Newbie, maybe..

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Merck

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Hey all,

I'm a noob when it comes to handguns for the most part - a few days at the range the RPAL course is about it and playing with my buddy's (unloaded) Glock 17 gen 4. Problem is now I can see myself getting into the pistol world a little so I'm considering getting something for range shooting. I've gone and handled a few different guns and like the following:

Glock 17
P226
M&P
CZ 75

I know there's differences such as construction, feel, etc but was wondering if there is anything specific about being a newbie I should be cautious of with these? Or just go by feel, fit and price? I'm looking for 9mm and I shoot left so if any are more ambidextrous that would be a plus as well. Just looking for starter thoughts.

Thanks
 
They are all fine pistols in their own right. Myself being a lefty as well, im quite happy with my M&P 9MM. The ambi mag release is nice.

But in the end, I recomend you buy the one that feels best in your hand and makes your tally wacker move the most when you pick up the pistol.
 
You have an excellent list of guns there. Can't go wrong with any of them. You will get a bunch of opinions supporting all 4 and none are wrong. You've handled them all. Which one did you like? There is no mystery about guns. Research, fondle, buy, shoot. That's it. Noob to pro, no diff, no secret handshake. As long as your fundamentals are sound, all those guns will work very well!
Being a lefty, go back and try them again and specifically see which one is more intuitive. My suspicion will be the Glock or M&P since they have the fewest external pieces.
This is the fun part. Enjoy it and let us know what you decide!
 
I made a similar decision and it was the Cz75 i went with. The way i figured it out was i laid each on the bench and closed my eyes and quickly drew to eye level then opened my eyes. Whichever one had the sights lined up was the one i went with. Ive since got rid of my semis and gone to revolvers but thats another story.
 
Merck said:
Hey all,

I'm a noob when it comes to handguns for the most part - a few days at the range the RPAL course is about it and playing with my buddy's (unloaded) Glock 17 gen 4. Problem is now I can see myself getting into the pistol world a little so I'm considering getting something for range shooting. I've gone and handled a few different guns and like the following:

Glock 17
P226
M&P
CZ 75

I know there's differences such as construction, feel, etc but was wondering if there is anything specific about being a newbie I should be cautious of with these? Or just go by feel, fit and price? I'm looking for 9mm and I shoot left so if any are more ambidextrous that would be a plus as well. Just looking for starter thoughts.

Thanks
Click to expand...

I own the first 3!

Glock 17 - I have a Gen2 and just got a Gen 3. The finger grooves may or may not be for you, I personally don't like them. Glocks shoot like Glocks. They aren't the same as any other pistol really. They're meant to be a tool first and are VERY precise guns. I don't mean accurate, that's all on you but I guarantee your Glock will always group well even if it's not on the bullseye. You really need to learn to shoot a Glock like a Glock and everything else differently. They hold and aim differently and are a bit snappy.

P226 - Well made, solid heavy gun. Double action pull is horrendous and hard to learn, so start single action until you get a feel for it. Very easy to put on the target and handles well. I find the recoil to be stronger and more of a punch than a snap cause of the size of the action/slide, it's a little beefy and all that metal coming back makes follow-up shots a bit harder. More difficult to control for a 9mm.

M&P - Ended up selling mine cause I hate the trigger. Shoots good, not as good as a Glock overall apart from the feel in my opinion. Fit and finish was meh on the polymer frame.

CZ75 - Basically everyone that runs production IPSC has one. Shoots like a 1911 and is crazy accurate, very precise, low recoil, and full metal. The easiest gun out of the 4 to shoot.

I'd get the Glock and CZ and never look back. If you had to pick one or the other....the CZ is the better gun, but the Glock is more difficult to learn to shoot well.
 
Any one of those will do just fine. Pick the one that feels the best. Don't worry about not picking the others - you'll own them soon enough ;) I started out with one. Now I'm up to 5 pistols, 4 rifles, and a shotgun :D
 
Awesome feedback so far guys, thanks much. I've heard about the APEX upgrade and read about it so that's a relatively easy fix for going M&P. The CZ is nice in the hand with the extra weight. Think I'll take advantage of friends with multiple pistols and just try them out more and go by feel. And of course after what I spent on my LH 725 my wife will kill me if I buy all four.....
 
Merck said:
Awesome feedback so far guys, thanks much. I've heard about the APEX upgrade and read about it so that's a relatively easy fix for going M&P. The CZ is nice in the hand with the extra weight. Think I'll take advantage of friends with multiple pistols and just try them out more and go by feel. And of course after what I spent on my LH 725 my wife will kill me if I buy all four.....
Click to expand...

Surprisingly, she won't. Just spread it out over a year or two. And throw in a revolver too. Those who appreciate them, love them.
 
Macs675 said:
I own the first 3!

Glock 17 - I have a Gen2 and just got a Gen 3. The finger grooves may or may not be for you, I personally don't like them. Glocks shoot like Glocks. They aren't the same as any other pistol really. They're meant to be a tool first and are VERY precise guns. I don't mean accurate, that's all on you but I guarantee your Glock will always group well even if it's not on the bullseye. You really need to learn to shoot a Glock like a Glock and everything else differently. They hold and aim differently and are a bit snappy.

P226 - Well made, solid heavy gun. Double action pull is horrendous and hard to learn, so start single action until you get a feel for it. Very easy to put on the target and handles well. I find the recoil to be stronger and more of a punch than a snap cause of the size of the action/slide, it's a little beefy and all that metal coming back makes follow-up shots a bit harder. More difficult to control for a 9mm.

M&P - Ended up selling mine cause I hate the trigger. Shoots good, not as good as a Glock overall apart from the feel in my opinion. Fit and finish was meh on the polymer frame.

CZ75 - Basically everyone that runs production IPSC has one. Shoots like a 1911 and is crazy accurate, very precise, low recoil, and full metal. The easiest gun out of the 4 to shoot.

I'd get the Glock and CZ and never look back. If you had to pick one or the other....the CZ is the better gun, but the Glock is more difficult to learn to shoot well.
Click to expand...

^^^^ You'll probably learn quicker if you master these two
 
If the ambi control thing is important to you you might want to check out the CZ85 in a steel gun. In polymer I have a Grand Power K100 that has ambi mag release,safety and slide release. The guns aren't well known here (made in Slovakia) but are appearantly used a bit in IPSC in Europe. I've put about 500 rounds through it so far without incident. Dlask Arms (a CGN supporting dealer) is the Canadian distributer. http://dlaskarms.com/collections/grand-power
 
The K100 is interesting. Nice looking and some good reviews. Anyone else with an opinion on them? My plan thus far is to shoot my buddy's CZ and Glock and try to find the others listed as well to actually try them at the range. That said, something like the K100 is appealing because something different can be cool and more options for a lefty is always nice. Thanks again for replies.
 
Here are some pros and cons of the three that I currently own...from my experience:

SIG P226
Cons:

  • High bore axis can emphasize muzzle flip*
  • Long SA trigger reset with standard (i.e. non short-reset trigger)
  • DA to SA transition increases difficulty in learning the pistol
  • Most expensive
  • Non-adjustable backstrap
  • Complex design
Pros:

  • All metal construction makes for solid feeling pistol with less snappy recoil
  • DA trigger pull is pretty good
  • All controls are easy to reach if you have short hands
  • Excellent factory sights
  • Comfortable to hold

Glock Gen 4
Cons:

  • Light weight and unusual trigger makes it easy for a new shooter to shoot poorly
  • Light weight makes for snappy recoil*
  • Boxy grip bothers some*
  • Factory sights bother some*
Pros:

  • Light weight makes for fast-handling
  • Low bore axis means less muzzle flip and more natural pointing
  • Consistent trigger pull shot-to-shot
  • Tactile trigger reset makes it easier to shoot faster
  • Lots of accessories
  • Simple,reliable design
  • Replaceable backstraps to adjust size
  • Least expensive

S&W M&P
Cons:

  • Factory trigger a little imprecise (although new ones might be better?)*
  • Trigger reset not as good as Glocks
  • Slightly more complex design than Glock*
  • Comfortable to hold
  • Excellent factory sights
Pros:

  • Steel subframe makes the pistol weigh a bit more than Glock
  • Controls easy to reach
  • Adjustable backstraps
  • Simpler design than P226
  • Inexpensive

*all points listed with an asterisk have not been a problem for me

I haven't owned a CZ for a couple of years so my experience isn't current. I did find them completely reliable, comfortable to hold, and their weight reduced recoil a fait bit. They don't have adjustable backstraps but their smaller grip fits most people. They're fairly inexpensive, too.
 
Merck said:
The K100 is interesting. Nice looking and some good reviews. Anyone else with an opinion on them? My plan thus far is to shoot my buddy's CZ and Glock and try to find the others listed as well to actually try them at the range. That said, something like the K100 is appealing because something different can be cool and more options for a lefty is always nice. Thanks again for replies.
Click to expand...

FWIW I let a couple of the regulars at my range who have been shooting for years try the GP K100. They had never heard of them before and the comments were pretty favourable......... although I suppose they might have just been being polite. There is a forum member called Canuck223 who knows a lot about them. I believe he is the Cdn factory rep and shoots on their IPSC team. You might try searching his posts. You can also try Googling STI GP6. STI imported a rebranded K100 and sold it in the US as the GP6 for some time.
 
Merck said:
Hey all,

I'm a noob when it comes to handguns for the most part - a few days at the range the RPAL course is about it and playing with my buddy's (unloaded) Glock 17 gen 4. Problem is now I can see myself getting into the pistol world a little so I'm considering getting something for range shooting. I've gone and handled a few different guns and like the following:

Glock 17
P226
M&P
CZ 75

I know there's differences such as construction, feel, etc but was wondering if there is anything specific about being a newbie I should be cautious of with these? Or just go by feel, fit and price? I'm looking for 9mm and I shoot left so if any are more ambidextrous that would be a plus as well. Just looking for starter thoughts.

Thanks
Click to expand...

You should be happy with any of them. Buy one that won't ruin your budget and fits your hand nicely. Look at parts availability - the more popular the platform, the parts are cheaper to get. Good choice about 9mm. Best of luck to you.
 
I've owner a few of each of the all 4 guns you mentioned. Ended up selling the Sigs and M&Ps and now just have a Glock, CZ and Beretta. Should definitely consider the Beretta.
 
^ Wise advice in the last two posts. I agree that the first thing you should do is decide steel or polymer frame. After that.....pick the one that "feels" right.

Besides, if you're anything like me, you certainly won't stop at one! I've been licensed since June and I just bought #5 :redface:
 
Hey, congratulations and welcome to the club! I was just at the range with mine today. The more I shoot it the more I'm convinced it's an undiscovered gem and great value. Hope you enjoy yours.
 
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