Preferred full size pistol, other than a 1911

RoyalWe
I'm really surprised how many people endorse the beretta 92/M9. I had always heard of people grumbling about the M9 while I was in the army, not got to shoot one them myself as only the 240 gunners, commo guys and the 1sg had one. Accuracy of them was pretty impressive though. I may have to pick one up in the future, a few places online seem to get LEO trade ins that sell for about $300.
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I got one, an LAPD trade-in for that price.

The grumbling seems to stem from several major points:
  • it isn't the venerable 1911
  • it had issues with some magazines in the desert with sand
  • it is a 9mm
  • it is an Italian (not American) design

Addressing those issues- I accept that is isn't a 1911, in .45 acp. I'm fine with 9mm. I'm not going to put the gun or magazine through the field conditions it faced in Iraq. I'm ok with foreign gun brands.

The 92 series is an accurate, sweet shooter with a silky smooth slide and minimal recoil. Like the CZ 75, if you can get one for around $300, don't hesitate at all. It's well worth it
 
These are among the guns I own, along with a S&W 3rd Gen and a Star 30M (and others).
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Oh, that's one of my old favorites...the Star 30 :)
Heck, I've still got two mags for one lying in my desk,
just waiting for the day when I find another one...
which, oddly enough, also work in S&W 59xx series as well ;)
 
Big Shrek
Quote:
These are among the guns I own, along with a S&W 3rd Gen and a Star 30M (and others).
Oh, that's one of my old favorites...the Star 30
Heck, I've still got two mags for one lying in my desk,
just waiting for the day when I find another one...
which, oddly enough, also work in S&W 59xx series as well
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y'know, if those mags are taking up too much space, I could take them off your hands ;)
 
CZ SP-01 and CZ 75B, Jericho 941, any older Sphinx, and of course Sig P226/220 are nice too. I also like the Beretta 92, even though I hate slide mounted safeties and the ergos are chunky.
 
I really enjoy full size "duty" pistols. I have a HK USP .45, Beretta 92S, and a Walther PPX 9mm. I very much enjoy and shoot great with all of them. I want to expand my full size pistol collection but I'm very particular about what I like so it remains limited. I've been looking for the right 1911 for me but I have yet to discover it.
 
Heck, I've still got two mags for one lying in my desk,
just waiting for the day when I find another one...
which, oddly enough, also work in S&W 59xx series as well
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The opposite of which, unfortunately, is not true...:(
 
Heck, I've still got two mags for one lying in my desk,
just waiting for the day when I find another one...
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Another lucky break from an off chance. Your post reminded me to check "the usual sources" and BINGO!, I found a factory Model 30 mag that was only "1 in stock."

It pays to keep tabs on various sources from time to time. :D
 
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Too bad

Too bad there's no way to try out a CZ75, a hi-power, and Beretta 92fs, maybe a 226 too, and see which one I like best. Those seem to be the top contenders by far.
 
Too bad there's no way to try out a CZ75, a hi-power, and Beretta 92fs, maybe a 226 too, and see which one I like best. Those seem to be the top contenders by far.
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Those are the best available going right now. I lack the Sig, but have the rest.
Basically, everything else will either be a clone of one of these, obscure, or out of production.

To help narrow it down:
Is steel frame important to you? Steel can be blued, parkerized or otherwise refinished, while aluminum can only be anodized maybe one additional time after the original. Of course paint (cerakote etc) can be done on all.
CZ 75 and Hi Power are steel, Beretta and Sig are aluminum framed (unless you want to pay a whole lot of money).

Double action important? It gives you the option to pull the trigger again on a light strike, in addition to carrying with one in the chamber. Hi Powers are single action.

Safety placement? CZ and Hi Power give you cocked and locked with controls the same place on the frame as a 1911. Beretta puts the safety on the slide, and it decocks. Sig has a decocker about where a 1911 has the slide release. CZ also offers a decocker model.
 
I'm really surprised how many people endorse the beretta 92/M9. I had always heard of people grumbling about the M9 while I was in the army, not got to shoot one them myself as only the 240 gunners, commo guys and the 1sg had one. Accuracy of them was pretty impressive though. I may have to pick one up in the future, a few places online seem to get LEO trade ins that sell for about $300.
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I'm quoting this due to price... the $300 mark is a nice spot for a used, premium brand.

If you search gunbroker, Cole Distributing (seller cdisales) often runs deals on Hi Powers. True Belgians are running about $400, you can sometimes find one less.
Currently he also has a few CZ 75's at or below $350. I recently purchased one, a pre B made in 1989 (rounded trigger guard, no firing pin block), for less than that (actually, less than that total for purchase, shipping, and ffl). The factory paint job is ratty, but the frame is parkerized under the paint, no rust. The gun was dead-on accurate, as good as my other pre B, 1-2 inch groups at 10 yards, standing up and just casually shooting, not from a bench and truly taking my time to get each shot perfect.
They placed the import mark on the barrel, on the left side. You absolutely do not see it until you strip the gun.

I know, for around that price you can get a new Canik, but in a couple years, you have either a used Canik, or a used CZ (which do you prefer:p?)

Since the gun is all steel, in due time I plan on having it blued. It's my son's now, and I will be proud to fix it up for him.
 
Smith & Wesson's "K" frame revolvers. Which one really doesn't matter, but I suppose if I had to pick just one, it would be the Model 15, Combat Masterpiece.

For semi-auto's I don't have enough experience with any one to really have a "favorite." I did shoot a Colt Government Model quite a bit during my IPSC days but that's off the table.

Again, if I had to pick another one, I'd say Smith & Wesson's Model 39-2. But most of you young fellows have probably never heard of that one. I always liked the way that one felt in my hand, and it was a pretty good shooter.
 
I see a lot of justified love for the Beretta 92, but I actually prefer the Taurus PT-92 because of the frame-mounted safety.

I quite like Beretta, and the 92 is just a dead sexy handgun, but I find slide-mounted controls awkward to handle. This was my main problem with the otherwise excellent PX4.
 
For some time I had a Beretta 92, an early one with the frame mounted safety, which meant that it could be carried cocked and locked.

I finally decided that I needed to shed some of my 9mms to free up space for other guns in other chamberings, and got rid of it.

Still wish I hadn't, really.
 
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