Posted: 7/13/2009 10:20:51 AM EDT
|
I am looking for a 9mm pistol for a family member.
If the Sig Blackwater Tactical had an external safety, this debate would be over. As evident by the above this pistol must have an external safety. Capacity is king, the more the merrier. 15+ Night sights are a plus. High viz sights are also a plus. The ability to mount a laser without interfering with the holster is also highly beneficial. Crimson Trace, Laseraim, etc. I like the XD but hate the CT lasergrips. The S&W m&p is good but external safety is not compatible with lasergrips. The blackwater tactical is the bomb except for the lack of external on/off switch. Beretta and Browning are possibilities but not really rocking my world. What am I missing and which does Arfcom suggest? |
Well the black water sig is completly safe as long as you utilize the decocker, does your family member just like cocked and locked carry? I don't blame him/her thats what I prefer to. 
Any back to topic, I would personally go with the Hi-Power, they are undoubtedly my favorite double stack handgun... by a mile! Holding one of those guns is like hugging an old friend. That said, the Hi-Power just fits me (and a lot of other people for that matter) so you need to find a gun that fits your family member. Take him/her to the gun shop and have him/her hold all of those guns, which ever one feels the best, buy it! 
|
|
Quoted:
Well the black water sig is completly safe as long as you utilize the decocker, does your family member just like cocked and locked carry? I don't blame him/her thats what I prefer to.
Any back to topic, I would personally go with the Hi-Power, they are undoubtedly my favorite double stack handgun... by a mile! Holding one of those guns is like hugging an old friend. That said, the Hi-Power just fits me (and a lot of other people for that matter) so you need to find a gun that fits your family member. Take him/her to the gun shop and have him/her hold all of those guns, which ever one feels the best, buy it! I hope to make this a surprise but I see no flaw in the logic of your suggestion. Reading "family member" alerts me that I need not to be so covert in my original post. This will be for my father who likes the manual safety, what can I say; he is old skule. His hands are small to average size, and if his offspring is any indication, the 1911 feels nakedly natural whereas a Ruger P95 is a bit bulky. I have omitted the HKs and FNs due to a lack of any knowledge of their offerings. Thanks to all who have voted and/or responded. CN |
|
Quoted:
I am looking for a 9mm pistol for a family member. If the Sig Blackwater Tactical had an external safety, this debate would be over. As evident by the above this pistol must have an external safety. Capacity is king, the more the merrier. 15+ Night sights are a plus. High viz sights are also a plus. The ability to mount a laser without interfering with the holster is also highly beneficial. Crimson Trace, Laseraim, etc. I like the XD but hate the CT lasergrips. The S&W m&p is good but external safety is not compatible with lasergrips. The blackwater tactical is the bomb except for the lack of external on/off switch. Beretta and Browning are possibilities but not really rocking my world. What am I missing and which does Arfcom suggest? so whats up with this. Is the gun for you or someone else? If the gun is for someone else, i would let them do the picking. take them shooting and let them decide whats best/fit for them. afterall, they will be the one shooting/using/cleaning it. if this gun is REALLY for you, but the only way you can buy it is under false pretenses for a family member, then get what you want. |
|
Easy XDM 9
As evident by the above this pistol must have an external safety. CHECK Capacity is king, the more the merrier. 15+ CHECK 19+1 Night sights are a plus. Find one that has them or can add on High viz sights are also a plus. Same as above The ability to mount a laser without interfering with the holster is also highly beneficial. Crimson Trace, Laseraim, etc. Check |
|
My personal first choice is the BHP, but that is because I am "Old school" and love that classic beauty, plus it fits my hand great!
But for your poll, I choose the Springfield XD, as out of all of the remaining pistols, that one fits me pretty good and it appears to meet all of your criteria.... |
| While the default magazine for the High Power is 13+1, though 15 round magazines work very well in a High Poiwer. Browning High Powers are on the expensive side now, the cheapest one you could get is a Hungarian knock off which works just as well as a real High Power does. |
|
Quoted:
I am looking for a 9mm pistol for a family member. As evident by the above this pistol must have an external safety. Capacity is king, the more the merrier. 15+ Night sights are a plus. High viz sights are also a plus. The ability to mount a laser without interfering with the holster is also highly beneficial. Crimson Trace, Laseraim, etc. Have you considered a CZ-75? It meets the basic criteria you outlined. As someone mentioned, the HK USP9 is also an excellent pistol, and it meets the criteria. |
|
Quoted:
I hope to make this a surprise but I see no flaw in the logic of your suggestion. Reading "family member" alerts me that I need not to be so covert in my original post. This will be for my father who likes the manual safety, what can I say; he is old skule. His hands are small to average size, and if his offspring is any indication, the 1911 feels nakedly natural whereas a Ruger P95 is a bit bulky. I have omitted the HKs and FNs due to a lack of any knowledge of their offerings. Thanks to all who have voted and/or responded. CN If he absolutely has to have a manual safety, I'd go with a CZ-75 variant, a BHP, or a 1911. My dad is nearing 70 and thoroughly enjoys the P226 I gave him. No manual safety. The best safety is in the mind of the shooter. I don't see the point of the "Blackwater Edition", just a lot of flash to get you to pay more $$$. Frankly I'd rather have an older P226 because Sig's QC and customer service is in the toilet right now. |
|
Quoted:
Easy XDM 9 As evident by the above this pistol must have an external safety. CHECK Capacity is king, the more the merrier. 15+ CHECK 19+1 Night sights are a plus. Find one that has them or can add on High viz sights are also a plus. Same as above The ability to mount a laser without interfering with the holster is also highly beneficial. Crimson Trace, Laseraim, etc. Check +1 You really answered your own question. 
|
|
Quoted:
External safety. Hope this is just a range toy then. Why because some people have difficulty thinking to flick a safety off so they feel everyone must be as inept as they are. I just don't understand how so many people do it. They could be freaks, but there are just so many. The problem actually is people here who think what they like is what's right for everyone. Learning to flick off the manual is nothing but a training issue. After a while it's instinct. I know that it's asking alot of some though. OP, Beretta also makes the PX4 and PX4 sub-compact which you should consider too. I prefer manual safetied pistols myself. There the safest to carry without a holster if wanted, as I do at times, with a loaded chamber. Many here wouldn't carry their non-manual safetied in the same way with one in the chamber. I carry a 92FS regularly and a Bersa UC 9mm. Both have MS's and I naturally flick the safeties off at draw, because I train to do it. Simple as that. PX4 SB PX4 Fullsize Change selection to F model as the Beretta page defaults to the C. |
|
Of your choices, the Sig P226 hands down. I suppose we can say the decocker serves as a "manual safety" of sorts.
My own suggestion would have been a G17.................but it's design does not require an external safety lever. Of course, the Cominoli (sp?) safety can be installed on it if one so desires. |
| Small hands would probably rule out the 226; it is a bit chunky. The Smith M & P has adjustable backstraps and comes with a manual safety if so desired. Don't know about the laser thing, I suspect at some point one will come out. The gun is still a bit new on the market. I've always thought laser sites are a gimmick but if you like them more power to you. |
|
Sig marketing has been carefully crafted to allow for rationalizing the more expensive models. The Blackwater Tactical version comes with 4 20 round magazines, a flared mag well, nicer night sights, and the SRT trigger. The SCT version is missing the magwell grips and SRT trigger. Not sure if that represents $150 over the SCT or $250 over a base model with one 15 rd mag or not. The 'plain' Blackwater version, which I have because it's all I could find when I was looking for a SIG 226, comes with wood grips, five 15 rd mags, and crappy night sights (hard to see the red front). It runs $150 more than a regular 226 with night sights which might be OK if you figure $25 for each of the mags and the wood grips are worth $50 to you (they weren't to me and went immediately into storage). Then there is the $100 to replace the font sight. I would get the basic model and skip Blackwaters/SCT/Navy versions. A used one might be OK but consider if you need night sights and a rail first.
Many will disagree with this, but I think a DA/SA auto is the safest configuration there is for the less-than-optimally-trained that want to use an auto. Of course, that's probably the topic of a different thread. |