PDA

View Full Version : Narrowing down choices (help me spend my money)



Crow Hunter
10-30-13, 08:42
I have been getting the "itch" to get something different to try out and I have narrowed it down to 3 options, all 9mm.

HK P2000 V3
Sig P239
Beretta 92FC

I am a long time Glock owner/shooter (circa 1998) and while I have owned lots of guns over the years, right now I am pretty much all Glock and a couple of revolvers.

I am looking to branch out mostly just to see what will happen.:D While it is unlikely that I will get rid of my Glocks and my normal G19 CCW, there is always the possibility, if there is as significant increase in performance.

I have handled a HK P2000 V3 in .40 S&W at a local Gander Mtn and I really liked the way it felt and I really wasn't put off by the DA pull. From my research it is the top of the line in quality and performance if you can "get around" the trigger. Just dry firing, I didn't seem to have a problem with it so right now it is at the top of my list.

I have wanted a Sig P239 since the late 1990's and it was next on my Sig aquisition list but marriage got in the way of that and I never actually bought one. The problems with Sig that I have read online have given me a slight pause about buying one plus it is heavy for the number of beans it carries, compared to G19/P2000.

I used to own a Beretta 92F as well as a Taurus PT92 (my 2nd centerfire handgun) and I really liked the way they shot. When I saw the compacts were available again, I got to thinking that I would like to try one out.

So, if this were your money, which would you purchase and why?

C4IGrant
10-30-13, 09:33
I have been getting the "itch" to get something different to try out and I have narrowed it down to 3 options, all 9mm.

HK P2000 V3
Sig P239
Beretta 92FC

I am a long time Glock owner/shooter (circa 1998) and while I have owned lots of guns over the years, right now I am pretty much all Glock and a couple of revolvers.

I am looking to branch out mostly just to see what will happen.:D While it is unlikely that I will get rid of my Glocks and my normal G19 CCW, there is always the possibility, if there is as significant increase in performance.

I have handled a HK P2000 V3 in .40 S&W at a local Gander Mtn and I really liked the way it felt and I really wasn't put off by the DA pull. From my research it is the top of the line in quality and performance if you can "get around" the trigger. Just dry firing, I didn't seem to have a problem with it so right now it is at the top of my list.

I have wanted a Sig P239 since the late 1990's and it was next on my Sig aquisition list but marriage got in the way of that and I never actually bought one. The problems with Sig that I have read online have given me a slight pause about buying one plus it is heavy for the number of beans it carries, compared to G19/P2000.

I used to own a Beretta 92F as well as a Taurus PT92 (my 2nd centerfire handgun) and I really liked the way they shot. When I saw the compacts were available again, I got to thinking that I would like to try one out.

So, if this were your money, which would you purchase and why?

Out of this group, the HK.


C4

KevinC
10-30-13, 10:26
Agree with Grant - out of that group the HK. The quality of an HK will not be found in the other two.

You say you are familiar with the Beretta so you should know that it is also heavy. Even the 93FC. If you have been shooting Glocks all this time you will notice a significant weight difference.

Big A
10-30-13, 10:48
Out of this group, the HK.


C4


Agree with Grant - out of that group the HK. The quality of an HK will not be found in the other two.

You say you are familiar with the Beretta so you should know that it is also heavy. Even the 93FC. If you have been shooting Glocks all this time you will notice a significant weight difference.

Agreed.

The Sig 239 is really an impractical pistol unless you live in a ban state and even then it's still pretty impractical. And it's not a P226/229.

I really want a Beretta and was thinking about an M92A1 until I saw Grants thread on the 92 G-SD. Now I HAVE TO find one of those.

The only reason I don't own an H&K P30 is price point. That, and they don't really excite me all that much. They two times I shot my friends P30 I couldn't make it do anything my G17 couldn't do. It is a nice pistol though.

Have you considered the Walther PPQ? That gun has really piqued my intrests.

Crow Hunter
10-30-13, 11:04
Agreed.

The Sig 239 is really an impractical pistol unless you live in a ban state and even then it's still pretty impractical. And it's not a P226/229.

I really want a Beretta and was thinking about an M92A1 until I saw Grants thread on the 92 G-SD. Now I HAVE TO find one of those.

The only reason I don't own an H&K P30 is price point. That, and they don't really excite me all that much. They two times I shot my friends P30 I couldn't make it do anything my G17 couldn't do. It is a nice pistol though.

Have you considered the Walther PPQ? That gun has really piqued my intrests.

I actually did look at the PPQ. I handled a M1 back not too long after they came out.

I was really wanting to get back into DA/SA. My first guns were a S&W 409 and a Taurus PT92 until I "discovered Glocks". I also CCW'd Sig P228 for a while before standardizing on Glocks and selling/trading off pretty much everything else.

I handled a P30 at the local Gander Mtn. I didn't really like it that much. It might change my mind after shooting it but just handling it I much preferred the controls/balance of the P2000.

Texaspoff
10-30-13, 14:20
Out of your list, the H&K hands down. I also second what Big A said about the PPQ. I have an affinity for striker and single action guns, IE 1911 and Browning HP. If you like strikers, the PPQ is one to look at.

I have been using a PPQ along with my Glocks for duty/off duty carry for a few months now and I am totally impressed. So much so I recently purchased a LNIB M1 version.

If you are looking to try a different flavor, then the H&K P2000 V3 is a nice piece. I have been shooting a P30 V1 quite a bit recently, and I find it a very viable alternative to strikers. If I was forced to use a traditional DA pistol on duty, the H&K LEM would be my first choice.

TXPO

High Tower
10-30-13, 20:57
HK P2000 V3
Sig P239
Beretta 92FC


So, if this were your money, which would you purchase and why?

I'd get the HK, but given a choice, my vote is almost always for them. :)

I think they other two would be fine, but the P239 really is not that much smaller than the 229 and carries half as many rounds. I like the 92 compact, but not enough to buy one.

britishtq
10-30-13, 22:14
Is say the hk hands down. I would choose the USP compact 40 or hk45 though. Just my .02 on that.

HKGuns
10-30-13, 22:53
Definitely the HK. Make sure you get the trigger group you want which shouldn't be that complicated since you're looking for DA/SA.

DreadPirateMoyer
10-30-13, 23:06
HK. Not even a question.

Though I'd recommend a P30 or HK45 instead. :)

GUNSLINGER733
10-30-13, 23:41
No M&P?

HK for sure out of that list

Army Chief
10-30-13, 23:47
Nothing from that group, per se, though I will admit that as a former 92FC owner, I can at least relate to the attraction. Not especially compact, and not especially current, mind you, but they do tend to be some beautifully-made guns. I think mine was/is still Mrs. AC's all-time favorite handgun. Truth be told, it's one of the few pistols I've parted with over the years that I occasionally miss myself.

AC

walkin' trails
10-31-13, 08:13
I work for an org that issues the 239 as an option and they're not very popular. I've fired them in all three calibers and none of them impressed me either. Nevertheless, I can't speak for another shooter as everyone's tastes are different.

Talon167
10-31-13, 10:19
Add another vote for the HK. I'd try out the LEM if you can before you buy the V3, but either way that wins.

RIGPIG
10-31-13, 20:20
From your list, looks like you're searching out a SA/DA. If I'm not out of place here, could I recommend the FNH FNX-9? It's very accurate, attractive looking, and the trigger is very nice in SA mode.

brushy bill
10-31-13, 21:02
239 (.357 sig) is among the guns I definitely do not miss. I'd stay standardized with Glocks like you are, but if you must branch out, H&K.

Reddevil
11-01-13, 01:59
I guess the HK out of that list. Our (DHS contract) P239 handguns are optional issue for secondary/backup weapons and I have yet to see one finish a firearms qual course without a malfunction. They're the same size as our issued P229 which are also junk, but only differ in that they hold less ammo and have a thinner grip. I'm not sure what the quality is of the civilian Sigs, but the DHS contract Sigs have had so many problems since we've gone to them. I have gone through three in 6 years and no longer will carry or recommend them. They need to be run real wet to be any kind of reliable. Those agents that value their lives buy a G26 on their own dime to use in its place. I had the P2000 as a POW for almost a year, but in had bad problems with it jamming when shooting one handed. Limp wrist was causing it and it would be fine if I made a conscious effort to lock my elbow out, but it sold it because I couldn't guarantee I'd remember to lock my elbow out in a shooting. IMO, combat handgun should not be affected by limp wristing. My P229, G17 and G26 don't have that problem. I would buy the HK USP compact instead of the P2000. It's been around the block a long time and HK stopped selling the P2000 under their LE program saying they planned to discontinue making it in favor of the P30.

Crow Hunter
11-01-13, 07:05
From your list, looks like you're searching out a SA/DA. If I'm not out of place here, could I recommend the FNH FNX-9? It's very accurate, attractive looking, and the trigger is very nice in SA mode.

I actually looked at one at my local shop. They suprisingly had 3 of them. I really didn't like the size/balance. I am actually going to stop by there again this afternoon on the way home from work.

I'll definitely give them another "shot". :D

Crow Hunter
11-01-13, 07:09
I guess the HK out of that list. Our (DHS contract) P239 handguns are optional issue for secondary/backup weapons and I have yet to see one finish a firearms qual course without a malfunction. They're the same size as our issued P229 which are also junk, but only differ in that they hold less ammo and have a thinner grip. I'm not sure what the quality is of the civilian Sigs, but the DHS contract Sigs have had so many problems since we've gone to them. I have gone through three in 6 years and no longer will carry or recommend them. They need to be run real wet to be any kind of reliable. Those agents that value their lives buy a G26 on their own dime to use in its place. I had the P2000 as a POW for almost a year, but in had bad problems with it jamming when shooting one handed. Limp wrist was causing it and it would be fine if I made a conscious effort to lock my elbow out, but it sold it because I couldn't guarantee I'd remember to lock my elbow out in a shooting. IMO, combat handgun should not be affected by limp wristing. My P229, G17 and G26 don't have that problem. I would buy the HK USP compact instead of the P2000. It's been around the block a long time and HK stopped selling the P2000 under their LE program saying they planned to discontinue making it in favor of the P30.

Very interesting, thank you for your first hand accounts. You are actually the first person that I have seen that has had an issue with the P2000.

I am going to give the P229 one more look, hopefully the E2 grip will change the way they feel for me. I had a P229 in .40 back in the late '90s and I never really "bonded" with it. It always felt like it was going to squirt up out of my hands. I much preferred the P228 during that time. Of course, not too long after that I got into Glocks.

RHINOWSO
11-01-13, 14:39
Honestly, while I own a P2000SK, I chose a P30 in place of the P2000 as it isn't that much bigger but is a lot more ergonomic.

YMMV.

Reddevil
11-01-13, 17:23
Very interesting, thank you for your first hand accounts. You are actually the first person that I have seen that has had an issue with the P2000.

I am going to give the P229 one more look, hopefully the E2 grip will change the way they feel for me. I had a P229 in .40 back in the late '90s and I never really "bonded" with it. It always felt like it was going to squirt up out of my hands. I much preferred the P228 during that time. Of course, not too long after that I got into Glocks.

What ammo do you plan to shoot? I ask only because we had to go to 180gr from 155gr due to the P229 slides cracking under the pressure. I find the 155gr is a better man stopping round. The 180gr we're issued is so slow, I can almost see it going down range:D Have you thought about the P226 with SRT trigger?

Crow Hunter
11-02-13, 07:59
What ammo do you plan to shoot? I ask only because we had to go to 180gr from 155gr due to the P229 slides cracking under the pressure. I find the 155gr is a better man stopping round. The 180gr we're issued is so slow, I can almost see it going down range:D Have you thought about the P226 with SRT trigger?

I would be shooting 9mm. I am not that big of a fan of .40. I still have a G23 and a small stash of .40 that I will shoot occasionally to remind me why I am not a fan.:D

Funny you should ask about the P226. I actually have a P226 Blackwater edition that I am baby sitting for my brother. I am pretty sure it has the SRT trigger. It actually interferes with my ability to completely pull the trigger at times. The reach is so short, that my trigger finger will get "in a bind" and I can't complete the press unless I shift my grip slightly. Usually only happens with my offhand. His P226 is what got me interested in trying out a DA/SA because it is so phenomenally accurate. Nearly one hole groups at 15 yards, just 3 inches below POA for me.:D

I stopped by my LGS yesterday on the way home from work. They had a couple of P229s (long and short extractor) and they actually had a P228 in very good condition. I have definitely decided against the P229, I might swing back by and take another look at the P228.

Thanks for your insight.