New Pistol Shooter 9mm Advice

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luv2roll

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I decided to get into pistol target shooting after a long absence so for all intensive purposes I am new to it. I recently completed my RPAL and the next step is to decide on a 9mm Semi. My intended purpose will be to use it for plinking/punching paper at the range. It would be great if it could be used for some light competitive shooting should I get the itch.

I am pretty open minded about platforms. I've taken a look at a few including some 9mm 1911's, Beretta 92, P226, CZ and Glock - even a baby eagle. My hands are not big so a Glock 19 fits well, but so does a CZ and a P226. I am looking for easy cleaning and rock solid reliability. I would like to keep it under $1500 but I have some wiggle room.

The inox Beretta looks nice but its not a great fit. 1911's fit well enough and are pretty mild shooters in 9mm but I am leaning towards a CZ75 sp-01 or a Glock 19.

On a side note I've decided on either a .22LR Ruger Mark III or a Buckmark depending on what is available for a better deal.

Thanks in advance for any advice you can share!
 
Glocks and SIGs are reliable and offer easy takedown and cleaning. So does the Beretta but I'm not a fan of the girth of the gun.
The SP-01 is close to your upper limit in Canadian or Orange form and they are hard to find these days. It does have the best trigger of your choices. The SRT on the SIG would be next. The Glock has the worst feeling trigger of your group but is one of my favorite guns due to ease and reliability.
There is no perfect choice. You have to handle as many as you can and decide for yourself. You won't go wrong with any of your options.
 
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luv2roll said:
I decided to get into pistol target shooting after a long absence so for all intensive purposes I am new to it. I recently completed my RPAL and the next step is to decide on a 9mm Semi. My intended purpose will be to use it for plinking/punching paper at the range. It would be great if it could be used for some light competitive shooting should I get the itch.

I am pretty open minded about platforms. I've taken a look at a few including some 9mm 1911's, Beretta 92, P226, CZ and Glock - even a baby eagle. My hands are not big so a Glock 19 fits well, but so does a CZ and a P226. I am looking for easy cleaning and rock solid reliability. I would like to keep it under $1500 but I have some wiggle room.

The inox Beretta looks nice but its not a great fit. 1911's fit well enough and are pretty mild shooters in 9mm but I am leaning towards a CZ75 sp-01 or a Glock 19.

On a side note I've decided on either a .22LR Ruger Mark III or a Buckmark depending on what is available for a better deal.

Thanks in advance for any advice you can share!
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The CZ SP-01 is very hard to beat, for the money. You can buy one for under $1000, or you can step-up to a Shadowline or Canadian Edition if you want to spend more....
a bit more.....
 
Confirmed Cz fan here....shadow fits your bill...sig would be my second choice, but you'll have to do the trigger....same goes for the Glock...all are truly stupendous pistols....if you happened to be a 1911 fan...go sti....you have a perfect budget..you're going to find a great toy...enjoy.
 
v-king said:
All roads eventually lead to a glock. Spare yourself the jurney and head straight for the light.
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No they don't, and 'journey' is spelled that way < but anyway.....as mentioned, Still Alive pretty much nails it. I went the Sig route over the CZ, just my personal preference. Can't add much more to what SA said, after that it is just all fan boy talk, 'my ###xx is the only one that is the best and everything else is crap'.....find the one that fits your hand the best, buy it and shoot it. The reason I don't shoot a Glock is I don't like the fit ......... and they are crap compared to my Sig. ;-)
 
From what your describing that you would like I'd check out the Beretta 92 or a Browning Hi Power, they are a couple of pistols that are very reliable and easy to take down.
 
First of all welcome back! All the choices you listed are great guns. M&P is also a great choice (my favorite). With the M&P or Glock you will probably want some trigger work as they are striker fired, duty pistols and the triggers reflect that. But you can get a great trigger and other goodies on either of them and still be well within your budget.

Still alive has some great advice. Handle the pistols you are interested in and shoot them if you can. Pick the one that fits you best. If it needs a trigger or sights or whatever afterwards, adding them just adds to the fun.
 
Cz-75 is great for smaller hands. (And metal)

Not really a Glock fan so i would choose a Walther PPQ M2 (22lr or 9mm) for polymer pistol.
S&W Mp9 range kit is a great starter with all the goodies in the box.
 
I have a Glock 17, M&P, and CZ SP01 Shadowline. By far the superior firearm (to me) is the CZ; accuracy, trigger, feel are all great. I enjoy my others and they are fine firearms but you will not regret the CZ. Even when I upgraded the trigger, barrel, and guide rod on my Glock, which worked very well by the way, it still didn't match the CZ, but YMMV, everyone has their preference.
 
I'm a confirmed fan of metal guns over polymer so my vote would go to CZ or Sig.


Edit

..............Actually my vote would go to an early S&W Model 27 in .357 but that's a discussion for a different day ;)
 
Glock, Sig, and CZ all make good product, though you'll pay a premium for SIG. Beretta also makes a quality gun but I hate slide mounted controls so never gave the 92 a fair go.

As you mentioned competition you'll need to factor extra mags, belt, holster, and mag pouches into cost. I'm also assuming the $1500 includes tax. That effectively knocks out the SIG on price unless you buy used.

CZ Shadow and Glock would both fit the bill, but you would have to carefully watch which upgrades were allowed to the glock trigger depending on competition format. New sights would also likely be helpful. For that reason I'd say go CZ, as it's close to ready out of the box for $200 less than a base model SIG.

I'm not sure about the holster or parts/magazines situation but another option to consider is a Bersa Thunder 9 Pro. Had a chance to shoot one today and it was a very pleasant surprise. Good grip, decent sights, very SIG like trigger. $600 I was told. Great gun for the price.
 
You have short listed some fine pistols. Four hammer fired, one striker fired. I think this should be your next choice. If you want striker fired, than get the Glock. Not sure if a 19 is the best size for competition. Take a look at a Glock 17 as well. If you decide hammer fired is your choice, then get the CZ 75 SP-01 Shadow.
 
luv2roll said:
I decided to get into pistol target shooting after a long absence so for all intensive purposes I am new to it. I recently completed my RPAL and the next step is to decide on a 9mm Semi. My intended purpose will be to use it for plinking/punching paper at the range. It would be great if it could be used for some light competitive shooting should I get the itch.

I am pretty open minded about platforms. I've taken a look at a few including some 9mm 1911's, Beretta 92, P226, CZ and Glock - even a baby eagle. My hands are not big so a Glock 19 fits well, but so does a CZ and a P226. I am looking for easy cleaning and rock solid reliability. I would like to keep it under $1500 but I have some wiggle room.

The inox Beretta looks nice but its not a great fit. 1911's fit well enough and are pretty mild shooters in 9mm but I am leaning towards a CZ75 sp-01 or a Glock 19.

On a side note I've decided on either a .22LR Ruger Mark III or a Buckmark depending on what is available for a better deal.

Thanks in advance for any advice you can share!
Click to expand...

The new generation beretta 92a3 is reported to have smaller grips making it a better fit for smaller hands. Only one colour available though.
 
I can say for striker fired money wise the Canik TP9SA is the best thing going (I've had all the comparables).
A little more high end and a plug to myself the Arsenal Strike One (I just so happen to be selling one.....)
For Single action well a 9mm 1911 like the Taurus/STI/even Norinco is a nice gun for the money (granted it's reliable)
For DA/SA I'd say you can never go wrong with the Shadow or my favourite the Tanfoglio Stock 3.

I'd also advise buying used on the EE.
 
Thanks everyone for the great suggestions and advice and for the welcome back! Wow, I didn't expect such a good response with so much good info!

Budget wise $1500 would be for the price of the pistol before taxes. Even though its more money the Tanfoglio Stock 3 is super tempting! I've never handled one but I'm guessing similar ergos to the CZ. I never considered a Tanfoglio before. I don't really know enough about them with respect to the costs beyond the price of the gun but I will see what I can find out about them.

As far as triggers go the Glock triggers are 'good enough' for my purposes. I had not considered an M&P, or Canik until now but I will take a look. As far as a DA/SA hammer fired pistol goes the CZ shadow exceeds all of my requirements and has a lot going for it.

In a 1911 there are so many great choices out there. I really like a 1911. STI looks really nice as does DLASK's 9mm 1911's, but I have never handled either one. Any thoughts on a Colt Government in 9mm? I will keep my eyes peeled on the EE and I've had great experiences on the EE.

Thanks again for taking a look!
 
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