Advice on a 9mm for dual purpose.

[Guest Patty]

Kel Tec PF9 under 3 bills.

[mikegideon]

A couple of posters have suggested finding a used third generation S&W, and that's exactly what I would do. We can argue 'til the cows come home about the merits of the new $300 pistols, but the 3rd gen is not a $300 gun. personally, I wouldn't be afraid of a 1st or 2nd gen either if it was in real good shape. All three generations were used heavily by law enforcement in their day.

My model 59 (1st gen) is still one of my favorite pistols.

[Mykltn]

I don't know anyone who has had a bad a Taurus. I have owned three and two of them I still shoot and carry. My Tracker 44 Mag was taken to the range twice and had only 50 round shot through it before I sold it. It seemed to be an accurate and dependable firearm and was only sold because of the expense of ammo.

My Rossi .357 Mag (Rossi is owned by Taurus) has had over 2000 round fired through it without fail. Blazers, Winchesters, Remington and Monarch in 38 Spl, 38+p and 357 Mag ball and Jhp have all gone bang each and every time the trigger is pulled.

My Taurus PT111 Mil Pro 3rd Gen has also had over 1000 rounds fired without any FTF/FTE issues. I have shot some real junk ammo through it and the only problem was a primer that didn't spark. But since it is a DA/SA, I just pulled the trigger again and hit my mark.

Bottom line is I trust my Budget guns. They have never failed to do what they were designed to do. Anyone who believes they are junk is more than welcome to stand on the business end of one and challenge their reliability. Just my .

[Guest rystine]

Anyone who believes they are junk is more than welcome to stand on the business end of one and challenge their reliability.

I love how people like to challenge others to "stand in front of my gun" in order to try and legitamize their chosen pistol/rifle/caliber. I wouldn't want to stand in front of a jimenez 25 auto. But that doesnt mean that I think it's a quality gun.

[Guest Boogieman]

Thank you all for the great info. I was looking at the Ruger P95 but it seemed a little large and heavy for the HCP bit. The Kel-Tec pf9 and pf11 would be awesome except that I found the pf9 to be uncomfortably small in my hand. I liked how the pf11 felt but I didnt like the dangling fingers there either. The sigma was nicely weighted and fit great in the hand but the shop I stopped by was a little high. Same thing on the taurus mil-pro. My father has a smith and wesson 40 cal that we used to go out and shoot. I loved that thing but as a HCP gun its much too big and bulky. He's also got a taurus mil-pro .45 and a walther p22. I like them all and they all shoot like a dream. Dad says he's never had a fte/ftf since owning them. I'd love nothing more than to hold out for a glock, xd or m&p and perhaps when I hit the gun show there will be a used one close enough to my price range that I'll be able to pick one up. Thanks again and keep the suggestions coming. I'd love to be toting a long list of possibles when I go shoppin.

[Guest Ae-35]

Save some 'bread" an get ya a G26 or G19.

[Smith]

IMO the Ruger SR9, CZ P07, or Sigma would all be good starter pistols. The Sigma will be the cheapest. IF you are near an Academy you can get one of these for a good price. Although it is a .40 TAURUS PT101 .40CAL HANDGUN

[Mykltn]

I love how people like to challenge others to "stand in front of my gun" in order to try and legitimize their chosen pistol/rifle/caliber. I wouldn't want to stand in front of a jimenez 25 auto. But that doesn't mean that I think it's a quality gun.

I have a Rossi, Taurus, Bond arms, Sig, Springfield, Rock Island and a FireStar. Calibers include .380ACP, ,357Mag, .40 S&W, .45ACP, 45LC and ,410 Shot Shell. Each one is a range tested, accurate and dependable CCW. I have no need to legitimize my chosen weapons. Each and every one is 100% guaranteed to do it's intended job. I could give a sh*t less whether or not you "love" my challenge. When the bad man sees the flash and feels the hot metal penetrate his chest, he's not really gonna care if my reliable CCW cost $300 or $3000.

Edited February 1, 2010 by Mykltn

[Almond27]

I have a Rossi, Taurus, Bond arms, Sig, Springfield, Rock Island and a FireStar. Calibers include .380ACP, ,357Mag, .40 S&W, 45LC and ,410 Shot Shell. Each one is a range tested, accurate and dependable CCW. I have no need to legitimize my chosen weapons. Each and every one is 100% guaranteed to do it's intended job. I could give a sh*t less whether or not you "love" my challenge. When the bad man see the flash and feels the hot metal penetrate his chest, he's not really gonna care if my reliable CCW cost $300 of $3000.

Totally agree +100

[bayouvol]

buy the finger extension for the p11, get used to the trigger pull and put in a holster. I have owned 3 with no problems. In fact, i bought one from a guy who said it did nothing but jam. He was limp wristing it. I bought it and later was at the range shooting. He wouldn't believe it was the same gun. The pinkie extension helps with control alot. But don't expect a target gun at 25 yards. Just practice at 15 and in for accuracy.

[Guest FiddleDog]

I have a PF9 that is having all kinds of failure to return to battery issues and FTFeed issues when initially chambered. Fit's not bad. Recoil is substantial. Finish leaves A LOT to be desired. Even if I hadn't had any function problems with it, I still regret spending the money on it.

You should be able to find a used Kahr CW9 in the $300-$350 range. I love mine. It is stiff at first. It nose dives on chambering the round unless you lock back the slide, insert the magazine and then use the slide release to chamber the round. It's what the handbook said to do. Works like a charm, every time. Get a used one and get one that has already gone through the break-in period. Finish is what you'd expect from a more expensive weapon. Decently sized, but still very easy to carry.

i'd still probably go Taurus Mil-pro current gen - PT145 or PT111.

Edited February 1, 2010 by FiddleDog

[Guest tlondon]

check out the bersa thunder 9 compact. its just a little over $300 and bersa is known to be great little guns.

[Guest gasman59]

+1 on the p95. . .only way to go in your price range

Make that +2.

[Guest Muttling]

Gotta love these threads that go for 7 pages on a 2 post wonder.

I'm all for the good advice that is being given, but I think we should stop responding to a poster who hasn't bothered to respond to several pages of answers to his own question.

[Guest gasman59]

Gotta love these threads that go for 7 pages on a 2 post wonder.

I'm all for the good advice that is being given, but I think we should stop responding to a poster who hasn't bothered to respond to several pages of answers to his own question.

Here's a response.

http://www.tngunowners.com/forums/handguns/34330-advice-9mm-dual-purpose-6.html#post448611

Edited February 1, 2010 by gasman59

[Guest Boogieman]

Gotta love these threads that go for 7 pages on a 2 post wonder.

I'm all for the good advice that is being given, but I think we should stop responding to a poster who hasn't bothered to respond to several pages of answers to his own question.

Since I just joined yesterday I think 2 posts is perfectly acceptable. I am sure there are folks on here that have been members for months and havent logged a single post..... Anyway, I've narrowed it down to either the Sigma or the Taurus mil-pro but am keeping my eyes open for a good deal either on the auction blocks, the local gun shops or the gun shows. Thanks for taking the time to respond to this "2 post wonder".

[lowbud]

Thank you all for the great info. I was looking at the Ruger P95 but it seemed a little large and heavy for the HCP bit. The Kel-Tec pf9 and pf11 would be awesome except that I found the pf9 to be uncomfortably small in my hand. I liked how the pf11 felt but I didnt like the dangling fingers there either. The sigma was nicely weighted and fit great in the hand but the shop I stopped by was a little high. Same thing on the taurus mil-pro. My father has a smith and wesson 40 cal that we used to go out and shoot. I loved that thing but as a HCP gun its much too big and bulky. He's also got a taurus mil-pro .45 and a walther p22. I like them all and they all shoot like a dream. Dad says he's never had a fte/ftf since owning them. I'd love nothing more than to hold out for a glock, xd or m&p and perhaps when I hit the gun show there will be a used one close enough to my price range that I'll be able to pick one up. Thanks again and keep the suggestions coming. I'd love to be toting a long list of possibles when I go shoppin.

Best advise.. don't get in a hurry. know pretty well what things are selling for so when the deal comes up.. whatever it is.. you'll feel good about it.

Good Luck!

[lowbud]

Since I just joined yesterday I think 2 posts is perfectly acceptable. I am sure there are folks on here that have been members for months and havent logged a single post..... Anyway, I've narrowed it down to either the Sigma or the Taurus mil-pro but am keeping my eyes open for a good deal either on the auction blocks, the local gun shops or the gun shows. Thanks for taking the time to respond to this "2 post wonder".

As in everything.. we all must put up with screwballs every once in a while. There really is a great bunch of people here and only a select few knuckleheads.

Welcome to the forum. Enjoy your stay with us.

[Guest evo8ricer]

I have owned a Taurus PT111 Pro stainless for 11 months I have put 500 rounds Through it without 1 miss fire or anything I paid 390 out the door tax back ground check everything the all black ones was about 25 dollars less. These guns are really nice and everyone that I have let shoot it hits the bullseye 10 out of 12 times from 10 yards with a 10" target I find that after putting 100 rounds through it and getting use to it it gets more accurate I get a killshot every shot from 20 yards no problem with 2 mags and lifetime warranty and the reliability that i have had for under 400 for everything I love it I was in the same situation needed something for under 350 but am looking to upgrade to a XD sub sometime soon and the pro is the lightest in its class besides the keltec it is even lighter than its brother slim 709 and I haven't found one of those for under 430 out the door good luck

[iyaoyas98]

PT111 - Just make sure to feed it decent ammo. They don't like Wolf...

[bockey]

I bought a new in box Kel-Tech P-11 last fall for $290 out the door, at a local gun dealer. Like others have said be patient and shop around, a deal can be found.

[JAB]

I own a P11. It is a good size for carry and accurate enough (after lots of practice) to be used for SD at private-citizen SD distances. It can even be enjoyable to put fifty rounds or so through at the range shooting at fairly close targets. It is not and will never be, however, all that much of a 'range gun'. It is a light, small 9mm that I can comfortably carry all day and conceal pretty easily (even OWB in a FOBUS holster.)

I also own a Ruger P95. Mine was a wedding present from my grandfather in law (we were shooting it one day - the first time he had taken it out - and he decided he didn't like it and, since I did, he gave it to me) but I have noticed them used for around $300, recently. It is rather bulky and heavy, to the point that I thought carrying/concealing it would be impossible. I have since found that such is not always the case. In a leather belt-slide holster that holds it fairly high on the belt and at a bit of a cant (butt forward), I can securely carry and conceal it OWB, believe it or not. It does require a thicker/heavier/roomier cover garment than the P11 requires and honestly I have only tried it in cooler weather where I will be wearing a jacket or at least an unbuttoned, thick denim shirt over it. I don't have a 'special' belt for carrying but I do choose stiff, leather belts - preferably 'work' type leather belts that have two holes (one above the other) to buckle them rather than just one - I like Dickies work belts. Carrying the P95 this way isn't miserable, at all - even when riding in a car - but it is still much more noticeable than my P11, my Rossi five shot .38 snubbie or even the six-shot .357 Rossi I sometimes carry. If I carry the P95 for an extended period of time, I often feel relieved to be taking it off when I get home. It isn't so bad that I'd worry about leaving it in the car because carrying it is too difficult, though.

It isn't always the best carry option from among the handguns I own but among my small collection it is probably the best combination for dual purpose range use and carry. I will say that mine has never jammed and the only problem it has had was with some ammo I got ahold of that had hard primers (boxes were white with no brand name and there was red around the primers - possibly military surplus and maybe even designed for machine guns.) Even then, the rounds that failed to fire did fire on the second strike. The up side to being bulky and heavy is that it is built like a tank and the weight absorbs a lot of recoil.

Edited February 1, 2010 by JAB

[Guest Drewsett]

I bought a CZ 82 for the precise reasons the OP stated he wanted a 9mm handgun...only problem is that it's 9x18mm instead of 9x19mm...9x18 isnt' hard to find though and it pretty cheap. The gun is great and you can get them for around 200 bucks. Several online retailers have them right now (AIMSurplus, and also J&G I believe).

[Guest Boogieman]

Thanks for even more ideas. I was looking into the P95 before I posted then went fip flopping between that and alot of other choices. I think for the money I currently have IF I have to buy NEW I'm going to go with the Ruger P95. I had previously stated I was set on a Taurus mil-pro or a S&W Sigma but as I think on things a little more the Ruger is going to fit me a little better. I'm 6'3" and 310lbs so a little extra bulk aint gonna hurt me a bit. I'm not going to rush anything and will keep my eye out for a deal on a Glock or Sig (maybe I can talk the better half into giving me a little more on my budget) used, maybe even a P95 used. In either case I've got two weeks to compile information and get myself aquainted with whats what and how much things are going for so when its time I'll be able to make the best decision available. Thanks again to everyone, ya'll have been really nice and very helpful in my quest.

[JAB]

Good luck! Just FYI, IIRC, there are at least two models of the P95. I have a P95DC (the 'DC' stands for 'decocker'.) This model has no safety - only a decocker lever. It is a DA/SA pistol and is carried decocked. However, the trigger is obviously much stiffer with a longer pull in DA mode than in SA and firing a shot leaves the pistol in SA mode for the next shot (as does manually operating the slide) - meaning that, unless you manually thumb back the hammer before the first shot there is quite a bit of difference in the trigger pull between the first shot and subsequent shots. This takes some getting used to and requires extra care not to be startled when the second shot seems to happen a lot more quickly and easily than the first.

I believe there is also a model with a safety but my impression is that the safety is also a decocker so that putting the safety on also decocks the hammer. I can't swear to that, though, and would recommend that you see what you can find about the various models as part of your research.

Edited February 2, 2010 by JAB