I'm finally going to buy a 9mm pistol. I've shot revolvers before but have never shot a semi-automatic pistol so my knowledge of them is limited.

Other than the "feel" of the pistol, can anyone give their thoughts on:

Adjustable sights....are they important?


Single/Double action?


Barrel length? I would assume the longer the more accurate.


Any other aspect that might be important.


Looking to stay between $400-$500 but will go lower if there is a good recommendation below this budget. I intend to get my CHL one day but this is primarily for night stand/vehicle.

Any info will be appreciated.

I cannot advise what is best for you, each of us have different ideas. SA vs. DA that is what you would be comfortable with, small frame vs. large frame, amount of rounds, safety or no safety, conceal or open carry, the list can go on for ever.
The name brand is also open, get one the feels good in your hand and that you are comfortable with the mechanics of it.

One thing for revolver shooters to look out for with autoloaders is that some revolver shooters develop a habit of crossing the thumb over, behind the thumb of strong hand.

On an autoloader, this will put the knuckle of your thumb on the off hand in the path of the slide, when it comes back. - A nasty cut will result. - I stick my off-thumb straight up to avoid this problem, with an autoloader.

There will be a lot to get used to. Make sure the autoloader is unloaded, then put in some time going through the motions of operating the safety, the slide release, the magazine catch, etc.. Dry-fire it a bit to get used to the trigger.

I would suggest a Glock 19...(the new Ruger American looks pretty good too). Good luck and practice until you are very comfortable with function and reliability.

rick

Adjustable sights....are they important?

Good for target shooting. Not so much for a carry gun. Remember that most defense situations occur inside 7 feet. If you need target sights at that distance, you need more instinctive practice. Also remember that some target sights are bulky and can hang when drawing the gun from the holster.

Single/Double action?

Depends on your personal preferences. For a carry pistol, I prefer a double action. For pure accuracy and range fun, I really enjoy my 1911 style single action pistols.

Barrel length? I would assume the longer the more accurate.

Correct. But if you are looking to carry concealed, anything over 4" becomes difficult.

Any other aspect that might be important.

FIT THE GUN TO YOUR HAND. I love Glocks. My son hates them. Handle everything in the store, and shoot as many as you can. Local indoor ranges usually have rentals available. Spend a bit of money and shoot different styles and calibers as well.

I highly recommend the Sig P320 Carry. It gives the grip on the full size with a 4 inch barrel. Plenty long enough to hit coke cans at 25 yards but still short enough to be easy to carry/conceal. Has a DAO trigger, which I believe is better that the trigger in a Glock, but far behind the trigger in a 1911. But then you are pretty much talking 2 very different guns.

One thing I ask a lot of people, do you prefer a thumb safety or no safety?
I prefer no safeties. I don't trains with them and I don't like them. That's why I never consider a 1911 as a carry/conceal gun.

Same here. And a VERY good point.

Go feel the gun and see what fits your hand and allows for you to have a good sight picture.

After that it is really hard for anyone but you to decide. Feel and sight picture are the most important aspects of a handgun. Glock, Smith and Wesson, HK, Ruger, Beretta and, Sig all make a hand gun that will get close to your price point. I would go and just see which fits you best. My only advice would be to get a full size gun not a tiny gun. Full size guns are better to learn with.

Definitely would be a full size. I have bigger hands and want to feel like I'm holding something when I shoot.

BigPig....can you elaborate on the no safety a little bit. If there is no safety and the gun is accidentally dropped, is there danger of it firing? Don't mean to sound ignorant but I'm really not all that familiar with semis.

No danger at all. The sear is locked until the trigger is pulled. I will advise that there have been negligent discharges when careless people put the gun back into the holster and get the trigger hung.

Here's just one example ..... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7SWx3znXTI

And I will add that ANY gun is dangerous if handled improperly. Safety or not.

Clu

Even if there is not a de-cocking lever on a semi there will be safeties. The Glock (the weapon I have carried since 1986 and has been pretty well copied since their patent expired) has three safeties. The one external safety is the trigger safety. Put your finger on the trigger with any pressure and that safety is not longer engaged. There is also a drop safety (which will not allow the firing pin to go forward unless the trigger is pull to the rear. The third is the drop safety which will not allow the firing pin to travel forward until the trigger is pulled sufficiently that the trigger bar travels to the rear enough to allow the firing pin to travel forward once the trigger bar has engaged the connector and it does what it was designed to do - let the weapon fire.

I have seen a Glock, fully loaded and one in the chamber, thrown from a helicopter more than once and it did not fire. The only thing that broke was the plastic adjustable sight that Glock used to offer.

Hope that helps.
g

I typed ahead of myself. the second safety is the firing pin safety... gee.

g

Go shoot as many as you can and pick the one you like best.

If you have big hands feel the Glock 21, 45 auto is a great round.

What Tactical Cowboy said. Find one you like and learn it. There are a bunch to chose from.

Yeah....tell me about it. Seems like most all have good reviews, that's why I came here looking for other considerations. It gets overwhelming so probably just going to have to hold a bunch in my hands to see what feels right.

SIG P238... as I have always been told... Bullet size does not matter, accuracy means everything!!!

When my wife wanted a pistol I took her to an indoor range and she pretty much shot one of everything. Settled on a Sig P226. As others have said, shoot and handle as many as you can and pick what feels best and what you shoot the best.

Another thing Ive figured out is that theres more to picking a gun than handling it and figuring out what fits you the best. You need to shoot them to figure out whats best for you. I have a Glock Gen4 that feels like it was made for my hand, but I shoot it like crap. I also have a Beretta PX4 that feels ok in the hand and I can shoot it lights out. I have a couple shotguns that are the same way. Dont feel perfect but for whatever reason I shoot them better than other guns. Dont know how to explain it.

Thanks for the advice guys. I was in College Station today meeting up with my son so I stopped by
Academy as I had a little time. I obviously couldn't shoot there but definitely was a good idea to hold the different guns in my hands. Tried various models and the one I kept going back to was the Ruger SR9...well they had the 9e in stock. They were out of stock on the SR9 but was told it is basically the same gun. I guess the 2 I liked behind this gun was the Ruger American and the Glock 17 but the Glock just did not feel as "right" as either of the Rugers.

I have read good things about the SR9 in reviews but was wondering if anyone out there has one and what your experience has been.

Thanks in advance.

I have two different CCWs' I use . One is a XDs .45ACP with the 3.3" barrel and the other is my Ruger LC9s in 9mm . I rotate these . When I want to carry light I CCW the Ruger . That is a little compact that will really surprise you . If you want to carry small the XDs is great but a little on the heavy size when toten all day . .45s' do that but you can get use to it . I've not shot the SR9 but I've read great reviews on it . Also another to highly consider is the S&W Shield in .40cal . Those are very nice and within your range . The Ruger LC9s can be had for around $379.99 and up depending which one a person would like . The XDs runs around $500.00 . The Shield runs around $450.00 and can be had in 9mm , .40 or .45 auto . I have a Taurus PT24/7 with 4" barrel but I hardly ever carry that one cause it's just a little big and noticeable but when OC out while hunting or fishing it's a great SA but can no longer buy new . I know Glocks reputation but when I handle them I just don't feel like I'm holding a real gun . I know they're dependable but I just don't care for Glocks . Kimbers are also great guns but then your raising the cost way up there .

Creedmoor hit a home run. Spend a bit of money at ranges with rentals. You want it to feel right. My hand doesn't like double stack magazines, so only single stack for me, i also like single action with a safety. It's what i learned on and shot for a long time, they feel natural to me. Practice, practice and then practice.

The SR9 and 9e are fine enough handguns. I owned an SR9 for a while and it performed as was supposed to. It is full size but relatively slim and easy enough to carry. Nothing exotic about it, but for the price I found it to be very serviceable. I think I sold it when I was switching out to .40 calibers. Funny, I'm now going back to 9mm.

My 2 cents on modern day 9mm pistols?
There aren't many BAD choices...
I've only had one 9mm pistol that was anything but 100% reliable, and it was most assuredly a lemon. If an auto pistol is ergonomically pleasing, and is at your price point, you'll be satisfied with it. If you have the funds to shoot a bunch of rentals, great, that's the way to go. If not, generally speaking, any pistol that feels and looks good in your hand will be a winner.
My personal preference lies with CZ-75s and their variants. Most will try to give yo some GLOCK Kool-Aid; both are great choices. That SR9? Excellent pistol...it's even better if YOU like it.