Help me Decide?

[Dr.Mauser]

Ok, so Im getting into armed private security/contracting, Im taking a course for my guard card, among others to get my certs and licenses, to carry and work in said field, I need to buy a pistol for work, but I need help deciding, I would like to carry something in the .40 S&W caliber, and the pistols Im looking at are the following, HK USP, SIG P229, and the Taurus PT-100. Can you fellow CG members help me out in this epic quest of firearm acquisition? Personally I like the USP design I love the feel, its small, relatively light, and has a great sighting system.

[OC-Indian]

Go to a range. Rent/shoot them all. Pick one

[Dr.Mauser]

I've shot the USP and the SIG, and liked them both, but I havent used the Taurus, but have heard great things.

[glockman19]

I'd get the HK or the Sig...leaning toward the Hk.

[zfields]

out of those three, I like the sig.

I wouldnt trust anything with tarus on it.

[hybridatsun350]

I voted P229, but would have picked the Glock 22 if it were on the list. I'm anti-HK so don't expect me to vote for them!

[boink]

Yep, I picked the P229. I'm familiar with it's bigger brother (P226), and it's slimmer brother (P225) and love them. I've also spent some time shooting a P228 which was great.

As for the HK, I've only shot a USP 9mm once, and I did enjoy it. However, I still would choose the P22x over it because of the ease of breakdown and cleaning.

I'm sure the Taurus is a fun range gun, but I have something about relying on a Taurus that I just wouldn't do it (call me biased).

[tacticalcity]

My first choice would be a Glock. My first choice is always a Glock. Consistent trigger pull from first to last, short trigger reset and no safety to fight.

Next choice (when limited to .40S&W) would be a toss up between the HK USP with the V1 trigger pack or the LEM trigger pack. Without the caliber restriction the USP would be my 3rd choice after a 1911.

The V1 trigger pack allows you to either carry hammer down like a traditional DA/SA or cocked and locked like a 1911. Of the two I vastly prefer cocked and locked. Why? Because it leaves you with a consistant trigger pull with a short reset making it easy to master. Sure, you have to deal with a thumb safety, but the trigger pull is short crisp and light which makes up for it.

The LEM is supposed to be very Glock like. A consistant pull at a medium weight. I have not been fortunate enough to find one I could try out myself. Glock guys say it is almost as nice as the Glock trigger, but not as nice. I have yet to get somebody to explain it better or in more detail than that. So I cannot say what exactly about it is not as nice as a Glock's. Maybe it is the pull weight, maybe it is the reset length. I don't. Hopefully one of these days I will get the opportunity to find out first hand.

I would not carry a Sig or any other DA/SA handgun that forces you to start off with the DA pull when carrying in a holster. I would however happily own them as part of a collection.

For me, the defensive handgun is all about how the action/trigger works. It needs to result in a consistant grouping right where I want it when working from the holster, from concealment, at speed. That requires a trigger that is easy to master. Everything else is secondary.

[IPSICK]

I voted for the SiG, however I would heed some of tacticalcity's advice. Consistent triggers are a must and I'm not that big of a fan of DA/SA triggers. With that being said, I would still not get a Glock in .40S&W. I know kabooms are very rare but many of them do involve .40S&W Glocks. If you go with a Glock, I would get one in 9mm or .45acp.

If you want something similar to a Glock get a Springfield XD in .40S&W. Getting a good trigger job done on an XD is pretty straightforward and when they do get done the triggers are excellent. The main drawback to the XD is the slightly higher bore axis.

Back to the SiG. I recommend this out of the choices you gave due to the trigger. A good trigger could be had by dry-firing thousands of times which smooths out the internals. A great trigger can be had by sending it to Bruce Gray of GrayGuns. He will smooth out the trigger while also being able to shorten the pull and reset. The SiG does also have the high bore axis as a disadvantage but the P229 itself was designed from the ground up for the .40S&W.

I've been considering a .40S&W for myself and these are the only options I have in mind. Btw, I have shot and handled a Springer Precision XD and a GrayGuns P229. So I can personally attest to the quality of these triggers. The XD fit my very small hands much better but something about the magic of a GrayGuns trigger really impresses me.

[forgiven]

HK USPc would be a good choice.

[RollingCode3]

Why is the Taurus on the same list with SIG and H&K?

[ChrisTKHarris]

Glock 22 or 23. Cheap, reliable and you won't have to worry about a safety getting in the way.

[locosway]

Glock, Sig, HK, XD, or M&P. You can't go wrong with any of these.

Why have you settled on the .40 if I may ask?

If you're worried about the round vs. capacity issue of California, why not look at the .45 then?

If you want to spend more time shooting, how about the 9mm?

[THE NEW GUY]

As an armed guard, I say get something that has the most accessories available at your local stores. If your looking for a holster, because your duty one broke, you wouldn't have to wait until it shipped to your house.

Find out what your local departments are using. I know like ChrisTK mentioned, Glock 22! Tons of parts and extras for that, but from what you listed, I like Sig only for the available stuff.

Same with extra mags and mag pouches.

[luckystrike]

229 and usp are awesome, but where did the taurus come from?
its kinda like my next car with either be a 2011 BMW, 2011 mercedes or 94 honda hatchback.

*waiting for someone to come in and say "I have a taurus and it functions flawlessly and is great"