Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns 9 mm

Me again with my beginner questions, yes.
Now that I'm the happy owner of a S&W m27 I thought it to be time to start looking for a 9mm pistol.
So far I've been eyeballing the glock 17 and the Beretta 92F (I think it's called)
The general view seems to be that the Glock is a better weapon but my view is that the beretta looks better. I'm not sure how much weight I'm going to put in to apearance but the glock is just soo ugly.
Anyway, there are a lot more 9mm pistols out there than these two so, could I get some comments, both on the above mentioned guns but also on any other 9mm you might think is great.
Thanks.

Springfield XDs ought to be in the consideration, IMHO. Heckuva pistol.

Sigs should get a look.

IMHO, it would also be very hard to go wrong with a Browning Hi-Power.

Same thing for the Baby Eagles, or whatever their being called right now (someone clarify this for me). Heavy, yes, but accurate, reliable, and near indestructible.

Taurus also, in their 24/7 models, has some rather nice 9s.

Personally, and I have stated this before, I think the 92 is a piece of junk, but others have had different experiences with them, so ...

The Glock is ugly, true, but it's an incredibly good gun.

My suggestion would be to handle, and fire, as many different options as you can and pick the one that fits your hand and your desires best. Glocks, Sigs, S&Ws, Springfields, Baby Eagles, etc., there are excellent options in the 9mm out there, so the pick will be based as much on your personal likes/dislikes as anything else.

If you like your M27, consider the D model Beretta (92D). It has a great DAO trigger that is much lighter and smoother than the DA pull on the regular F model. It does not have a mechanical safety, and the bobbed hammer is great for concealment. Most people hate them because they don't like shooting double action, so you can buy them cheap.

I have an XD in 9mm and love it ... I have a Taurus in 9mm and like it (but its due for a trip back to Taurus).

The Sigs definitely deserve several looks... esp. if you can pick one up their certified pre-owned!! About $450-490. Helluva bargin

i'm not a fan of beretta or glock so i'll just reserve comment on them. xd's are ok - nothing great, but i like mine better than beretta or (more fairly) glock. however, if you are in the market for an autoloader, and you are not seriously considering sig, you aren't looking very hard.

sig and h&k need to be looked at.

MrEd, All Wilbur jokes aside, in my mind if you are carrying a 9mm you either want a lot of rounds in the mag or really small and light.
The Beretta is a big pistol. My buddy carries one and it is a great firearm but it was and is a service pistol first. I carried a full size CZ clone in 45ACP for several years. Double stack, all steel and heavy on the belt. I've got a S&W 669 now. The updated version is the 6906. It is light, compact, holds 12 in the mag one in the tube and is easy to carry all day. I was surprised at the quality and the trigger pull for a DA was better than the sig's and HK's.
I find all the full size composite pistols to be just too blocky. I do not like the "safeties" on the trigger either. The compact versions of these weapons do make great carry guns.
IMHO if you are after a nine, go small and light.

Yeah, I might want to clarify that I have NOT been looking very hard. In fact I haven't been looking at all.
I'm about to start looking and I thought I'd start here since this forum seems to harbour a lot of knowledge.
Someone said there were a LOT of 9mm out there and that it's pretty much a matter of personal taste.
Maybe I should rephrase my question to:
Is there any 9mm's out there that are complete and utter crap and that I should stear clear from?

Beretta M9/M92... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Just kidding. That's a personal opinion, others strenuously disagree.

FWIW - if you stick with the better names in the business (Sig, H&K, Glock, S&W, CZ, Beretta, Taurus, IMI), you'll do just fine.

jennings and hi-point come to mind... i am not a fan of the ruger p-series - they feel really weird to shoot, but have not picked up one of their new ones (345? dunno).

when i am auto-loader shopping, sig is where i make my first stop.

I have 10 9mm pistols, and by far my favorites are the SIGs. I own a Glock, a Beretta 92 etc etc. My overall favorite is the SIG P210, but that is a very expensive gun for the average shooter.
For a full size try a P226, for concealed carry the P239. The SIGs tend to have the best triggers out of the box, and fit and finish is outstanding.

Now if I could only take my eye off the SIG X-5........!

The CZ's are still one of the best kept secrets in the U. S.
In the rest of the world, they have been legendary for decades.

There are many CZ owners and shooters- who also own and prize, Beretta's, Sig's, HK's, and (cough) WALTHERS- that will honestly claim that their CZ, is just as good or even better than these other prestigious handguns- regarding quality, dependability, ergonomics, accuracy- And is the one gun, that always goes, where they go- and would be the ONE they would want to have with them, if most needed.

Other's may say, ...something else. But what do they know?

-- C Zeed

You've got a bunch of newer pistols that are yet unproven but look good. As for 9's that are excellent and proven:

Beretta 92FS

Taurus 92 (Beretta clone)

Glock 17/19

Various SIG's

CZ-75

All of these are classics and will serve well. The Browning Hi Power can be added if you want a dated single action design.

Congrats on the M27. The only thing standing between you and owning the best 357 ever is the L-frame 586/686 series.

Good post Kiddglock; and I agree- and like all your choices.

As to the Browning Hi Power, a "..DATED single action design."
Think I'd rather say: A PROVEN single action design.

The BHP design was John Browning's last and many feel "his best" handgun design- improved and superior to his older design of the 1911 auto-pistol.

I think, the Browning Hi-Power needn't just "be added" to anybody's list of the "best 9mm pistols"-

IMO, it could legitimatley "top" anybody's list.

--Weed

Hm Sig seems to be a popular choice.
I'm not 100% but I seem to remember them being a tad out of my price range though,
I will definatly have a look at CZ.
I guess I've been assuming they're crap, since they're eastern european. Here's to prejudice *blush*

MrEd,i have a Springfield 9,but it's a 1911.
i prefer glocks cause they are reliable as a 16 lb sledge.
nothing "wrong" with any the major brands handle shoot try as many as you like most us Gunnys like sharing our pistols with a newbie.(ok not like THAT yall)

Kiddglock,

The Hi-Power is dated? The CZ75 has been around for over 30-years, the Glock and Beretta 92 for nearly the same time, and some of the Sig designs top the half-century mark.

I suppose a guy could say the Beretta is the new kid since its lock-up is copied from the 1938 Walther. The rest of your list copy the locked breech short-recoil action of the "dated" 1935 Browning Hi-Power.

MrEd,

There are so many great pistols available nowadays you can't swing a dead cat without hitting one. Most of the debate on "the perfect pistol" boils down to different great pistols matching different shooter's needs. To narrow the choices down I suggest you break out the paper and pencil and write down what your needs are.

The first place to start is size - do you want a large/heavy pistol for recoil control, a mid-size for general use, or a compact for concealed carry?

How about magazine capacity? Single or double stack? Keep in mind that magazine capacity often affects the pistol's handling qualities.

Firing mechanism (trigger type) - single action, double action, striker fired, etc.?

Polymer frame, alloy, carbon steel, or stainless? Finish?

The list goes on, but it's a dang fun list to make. Finding a reliable pistol is easy, the trick is to find one that fits your needs.

JOG;

The 1911, 1911A1, and Walther PPK are also dated. Can't consider those anymore, I guess.

Even more so, the DA S&W revolver designs, and good grief the SA Colt Peacemaker (and clones) is certainly dated. Oh, those absolutely have to get off of any consideration list.

And, what about rifles? Jeez, the pre-64 Winchester M70 and Mauser-style actions are all based upon actions over 100 years old, and the Remington M700 design is well over 50 now. And, gosh, look at those pump shotguns, almost all based on the 1897 and 1912 Winchester model... I guess all of them have to go by the wayside, too.

Ya just can't have a dated design as a handgun or any other firearm, no sir. Only the newest and trendiest can even be considered.

And, oh my, look at all those dated cartridges: the .45LC, all the ACPs, the .38 Special, heck, the .357... why, even the 9mm... Oh dear... whatever can we possibly use? I guess only the .40S&W and the .357Sig and the .45GAP are worth considering, and even the 40 is starting to show a little age...

I mean, if you had one of those dated designs, well, what would the neighbors think?

<insert smiley with tongue SQUARELY in the cheek>

VA,

Laffin' here - I was extolling the virtues of the M14 to my son a while ago and he told me to modernize my thinkin'. He thought the newfangled M16 was the way to go. Son was surprised to learn that ol' Dad and the M16 share the same birth year...