Auto Handgun

Dakotazeb

Well-known member
Been thinking about getting myself a auto handgun. Looking at the Glock's, Smith's and Ruger's in either 9mm or .40 S&W. Anyone have any suggestions on what, or what not, to get?
 
I have a springfield XD 9 that I have had good luck with. It is similar in looks to a Glock. I am not a handgun expert by any means though...
 
you thinking of auto as in hold the trigger and it keeps firing? or Semi Auto?

Auto: Illegal

Semi-Auto: Legal


Glock 22 or 23 would be a good choice. 23 is a compact of a glock 22. 22 is the full verison

Springfield XD .40.

if you like a gun that you can shoot somewhat but like to have it for looks...

smith and wessions M&P gun is a nice buy.


if you like .45 cals... you have to get no other than a springfield 1911.. OR kimber 1911 .45. got a heck of a kick but awesome guns.

Sig Sauer P226 or P229.. my Sgt has one for practice shooting and he likes it. I have a S&W Sigma Series which they dont make anymore and looks like a Glock.

Glock would be the best choice if you ask me. The US Marshal, FBI and secert services around here carry Glocks. I think back in my hometown carries Sigs as well as I carried it when I worked for the Sheriffs office in Sioux Falls. but my sig was a measly 9mm. i didnt care for it. Glocks were more fit, durable, accuracy, along with long life period.
 
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birdman, of course I was talking semi-auto. So you are saying the Glock in 40 S&W would be the best choice? That's what a friend that is retired from the Denver PD recommended.

Which Glock, the 22 or 23? I want a personal defense handgun as well as something I can shoot for pleasure.
 
birdman,

What do you know about the Beretta PX4 or even H&K USP's?

Know anyone who carries one?

H&Ks are good guns but rather expensive.


if you want a gun that doesnt malfunction.. Sigs or Glocks would be the way to go.

Berettas.. im sorry... to me.. youre paying for the brand, not the gun. Ive been around handguns most of my life (my fam has military and LE people) but that doesnt make me an expert though.



Beretta PX4 Storm looks decent but personally, I cant say anything bc i have not experienced one before.

H&Ks i have. the H&K USP (Universal Self-loading Pistol) feels exactly like my S&W Sigma series as S&W tries to copy both H&K and Glock. H&K, ive had them malfunction on me and thankfully they werent duty guns. my S&W sigma has had the striker break on me and couldnt fire. Thankfully no matter how old it was, it was a free replacement.

like i said, im no expert, but im telling from experince.

our annual shoot competition, lots of people use Sigs or Glocks for their competition for our police shoot-out trial.
 
Tell ya what, I will put my XD 45 up against anything. For years I have had troubles shooting a pistol, until the XD. Comfort, shoots great, and 13 plus 1 in a 45. Fire power!!!!!! I have my conceal carry, and this gun sits sweet on my hip. Easy to shoot and aim, and not a ton of recoil. I find myself reloading more for this than all my rifles. I am a believer. Not a hang up yet!!!!! Try them all out, and talk to everyone you can. Talk to guys who shoot in a lot of tourneys and see what fits you and you shoot well, then make a decision. GOOD LUCK!!!!!!!! XD BELIEVER!!!!!!!!
 
birdman, of course I was talking semi-auto. So you are saying the Glock in 40 S&W would be the best choice? That's what a friend that is retired from the Denver PD recommended.

Which Glock, the 22 or 23? I want a personal defense handgun as well as something I can shoot for pleasure.

22 and 23 are same cal guns. 23 is a compact which you could hide easy but not too small. i got big hands and my hand fits on it well. Id use this 23 for a backup if the dept would let me bc its small enuf to put on an ankle brace.

22 is a full size you sell all LEO carry.

22 is a good gun to have. 23 is a fun little compact. go to Google and type in Glock 23 and look at the images. then go to a gun shop and try them out..

while youre there.. get a feel for a springfield XD40 if you want a 40 cal. you may like the fit of your hand. try a few before you buy. find one that your hand doesnt crowd or barely reach to hold the pistol grip. find one that FITS your hand. Most Glocks do fit and consider a universal fit for all. to me 9MM just pisses a person off if you want something to protect your family. you need stopping power. .45 is too much and can throw your arms off on accuracy when firing over and over in a quickly manner.

40mm is perfect for our ages.. 9mm isnt gonna stop someone unless you empty the mag.

with a 40mm, 1-3 shots should stop a person if they broke into your house.

ive seen 22s range from 425.00 to 545.00.

sigs are higher as well. but a used one would start in 390.00 on up.



result, id say Glock 23 if you want a personal defense as well as fun shooting targets.. you could carry this with you and wouldnt even see it unless you like tight clothing.
 
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Tell ya what, I will put my XD 45 up against anything. For years I have had troubles shooting a pistol, until the XD. Comfort, shoots great, and 13 plus 1 in a 45. Fire power!!!!!! I have my conceal carry, and this gun sits sweet on my hip. Easy to shoot and aim, and not a ton of recoil. I find myself reloading more for this than all my rifles. I am a believer. Not a hang up yet!!!!! Try them all out, and talk to everyone you can. Talk to guys who shoot in a lot of tourneys and see what fits you and you shoot well, then make a decision. GOOD LUCK!!!!!!!! XD BELIEVER!!!!!!!!

OH i wont disagree with you! XDs are well fit guns.. however, there was a reason why the PD around here wont get XDs.. its bc of their back safety deal can pinch the skin inbetween your thumb and finger in a fast draw.. its said to have happened. thats why we are with Glocks. Sigs, you better get used to pressing safety off when drawing out of holster.

again glock has a "double" trigger for safety.. or AUTO safety mode. XD is the same way, EXCEPT on the back of the pistol grip.


I have a level 2 SL3.2.1 holster and i can see pinching myself on that XD in a fast reaction draw. Ive pinched my finger on the glock a few times and believe me, my nerves in my finger would go for days before it goes away.

but for durable and dependablity, Glock would pass that test. its made in Austria.
 
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but for durable and dependablity, Glock would pass that test. its made in Austria. "
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I'll just say I disagree. First off I would want a double & single action auto myself. Also the Glock has no safety and is double action only. Not something I look for in a gun. If you plan on shooting any reloaded ammo. The Glock becomes very finicky and unreliable. I like the Sig P226 or P229. Much better quality and durability then a Glock. Myself, I would even take a 92 or 96 Beretta over the glock. The Beretta will run though reloaded ammo and never give a hiccup. Very reliable guns and have the ability to fire in double or single action mode. There is no doubt that firing in single action mode, you are far more accurate. I have friends in law enforcment that refuse to carry their department issue Glock with a round in the chamber. If a suspect does get a hold of their gun. They can simply pull the trigger and wound or kill you. No safety to look for.
 
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I'll just say I disagree. First off I would want a double & single action auto myself. Also the Glock has no safety. .



wait what????


(deleted, no use explaining)

glock does NOT have a safety??? (deleted) see pics below

(deleted)


(deleted deleted) Edit* Pictures says it all. no use explaining. [rant] im done ranting and editing [/rant]

heres a PIC of a trigger safety on this GLOCK.. this is an aftermarket

glock18_triggersafety.jpg


heres a better BIGGER pic of the ORGINAL safety. factory safety. who said they dont have a safety... dang.

DSC03047.jpg
 
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Birdman, what loads would you recommend for a .40 S&W in say the Glock 23.

Our dept issues 180/11.66 grain/gram speers gold dot hollow point.


our practice bullets are at 115 to 155 depending on what brand we get...

i say 115 to 155 is perfect for a 23 which is a compact gun. you wouldnt want to get too much of a kick either on a compact compared to a full size Glock.



anyways, heres a pic of a comparable Glock and S&W hand guns.

MVC-025F.jpg


This is what i have.

SW40F.jpg




you can see the safety on the S&W and Glock on this picture.
 
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We are issued Sig P226 in 40 cal, this is a very nice fitting reliable gun. I agree with earlier posts that the HK's are not as reliable in feeding as they should be. We carried those for 8 or 10 years and out of approx. 30 guns 5 or 6 consistently had feed problems mine included and personnally they could not have given me that gun when we traded out. We tried the Beretta's did not fit my hand & i have big hands. Personnally I have a S&W 4516, 45 cal compact, and have owned it for 20 years and I wish I could carry it on duty. I have also heard good things about the Springfields several officers I work with own and like and not as expensive. Glocks also have a good reputation for reliabilty. I would defintely go big 40 or 45 & stay away from the 9mm just not enough lead to do the job.
As stated earlier, personal preference/feel is most important, you have to feel confident/comfortable with the gun or you will not develop your level of skill needed to use it when you are under the extreme stress you would face if you needed to use it.
Sig also makes I believe a P229 which is a compact 40 cal, our smaller handed officers and detectives carry that and it is just as reliable. The Sigs are double action but the trigger pull is not a real factor, it is smooth and not overly strong. Hope that helps, you have some suggestions now go wrap your hands around them and see what fits you.
 
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We are issued Sig P226 in 40 cal, this is a very nice fitting reliable gun. I agree with earlier posts that the HK's are not as reliable in feeding as they should be. We carried those for 8 or 10 years and out of approx. 30 guns 5 or 6 consistently had feed problems mine included and personnally they could not have given me that gun when we traded out. We tried the Beretta's did not fit my hand & i have big hands. Personnally I have a S&W 4516, 45 cal compact, and have owned it for 20 years and I wish I could carry it on duty. I have also heard good things about the Springfields several officers I work with own and like and not as expensive. Glocks also have a good reputation for reliabilty. I would defintely go big 40 or 45 & stay away from the 9mm just not enough lead to do the job.
As stated earlier, personal preference/feel is most important, you have to feel confident/comfortable with the gun or you will not develop your level of skill needed to use it when you are under the extreme stress you would face if you needed to use it.
Sig also makes I believe a P229 which is a compact 40 cal, our smaller handed officers and detectives carry that and it is just as reliable. The Sigs are double action but the trigger pull is not a real factor, it is smooth and not overly strong. Hope that helps, you have some suggestions now go wrap your hands around them and see what fits you.


you pretty much nailed it. ;) I have heard about H&Ks malfunctions. Yah when i was a Deputy, we had Sigs P226s 9MM. if you want to stop someone, you need a .40 cal.


when i was 18, i became an armed security officer and one of the officers we worked with had a 4006 S&W and it was a nice gun! at that time, I had bought a S&W Sigma 40VE

Dakotazeb. here's a list of guns to check out...

Springfield XD 40

Glock 23 or 22

and

Sig Sauer P226 or P229.


like i said, my sgt has a Sig and he loves it, I have not shot his Sig.
 
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Many good suggestions on this post. Sigs, H&k, Glock, Kimber and Springfield are all good reliable handguns.
One of the most important questions in my opinion is are you going to carry the gun concealed. If yes any of these guns can be carried concealed in the winter time but difficult to impossible to conceal in the summer time if you are wearing shorts and a T shirt.
Also it has been stated that a 9MM is too small a caliber and does not have the knock down power and that it would just piss off someone. This is not true. Loaded with Gold Dot or Hyro shock it becomes a devastating round. Another issue is how are you going to carry the gun, inside the pants ( can be uncomfortable) outside holster, ankle holster or in your pocket. Alot of guys buy large frame guns like XD.s , Glocks ect and find they can't conceal it well in the summertime so they end up not carrying a firearm or buy a smaller gun. In the case to conceal to carry size matters.
There are many issues to think about when buying a gun for self protection and I'll cover a couple more. If the purpose is for home protection you can't go wrong with a tactical shotgun with a 18 1/2 inch barrel. They range from about $300 for a pump to will over $1400 for a M4 benelli.
If A handgun is the ticket you, you have to consider your experience with handguns. Experience with shotguns and rifles are not directly tranferable to handguns although alot of guys think thet are. If you are not extremely experienced with handguns and you are going to carry I would recommend a revolver over an autoloader. I know the idea of a revolver is not sexy for some guys but if god forbide you have use your gun to defend yourself with a revolver all you have to do is point an pull the trigger.
One final thought, If you carry becareful with a gun Like a glock or S&w m&p , sigma. They are wonderful combat pistols ,but were designed for use buy a professional. If you but one practice is the key. Proficiency is purishible when it comes to handguns.
Just my opinion
 
Like I had suggested, compact or full size.. compacts of a glock 40 cal would be the Glock23, Sigs, a P229 would be a compact, XD they make but i dont know the model right off the bat.


I think its more of a home protection in Dakotazeb's case.. I dont think he'll carry unless hes going out to practice.

keep in mind, Aberdeen is FULL of LE people there... its kinda hard to commit a crime and get away with it.
 
Hey guys, thanks for all the information. I'm not new to handguns but I have never owned a semi-auto. Always been a revolver in the past.

Guess I would lean toward a compact like the Glock 23 or Sig P229. It's not that I'm going to carry it a lot but I may on occasion. More likely will be kept in the center console of my Expedition or in the night stand by the bed. And yes, I do have a "Concealed Pistol Permit.

What's the issue with the safety on the Glock compared to the others? Is the safety on the trigger the only safety? How about the others?
 
sig 226 in 40 cal,or colt 1911,the sig you is ezay to use but i like the colt my self

note you must carry the colt cocked & locked if you will be in a combat zone
 
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Auto Pistol Advice

Hey guys, thanks for all the information. I'm not new to handguns but I have never owned a semi-auto. Always been a revolver in the past.

Guess I would lean toward a compact like the Glock 23 or Sig P229. It's not that I'm going to carry it a lot but I may on occasion. More likely will be kept in the center console of my Expedition or in the night stand by the bed. And yes, I do have a "Concealed Pistol Permit.

What's the issue with the safety on the Glock compared to the others? Is the safety on the trigger the only safety? How about the others?

You've gotten some authoritative advice about what make of pistol to get. But I wonder about your idea of getting a compact sized weapon. I like having a big as* weapon because of its "appearance deterence." Plus, larger, heavier guns are easier to control during firing and stressful situations.
 
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