searching for pistols

[jxspyder]

Okay, I'm on a quest. A quest ordained by God....well, not really, more my mom....to find the perfect pistol. 2 of them in fact. Preferably a full size and compact of the same make. I'd like it to have an external hammer, and a decock would be useful, but isn't mandatory. And I'd prefer that they be 9mm.

Oh, and I've got a $900 budget. Any suggestions?

[Ironhide400]

Okay, I'm on a quest. A quest ordained by God....well, not really, more my mom....to find the perfect pistol. 2 of them in fact. Preferably a full size and compact of the same make. I'd like it to have an external hammer, and a decock would be useful, but isn't mandatory. And I'd prefer that they be 9mm.

Oh, and I've got a $900 budget. Any suggestions?

Well, that is going to be hard to accomplish with a $900 budget. Basically, the two guns that would almost meet your criteria are Glock and Springfield Armory XD series. The issue is they are both striker pistols (no hammer or decocker). To get a hammer and decocker, you will be looking at metal frame guns. The best being Sig, but they are expensive. The other option would be CZ or EAA. Basically EAA (European American Armory) is a CZ design. Both are very good pistols. You might make your budget with either of these guns. Actually, my next competition gun I order is going to be an EAA.

I will add though, that it is hard to beat the reliability of Glock and Springfield XD's (especially for carry). They function no matter what. You definitely need to be comfortable with guns since they have no decocker or manual safety.

[jxspyder]

Well, I carry an XD, so that was my first choice. The hammer and decocker are more because these are going to be a present for my parents. It's not a necessity though.

[Ironhide400]

Well, I carry an XD, so that was my first choice. The hammer and decocker are more because these are going to be a present for my parents. It's not a necessity though.

Another great option is Kahr, but they are pricey like sigs. They have smaller models for women that are really nice though. If I remember right, they are striker also. :confused:

[saviger]

My wife carrys a XD 40 and I carry a Kimber tactical 1911.

She swears by the xd, it's ease of carry and reliability

And for my truck gun got my bushmaster modular carbine under the back seat of my Silverado. Just fyi ;)

Sent from my Liberty running cyanogenmod 7 RC2 gingerbread

[jxspyder]

So after a little bit of research and reading, I'm about 98% sold on the EAA Witness. The only thing left to do is actually get my hands on one and check the feel.

[Ironhide400]

So after a little bit of research and reading, I'm about 98% sold on the EAA Witness. The only thing left to do is actually get my hands on one and check the feel.

Nice! I hope you like them as much as I do. They point very naturally. :rolleyes:
They also have low recoil, do to the metal frame and slide design.

[jack]

So after a little bit of research and reading, I'm about 98% sold on the EAA Witness. The only thing left to do is actually get my hands on one and check the feel.

they have ramp feed issues and their customer service sucks (maybe their polymers are different, I can't comment on those). I had one ( a steel frame) a while back and got rid of it because of those issues. bersa isn't bad for a pocket 9mm and a .380 but fnh fnp9 ( I have their fnp45 it's a great gun) is better for a compact. there is also ruger's sr9, they also do a great 45 p345 is outstanding... CZ is another good gun maker, very reliable. walther now makes a slim 9mm on top of their regular 9mm.

[XxSilentxFartxX]

Let me know what you want. The CEO?Owner of Springfield Armory is a personal friend of mine. I actually have rifles that arent even released yet. Plus he has his guys upgarde my weapons every year free of charge with all the new swag. pretty nice to know this dude lol

[MjolnirActual]

Just wanted to toss my 2cents in here if it helps.

I am a crazy fan of the H&K USPs ... now before you start yelling about cost... I got my 2 as the second owner and didn't even pay a fraction of their full retail cost. The big point here is a lot of guys who have a heap of cash will buy H&K weapons and make them these cherry safe queens and then trade them in on the next thing that catches their eye.

I have a Full Frame USP chambered in .45 and a Compact chambered in .357 SIG. Honestly I think these are hands down the best guns I have ever owned and fully deserving of their reputations. The USP line is a direct derivative of the project that made the Mk23 SOCOM pistol. It has many of the features that are found on the Mk23 except that is is geared to be more of a service weapon for Military, and Police.

There is a ton of documentation online on the USP as a whole but one of the most compelling bits of info about it is that it was designed to fire, with no modification, 50,000 +P rounds without failure. As you guys who have 1911s know +P ammo can be really hard on your weapon and most times if you are choosing to use it some sort of mod is involved. (bumpers, new springs etc.) That blew my mind 50, 000 rounds that is a lot of pounding. Also it is the only weapon that I have seen that the manufacturer says "go ahead ... dry fire it it can take it" In fact one guy over at HKPro.com forums said that he dry fired his 3,000 times and then he cracked his firing pin. He was kinda tweaked about it until everyone was like "Dude who dry fires their pistol 3,000 times... no weapon stands up to that." He admitted that he was trying to get it to fail to test H&Ks statement.

I can run high end nice clean ammo or cheap crappy dirty stuff and these USPs just keep shooting.

Now one thing to note these are not comfy civilianized handguns, they are made to be service pistols and made to be as comfortable as possible for the widest range of users. (I have a big hand so most guns are comfy to me anyway... unless they are small) So you will not find the interchangeable back straps and other amenities you may on other weapons. However I have a Hogue Handall on both and they make both USPs very comfy.

If you keep your eyes open and do just a little bit of looking you can find a USP at a good price and most times in surprisingly good condition for a good price.

Ok maybe that was 3 1/2 cents :)

Hope this helps.

[jack]

Good review.