin safety, serrated slide, and squared and serrated trigger guard.

There are numerous models to chose from, you can look at the CZ-USA website to find all kinds of specs and owners forums. Everything from a basic -75B to full blown race guns. You should even be able to get some options added with your $600 limit. Shop around and you'll find a bargin.

They are known for smooth trigger, accuracy and reliability.

http://www.cz-usa.com/

I hope that helps..

Good luck with your choice.

[vba]

Of the guns you listed, I have experience with the Beretta 92, Glock 17, Sig (P228, I know not SP2022) and the S&W MP9c.

My order of preference is:
1. Glock 17 or 19
2. Sig P228 or P226
3. S&W MP9c
4. Beretta 92

The Beretta was last not because it was a bad gun, it was, the grip was just too big for my medium sized hands.

With the Glock, I can switch between it and a 1911 during the same range session and not be bothered by grip angle.

Vinny

[LockedanLoaded]

No, i am not law enforcement. it would need to be holstered pretty often though. it will be taken to the range ALOT and it will be used on private property alot so i will be able to draw from a holster. i am in favor of the DA/SA feature so that doesn't bother me, i have taken the XD off my list because i don't like Springfield (not because its a bad gun, just don't a fan of springfield) and i have taken Glock off of my list ( i know they are great, but the one i had my hands on was a glock 17 and the grip angle was horrible.) i was going to pick out of Beretta 92fs, FNP, M&P, and the CZ, but know i have to take the Walther into perspective and research it to. but to awnser your question, yes i was just using the Term service pistol.

[LockedanLoaded]

thanks for the information.

[jmr40]

Get a Glock and go shoot. The M&P is pretty close. Sig is good, but costs more and doesn't do anything the Glock or M&P won't do just as well. Same story with Beretta. CZ's make good range toys, not serious personal defense guns.

[aarondhgraham]

CZ's make good range toys, not serious personal defense guns.