Need some insight

[Jaysinsr]

I know everyone is different and what one likes another may not, just looking for some insight, pro's and cons through experience. Looking into purchasing a pistol. Owned a Beretta Cheetah .380 years ago. Loved it. Finally able to purchase another. Would like to cc some day, but not a determining factor at this point. So keeping with full sized, also trying to keep costs down, so around the $500 range. Looking for something reliable for home defense and range shooting. So far I really like the Beretta PX4 due to the SA/DA. Please correct me if I'm wrong, I'm too new at this so I'm certainly not an expert. Other options I have been looking at are the S&W M&P as well as the Springfield XD and lastly the Glock 22 or 23. All in the .40. So pro's and con's, what do you think?

[J.D.Allen]

I'm not really a fan of DA/SA, so I would say if you don't want SAO stick with a striker fired pistol. The M&P and Glocks are both considered to be high quality and very reliable. I would stay away from the XD. The M&P is probably the best you'll find in .40, If you want a 9MM go with a Glock. But of course, these are my preferences. What you should really do is go try out a bunch of different pistols to see what fits you best.

[P5Ret]

All of them are quality guns, you can't go wrong with any of them. Haven't had a chance to play with a Smith M&P, I like my son's XD shoots just fine. With the Glock I lean more toward the 23 than the 22 but that is personal preference. The one thing I would look long and hard at if budget is an issue like it is for quite a few of us .40S&W is getting kinda pricey, so if you plan on shooting much you may want to think 9mm since it seems to be a bit less expensive, and easier to find in some places in quantity.

[Alan Chen]

What about a Sig2022 in .40? You missed a nice one in the $500 range. I own a Sig2340 which is the older 2022 in .40. Love it. Trigger is as smooth and clean as my 1911. Thousands of rounds all types of ammo, mostly reloads and it has never failed. The rest are all nice. Shot all of them except the M&P. In .40, Sig shoots better imho. Heavier gun, heavier top, absorbs the recoil well. Super accurate out of a short barrel!

[Jaysinsr]

Thank you all for your responses. Allen, I'll check out the CZ, Thomas I'll look into the Sig too. P5Ret, good point, looks like I will go 9mm. If I get too hooked I don't want to have to pick up a second job just to hit the range...lol
J.D.Allen, what is it about the SA/DA that you do not like? Pro's and con's are really what I'm after. I always thought it'd be nice to have a chambered round with the hammer at rest.

[Jaysinsr]

I like SA/DA because when a person is unsnapping and clearing the holster, taking it off safety off and getting the gun up. I hope I have a few rounds in him already.
Carry SA/DA round chambered hammer down no need to thumb a safety lever. Safety is built in

Exactly what I was thinking, I personally just do not have the experience to know the thought to be accurate. Happy to hear you feel the same. Looks like I am on the right path after all. So looking at the sig and cz, but it looks like the beretta has low light sights as standard on top of the proposed recoil being much more manageable in the .40. Yes, I am back to the .40 after seeing another post on how very difficult it is to locate ammo for the 9. Sure wish I was able to make this purchase a few months ago...

[Alan Chen]

You will be happy with the .40 round. I love it. Easy to find ammo, packs a mighty punch like a .45 and travels fast like a 9mm.

[Alan Chen]

Sig offers different sights on their pro series. Night sights are $50 more at my LGS. Not trying to sell you on the gun, but I feel like it's kinda of a underrated polymer pistol! Go shoot them all already and let us know what you ended up with

[Legasat]

Those you mentioned are basically the Big 3 (Glock, M&P, Xd). 4th place is debatable.

I can only suggest that you go rent them, shoot them, and decide which one feels best and shoots best for YOU. I don't see how you can go wrong with any of them, they will probably outlast you.

[GraySquirrel]

I just purchased my first pistol this year. My first choice was a Sig Sauer P226 simply because I've rented it a few times and it just fit perfectly and shot perfectly. All the Glocks I've rented were jammoattics but were probably due to being used so often and not cleaned properly. My second choice was an H&K P30S because I'm kind of a lefty and the ambidextrous controls were a plus and the ergonomics look great.

Being my first purchase I didn't want to spend too much so I looked at the S&W M&P and the Sig Sauer SP2022. Both are great in my hands and it came down to being striker or hammer fired. I went with hammer but that's just me.

As for caliber, I went with 9mm because I wanted to bring my wife to the range and introduce her to firearms. Last thing I want is for her to shoot a .45, drop it and scream "oh ma gawd."

So in the end it was a Sig Sauer SP2022 9mm for me.

[PatrickRyan]

I have shot M&P and Glock, and I like the M&P best. Of course it all comes down to personal preference. Try shooting them first. And I think .40 is an awesome choice. More ammo available and more powerful than the 9mm. But IMHO the M&P is the way to go.

[Knomad]

Of the choices you list I've only owned Glock and M&P, of those two my preference is the M&P. Better ergonomics, and in recent years S&W has been more responsive with gradual quality improvements... triggers slowly getting better, and (reportedly) a faster twist rate on the 9mm FS guns to help long range accuracy just in the last couple of months. I also like the M&P factory sights better although the front white dot does tend to fall out... easily fixed with a toothpick and some white paint.

However you'll really want to try them yourself, because even with multiple backstrap sizes like on the M&P there's no such thing as one gun that fits every hand perfectly.

[parksmart]

As has been mentioned several times, if you want to be 100% comfortable with your buying decision, rent the models you're interested in and push a few dozen rounds thru each of them. Don't focus too much on how tight your groupings are - - - that will only improve with increased familiarity and practice time. Focus instead on the complete experience from A to Z:

How does it feel in your hand?

Are the safety/decocker/slide release/mag release to your liking in terms of placement and feel?

How comfortable is it to lock on the target?

Is the amount of trigger pull like "Goldilocks & the Three Bears"? (i.e. too much, too little, just right)

Same as the above when it comes to recoil.

Rinse & repeat for at least a couple dozen more rounds.


Good luck with the hunt, and I hope you find your ideal piece for a fair price!

[marklewiswalker]

For my first pistol it was a Sig 2022 in 9mm and I love it. Has SA/da and a decocker. Got mine for sub 500 bucks with extras from a fellow calgunner.

[Jaysinsr]

Thank you all for your advise. I guess I really need to find a good range where I can rent a few and try them out. Anyone know of a good place local to the IE?