Looking into a handgun

No fanboys just facts.
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I've owned all three of your choices for many years and never once carried any of them as a CCW. The facts are that all three of them were designed as bulky, heavy, full-sized duty pistols, at which job they all three excel.

Can you carry a full-size duty weapon as a CCW? Sure. You can also drive an 18 wheel semi to the grocery store to pick up a gallon of milk. Chances are that you'll soon learn that neither of those choices are the most practical alternative for most people.
 
Yeah, full size carry is possible, but it can be a pain much of the time.

The g17 is a fairly large pistol, which is why several manufacturers have a model that is slightly smaller. Little less length and height than the 17 but bigger than a 19.


Many choose the G19 as a good all purpose size, big enough for a full grip, small enough to make carry noticeable easier.

The CZ P-07 is an example of a non-Glock that is G19 size.


I have an M&P9c that works well for carry. It's just a bit bigger than a g26, but not much. I find it more comfortable to shoot than a g26, and it conceals well. It holds 12rds in a flush mag.
 
If I were to buy a Glock for that purpose, I would install the Glock "Gadget" which would provide some additional safety against accidental discharges while rehostering.
question - what GADGET?
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http://www.gunnuts.net/2015/07/03/the-gadget-an-additional-safety-device-for-glock-pistols/

http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/gadget-a-striker-control-device#/

Yes, the design of the Glock is such that it is largely impossible to fire unless the trigger is pulled. Unfortunately, it may not be a finger that pulls the trigger.

A number of individuals who have experienced "Glock leg" shot themselves when a portion of their holster, or a foreign object such as clothing, made its way into the trigger guard as they were holstering. One individual did not shoot himself while holstering, but shot himself later because a drawstring on the jacket had gotten into the trigger guard and pulled the trigger when he took the jacket off.

Obviously, many will say that it is never necessary to reholster quickly and that with care and proper equipment these NDs would never occur. True enough, but then if nobody ever made mistakes, had a lapse in concentration, or did something stupid, there would be hardly any automobile accidents.

The Glock Gadget reduces the risk of an accidental discharge during reholstering. On a hammer-fired pistol the user can "ride the hammer" with the thumb as the pistol enters the holster. Anything that tries to pull the trigger will immediately be perceived and resisted by the thumb.

The Gadget replaces the rear slide cover and is ridden by the thumb when reholstering. If anything tries to pull the trigger, the trigger will try to tension the striker which will be resisted by the thumb.

You still have to remember to clear your Glock before pulling the trigger to field strip it, however.
 
My personal choices for an EDC pistol depend on the trigger mechanism. For mid-size pistols I like the following:

Double-action only: Beretta mini-Cougar 8000D, SIG Sauer P250 compact, SIG Sauer P229 DAO or DAK (double-action Kellerman).

Striker-fired: SIG Sauer P320 compact, Walther PPQ, Heckler&Koch VP9, Steyr M9-A1.

Traditional double action (DA/SA) hammer-fired: SIG Sauer P229, Beretta PX4 Storm compact (F or G), Beretta mini-Cougar 8000F (or 8040F).

DA/SA striker-fired: Walther P99AS.
 
CALAMBE said:
I am currently looking into a handgun. I have an idea of what I would like. Glock 17 or Beretta 92FS or an M1911. Please feel free to put your opinions of each. Or put a better option.
Please do not let this break down into a Glock sucks thread. No fanboys just facts.

The main purpose of the firearm would be EDC/CCW. Yes, you can carry a full sized handgun for CCW use.
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Yes, you can carry a full-sized handgun for CC. I CC'd full-sized steel for about 3 years. A compact polymer turned out to be much easier to deal with, though. I went with a G19, and it's a pretty hard-to-beat balance of size, weight, caliber and capacity. Frankly, I think it's one of the best jack-of-all-trades guns out there. That said, "compact 9mm polymer" is a pretty crowded field, with S&W, CZ (I think), Sig Sauer, Ruger, Sprinfield Arms, and a bunch of other companies fielding worthy competitors.

Are you looking at 1911s in .45 only, or are 9mms an option? Also, what's your budget. I ask because, frankly, if I were looking to purchase a new .45 for concealed carry and had ~1k to spend (& the budget to feed it), I'd consider the Rock River Arms 1911 Poly. Bear in mind that I don't think I've ever come within a half a mile of one of these, so I have no clue how they shoot, but I like the idea . . . And yes, I'm aware that there have been other poly 1911s in the past, but I'm aware of none that are currently in production with a price tag under $1k.
 
Whether or not you can comfortably carry something full sized comes down mostly to the quality of your belt and holster and the way that you configure it. I'm a little too chunky to comfortably carry appendix or I would, but I can carry at 3 O'Clock with no issues with a full sized pistol.

Even in spite of your desire for a manual safety, I am always comfortable recommending a Glock 17 for IWB carry. The "Glock Horror Stories" are ALWAYS about negligence. The guns simply do not fire on their own, nor will any other quality modern handgun. The Glock is a tried and true platform and continues to dominate the market even though other great competitors are popping up left and right. You can't go wrong with it.

With that said, look at it's competitors as well. The M&P, PPQ, VP9, P320... There are a lot of great carry guns out there.
 
I guess I am the odd guy here. My EDC is a CZ 97B, currently carried in a High Noon horizontal shoulder rig w/ 2 extra mags and a knife in the opposite side to help balance. It's heavy but a good holster makes it almost disappear (whole rig is right at 6 lb.). Same with a belt holster and top grade gun belt. Why I like the 97B: 10+1 capacity, external safety, can be carried cocked and locked like a 1911 OR double action first shot OR hammer at 1/2 cock w/ safety on (shorter pull than full double action but you have the half cock notch and the safety instead of just the safety. I think the CZ points naturally, is accurate and I just like an all steel gun and don't mind the weight.
 
CZs are also great guns. I had a P-01 that I loved but stupidly sold (I've done a lot of bad selling in my lifetime). Once my credit cards are paid off again from the last few guns I've bought at the end of last year I'm considering a Sphinx SDP to scratch the itch that selling my CZ ended up leaving.

With that said, I can't help but notice that CZ is kind of the darling child of handgun forums. I've seen CZ pistols absolutely top popularity polls from time to time here and on other forums but when I talk to gun guys in person at shops and ranges, very few of them have owned CZ pistols or even really considered them. CZ almost seems like a forum hipster pistol to me at this point! :p Still an excellent firearm, just an observation. There's a definite online cult following behind CZ firearms, but they're really hard to find in some stores because not a lot of people buy them otherwise.
 
I have tried several Glocks and the grip angle does not feel right for me. It may for you as each of us are different. I have a Beretta 92F and carry an M9 on duty as Dept. of the Army Civilian Police Officer. The Beretta is a large handgun but is manageable. The 1911 is a great handgun with a century of history to prove it. If this is the gun you plan you should be committed to regular practice so that flipping off the thumb safety become second nature. You should also consider looking at a high quality revolver in the 38 Special or 357 Magnum area. One thing I usually recommend is that you find a range that rents the guns you are interested in and try them before you buy. You may find that neither works for you and end up with something entirely different. Remember it is your gun and your life, nobody needs to be satisfied by your decision but you.

Having said all this, all the handguns you mentioned are high quality and effect defensive weapons. Either one will serve you very well.
 
1911s excellent choices, just make sure if you get one, it feeds the ammo you will be carrying. Modern 1911s are built to feed pretty much anything, but magazine followers will have a slight effect. With a 1911 you will be limited on your shots but 8 or 9 .45 hollow points is a whole lot of nasty in one or two hands. Plus you can always carry spares. You can get an alloy or aluminum framed 1911 and that will really save you some weight, and you can go for a 4.25 or 4" barrel and that will also cut some weight. I would go with springfield, Colt, sig, or Dan Wesson. Kimbers have been iffy. But if you take care of your gun it should take care of you.

Glocks, if you like em, try one out. I personally don't like them, but do trust and respect them. You have to really like the grip and trigger to run one. I like nothing about them, but they are good guns.

S&W M&Ps are good trust worthy guns and have one of the best feeling grips out there, but their triggers can be crappy, but there are aftermarket trigger options as well.

Cz75s or P07/P09s are excellent guns and highly recommended, the cz75 has one of the best feeling grips out there as well, but is heavier than polymer. These are known to be very accurate and fairly reliable

Sig 226 are good high quality guns, grips are too fat and guns are too bulky in general for me though, bug highly respected, highly accurate, very reliable guns

Walther P99/PPQ, excellent German made and designed pistols. I have a PPQ .40 and love it. Extremely ergonomic grip, super super nice trigger, reliable, very accurate. Excellent pistol. Mine is my ccw.

H&Ks are great tough accurate guns but expensive and alot of people will say not worth the extra money. Their newer VP9 and VP40s are nice but new and not proven yet.

Berettas are great too. Although I have heard the locking blocks like to crack under about 25K rounds. I don't know much about Berettas, just was never really interested in them.

Springfield xds are excellent poly striker guns. Accurate, reliable, tough, some people just don't like the ergonomics or looks. They have been around awhile

If possible try to test fire the guns you are interested in. Go with what feels best in your hand, and dry fire everything several times and see which triggers (and trigger resets) you like best. The 1911 trigger is best, I would say Walther PPQ being second. Don't dismiss .40 caliber, it is a tad more expensive to shoot, and the guns will hold slightly less rounds, and its harder to shoot accurately, and your time between shots may be a little slower,but that's what spare mags are for, and the power increase is awesome. You get the speed of a 9mm with similar weight of a .45. There are 200gr bullets available at 850-1050fps, which about equals how fast a .45 pushes a 200gr bullet.
 
The Beretta is an excellent pistol. If given one and required to use it as a duty pistol in LE or military I'd use it with complete confidence. I've had several, but wouldn't spend MY money for another. Absolutely nothing negative to say except I just like other guns better. In a traditional SA/DA metal handgun I like the Sigs better, but there are several good options here.

A 1911 covers a lot of ground, you can buy a budget gun for $600 or spend over $6,000. Most are over priced, and over rated. The best of them are going to cost a lot more than the other options and be less reliable. I think they are best reserved for range use and should be retired from serious duty. If you are more into nostalgia than practicality they are an option. I own several, enjoy shooting them, and they ain't for sale. They would be the last handgun I'd pick up.

If I'm spending MY money on a defensive hand gun it'll be a G19. I like them better than the G17, shoot them more accurately and with G17 mags I give up nothing. There are other good plastic striker fired guns, but I still prefer the Glock.
 
Out of the three you mentioned, my pick would be the Glock 17. If you like Glocks try the 19 too.

Below are my favorites:

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Sounds almost like a Security Guard position being filled, as far as the choices...
Given those choices, a double-stack 1911 would be pretty darn good...
gives you capacity and reliability of a Glock, and can be used as a hammer ;)

For price, I'd go with the S&W M&P w/ nightsights and never look back.

Having been issued the M9, I will NEVER suggest a Beretta 92 to anyone.
I've owned guns that most folks would snicker at, but managed to make them reliable,
even pot metal craptastics...ALL of them worked/shot better than the M9.
Although I've often wondered if all the headaches experienced
made me a better repair guy for having had so many danged issues with it...lol
 
I am currently looking into a handgun. I have an idea of what I would like. Glock 17 or Beretta 92FS or an M1911. Please feel free to put your opinions of each. Or put a better option...The main purpose of the firearm would be EDC/CCW. Yes, you can carry a full sized handgun for CCW use.
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Each of the three guns you reference can certainly be carried. I used to EDC my Gen3 Glock 17. Still have it with several thousand rounds through it. One thing you have to say about the Glock pistols, love 'em or hate 'em, is that everybody makes holsters & accessories for them. There is nothing wrong with carrying the Beretta or the 1911, but I know the Glock is easier to carry. I currently carry my HK P30 since can I shoot it a little better than the rest of my carry guns, and I prefer to carry a hammer fired, polymer-framed pistol, even though mine does not have a thumb safety. I also think the Sig P320 is giving the rest of the polymer gun market a run for their money, you should take a look at the Compact or the Carry versions.
 
I carried a Sig P226 for about 6 months after selling my other carry gun to buy it. I loved shooting that gun, and yes, I could carry it, but after 6 months I bought a Glock 19. Have since traded that 19 for a Glock 26, and sure don't miss carrying the Sig.
 
SAR K2 .45. DA/SA like the CZ's. Same weight as a 1911. 14+1 rounds of .45 ACP goodness. If you get one at CDNN while they still have their sale you can save a bundle. Very under rated pistol.
 
Yes, you can carry a full sized handgun for CCW use.
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You sure can.. you can cover it and you can carry it, but you can not truly conceal it without a winter coat... The grips are just too big and will pitch a tent across your back the first time you pick something up off the ground, even with a light jacket.
There are many who'll say they carry full size all the time, and that's great, but they're fooling themselves if they think the observant folks among us don't notice it.

Many people won't notice, problem is the people who will are the ones you don't want to notice the most.

The biggest I'd recommend going with is a compact, like the Glock 19.
 
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