Looking for an accurate Semiauto pistol

[afielder45]

Looking for a pistol for conceal carrying, home defense and sport shooting. A semi-auto. AKA, short, wife can shoot, and accurate/consistent. 45 cal is out of the question. 9mm, .40, or .380?

[Shyster]

Looking for a pistol for conceal carrying, home defense and sport shooting. A semi-auto. AKA, short, wife can shoot, and accurate/consistent. 45 cal is out of the question. 9mm, .40, or .380?
If you consider .45 out of the question you will probably also want to eliminate .40 as the felt recoil is (IMO) actually sharper with a .40 than a .45 ACP.

Need more information here. What is your price range? Are you planning on getting a CPL and carrying or are you looking for something for home defense?

[Fireof59]

She loved it and shot very well with it.
She mentioned that the recoil on it was less than other 9 mm that we rented for her to try before settling on this one.
Only reason we are selling hers is we moved her to a Steyr S40 to consolidate ammo buying. Email or PM me if interested.

[Will-IB-Ready]

I agree with Shyster.
I would also be wary of the .380... It's a very snappy round and is usually found in smaller frame handguns, making it even worse. Not a very comfortable round.
I think you're best bet is the 9mm, and maybe start her out target shooting with a .22 if you haven't already.

[jackle1886]

http://www.migunowners.org/forum/showthread.php?t=117613

Just a word of advice, try not making almost exact duplicate threads around here. People might get annoyed at ya ;)

[jmanz6]

Accurate - depends on what you/she shoots.
My wife shoots differently than I do and is not as accurate with my gun as I am. She outshoots me with other guns that I don't like to shoot as much. Accuracy is going to depend on the shooter. The gun will shoot straight down the barrel, but with a CC gun, the sight radius is going to be short (3" or so barrel) and your accuracy will suffer if you flinch at all.

I own and carry a Ruger SR9c - small, easy to carry, 9mm. You really need to rent a gun or six to see what she likes. I don't like .40 because of the recoil, I and my wife like .45, but she prefers it in a full sized 1911 to reduce the recoil a bit. I never even considered .380 when looking for a gun because the only guns available are very small frame pocket guns and the recoil on them is known to be a bit harsh. I also tried a Walther PPS, which I liked as well as a Springfield XD9 Sub Compact, Walther P99c, SW M&P9c, HK P2000SK, SIG 239, Beretta PX4 sub compact, SIG P250c, and a few others I don't remember. The point is, you want to try as many as oyu can before buying. I had my wife come with me to shoot most of these guns because as well as being my carry gun, it is also going to be the home protection/nightstand gun.

[TylerPearce]

I have heard nothing but good about browning hi powers and cz75's.

Though they might be a little large for some peoples liking.

[afielder45]

Just a word of advice, try not making almost exact duplicate threads around here. People might get annoyed at ya ;)


When I hit post thread, it kicked me out. Did not know that it posted the other one, till a few minutes ago. I am sorry everyone.

[agroomes1]

I would take a look at a Glock 17,19, or a S&W M&P. I personally like the Glocks better, but my dads M&P handles the recoil better i think. Find a place that rents guns, most are very reasonable. shoot a few different ones with your wife, and go from there. We can all tell what we would do but it might not be what you would do. Good luck

[afielder45]

The gun is for me. I have handled the Smith M&P 9, the XD9 service, XD40 service, the Ruger P95 and a few Glocks. By handle I mean just that, haven't shot one, other than the Ruger. I am taking a CPL class in the next few weeks. I guess what it is boiling down to, what guns, that have a mag capacity of 10+ (not a short grip) that are between 4-5 inch barrels are the most consistent out to 25 yds? What I have read, and what I have held in my hand, the XD's feel the most comfortable, but are they consistent? When I shot the Ruger (about 5 mags worth) it did not seem consistent. I know that it could of been me, however I have been shooting a 44 mag for a while now (not that, that means anything). I know that this is just a forum, but it is where I can get a start in a direction.

[jmanz6]

In a full size, service pistol I liked the Glock 17, XDm9, Walther P99, and M&P9. Glocks are Glocks, they work, are reliable, and everyone shoots them. The XDm is a little different than the XD and I found it to be a very good shooter. The Walther with the AS trigger is just a hoot to shoot and was pretty accurate. The M&P was also pretty good, and I liked the trigger just a little more than the XDm.

On a side note. The M&P9c as well as the XD9sc and Ruger SR9c use either the compact magazine OR the full size magazine. I carry and practice with the compact mag in my Ruger, but when I shot at an IDPA event, I used the full sized mag. This gives you the ability to carry and conceal much easier with the compact mag and still go target shooting with the full sized mag and a full sized grip. The grip is the part of a CC gun that is most difficult to conceal.

Where are you located? Maybe someone in your area has a gun you are interested in and you could head to the range and give it a try? I am willing to let someone try out my Ruger if they are thinking of getting one.

[afielder45]

I did not even think about extending the mags. What about barrel lengths? Like the XDm is available in either the 3.8" or the 4.5".

[jmanz6]

Longer barrels will usually be a bit more accurate due to the longer sight radius. The XDm with the 3.8" barrel as the same grip as the 4.5" XDm so it's not really any more compact. I was referring to the XD's, not the XDm's. Although, the XDm is coming as a true compact with a shorter grip, but I haven't seen one yet. The barrel is the easy part to conceal when you are carrying. It's the grip that can be tough depending on dress and your build/clothing choices. You can conceal a full sized gun, many people do. You have to dress for it moreso than if you had a compact gun.

[ride_002000]

Im waiting for approval on my CPL and then im getting a Taurus 24/7 in 9mm. Havent decided if im gonna go with the compact or full size. But I have shot a 24/7 a couple times and was very comfortable to me, I have big hands and wanted one that felt great. The recoil isnt bad and is very accurate. Thats what I recommend. My fiance shot a Glock 26 and the 24/7 and prefered the less recoil of the full size 9mm rather than the harsh recoil of the glock 26. Its tough for woman, pretty much they have to shoot the gun to see if they like it.

Where are you located? If your near Westland, the firingline has a great assortment of rentals.

[esq_stu]

I think most 4-5" barrel 9s are going to be more accurate than the shooter unless they are on a machine rest or sand bag. Unless you carry around a sand bag to shoot from, pick the one that works best for you.

[esq_stu]

On a side note. The M&P9c as well as the XD9sc and Ruger SR9c use either the compact magazine OR the full size magazine. That's pretty widespread among popular pistols these days. A Glock 17 17-rounder works in a Glock 19 and a Glock 26. My G19 (normally 15 round) has a G17 mag in it right now. My G26 (normally 10 rounds) often has a G19 mag in it. My reload for my 10-round Glock 30 is a 13 round Glock 21 mag. The Glock 9s, 40s and 45s (and maybe the .357 Sig, too) all do that. And I think this is true of the XDs, the CZ75 Compact vs full size, and my Kahrs do as well.

[afielder45]

Thank you all very much for your help. I am looking forward to my class, that I have coming up, and purchasing a new gun. This has helped me.

[badriverbarber]

Glock----- 17 or 19 & 26. And that should be the end of it for a
while....

[JimSig]

All semi autos are accurate..

The advice you got from Shyster and Will-I-be-Ready on the 9mm as caliber of choice (since the wife will be shooting it) is 100% correct.

Now for consistency - this is a human factor. Each gun is designed differently, and the shooter will have to learn how to control the gun and the trigger.. That is to maintain the front sight dead on your target as you squeeze the trigger. This learning curve is a function of so many parameters, such as: shooter training background and his/her willingness to learn and train more with the new gun, the gun's grip abgle, trigger design and trigger pull, etc... Some guns are easier to control by novice shooters than other guns.. For example in my case, when I started out, i could shoot the SIGs more accuratelly than Glocks.. it turned out that I needed to learn how to control the Glock, and it was easier for me to control the SIGs given my limited experience as I started out.. Now after a year of shooting Glocks, I have the same accuracy level with my Glocks as with my SIGs.. So it is hard for us to answer which gun will give you more consistent accuracy.. We can share with you our experience and our satisfaction with the guns we use. Instead of answering you question about consistency, I will rank the guns I owned in terms of my own learning curve experience to control them in order to reach the same level of accuracy when I shoot them, how about that, I hope I made it clear enough to avoid being bombarded with un-necessary criticism:

1. CZ 75 was the easiest to learn how to control - and I achieved consistent accuracy in couple of days of shooting it.

2. H&K, Sig P-series are rated 2nd after the CZ in terms of learning how to control to achieve consistent accuracy

3. GLOCKS are the lowest in the learning curve rating in my own experience.. it took me about 1,000 rds to learn how to control my first Glock 17 - again that is me with what I knew back then when i started..

As for now, I shoot all my guns to the same consistency (i.e. accuracy wise). As for the CZ I sold it because it is heavy and can not carry it (even though it is a sweet shooter).. I kept my Sigs and Glocks.. My favorite carry is a Glock (for its light weight)..

I hope I shed some light here and that I didn't add to the confusion..

[GuitarPlaya]

Glocks are tuff to learn shooting. I suggest you get a EAA Witness all steel with a 4 barrel length. The trigger and erogonomics are ultrasweet. The grip is good its like cheating. And they start at 400 dollars and you get alot of gun for your money. Check Cheaperthandirts site, they have the EAA models.

[Jeep olllllo]

Personally (this is just me....so Glock lovers do not pile on me) I wouldn't recommend a Glock for a first time gun owner. The lack of frame mounted safety and a most of all a very very light factory trigger pull can be a recipe for disaster IMHO. Argue all you want to, but even trained law enforcement professionals have accidentally discharged Glocks. Glocks are great guns, and I have no problem betting my life on one.....but I feel its a gun you work up to, not start out with.

For a newer gun owner I would highly suggest something with a frame mounted safety and most importantly a double action first shot. I carry a Beretta PX4 subcompact in 9MM and I believe its the best carry gun hands down, once you take into account the overall size, the adjustable grips, the double action first shot, and the carrying capacity.

I also second what Shyster said, if you arent down with .45....stay the hell away from .40

[jrak123]

I carry a Beretta PX4 subcompact in 9MM and I believe its the best carry gun hands down, once you take into account the overall size, the adjustable grips, the double action first shot, and the carrying capacity.

You like that eh? I was pretty close to picking one of those up. I seemed pretty bulky. How does it feel to carry?

[Jeep olllllo]

You like that eh? I was pretty close to picking one of those up. I seemed pretty bulky. How does it feel to carry?

Many many times I forget I have it on me. The ugly curves on the gun give it a bulldog type of look in that it makes it look bigger then it really is. Side by side it is very similar in size to a baby glock, or an XD sub compact.

[jrak123]

Many many times I forget I have it on me. The ugly curves on the gun give it a bulldog type of look in that it makes it look bigger then it really is. Side by side it is very similar in size to a baby glock, or an XD sub compact.
I've held one, and really liked it, and you can't really go wrong with Beretta...... I guess you just answered my concern. I may have to consider looking into getting one again.

[afielder45]

What about a FNH FNP-9 or FNP-40. I know that I said no to .45, but I am going to go and shoot some at Clelands here soon. I then will be able to say I am ok, or definetly no with the .40 or .45. I have read some bad reviews about the FNH FNX models. I liked how the FNP/FNX and the Springfield XD/XDm felt and my relaxed wrist position hand me looking right down the sights. Just wondering if someone has a FNH and knows of things to look out for or if they recommend the gun. I have small children, so I like the thumb safety and DA, for when their gun training starts of the FNH. I also liked the XD/XDm for the palm safety. Could not pull slide, unless the safety was depressed.

[nitrous_bob]

i am currently training my daughter.

i agree withe .22 choices... try a single six revolver for multiple reasons.

first is you have the extra cylinder for swapping to .22 mag. second is ...it's a slow loader so they will appreciate the bigger mag of an autoloader as you graduate them to it.

i agree with the suggestion of 9mm BUT.... if your really thinking .380 ? why not a g25 glock ??? im guessing it is the same size frame as a g19 which is what i want for my daughter.

http://www.glock.com/english/index_pistols.htm

i think it would be a great shooter for a woman... but the just dont hit too hard. but as stated many times b4.... "anything is better than nothing"

fyi, my daughter groups like a maw fukkkka on .22 mag.... switch her to 9mm and shes everywhere. you gotta go slow, they will spook themselves into bad habits

[Dabears!]

M&P9/M&P45
M&P all day!

[TomE]

Taurus PT709 , the most accurate 9mm I've shot this year