How Did You Know?

[jwperry]

I posed a very similar question a few months back:

https://pistol-forum.com/showthread....-vs-Preference

Based on a lot of the feedback I received there, I focused on a single pistol type for a solid month (2 range trips a week, 150 rounds max per trip) and compared the numbers on the things that were important to me. Then I performed the same drill with the 2nd pistol type over the course of a month.

There were/are a lot of things I like about the G17, but the P226 is a better handgun for me and documenting my testing & effort really made the choice easy.

[M2CattleCo]

When I picked up a Glock 43 and consistently shot 8" and smaller 13 round groups at 25 yards cold.

I got a couple 34s for a big pistol, a few 43s for carry, and sold every other handgun I owned.

[psalms144.1]

I've done the "what's better than the G19" thing about 26 gazillion times since buying my first circa 1990. So far, I keep coming back to the G19.

Specific to the G19 or the VP9, have them both. The VP9's trigger is noticeably lighter, and shoots slightly "tighter" off the bench. In practical terms, it's easier to shoot the VP9 with a higher degree of accuracy, for me.

The G19 is easier to shoot with acceptable accuracy at speed - the VP9's recoil profile just doesn't "work" for my hands (almost certainly due to literally 100s of thousands of rounds through GLOCKs in the last 27+ years). Since the VP9 doesn't hold any more rounds, and is measurably harder for me to conceal, the G19 is a no-brainer. I know the VP9sk would be easier to conceal, but only at the cost of surrendering 1/3 of the magazine capacity - not a trade off I'm willing to make.

I'm playing around with other stuff now, most recently the CZ P07, mostly because I "grew up" in the .mil and LE shooting traditional DA/SA pistols, and wanted to give them another whirl, just to see. Initial results are impressive, to say the least - I can run the P07 faster AND more accurately (even at speed) than the G19. Does that mean I'll be switching primaries? Time will tell, but, I tend to doubt it.

I'm always tempted to give the P320 a whirl, but, frankly, it's just another polymer striker fired 9mm with the same capacity of the G19 in a slightly larger package - and my shooting to date with the platform doesn't show it to be any MAJOR improvement from the G19. And, to be perfectly honest, the thing I emotionally WANT to do nowadays on the range is get back into shooting 1911s - but that's a whole 'nother can of worms that cost is keeping me from opening right now. Maybe next year.

On the question of carry safety, there's no such thing as a "safer" pistol if the pistol is being grossly mishandled. Having said that, I strongly believe that there is a scale of "tolerance" for mishandling that runs, in descending order, like this: Traditional DAO -to- DAK -to- LEM -to- DA/SA -to- SAO -to SF. Of the striker fired, I think fully-pre-tensioned striker pistols are less tolerant of mishandling than partially tensioned strikers. So, on one end of the spectrum would be a Sig or Beretta DAO pistol as MOST tolerant of minor mishandling ("safest") to the VP9/P320 as LEAST tolerant of minor mishandling. My scale is my own, and certainly arguable, there is plenty of reason to think a Glock is more "tolerant" than a DA/SA pistol or SAO if the former is cocked or the latter is safety-off.

So, not sure if any of that adds anything, and another reason why I shouldn't ramble after a long couple of days working search warrants...

[RevolverRob]

I'll let you know when I find it.

Probably a Korth of Manurhin MR73 revolver is perfect for me. But I've never had the money to try.

[ca survivor]

lucky those that find the right gun, I have from Sigs, HKs, Glocks and some S&W (shields) not to mention the 1911s and I switch from one platform to another some times in the same day, I would start with a Sig 220 and switch to an HK USPc by the end of the day or to a Glock if I'm going to be in a marine environment, the holster options I have for a particular gun takes a big part in the carry decision too, since I don't like carrying in Kydex holsters anymore.

trying to answer the OP question, I had a lot of Glocks still have some, if the HK VP line or the Sigs 320 would have been on the market first, I probably would not own Glocks, well maybe one, I don't care what the Army, FBI my local PD, ICE or team six uses.

[blues]

I don't care what the Army, FBI my local PD, ICE or team six uses.

Methinks he doth protest too much...

[David S.]

Something like what Gabe White said earlier. My primary reason for "platform" change has been ergonomics.

Started with Glock 19 Gen 3 and early Gen 4. I suffered slide bite and didn't care for the GFA solution. I later developed an interest in AIWB (pre- Gadget days). So started the search.

Settled on the SIG P226, because nostalgia. I shot it fine, other than my thumb fouling the slide catch. I don't typically carry a spare mag, so that didn't matter. I decided it was too big and heavy for EDC.

I probably should have picked up Glock 19g4's with beavertail backstraps and SCDs but was persuaded by TLG and Bolke's love affair with LEMs, so off to H&K. My wife vastly preferring the VP9 over the Glock lineup was the final straw. I picked up a P30 and P2000 from another P-F member. I'll probably trade the P2000 for a P30sk at some point but other than that, I'm happy enough with my set up and see no reason to change.

I just don't find the search for the unicorn gun interesting anymore.

[OnionsAndDragons]

I'm a damned freak.

I knew because I fell in love with the LEM trigger almost instantly... Because I'm a freak.

Actually it's probably because I spent so much time dry practicing DA shots on the p226, so the pull length on the LEM was never a hiccup for me.

I'm open to persuasion into a TDA platform in the future but have more useful things to use money on. I love hammer guns. Full stop. Honestly I might be more likely to find a USPc and cram the MH-LEM into it.

I still have a pair of Glocks: 19 and 17k, for packing, just in case or any excursion where taking a dunk is possible to likely. I maintain proficiency with them no problem. Pistol, generic, 9mm and all that.


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