Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Most accurate off the shelf self defense pistol that is not a 1911?

I had very good accuracy with the SIG229, but sold it due to weight and DA/SA, they do seem to be more accurate than the Glocks. Which of the non 1911 pattern pistols are most accurate?

Not off the shelf, but off the shelf-ish...I shot an 4.25" M&P with a stock trigger and an Apex barrel and got 3" groups at 50 yards.

It would be hard to pick a winner unless you tested at least two or more examples of every other pistol out there.

I will throw this one's name into the hat - the Kahrs I've tested have been exceptionally accurate.

This is a 10 shot group from a CW45 with the 3.6" barrel, fired over sandbags at 25 yards, Winchester white box 230 FMJ ammo. The 2 shots at 8 and 4 o'clock expanded the group to 1 3/4" but the 8 in the center cover exactly 1". And this is literally "out of the box", those are the very first 10 shots I put through the brand new pistol.

K-frame.




Travis

My Sig P239 in 357 Sig is about as good as it get in the accuracy department

My experience with my CW9.

I once shot a cloverleaf at 40 yards with a SIG 228, in .357 SIG. Only three rounds I ever shot out of that gun, too. I knew I couldn't do it again, and didn't want to prove it. I handed it back to its owner.

Personally, the best shooting gun I've owned, excluding 1911s, is a Browning MkII Hi-Power. That particular gun would do 1 inch at 25 yards with the right ammo. I wore it out, after a little tinkering (bobbing the hammer so it wouldn't bite me, removing the mag safety, changing the sights, and Spegel grips).

I am beginning to wonder about the barrels myself, my 44 magnum with 4 inch Smith and Wesson barrel seems a lot more accurate than a std. G19.

You got rid of the one I was going to recommend, Jimmy.

K frame S&W, Glock 17/19, Glock 42-43.

After a bit of fine tuning and different sights my all steel Colt MKIV Series 80 Government .380. One of the most accurate "mouse guns" I have ever shot.

That's way better than most here can ever realize.............

MM

I have heard or read that the Glock 30 and 36 are really good.

Both my Glock 32 in .357 Sig, and my Glock 20 in 10mm will shoot 1.5" 5 shot groups @ 25 yards off of a sand bag rest.
And I've got a Ruger BlackHawk in 45 Colt that will shoot 1" 5 shot groups @ 25 yards off of a sand bag rest with my best handloads.

Five rounds of Perfecta 40/170/FMJ at a measured 100 yards, rested shooting, Sig P229. The group is 8 1/2" if you count the one I tossed high and grazed the top of the box; 6 1/2" for the four on the paper.

Sig's target model pistols, like the various single action only P220's are usually quite accurate. The P210's are supposed to be unreal, but are also quite spendy. Ditto S&W's 952's and 945's...

For accuracy check out the CZ's. For carry, the CZ P-01 or P-07. I've yet to run into an inaccurate CZ.

H&K's are always very accurate. The new VP9 is the best pistol I've ever seen from H&K; just outstanding!

To bad Sigs are to heavy for you.
Of the dozen or so handguns I have, the Sig P226 and P225 are the most accurate.
Never found DA/SA to be a problem.

You'd have a tough time beating a 6" K-frame in a PPC course.

And the 4" version isn't a real slouch either.

Whether that meets the definition of a self defense pistol is up to the individual I guess.



Travis

I have a CZ SP01 and a Tanfoglio (two rather) in 9mm that are pretty accurate. But they are sort of Comm block 1911 rip offs.

Gen4 Glocks are developing a reputation for very good accuracy. Most HK pistols are also very accurate, and they have various options aside from TDA. But no matter what pistol you choose, ammo is the real key to accuracy. Nearly every pistol shoots one load better than almost anything else. Also, a lot of FMJ practice ammo is basically crap that just makes the gun go bang. You have to try a lot of different loads to find what your pistol shoots best, but once you find it, the accuracy can surprise you.

Most modern pistol are very accurate, but a lot of the time, people just don’t shoot them well. If you’re really want to maximize accuracy, pick one pistol, stick with it until you master the trigger and sights, and shoot a lot of 5-shot groups at 25 and 50 yards with different loads.


Okie John