I love my GLOCK, more than any other pistol. My affinity for these handguns isn’t down to their looks or feel. It’s all about practicality. You can’t find a more widely used pistol than the GLOCK 19. I can easily find parts, holsters, and other accessories for it anywhere I go. However . . .
As a professional firearms instructor, I can’t ignore the existence of other great handguns — especially when it comes to the civilian shooter. So when RF handed me the M&P M2.0 and the FN 509, I jumped at the opportunity to see which gun is the best package.
GLOCK 19:
Again, the G19 has been my first pistol. It’s the handgun I carry everyday. I’ve shot tens of thousands of rounds through it. Out of the box it’s nothing special. Like the Jeep Wrangler, you get a durable vehicle but without too many bells and whistles.
The GLOCK’s trigger is decent at 5.5 lbs. The grip comes with just enough stippling to keep it in your hand on a hot Texas day. Although some people think carry pistols should have a sub MOA grouping at 100 yards, the GLOCK’s accuracy is more than good enough.
Smith & Wesson M&P M2.0
My previous experience with M&P hasn’t been favorable. They always felt a little flimsy in my hand. After shooting just a few rounds through the M2.0, my opinion has changed 180 degrees.
The updated M&P 9mm’s low bore axis makes recoil almost negligible. The hold on the gun solid. The trigger is crisp and the grip angle makes the pad of the trigger finger fit perfectly.
The reset on the trigger is also more prominent than on the previous M&P9. Overall the gun performed phenomenally and delivered terrific accuracy. With a little practice, I’m sure I could outshoot my GLOCK 19 with it. The only downside: the thumb safety which I consider unnecessary. [ED: the M2.0 is available without a frame-mounted safety.]
FN 509:
I’ve been looking forward to shooting the FN 509 since it came out. The handgun looks and feels extremely durable. It comes with an ambidextrous slide stop. I’m a big fan of the 509’s front slide serrations [ED: available on the GLOCK’s 2017 “Summer Specials”].
Where the 509 really shined: its grip. Both the angle and the flat front strap made the grip fit perfectly in my hand. The 509’s trigger was my major complaint. It’s a little wide for my finger and sticky around the reset point. Initially, I was shooting low with the 509 and had to adjust my sight higher. I believe this was due to the FN 509’s grip angle, which I wasn’t used to.
The above groups were shot freehand from five and fifteen yards shooting CapArms’ excellent Target Match ammunition. I hate to say it, but I don’t think this test proves anything — except familiarity breeds accuracy.
After a few hours with these guns the GLOCK 19 was still my favorite. Out of the box, I believe that the Smith & Wesson M&P is a superior gun thanks to its ergonomics, low bore-axis and long slide (which is an issue for carry). After more practice I have no doubt that I’d outshoot my GLOCK 19 with the Smith. The 509 felt the most durable and comfortable, but I just couldn’t make friends with the trigger.
In the final analysis it’s not the gun that makes the ultimate difference…it’s the person shooting it. Jon Wayne Taylor will take it from here, shooting all three handguns from a rest to get something closer to an objective measure of accuracy. Watch this space.
I feel like the M&P should have a barrel length similar to the other two make this a fair comparison
It’s interesting that the 5″ M2.0 was chosen instead of the standard 4.25″ version.
In the V1 M&Ps the 4.25″ guns actually shot better than their 5″ counterparts. The older 5″ guns had issues with premature unlocking which really hosed accuracy.
In my M&P Pro 5″ V1 I had a 1 dot factory barrel, was not accurate. I currently have a KKM in it, and while accuracy is better, its still not great. Final answer is to use an Apex SDI and fit it to the gun, which removes the premature unlocking issues, and accuracy from every report Ive seen is exceptional.
Should have had the CZ P10C in this lineup. Built to directly compete with the Glock 19. No need to buy a new barrel to run reloads and a better trigger besides.
Spot on with the accuracy. Comparing accuracy with guns in the same class is a cool thing. But having a grip angle that fits you so you shoot minuet of bad guy quickly and effortlessly is far more important than having 100 yard accuracy for slow shots.
Still taller/heavier/thicker than the G19
Taller and heavier yes. Barely. But the Glock is thicker. Also barely. They fit the same holsters
Somebody forgot to include the CZ P10C in this comparison. And probably the Arsenal Stryk B as well. And that first comment is correct, that particular M&P 2.0 is out of context, its a Glock 34 competitor. And, 1911s still suck.
I will never understand the cult of Glock. The author admits that the reason he loves Glock is because everyone else also loves Glock even though he admits other guns are better. Marketing works…
The Glock was the first successful striker fired polymer frame handgun and is the progenitor of all others of that type, and that type dominates handgun sales worldwide today. It’s also a supremely reliable, durable and practical weapon.
The importance of Glock in the annals of small arms can not be overstated. It’s as significant as the 1911, the Borchardt, the Colt SAA, and any other significant handgun you care to mention.
It deserves its cult and its place in the pantheon of great firearms designs.
Wonderfully stated!
Except, like all of those examples you mentioned including Glocks, there have been various improvements and better guns that have been developed in recent years. The truth is that a Glock is a so-so gun that isn’t inherently more reliable than most other modern pistols. It has bad ergonomics for many people, the sights are terrible, the trigger is terrible, and it’s overpriced for what it is. They market it as “perfection” but hundreds of dollars of upgrades are required out of the box to make it competitive with other better pistols. Yes, Glocks may be now in the realm of historic but it is far from the best. So every time a Glock cultists mocks a 1911 fanboy, they need to look in the mirror and recognize they’re in the same boat…
Glock set the bar for size/weight efficiency. 30+ years since they hit the scene and no one’s been able to make a doublestack polymer pistol that’s lighter and slimmer. When you carry, all those centimeters and ounces add up and glock is still the king for people looking to carry a light, shootable doublestack pistol with more than adequate firepower that isn’t a chore to carry all day.
As boringly “meh” as a Glock is, if conditions dictated that you could only carry one handgun, and would never be able to buy or access another handgun for the rest of your life, and were scratching out your survival in horrid conditions without the convenience of maintaining your weapon or replacement parts, most savvy high volume shooters would place their bets on Gen1, 2, or3 Glock LONG before any other type of pistol. The ergonomics, trigger pull, etc…would not even be an issue in that dystopian environment. We all hope that doesn’t happen in our lifetime, nor our descendant’s lifetimes, but THAT is what many Glock fanboys are thinking when they choose it over many weapons that are much more refined and comfortable. I always hear people say, “If you clean and maintain them properly, most major brands are equally reliable.” I would agree under THOSE circumstances. But what about the ugly reality of NOT being able to clean and maintain for a very extended length of time, or maybe never again. Sadly, that scenario is NEVER impossible and I would argue that are people around the world even now living under that type of situation.
Excuse me while I go puke.
Just like the people who ask the clerk for whatever “Ruger” or 10/22 they have in stock. They even refer to other 22lr rifles are 10/22s.
FN really screwed up with the slide stop on the 509. They deliberately made it difficult to use as a slide release, my (and others) preferred mode of operation. Hickok45 glossed over that little glitch, but you could see he had trouble with it, as well. What the heck where they thinking?
I think it’s an excellent gun, apart from that deal breaker slide stop stupidity.
Now that GEN 4 19’s are American Made, I really see no other reason to own any duty/concealed carry 9mm outside the Glock brand. 10’s of thousands of rounds of proven reliability, durability, parts interchangeability, size/capacity, etc. There is a reason 8/10 of America’s top shooters carry a G19…
I can think of a reason. Some people dont find them comfortable to shoot.. Others wont bu them simply for the looks.
It all comes down to personal preference.
It’s very true that Glock has a longer track record than any currently produced striker fired pistol out there. Truth be told, I don’t like the grip angle, I don’t like the trigger and I don’t like Glock’s user manual specifically warns against shooting reloads. The barrel that Glock sends out doesn’t support the case wall very well causing spent casings to bow. It seems to me that a pistol costing more than most their competition could put steel sights and a better barrel in.
For law enforcement, going with a provider who can meet production and cut bulk deals is a big thing. Law enforcement isn’t going to issue reloads anyway. For a former cop who’s used to the gun, I get it. It’s what they trained with. That’s a HUGE portion of sales. I bought an AR-15 and a Beretta 92 simply to practice with what I need to qualify with. If I’d been issued a Glock instead, I’d have probably bought one for the very same reason.
For the average person? There are many competing manufacturers making dozens of competing guns with better grips, better triggers, barrels that shoot reloads, that don’t skimp out on plastic sights… all for same or lower cost.
I love having a Glock fanboy hand me his gun to prove how “Glock Perfection” is a real thing…. but they’ve swapped the barrel, had a trigger job, put custom stippling on the grip, changed the sights, many get a Lone Wolf slide. And I’m like… “What part of this is still Glock? And if Glock is so perfect, why did you need all this extra work?!?”
Well said and an excellent question.
glock triggers are fine. They aren’t fancy schmancy raceguns. They are tools for defending one’s self against attackers. In that line of work a Glock trigger functions superbly.
Any gun who’s trigger releases the firing pin works “just fine”. By every measurable way, Glocks trigger is below average
Timothy, if you can execute the shooting fundamentals properly, then it doesn’t matter what brand you shoot.
Likewise, if you CAN’T execute the shooting fundamentals properly, then it doesn’t matter what brand you shoot.
I’m just going to throw this out there. But if “it doesn’t matter what gun you shoot”, then what you’re really saying is that TTAG is wasting our time with comparison articles.
The truth is that since Glock can’t handle reloads, specifically by their own word, it very much matters. I reload.
A cop’s duty weapon is usually determined by some bureaucrat choosing something on price.
Glock’s are great pistols (reliable, mostly accurate) but you could say the same about a lot of pistols.
and bureaucrats love hearing “We can meet your needs today and cut you a bulk deal.” a whole ton more than they like hearing “We put extra time and effort into ergonomics and if you give us a couple months, we can spin up production to meet your needs.” Thankfully, I haven’t ever had to equip a whole police force or service. Just the one gun at a time that I buy for my own person.
Only some gen 4s are American made……mostly the ones in garish colors like copper or battleship grey, or glocks being exported to other parts of the world while wagram fills certain military contracts…..
I still seek out the “austria” roll marks when I’m looking for new glocks.
Like other posters have noted – this seems to be a “oranges” to “grapefruit” comparison.
I realize (for the poster) that the 19 is the gun others have to beat, but many other would be looking at similar-sized pistols for comparison.
I like the new Gen2 M&P mainly for the 5 inch barrel. Not so much the FN. The 19 is a great gun but since I have a human hand (mine), I prefer the Ruger SR series The SR9c is my gun-to-beat. Nothing has felt better to my hand and shooting style.
Poster gave a good review of how these compared to his baby, though.
I prefer the Canik TP9V2 or TP9SF Elite to any of these.
The grip angle on Glocks reminds me of a Star Trek phaser….no wonder I like it.
In terms of size, the Glock 19 is about perfect for a double column auto.
I carried a S&W Model 36 in a leather pocket holster I made, until “Aloha Snackbar!” became a thing on this side of the pond.
I then switched to a Glock 19, carried IWB.
I then switched to a 3 1/2″ Citadel M1911. I switched more on the basis of caliber and thickness than anything else.
If I hadn’t bought the Citadel, I’d still be carrying the Glock.
When finances permit, I plan to buy a Glock 23.
I’m not a Glock fan, but I can readily agree that the Glock 19 is a near perfect balance between carry size and functionality. I can’t get over the fact that the Glock manual expressly recommends against shooting reloads since the barrel doesn’t support the bullets case wall very well.
But while I don’t like the gun, there are some obvious things that the gun just got right and other guns copy
It’s not the barrel supporting the case that is the problem, as Glock has addressed this issue that was more of a 40 cal issue. The problem regarding reloads is the polygonal rifling they use that may cause lead build up compared to traditional rifling. This has been addressed in the Gen 5 models with new rifling.
The new M&P still has that awful pinching trigger.
I just replaced the trigger on my M&P Performance Center with the Apex aluminum trigger – it feels so much better. Overall a great gun, except there is absolutely no tactile (or audible) reset indication – like none at all.
Funny how Glock and Apple are in the same boat. As proven successful pioneers in their respective fields (guns and smartphones), they will always have a group of haters.
Not true I hated my G17 because it failed me on 3 different occasions, still have a G19, in my safe, replaced most of it with aftermarket parts, now after spending much on it I’m afraid it will also fail me
well when people are constantly stuffing aftermarket crap of dubious quality into a perfectly fine gun (a defensive tool, not a range toy, mind you) of course they fail.
Doesn’t sound like anything was replaced on the G17.
My 3-1/2 year old G23 is at the factory now–I changed nothing, just tried to keep it clean, but it needed repair–they had to replace several parts. No product made by mankind is perfect–that’s a lie. It was a good gun until the day it wasn’t. Hopefully they fixed it.
Lots of people carry a Glock because it is so ubiquitous. Heck, that’s why I have a G19 and train with it. But it’s not anywhere close to the most common pistol available in the US or worldwide. Nor is it the most “battle tested”. In fact, the Glock 17 and 19 have little experience in war, at least compared to the pistol that takes the top slot there.
Many may think that’s the venerable 1911.
Glock reports sales of 2.5 million units, for all models, about the same as the 1911, although the 1911 has been delivered to far more military units around the world than the G19 or G17. Still, those are amateur numbers compared to the #1 selling combat pistol of all time.
The Berreta 92FS has been used for over 40 years now, has delivered 640,000 units to the US military, and another 3.5 million to other countries.
The first unit in the US to use it? The Navy SEALS, who started using it in 1979. It became the standard firearms for all other branches 6 years later, and would remain so for over 25 years. That doesn’t even count the dozens of police forces in the US that issued the pistol.
If your choice is based on US and worldwide use and availability, the 92fs is king.
If you’re really looking for worldwide use, cz 75. Not as war used as the 1911, but widest military and police use worldwide
That’s just bullshit the CZ marketing department made up. It may have been briefly true sometime in the 80s (even thats debateable) but there’s no way in hell thats true in 2017.
I would bet real money there are more glocks in active duty service than any CZ variant right now.
All Glocks put together vs just one CZ variant? That hardly seems fair. How about All Glocks vs All CZs? Or the single most used variant of one vs the other? I EDC a CZ 75 and I’m looking to switch because of how big it is. But I’m less accurate with the sub compacts I’ve tried and I haven’t found a regular compact that I like. I will try the CZ P10 when I get the chance. I couldn’t get over the crappy Glock trigger, the crappy Glock angle, or the lack of shooting reloads. You know, if you like the grip angle and you don’t care what your trigger feels like and you don’t want to shoot reloads, then Glock is a really nice package. The absolute top in terms of aftermarket support, super long track record, plenty accurate and reliable. It’s just not for me man.
As for whether CZ is top for Mil/LE as a brand or with a variant, find me a source that says otherwise.
As far as super customer service, I have to say that Glock is the only major manufacturer that doesn’t pay to ship the gun / magazines TO them, and they require overnight service, which cost me $102.78 last week. They get a big discount on shipping, and they should pay it or at least allow 2nd day service (which is the way they ship a gun back to you). I can’t comment on the quality of their repairs since the gun is still on the way back to me.
I have a “G”, I have a 1911 (several, actually), I have an M&P .40 – they ALL go “bang” when I pull the trigger, and I’m able to put ’em on an 8″ pie-plate out to 25yrds. The pistol with which I’m the most comfortable is my early-production HiPower though. Tis a heavy beastie, but I love the way it feels, and it is a sweet-shooting 9mm – also a “double-stack”.
It is a valid truism that the firearm with which you’re the most comfortable will become the firearm with which you’re the most accurate – if nothing else, because you’ll train more with it. So, find what works for YOU, and let all of us keyboard commandos have our opinions – and remember, MY opinion is worth every bit of money YOU paid for it!
Scene: A gun shop. One corner is occupied by a group of customers wearing black t-shirts.
A man and woman enter…
Man: Morning!
Gun Store Employee: Morning!
Man: Well, what’ve you got?
Employee: Well, there’s SIG and Ruger; SIG Walther and Ruger; SIG and GLOCK; SIG Ruger
and GLOCK; SIG Ruger Walther and GLOCK; GLOCK Ruger Walther and GLOCK; GLOCK
SIG GLOCK GLOCK Ruger and GLOCK; GLOCK Walther GLOCK GLOCK Ruger GLOCK Beretta
and GLOCK;
Customers in black: GLOCK GLOCK GLOCK GLOCK…
Employee: …GLOCK GLOCK GLOCK SIG and GLOCK; GLOCK GLOCK GLOCK GLOCK GLOCK GLOCK
Smith & Wesson GLOCK GLOCK GLOCK…
Customers: GLOCK! Perfect GLOCK! Perfect GLOCK!
Employee: …or a Benelli Vinci, a Mauser with a custom stock made in a Mannlicher
style of Turkish walnut with ebony inlays and an ajustable trigger in a fitted
case with a matching SIG and GLOCK.
Woman: Have you got anything without GLOCK?
Employee: Well, there’s GLOCK SIG Walther and GLOCK, that’s not got much GLOCK in it.
Woman: I don’t want ANY GLOCK!
Man: Why can’t she have SIG Ruger GLOCK and Walther?
Woman: THAT’S got GLOCK in it!
Man: Hasn’t got as much GLOCK in it as GLOCK SIG Walther and GLOCK, has it?
Customers: GLOCK GLOCK GLOCK GLOCK… (Crescendo through next few lines…)
Woman: Could you do the SIG Ruger GLOCK and Walther without the GLOCK then?
Employee: Urgghh!
Woman: What do you mean ‘Urgghh’? I don’t like GLOCK!
Customers: Perfect GLOCK! Wonderful GLOCK!
Employee: Shut up!
Customers: Perfect GLOCK! Wonderful GLOCK!
Employee: Shut up! (Customers stop) Bloody Customers! You can’t have SIG Ruger GLOCK and
Walther without the GLOCK.
Woman: I don’t like GLOCK!
Man: Sshh, dear, don’t cause a fuss. I’ll have your GLOCK. I love it. I’m having GLOCK
GLOCK GLOCK GLOCK GLOCK GLOCK GLOCK Smith & Wesson GLOCK GLOCK GLOCK and GLOCK!
Customers: GLOCK GLOCK GLOCK GLOCK. Perfect GLOCK! Wonderful GLOCK!
Employee: Shut up!! Smith & Wesson are backordered.
Man: Well could I have her GLOCK instead of the Smith & Wesson then?
Employee: You mean GLOCK GLOCK GLOCK GLOCK GLOCK GLOCK… (but it is too late and the
Customers drown her words)
Customers: (Singing elaborately…) GLOCK GLOCK GLOCK GLOCK. Perfect GLOCK! Wonderful
GLOCK! GLOCK GLO-O-O-O-O-CK GLOCK GLO-O-O-O-O-CK GLOCK. Perfect GLOCK! Perfect
GLOCK! Perfect GLOCK! Perfect GLOCK! Perfect GLOCK! GLOCK GLOCK GLOCK GLOCK!
The funniest thing about this is how perfectly accurate it is.
I open carry, and literally get the same question any time somebody asks me about my gun:
“Hey, nice gun! Is that a GLOCK?”
No… It’s not. You would know that if you had taken even a second to look at it. It’s an FNS-40. It looks absolutely nothing like a GLOCK.
“Oh man, that’s cool. I love GLOCKS. I have a GLOCK in the GLOCK at GLOCK.”
That’s nice. I’m going to slowly back away now.
Heh, love the old SPAM, SPAM, SPAM and SPAM reference. Made my morning.
based on the logic here
you want to drive a ford f-150
but you drive a honda civic? right?
When I was in a market for my first pistol, the PPQ was impossible to find or take to the range. I had family with G17s and they was good enough. What gave Glock the edge, though, was reputation and marketing.
Reputation was/is that they’ll fire in any condition, anywhere.
Marketing was/is blue label pricing. When you’re eligible, it makes it hard to justify spending more on another option. If it wasn’t for BL, I’d have looked more closely at others or waited to get hands on the Walther.
I hated Glocks until I had my 19c trimmed down and stippled, replaced the trigger bar and sights, and installed a grip force adapter to make the grip angle not suck. Now I find it to be pretty nice and one of my go-to, non-CZ pistols. And that’s really what I appreciate about a Glock…it can be anything to anybody with a little time and work.
I never thought I’d own a Glock but after I recently sold my XDM and XDS I picked up a G43 with TALO sights. Now, I don’t know if it was the sights, the pistol, or both, but my groupings with the Glock are 30% tighter.
I chose Glock simply because of it’s modular and contiguous design, prolific accessories and the fact that it’s the platform a lot of hybrids are borne from (ie. AR pistols that use Glock mags) so what I purchase now can have even more uses later.
I guess I made a couple of good choices! My wife uses the Glock 19, and I use an M&P 2.0. I also bought a Glock 34 Gen 3 Long Slide, which is actually my favorite. Glad to see this review, and that we have two out of three of these. The M&P is sweet though, and makes me look good.
Grips and hands vary widely. I believe the shooter is best served by the gun that, when punched out comfortably and naturally, lines the sights up the easiest. Then, when the going gets snotty and you’re rushed, out of position, shooting with one eye and a bloody grip, you’re most likely to be able to still shoot effectively.
I’ve had shooters that when presenting a gun with a 1911 type grip angle, and their eyes closed, the gun would point low. Put him in a GLOCK and everything lines up without artificial corrections. Others have to make their wrist crank down to an uncomfortable angle to line up a Glocks sights.
The body will constantly be seeking a more comfortable position and your consistency goes out the window. Find the gun that aligns easily for you and your conscious mind can go back to thinking about your situation and your course of action, and not about how you’re gripping the gun.
I’ve shot Glocks, S&W, CZ, Ruger, Walther etc. So far the best all around striker fired handgun I’ve used was the Magnum Research MR9. From grip, finish, accuracy, reliability, sights etc. it just clicked. Maybe it was just the perfect fit for me, but it was a joy to shoot.
Glocks have true “double-action” triggers where the striker is drawn back as the trigger is pulled.
With the M&P 2.0, the striker is cocked, so it is not a true “double-action” striker, even though it requires a full double-action pull, at least on the first shot–subsequent shots can have the trigger reset without fully releasing it, but that requires feel (I haven’t actually fired this model yet, just inspecting the internals).
Glocks, M&P, Beretta, 1911’s, Kahr,s , CZ’s, I have owned them all and concur with use what works and shoots best for you. Cannot deny the Glock is the AK-47/Ford F150’s of pistols, Fuggly, chunky and relatively bullet proof., but they work That said I have broken them just like about everyother pistol I have owned due to shooting them and maintenance needs.
My S&W Performance Center Scandium 1911 Bobtail has yet to break and is about as perfect a pistol “I have owned”, as well as my 1990’s Series Beretta 92FS has yet to break. The S&W is exactly what you would expect when one shells out $1500 for a pistol, and I still swapped out the white dot sights for Tritium Night Sights, and upgraded the Beretta with a Flat Spring, and Wilson Combat Guide Rod, and little more.
Money does not always buy reliability, but then a Ford F-150 cost s less than a Cadillac Escalade, yet they are both trucks. Buy what you can afford, will use, train with and carry is my advice, Spend more on ammo and range time instead of a flashy pistol, unless it is for your 50th Bday, and that is the only reason I have a higher-end pistol, yet others will laugh when I say higher-end is $1500 + a few mods like grips and sights, each to his own. Guns are like girlfriends, you might date a few until you find the “Wife”! 🙂
They are man made machines, tools of the trade, and like all man made machines, they need to be used, cleaned, maintained and inspected.
Find what works for you, ignore the Fanboys, and Range Queen Guns, try to do responsible upgrades, I.e. Sights, Springs and grips where needed, but stop at the Mall Ninja Upgrade side of the scale as it is tacky and usually degrades the performance characteristics of the gun
You lost me at “front serrations” and “grip angle”.
Have a glock 19
Have a FN 509
The 509 trigger was / is different.
At first I disliked it but after I got some trigger time I began to really like it…a lot.
It breaks clean…crisp…at a little over 6.5 pounds. It breaks so fast and crisp there is no time to screw up the shot. It is a very safe carry trigger and is accurate when training with it after some time.
It replaces my Glock 19 gen 3 that I’ve carried gor a number of years.
Rate it a solid 8 – 9 .
Highly recommended
I agree Glocks are practical handguns, but some treat them as a holy grail. I have both a glock 19 and a Sig P229 and for my money the Sig is far superior. Better than both is a 1911, but thats a diff animal. The 229 is my ccw gun, even though it’s heavier. I can pop a 2 inch group at 50ft all day with the Sig, not with the Glock since the factory trigger is total rubbish. I’m not going to invest nearly $200 in a trigger for a $450 gun either. The glock to me is a good screw around range gun or carry in the woods in the rain or hot humid summer day gun. I can beat on it and not care. Its like those junk tools/ wrenches in the tool box, they aren’t pretty, but always work and you don’t care if you break them. Glocks will never be collectors items.
I like a variety of pistols and calibers; variety is the spice of life, any other argument is mundane and sophomoric! There are many very effective pistols and calibers; it really depends on what you like, your skill level, the amount of training you do, and the task at hand! Anything else is just blah, blah, blah….
I have used and owned dozens of pistols in my life. My favorite pistol was a imported CZ-75 for years because it was very accurate and had a great trigger. Then my original CZ an imported 1983 model started to have a serious problem. I was shooting many thousands of 9mm 108 grain ball from Interarms and the extractor pin in the slide started backing out of the slide and the extractor would fly out of the gun. I called CZ and they were no help , so I took it to a gunsmith and he peened the pin hole and put in a stippled extractor pin. This worked for a while but the pin kept backing out of the slide. I sold the gun and got a new 1989 CZ and the second day I was shooting it I could not get it to fire. No primer indentation on the cartridges caused by a broken firing pin. I was shocked at how thin the CZ 75 firing pin was. Much smaller than a Highpower. I got a second firing pin from CZ and a few weeks later it broke and they refused to replace it. A year or so later a friend bought a CZ75 and the same thing happened.He was shooting Remington 9mm 124 Grain ammo. CZ again said no free firing pin and accused me or dry firing the gun. Love CZ75’s but if you carry one buyer beware. Pull the firing pin and you will be amazed how small the diameter is. I have since been told that the quality of the steel varies for batch to batch. In fairness I had a 1993 SIG 229 in 357 SIG break a firing pin also. I was however dry firing that gun. SIG also refused to replace the firing pin. Unload your pistol and take a pencil with an eraser on it and put it in the barrel eraser toward the chamber, muzzle facing the ceiling. When you pull the trigger the pencil will fly out of the barrel if the firing pin is functioning correctly. Glocks and 1911’s have very robust firing pins, do not know about the newer pistol firing pins integrity however. Check those firing pins periodically because I carried my SIG for a few weeks and found out when I went to the range and it would not fire. If I had needed it that would have been a disaster. A.T.
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