The Handgun Carousel Ride, Intervention Needed!

[gato naranja]

G19 gen3 has 36 parts. P01 has roughly 63 parts and is far more complex.

One of the (then) alarming things about the (then) new kid on the block was the low parts count- that and how easily those parts came apart and went back together. At the time, I was still holding up WWII-era pistol technology as the "norm," and it was not hard to conclude that if I fell into the creek, I'd rather strip and clean/lube one of these new-fangled Glocks than anything I had been used to carrying. I still scoffed at them, not knowing then about their durability.

If the components aren't designed - or manufactured - correctly, a low parts count is not necessarily a positive thing.* That being said, the Glock organization did a remarkably good job right out of the gate of both reducing the number of components and generally making those components right. Some companies that have gotten the applause of governments and gun cranks still can't manage to do it even 40 years later. The G19 remains my default recommendation for people who seek my free-and-worth-every-penny gun advice about what 9mm semiauto they should get, though if they are astute enough to tell me about special considerations they have, I get more diffuse.

But anyway... there is nothing wrong with buying the latest and greatest, or with trying out different platforms, or riding on the carousel in general if it doesn't either bankrupt one or waste too much of their finite amount of time. But for some of us who are not wealthy nor appear to have much more than threescore-and-ten years in this vale of tears, discovering at a late date that we would have been healthier, wealthier and wiser in picking a platform and sticking with it can be a bitter pill to swallow. It seems a bit like having good but plain meals, and enough of them... but dammit, once in a while a guy wants a piece of pie.

(My current favorite pie is a 5" 9mm 1911.)


*I used to make fun of what I considered John Browning's tendency to never use one part when he could use two or three do the same job; forty years later, I think I might understand why the 1911, Winchester 92 and Winchester 97 were designed and produced as they were and why they proved so popular with the people who used them as working tools on a long-term basis.

[Oldherkpilot]

Thanks to everyone for their feedback and for sharing their experiences. After fighting the urger for several days, I was able to avoid purchasing the P2000 LEM. My technique has been to grab one of the pistols I own and start dry firing it every time I begin thinking of buying a new pistol! LOL...so far it is working! When I get the itch to look at a new pistol, I go into my safe, grab one of the pistols I already own and dry fire practice! I am trying to recondition myself to focus on improving my shooting rather than chasing the perfect pistol. I'm still not decided on which pistol I will focus on as my primary handgun that will receive the bulk of investment in time and money, but am leaning towards my G19 or CZ P01. I would like to get one of the slides milled for an optic. I've already decided it we be either the p01 or the G19 that I primarily focus on, so one of those two will get the optic cut.

If I mill the G19, it will receive either the Holosun 407c or the Holosun 508t. If I mill the P01 it will receive the Holosun 407K. I'm kind of at a fork in the road here, any feedback on the aforementioned combination would be greatly appreciated. I should also mention I have zero red dot experience other than on a friend's AR15. I know I want the dot, just not sure which pistol to put it on.

I carry CZs and HKs but if you are even close to the fence (as compared to on it) about choosing between the G19 or the P01, the Glock is clearly the way to go. The mill work for my 75 slide was $425. I think you can get three Glocks milled for that price. I like a DA pistol so I'm stuck with writing large checks for the privilege.

[Guns&Guitars]

Alright, you guys are going to think I'm nuts...over the last ~7 yrs I've bought and sold > 10 pistols. I don't think I've put > 1,200 rounds through any one pistol before selling it. Have owned striker fired, DA/SA, 1911s, and now I'm contemplating a H&K LEM. The handgun carousel has been fun, but I am starting to get to the point where I am so busy that making it to the range is not easy and I am starting to feel like I am wasting money. I'm not even talking about the money lost on flipping pistols, more-so the wasted ammo that has made me proficient with all trigger systems, but not an expert on any. Its like I finally get to know a gun and then I flip it. Today I shot 5 pistols side by side: Gen 3 19, CZ P01, Beretta PX4, HK P2000, HK P2000 LEM. I rented the P2000s to determine if I should buy a P2000 LEM or DA/SA. At the end of my 2 hr range session I kind of felt like the action/gun didn't even matter. I grouped better with the Glock, P2000 LEM and CZ p01. Worst groups during rapid fire were with the Beretta PX4 and the H&K DA/SA. I kinda fell like with practice, I can get good with all of them. Through all this pistol shooting all I have determined is that I am not a 1911 or SAO guy. I much prefer a longer trigger pull, and heavy pulls don't really bother me. Has anyone else been on and endless quest to find the perfect pistol? How did finally get off of this carousel ride? What action did you pick and why?

The only reason you are nuts is because of the brief part that I put in boldface!

I've done dumb things in the past as well and sold a couple firearms. Shortly after a friend gave me some very wise advice...firearms are meant to be bought, not sold.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with owning different handguns. My first handgun was a Beretta 92FS and really didn't know anything about that pistol aside from the fact that I liked how it looked, then promptly took it to a 4-day class and quickly learned the pros and cons of that firearm and the steeper learning curve associated with that firearm as far as having to decoct it and flip the safety off and on, how it's really easy to flip the safety on when practicing malfunction clearances, and the vast difference between the DA and SA trigger pull. I came home and turned that firearm into a decoder only and installed an LTT Trigger Job In a Bag, then took it back for another class. I've since bought a Glock, 1911 and ran them all through at least one 4-day class. Recently picked up a CZ SP-01 and plan on running that through a class as well. They're all great platforms with their individual pros and cons, and I liek them all for similar and different reasons, and have no intention to sell any of them.

Don't count out the firearms you say you don't like for whatever reasons until you REALLY put that firearm through it's paces, which means getting actual training so you can see how that gun performs in situations like drawing the firearm from a holster from concealment, timed shots at different distances, shooting controlled pairs and headshots in failure to stop drills, experiencing firearms that have safeties you have to flip off and on and firearms that don't have those types of safeties, and manipulating those firearms when performing malfunction clearances, emergency and tactical reloads, etc.

My point is actually put the gun through it's paces for real before making your final decision. Taking a gun to the range and shooting from a bay is a much different experience than running the gun in a class. You may surprise yourself and discover you end up loving a firearm you previously thought you wouldn't like, or vice versa.