it happens
Posted on 07/20/2012 9:24:49 PM PDT by ThunderSleeps
Sorry for yet another which firearm thread. Been putting in some OT the last several months, banked up a few extra $$$. Going to celebrate my right as guaranteed by 2nd Amendment. (note, not granted, the government doesn't give me this inalienable right)
So, I am literally set to "pull the trigger" on the purchase of a handgun tomorrow. I have narrowed it down to either a Beretta PX4 Storm (Compact, 9mm) or a Glock 19. This will be a concealed carry weapon.
I don't want to go any larger (full size) as I'm only an average sized guy with slightly smaller than average sized hands. (plenty of hand/arm strength from weight training) I don't want to go any smaller because I don't like the way the grips of the sub-compact weapons don't fill out even my hands.
I was leaning towards the 40S&W round but like the wider availability of 9mm, plus I can share ammo with my wife.
I was originally thinking Glock, almost went for it. Then a guy at a firearms store almost talked me into the Beretta. Now I'm leaning back towards the Glock. Lots of factors at play here, trying to sort them all out.
The Glock is simple, dirt simple to operate. The Beretta has more controls on it.
I like the looks of the Beretta slightly more.
I like the triple-dot sights of the Beretta slightly more.
Several informal polls of fellow firearms enthusiasts say the Glock may have a slight edge in reliability and accuracy. Not sure I'm a good enough shot though to make a difference.
Beretta claims their barrel line is lower, closer to your hand thus reducing felt recoil. Don't know, I've fired a S&W 9mm compact and the recoil is very manageable. (I can be fairly quick, fairly accurate)
Things that aren't factors: magazine capacity (same), accessory rail (both have one, though I don't plan on putting anything on it).
Try a Ruger SR9. Comes with a 17 round mag.
Slightly OT: The Steyr GB 9mm has a suppressed nose piece, as well as one with compensator. The suppressed ones are very rare. If anyone knows of one, gimme a ping, please.
I have shot Glock 17, 19 and the Glock 22 ( 40 cal.) They bring an instant smile. Just picked up 2 Ruger SR9 last week
Check out the Springfield XDS .45 acp. 5 + 1 and less than an inch wide. Great for CCW and much knock down power.
bump glock
Have you considered the Springfield XD?
I must have been too tired last night - I referred to my pistol as a Firestarter and I meant Firestorm.
it happens
So last chance fellow Freepers. Any words of wisdom to sway me one way or the other? Both are in stock, the Glock comes in $20 less than the Beretta.
I'm tempted to say "Get the Glock and be done with it.". Except I don't think it ultimately matters. There are lots of considerations, few really wrong answers, and if you decide you've bought the wrong thing, that's easy to fix.
Over time, you'll probably decide you want something else anyway. Like a good .357 snub. :-).
OK, a few thoughts:
I don't want to go any smaller because I don't like the way the grips of the sub-compact weapons don't fill out even my hands.
The grip don't have to fill out your hands. A grip that fills your hands isn't necessarily a better grip. I find, lately, that I prefer smaller grips -- single stack 9s, snub with boot grip.
The Glock is simple, dirt simple to operate. The Beretta has more controls on it.
Training and practice will take care of the Beretta controls "problem".
I like the looks of the Beretta slightly more.
It's OK to like a visually attractive art deco gun.
I like the triple-dot sights of the Beretta slightly more.
Sights on the Glock are easy to swap out.
I already have a 220 but its too big for concealed carry.
I asked the retired cop who was helping me my first time at the range what he carried — He had a Firestarter (with the goal post for lining up easier and external safety).
You mean a Star Firestar?
Nice gun, no longer made, but decent availability.
I own and love a PX4 Storm in .40. Type F, I’ve not had the difficulties that Gabrial mentioned. Mine’s the full-size. I have a friend who swears by his compact as well.
The ergo design is simply amazing. I can reach the clip release, slide catch, AND the safety/decocker with my thumb - all without taking the sights off the target.
But I agree, this all comes down to personal feel and preference. The first time I ever held this particular firearm, it was home in my hands.
Outstanding. Didn’t want to seem didactic, but I’m a gun nut here at a military base, and I see scores of dumb grunts come home with with their deployment pay or reenlistment bonuses and go straight to the gun store to buy a gun they have never fired. I really feel bad for them after a couple months, when they realize that their gun doesn’t fit them. Whenever a friend of mine wants to buy a gun, I take him to the local indoor range myself, so that he is buying from experience instead of impulse. We all work too hard to spend money on something that doesn’t fit us.
Regardless, it looks like you’ve done all of the homework necessary, so I’ll just jump down off of my soapbox. I’m a commie gun shooter, and since the MP-446C Viking didn’t make your list, I can’t really provide anything else except a “good luck” and happy shooting!
Indeed it is. Of course, I have to follow up with the obligatory "there are much better choices than the .380 out there". It's better than nothing, of course, but the usual reasons stated for preferring it over a defensive caliber "low recoil" "compact size" etc. don't really stand up to scrutiny.
If she likes the double-action trigger common on so many small guns chambered in the .380 caliber, based on my experience she would be happier with a good-quality revolver chambered in S&W .38 special. If that's out of the question, please have her at least try one of the newer compact 9mm parabellum chamberings -- I've had great success teaching even smaller-framed women to shoot well with the Smith and Wesson M&P, just as an example. Of course, there are many, many other options out there as well.
Random aside here: the S&W .38 Special and the 9mm "Parabellum" are generally loaded such that they have essentially the same terminal ballistics. Yes, all of the gun nerds out there will point out that there are subtle differences, but those discussions can last for hours. Bottom line is they pack about the same punch, for all practical purposes.
Getting back to the .380. The problem with the .380 (aka 9mm short, corto, kurtz etc. etc. etc.) is that while it may well kill someone (eventually), it's been proven over the years to not stop an aggressor quickly enough to solve whatever dire problem led him to need shooting in the first place. So you're left with the intimidation factor, and the element of surprise, and the pain of the wound. All of which are just as likely to piss the guy off as stop him.
/rant. Just some food for thought...
Both are excellent choices. The Beretta would also let you use military M9 magazines, those for the Glock are also widely available, and can also use those of the Glock 17 and 18. All that leaves is holsters. The Berettas generally fit concealment holsters made for and usable with the M1911 .45, which means there are a LOT of them out there; there are also literally dozens of quality rigs available for the Glock.
Either way, you'll be well served. Practice. practice, practice.
That’s how I carry - well, everything. Best to maintain situational awareness. If I draw, it’s not to get the jump on a guy I could have avoided, it’s because I’ve no choice.
Thanks for posting. That’s a good article.
Fam-fired both .45 and 9mm while in USMC but no carry training on them.
So you’ve done some handling & firing & have narrowed it to those two, and now you want personal anecdotes. Don’t wanna just flip a coin? LOL
When I went on my buying spree, I decided against Glock soon as I handled one. Just didn’t like the boxy grip. But I also think the “trigger safety” is kinda silly. If I want to engage a “don’t shoot” switch on the gun, I want it on the frame.
Since I carry in condition 3 (must rack slide after draw), that really doesn’t matter. But if my CCW gun *were* to travel in condition 1, in possibly a variety of holsters and body sites depending upon my manner of dress (I’m female), it definitely would never be a Glock.
I have the full size PX4 in .40 and like it a lot for fit and reliability. It is the first I reach for headed out to the range & is what I think of as The House Gun. But those darn safety ears on the frame are kinda snaggy on the fingers! LOL I did see one just last week that doesn’t have a frame safety at all, and the more I think on it...hmmmmmmmmmmmmm
Now of course there’s the matching CX4 if you want a carbine to use the same ammo and mags as the pistol. (Maybe not the conceal size, so check first.) But if you’re ambivalent on the two, you can get G19 mags that’ll hold 33 rds, and Kel-Tec makes a carbine, the SU-2000, I think, that fits those and folds in half besides. Cool truck gun, never handled one.
Good luck, and come back with a range report on your purchase!
P.S. When I had shot the PX4 a couple of times, I asked a smith if he could lighten the trigger. He researched it online & said he wasn’t confident enough in his technique because it was only a workaround on a new-at-the-time model.
There’s likely a slew of drop-ins for the Glock, and not only the firing group.
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