What's a good first 9mm?

[MiggyE]

personally, i think the tanfoglio force/ EAA witness 9mms are pretty good. got one several years ago as my carry gun, shot over 3000 rounds through it, and have zero complaints.

i recently bought a tanfoglio ft9 for my wife, and found it damn accurate. my wife loves it. i agree also with the other folks on the CZ side of the fence. they have a great gun, too. would also recommend the Baby Eagle in 9mm.

hey, as a side note, both the Baby Eagle and the Tanfoglio have conversion kits available for quick change to other calibers just by changing the slide, barrel, and magazine

[MiggyE]

dang, just realized, the three guns i mentioned, well, they are all kids of the venerable CZ 75. and many of their parts are interchangeable

[Beat Trash]

what's a good second 9mm?

I love the g19, should I
a)get another
b)get g26
c)get g17
d)waiting for 2010 adjustable grip...

I'd vote for the second Glock 19. I own alot of different 9mm's, to include a G26 and a G17. The G19 is the only one I have multiples of. Absolutely love it.

[ra2bach]

has anyone mentioned a SIG P226? it's not for everyone due to the grip size and TDA but if it fits and you like it, it makes a fine nine. particularly for a beginner...

I'm a little biased - I'm picking up a CPO P226 today. it is practically unfired. I'm trading one of my used M&P9's for it.

maybe this is going backwards as I wanted to standardize on one platform and simply collect multiples, spares, and mags but I have always wanted one to compliment my P229. M&P9's will always be available down the road but this one is priced too well to pass up...

[ra2bach]

what's a good second 9mm?

I love the g19, should I
a)get another
b)get g26
c)get g17
d)waiting for 2010 adjustable grip...

the answer to what makes a second gun is almost always, another one of the same. or at least the same platform - G19/17/26, M&P FS/Compact/L, etc.

unless you're still in the discovery mode, once you find the proper gun for you, why change that?

[Littlelebowski]

the answer to what makes a second gun is almost always, another one of the same. or at least the same platform - G19/17/26, M&P FS/Compact/L, etc.

unless you're still in the discovery mode, once you find the proper gun for you, why change that?

Because most gun owners are gun collectors not gun shooters.

[HK45]

The P-01 has a NATO stock number. So do lots of other things like washing machines. It is not indicative of extensive "NATO testing" whatever that is supposed to be. CZ promotes this as if it means much more than it does. Many reviews or articles have gotten this wrong as well.

I think the P-01 is a nice pistol but I would recommend M&P or Glock to a new shooter because they are much more likely to be easily serviced or repaired and have tons of accessories available. The trigger will be easier to shoot for most than the P-01 which in my opinion needs a trigger job out of the box. That and some clean up of the internals. Ditto the CZ-75. I also think aluminum receivers with steel slides to save weight have been outdated by polymer, again, in my opinion. Years of service or numbers in use are useful data points but there are many other things to consider.

CZ's also need frequent parts replacement.

It is also interesting that they will discount the extensive Nato testing of the CZ P-01 which has been posted on this thread and numerous other threads.

[HK45]

Many people are not exactly enamored of Sigs quality control these days. It is also not exactly an easy pistol to shoot well for a beginner with its high bore axis (I know, I know...) and DA/SA trigger. I also happen to think its a dated design compared more current pistols.

has anyone mentioned a SIG P226? it's not for everyone due to the grip size and TDA but if it fits and you like it, it makes a fine nine. particularly for a beginner...

I'm a little biased - I'm picking up a CPO P226 today. it is practically unfired. I'm trading one of my used M&P9's for it.

maybe this is going backwards as I wanted to standardize on one platform and simply collect multiples, spares, and mags but I have always wanted one to compliment my P229. M&P9's will always be available down the road but this one is priced too well to pass up...

[ra2bach]

Many people are not exactly enamored of Sigs quality control these days. It is also not exactly an easy pistol to shoot well for a beginner with its high bore axis (I know, I know...) and DA/SA trigger. I also happen to think its a dated design compared more current pistols.

I know. it's been a concern. QC is equally important as customer service but internet rumor has SIG much diminished in both of these. (however it was not enough to stop me from picking one up when a good one came my way at a good price. )

but I don't agree that it is not an easy pistol for a beginner to shoot well. I believe that a person can gain proficiency on whatever platform if they are trained in it and practice.

though it may be true that it does not have as nice a trigger as a striker fired or single action, I look past just the trigger pulling part. I look at the overall operation of the firearm and I see a DA/SA as uniquely suited to a beginner for safety reasons.

and as for it being a "dated" design well, maybe so, but I know a couple of revolver shooters who are pretty hard to keep up with at least until it's time to reload...

[jp0319]

I really appreciate all the information that was provided here. Once I get home from Iraq I will head to the local shop/range and fire all of the choices provided here and make my decision based on then. I will also have my wife join me and pick out what fits her best. I will of course let you all know what we come up with. Thank you again.

My answer is GLOCK 19, I have shot and owned most brands of pistols Beretta, Sig, Sauer, 1911's, H&K's, S&W's, but I keep going back to glock, they are rock solid, reliable, and reasonable, like the AK-47 of handguns but more accurate. As far as the wife goes I would take her to the range to try (If you can) several hand guns, I did this with my wife and I am glad I did, she can't pull back the slide on semi auto pistols, there may be one out there she could but none we tried. It turned out that revolvers were best for her, plus the longer trigger pull is slightly safer for her. Just my thoughts