Please help a rookie pick a semiauto (vanity)

me ^ | 7/4/02 | me

[newwahoo]

I need help picking a weapon from FR's firearms gurus!

Here's the deal:

1. The choices consist of the Glock 19, Sig Sauer 226, or (boo) S&W 5946. I know you all have your favorites but these are the options and they're not going to change.

2. Money is not an issue, nor is ease of use. If one is more work but worth the effort then its worth getting. I'll just have to invest the time and energy. My life is worth it so thats ok.

3. Concealment and weight are not critical. Reliability and my confidence level are far more important to me.

4. As you could probably tell, I'm already leaning against the S&W for political reasons. I'm going to need a real compelling reason to carry one of their guns.

Thank you for your opinions and experiences.

[boris]

I'd take the Sig. Glocks are fine weapons. I don't happen to like them because the ergonomics are wrong for me. Too blocky and square; they don't "sit" in my hand properly.

I hear they are very reliable and durable.

But I love my Sig in .40...

I have the H-K USP in 9mm, and that gun makes me lust for the same number in .45 but I can't justify it.

--Boris

[boris]

"Forget the others...go with a Walther P99. Tell them, James Bond sent you."

I bought a Walther PPK-S once on a whim. Worst gun I own. Stiff. Bites. Shoots "left". My 'smith confirmed and said he couldn't fix it.

The one gun in my collection I don't shoot.

Mine is American-made, in stainless. A pal of mine who has an "original German" PPK asked to disassemble mine because he wanted to find out how it could be so much 'smoother' and 'easy to shoot' in comparison to his blue PPK.

Uh huh. If this gun is smooth or easy to shoot...I'd hate to see a bad one!

--BOris

[chaosagent]

What worries me about the Glock is the though of somebody getting it from me and just pulling the trigger. A more difficult weapon to use may take more time for me to find a comfort level but a criminal might be less able to use it against me as well.

If you're worried about someone taking the gun from you, you let them get too close.

[SteveH]

1. The choices consist of the Glock 19, Sig Sauer 226, or (boo) S&W 5946...

2. Money is not an issue, nor is ease of use... My life is worth it so thats ok.

Ahem, if (1) and (2) are true, and if rentals at the local range don't answer the question right away (or even if they do...), then why not get one of each? That way, you have maximum flexibility at the beginning of every shift. BTW, are you going to practice "New York carry"? If so, you might want two of each. For the record, I do not have nor would I consider any of these... but I do not walk in your shoes.

[M1911A1]

My advice?

Go Glock or Sig, they are both fine guns. If you are going to get a .380 Long (9mm, just teasing) get good ammo, Federal 9BP or something else that has a track record. Try both guns and go with the one you like. As to safety of Sig vs. Glock, if you are an idiot they are both unsafe, if you use good handling technique they are both fine.

I prefer something else, but you have to guess what it is. ;)

[tortoise]

The SIG is a much finer shooter, but for a general purpose utility gun, I'd say go with the Glock. Or to use a metaphor, the SIG is a Mercedes and the Glock is an American full-size pickup truck. Both have their place, and neither really takes the place of the other. Choose accordingly.

I've owned both the SIG and the Glock mentioned. I wouldn't even waste my time on that S&W.

[M1911A1]

IIRC, doesn't NYPD mandate 9mm ball ammo, or have they decided that hollow points are ok? BTW, good luck in your chosen field, an honorable and admirable one. Salute!

[blackbart.223]

"That's too bad because the M-1911 .45 is the best autoloader made."

I own quite a few handguns. But if the s$$t hit the fan I'd opt for my 1911 A1 using 230 gr fmj's or my Smith & Wesson model 19 .357 with 158 gr JHP's. That's just my opinion. I could be wrong.

[Myrddin]

Glock or Sig would be fine. The S&W sales people still admit that their semi-autos have reputations as "window makers", but they are "making progress". My wife selected a Sig 225 for the slim grip to fit her hand and the total ease of takedown for cleaning. The Sig also has a safety and decocker. Releasing the slide to field strip the Glock takes a little magic. Once open, the Glock and Sig breakdown for cleaning in a similar fashion.

The Sig has the "traditional" double action. With a round in the tube and the hammer down, you have the heavier pull on the first shot as the hammer is retracted. The next shot has the light "single action" feel because the cycling slide has cocked the hammer for you. You need to be prepared for that "dual" feel. The Glock feels like a very light double action only for every shot.

Another Glock vs Sig issue: the chamber. Glock carves out a broader feed ramp that leaves some of the case head unsupported. This makes for very reliable feeding of factory ammo, BUT it causes the case head to swell slightly upon firing. The swelling makes the brass unfit for reloading. It also means that Glocks should not be fed reloaded brass that hasn't been "roll" resized to ensure uniform strength. Glock specifically recommends against using reloads. The Sig chamber is fully supported all the way around. Reloads aren't a problem. You can "correct" the Glock problem by installing a Jarvis barrel with full support for the case.

I find that I can shoot the Glock 23 or Sig 225 equally well. Some Glocks feel too "blocky" at the base of my fingers. Too bad you are stuck with 9mm. The steel silhouettes at my outdoor range drop every single time I hit them with the .40 S&W. The 9mm rounds only knock the silhouettes down when fired from the Ruger PC9. The same ammo fired from a handgun simply causes the targets to shudder a bit, but NEVER knocks them down.

[Richard Kimball]

Count me as a vote for Glock. I love my model 30, .45. However, I also know guys that love their Sigs. Others have given excellent advice. Forget S&W, and look at the other two. My brother loves his Colt 1911, but I've owned one and never cared for it much. These things get very personal, and the Colt didn't fit in my hand well, while the Model 30 feels like they took a hand cast and made it just for me. I suspect that it isn't just the hand size, but also finger length, palm dimensions, chubbiness of fingers, etc.

As to accidental discharges, can't speak for the Sig, but with the Glock, you pull the trigger, the gun fires. As to someone getting the gun away from you and shooting you, and the more complex safety preventing them from doing that, two observations. First, if someone gets your gun away from you, you're pretty much forked, anyway. Rule #1, if he got close enough to get your gun, he got too close. Second, if you're figuring you'll have to quick draw, you probably wouldn't have the safety on anyway.

I'm not a cop, I do have a CCP. My first rule is not to go anywhere I think I may have to use my weapon. Second, if I'm somewhere I might have to, nobody gets close to me that I don't trust. I also might take it out of my fanny pack and slide it inside my jacket while walking to my car at night, for example. Anyone approaching me gets a very strong warning. "What do you want?" If they say they want to talk to me, "You're close enough. What do you need?" Also, keep eyes pivoting, watch their hands, and DON'T walk close to anything a person could hide behind. Living in New Orleans will teach you a lot about being aware of what's going on around you.

[AnAmericanMother]

Sorry . . . I'm a little slow off the mark here, I should have realized it was a job-related restriction, and not (say) your wife's allergy to anything larger than 9mm or a generous relative's restriction! :-D

Congratulations on entering a demanding but very rewarding profession. I worked for the Atlanta PD many, many years ago (not as a sworn officer) and the ones who were serious about their work were great, great guys.

[advocate10]

I prefer a "compact' version. The Glock 33 .357, the HK USP compact in .45,or SigPro 9mm.

But IMHO, the choices should include the Heckler-Koch line-up.

[SauronOfMordor]

and that strange trigger on the Glock with its light trigger pull gives me the AD willies

It scares me too, which is why I'm always very careful with it. I have a Galco inside-the-pants holster which unsnaps from my belt. When I put it away in the gun safe, I take off the holster with the gun inside and put them in, so the trigger is never exposed. And I never put my finger in the trigger guard until I'm about to fire

[Vinnie_Vidi_Vici]

Right you are! I have the M2 in .45 and love it!!

[AnAmericanMother]

Precisely. I adhere to the old British Army theory of "heavy and slow". After all, they policed a good part of the world for a hundred years, they should know. I actually have an old .455 Webley revolver of WWI vintage, and it throws a heavy pill -- 265gr RN lead.

When I worked for the APD, a couple of officers I knew answered a call on a "demented person". As soon as they entered the residence, this guy charged down the stairs with a AXE yelling and screaming like a lunatic (well duh). They both emptied their service revolvers into him and (they were both privately "gun nuts" and practiced diligently) hit him all ten times, center of mass. Not only did he not go down (they hit him with a chair and their nightsticks and then sat on him to subdue him) once they cuffed him for transport he kicked all the windows out of the back of the patrol car.

Of course, that WAS in the days when our lousy excuse for a police chief, Reginald Eaves, insisted that the police carry .38 special "wadcutters" a/k/a "Reggie Pellets". When people complain about 9mm, they don't realize how good they have it . . . :-D

[SauronOfMordor]

These are the choices being FORCED upon me.

One suggestion: find a range that will allow you to rent your choices, and spend an afternoon trying them all out. After a while, a preference will emerge. Failing that, I'm sure some of your brother officers will come with you and let you shoot theirs