One other item of consideration is aftermarket support. IE, availability of aftermarket sights, reasonably priced magazines, holsters and other ancillary gear. Spare parts as well. That also contributes to the popularity of some brands over others.
One other item of consideration is aftermarket support. IE, availability of aftermarket sights, reasonably priced magazines, holsters and other ancillary gear. Spare parts as well. That also contributes to the popularity of some brands over others.
It's not, if you're willing to dress around it and have a decent belt and holster. It will be more of a commitment and less forgiving of cheap belt/holster combos, though.Originally Posted by JKHolley
Sorta around sometimes for some of your shitty mod needs.
Not to pile on, but buying a gun because it's a snowflake is a very poor choice. It's not a fashion statement, it's a tool to save your life, and the life of your loved ones. I used to always want "unique" pistols as well, until I found out I couldn't get parts when things broke, or sights that I liked, or a decent selection of holsters.
Having said that, as a lifelong Glock carrier, I completely "get" not wanting a Glock. They do nothing for me, either, and I hate everything about them, until I start shooting. As others have pointed out, current Gen5 9mms are as accurate as any pistol I've ever shot, barring a couple of high end custom 1911s and the odd HK P7.
Discounting the Glock, and the new M&P2.0C, I'd look at the VP9 for a striker fired pistol, or a CZ P07 or Beretta Px4C for a hammer pistol. I'd buy ONE, a GOOD holster, a GOOD belt, a pile of magazines (total of at least five), and all the ammunition you can afford. Then I'd find a GOOD instructor, and go get your learn on.
Where are you located? What is the "supply" of indoor ranges with rentals like, and do you have the ability to put a box of ammo through each of your choices?
What is your budget?
Don't forget to budget for QUALITY belt, holster, magazine pouch(es), "eyes and ears", and AMMO.
Again, for your fist pistol you should avoid selecting a "special snowflake" pistol just to be different. Yes, you see guys here shooting the Canicks and the Steyrs and the like, but they almost certainly one or more complete "carry rotations"...
...About that: There are two kinds of people who maintain a "carry rotation": Undisputed masters, who probably train others and need to maintain familiarity with a variety of the most common "platforms", and derptastic gun store commandos. It's one thing to "usually" carry a compact pistol, with a sub-compact option for "non-permissive environments" or "shorts, t-shirts and sandals" weather, and another thing entirely to have a different gun based on the day of the week, the phase of the moon, or whether Jupiter is aligned with Mars...
(NB: The standard advice here is to have three copies of the same gun, one to carry, one to train with, and a spare. That is not a carry rotation.}
Recovering Gun Store Commando. My Blog: The Clue Meter
“It doesn’t matter what the problem is, the solution is always for us to give the government more money and power, while we eat less meat.”
Glenn Reynolds
Just drink from the bowl. What’re you too good to drink your soup?
I do agree with “convergence”. In 20+ years of shooting, and 12 of carrying guns, it’s been my experience most folks converge on one of a few solutions.
9mm Glocks
.45 ACP 1911s
.38 Special Revolvers
Sub-compact single-stack pistols in .380 or 9mm
That seems to basically be the quartet of solutions for carry/duty grade weapons. Sure, there are other options and variety is the spice of life. But almost every person I’ve met, who was serious about carrying a gun - carried something in those four genres, unless policy dictated otherwise.
Last edited by RevolverRob; 04-11-2018 at 07:08 PM.
I live in Cincinnati Ohio, the 92 isn't to big for my hand, it just seemed to big to have on me at all times. I wear xl gloves and can palm a basketball. But I'm 6'1" and 155lbs...
Like I said I'm willing to go and try the m&p 2.0 rental at the range, but would you guys still take that over the apx which is offering the 4 free magazines? That's 7 magazines Vs 2 right out the gate.
Maybe a glock with the marksman barrel and if I changed the sights would work for me too...
I've planned on buying a few cases of ammo, holster and belt already too but I figured picking out the gun would come first.
Last edited by JKHolley; 04-11-2018 at 07:16 PM.
The FNS-9 was on my short list before I settled on the Ruger SR9c.
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I'd take the M&p 2.0 COMPACT over the APX, because of the overall size. You've never tried to carry concealed before, you'll be pretty surprised how much difference a seemingly small difference in overall height can make. The four free mags are a great deal, but over the lifetime of ownership of firearms, the value of four magazines will be damn near negligible.
Please don't let anyone, including myself, brow-beat you into the Glock, if it doesn't work for you, it doesn't work. But, don't let that distaste drive you off the deep end into questionable choices of "unique" pistols.
If you haven't shot the Gen5 G19, you owe it to yourself to give it a try, though. There really is a reason why the G19 is the pistol against which all other defensive oriented pistols are measured.
Yes, the big difference between the APX and M&P is the M&P is vetted. The APX may be a great gun, or it may be a fiasco in the making, but we don't know because it hasn't been on the market long enough or had a large enough exposure. Everyone thought the Sig P320 was the greatest thing since sliced bread until it turned out it wasn't drop safe but this only came out after it had been on the market for over a year and a cop was shot in the ass... The M&P has been on the market since 2005ish and is one of the more proven designs out there. It's had it's demons (accuracy issues in 1.0 9mm's) but most of those seem to have been worked out in the 2.0's. They are exceedingly reliable guns and have been proven in that regard. See the below link. It was with a 1.0, but it went over 62,000 rounds with only two stoppages. An APX may be able to do that, but we don't have long term data on it. Glocks are the same in this regard, but even more so, and have been thoroughly vetted in numerous law enforcement and military tests. They went through a rough patch with the early Gen 4's but that's been totally worked out with the Gen 5's which seem to be some of the best pistols glock has ever made. Regarding the mag thing, M&P and glock mags are relatively cheap ($20-25) and S&W tends to run mag promos over the summer so you might get lucky in a few months. Glock also has magpul mags which can be had for very cheap, and while I wouldn't trust them for carry (not that they have ever given me a reason not to) they make great practice mags.
Another aspect no one has brought up yet is maintenance. I can detail strip a glock completely in about 5 minutes with a bic pen. An M&P is similar, but not quite as easy (they use roll pins so you need a punch). I would caution you about thinking you are your own armorer, because you're not, but it's comforting to know you can replace your own parts if need be.
http://pistol-training.com/archives/...orts/mp-monday
Saw a link that the SD9 was on sale for $240 the other day.
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