Fav DA/SA pistol?

T

TrueBlue711

New member
Just curious to see what your fav DA/SA semi-auto pistol is? Such as the Beretta 92/M9, Sig 226, HK USP, CZ 75, FNX, etc.

I carry/carried the M9 in the military. It's a love/hate relationship. I shoot very well with it, but the one I was issued with in Iraq jammed all the time. Could've been the magazines though. Either way, it gave me trust issues.

I own the Sig 226 and like it a lot and have no real complaints about it. Much easier to take apart than the M9 (which isn't hard to take apart either, but the 226 is still easier).

I don't have experience with the others, but I have always dreamed about getting a USP since I was a kid. I'm still always looking around gunbroker for a well-priced one.

Between the M9 and the 226, I shoot better with the M9. But the 226 is more maintenance friendly and I like having a simple de-cocker instead of a safety. And I don't have trust issues with the 226 compared to the M9. As of now, I would put my vote on the Sig 226, but again, I haven't shot the others. If I were to get another, should I go for my childhood dream gun (USP) or stay away from it?
 
My favorite DA/SA hammer-fired pistols are my two SIG Sauer P229s in .40 S&W and 357 SIG. I like the feel and balance of the P229 a little better than that of the P226 but both are very good.

In second place would be my Beretta 92FS. I really like this pistol but I seem to consistently shoot the SIGs better.

Third up would be my two Beretta Cougars, in .40 S&W and .45 ACP.

I have only shot a couple of CZs. They felt great in the hand, but I was not terribly impressed with the DA trigger action compared to the SIGs and Berettas. The only H&K I have shot is the VP9, which is striker-fired of course. But I have heard that HK DA/SA triggers are often nothing to write home about.
 
I had a 226 in 9mm, but sold it to my brother in law to fund a 1911. I just bought a 229 in 9mm and like it a lot more than the 226. It feels better in my hand seems better balanced. It’s also a Legion version, so has a better trigger.

I’ve shot the brother-in-law law’s Baretta 92 a few times, but like the Sigs better.

So based on this small sample of 3, I like the Sig 229 - especially if you get one with the short reset trigger upgrade.
 
FNX .45 Tactical

Why? Because dumping all those rounds of 230 grain hardball out of a pistol that big will really make your day!
 
Generally speaking I would say that my favorite DA/SA pistol is the classic Smith & Wesson Model 39-2. However, if I need to be specific about what I own and which of those is my favorite DA/SA of all that I have, then it's going to be my Performance Center SD-9, "Stocking Dealer 9", a hand fitted Performance Center mid-size kind of hybrid, loosely based on a S&W 6906 as it is a double-stack compact frame, but it has a mid-length top-half with the rare square-nosed muzzle.

These guns were made in very short supply... I tend to get the actual number wrong when I go from memory but I want to say that 161 examples are known to exist in 9mm. They also produced this little gem in .40 S&W and also in the defunct .356 TS&W cartridge.

It often makes Smith & Wesson pistol collectors and aficionados laugh when folks will read "SD-9" and think we are talking about the budget Tupperware guns of the Sigma and SD9VE lineage. Suffice to say... we are not. ;) These guns are fitted like a custom build pistol. Think of a Shorty9/Shorty40/Shorty45 except the SD-9 is a full stainless (not alloy) frame and it has a longer slide & barrel.

This pistol is elite and rare and exceptionally capable. It's also a looker!

I'm laughing because I cannot for the life of me to get Google to return an image of this pistol with a simple image search. It can only find the Tupperware pistol. So if you'd like to see the rare one that I'm talking about, here is a discussion on the S&W forum:
http://smith-wessonforum.com/smith-...06-performance-center-information-please.html
 
TrueBlue711 said:
Just curious to see what your fav DA/SA semi-auto pistol is? Such as the Beretta 92/M9, Sig 226, HK USP, CZ 75, FNX, etc.

I carry/carried the M9 in the military. It's a love/hate relationship. I shoot very well with it, but the one I was issued with in Iraq jammed all the time. Could've been the magazines though. Either way, it gave me trust issues.

I own the Sig 226 and like it a lot and have no real complaints about it. Much easier to take apart than the M9 (which isn't hard to take apart either, but the 226 is still easier).

I don't have experience with the others, but I have always dreamed about getting a USP since I was a kid. I'm still always looking around gunbroker for a well-priced one.

Between the M9 and the 226, I shoot better with the M9. But the 226 is more maintenance friendly and I like having a simple de-cocker instead of a safety. And I don't have trust issues with the 226 compared to the M9. As of now, I would put my vote on the Sig 226, but again, I haven't shot the others. If I were to get another, should I go for my childhood dream gun (USP) or stay away from it?
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The Beretta 92 series has generally had an excellent reliability record. The open slide design reduces the potential for ejection failures and the near straight line feed reduces the potential for failures to feed.

The Achilles heel of the Beretta 92 has been the locking block, but the design is now on its third generation. Military M9s, because they must conform to the original technical data package actually have an earlier design locking block that is more prone to failure or earlier failure. Fortunately, locking blocks are not expensive and can be purchased for $29 without a recoil spring, or $35 with a recoil spring at berettausa. Even so, locking blocks now usually last for well over 15,000 rounds and generally show visible evidence of peening on one of the locking ears prior to failure, so it pays Beretta 92 owners to have a spare on hand if they shoot a lot.

Most of the M9 problems that arose in the Middle East were the result of poorly-maintained pistols (high or unknown round count pistols that had not ever undergone recoil spring replacement) and the parkerized finish of the contracted Check Mate magazines. The finish retained fine sand within the magazine bodies that tended to cause feeding jams. Most civilian Beretta 92 owners have experienced excellent reliability.

My personal Beretta 92FS has had thousands of rounds shot through it and jammed up once. This was a failure to completely return to battery which temporarily jammed up the slide with a live round in the barrel. The ammunition was Winchester NATO 124 grain FMJ and I can only assume that the cartridge case was slightly out of spec since the pistol has functioned perfectly since.

You can now easily convert a Beretta 92FS or M9 to a "G model" in which the slide-mounted safety lever acts as a decocker only (no mechanical safety). It used to be you had to modify the slide to do this, but Beretta now sells a kit that allows this to be done without any modifications to the slide:

http://www.berettausa.com/en-us/beretta-g-lever-kit/

The lever is still ambi and mounted on the slide, however, rather than on the frame like a P series SIG.

Another option is a non-ambi, low profile safety lever sold by Wilson Combat. This gets rid of the right sided lever and makes it impossible to accidentally engage the safety when racking the slide. But the lever still acts as a decocker/safety so when using it to decock you must still push the lever back up to disengage the safety. This is what I have on my Beretta 92FS:

http://shopwilsoncombat.com/Wilson-...ker-Beretta-92_96-F_FS-Model/productinfo/636/
 
For polymers, a USP with a match trigger, specifically an Elite/Expert/Match 9mm.

For metals, it's hard to pick between the Walther P88 and certain Beretta 92 and Sig P226 variants.
 
My Beretta 92 FS Inox is my favorite. She's also a looker wearing walnut grips. My wife calls her my "italian mistress."

In second is another Beretta, a PX4 Compact. Shoots really softly and accurately, but doesn't have the looks of the mistress.
 
I'm not ever gonna be a fan of the Beretta 92 but I must wholeheartedly agree that they sure got that Inox right, it is outrageously attractive!
 
I may be one of a small handful who actually fell in love with my issued M9 many moons ago, and it made me a fan of Beretta ever since. My only complaint nowadays as a civvie would be the size and weight, so without hesitation my PX4 Compact (converted to “G”, decocker-only model) wins the favorite DA/SA award, followed by the CZ P-07.
 
My 9mm Beretta-Stoeger Cougar is my favorite DA/SA. The little bit of extra weight of the alloy frame combined with the rotating barrel system makes it a very soft shooter. The DA pull is very smooth and the SA break very crisp. It fits my hand perfectly which makes it a very natural pointer and easy to shoot well.

My 9mm Springfield XD-E is #2. The trigger actions, while not as quite as good as the Cougar, are good enough and the lighter weight and thinner width makes it easier to carry.
 
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