[quote]TheJonty wrote:
[quote]PB Andy wrote:
[quote]Captnoblivious wrote:
[quote]PB Andy wrote:
Have to pick between Glock, Smith & Wesson, or Springfield.
Glock: G17 (Gen 3 or 4), G19 (Gen 3 or 4)
Smith & Wesson: M&P 9, M&P 9L, M&P 9C
Springfield: XD 9 Service, XD9 Tactical, XDm 9 Standard
I only got to hold the G17, G19, and XDm 9. I liked the feel of the XDm 9 and G17 the most, didn’t like the weight of the G19 so much. I’m a big guy with big hands so there’s that. The problem is the gun store I’m looking at right now is out of G17’s and I’m gonna need them soon. [/quote]
What are you going to be using this gun for?
[/quote]
a job.[/quote]
Then get the one that’s easiest to clean and dispose of discreetly.[/quote]
This leads me to believe that you are going to be using this for LEO training. Is this correct? If you are already hired on at a department or have your heart set on one in particular buying a clone or a 9mm version of that agencies issue/approved weapon makes a lot of sense.
All of those are solid choices. Glocks are the most popular/prevalent choice by far. XD’s are the least popular. Supposedly they have not done well in large volume, big agency testing, but everyone I have talked to that has one likes theirs, so I wouldn’t write them off.
I would scratch the M&P9C off the list. If you are doing a lot of high volume shooting the shorter grip and use of the magazine baseplate as part of it is bound to be an issue. At some point you will pinch the skin of your hand between the mag and magwell during a reload while trying to go fast. Than you get to do it again when you already have a blood blister there. Also having to open/float your pinky on reloads makes certain drills more complex.
What features are important to you?
Glock
These are damn near ubiquitous. The Glock 17 fits in Glock 22 holsters as well so you have a great chance of picking up cheap, used, accessories (holsters, mag carriers, etc.) and even during the recent scare mags were availiable. This would be the easiest platform to support. Even if your individual Glock goes down during training you have a great chance of getting a rental/loaner and being able to drive on.
If you wind up with an agency that has you buy your own pistols than finding armorer support should be very easy. Spare parts are easy to stock and avaliable, you can actually build a “Glock” without buying a single part made by Glock.
I prefer the Gen 4 frames because I have small hands and I like the grippier texture, especially when sweating and frustrated at my lack of shooting ability. The Gen 4 gives you the option of a factory beavertail grip, if you have large hands that may matter to you. The Glock 19 is sort of the perfect “only have one gun” pistol because a lot of folks find it is large enough to shoot high volumes/train with(say 500 rounds a day for several days) while being small enough to conceal. Still, if you don’t like it than the 17 is a great choice and even easier to find duty holster and mags for.
Glock factory sights suck, bad. The non-night sight sights are more place holders to remind you where the sights are going to go. The factory night sight option is Meprolights and I am not crazy about the sight picture they give. However, Glocks are popular enough that you can get damn near any sight you want for them. I like Warren Tacticals, Trijicon HD’s, or Ameriglow Hack’s or CAP fronts with a Pro-Operator(hate the kname) rear. I have 2-dot Warren’s on my 19.
These are basically a Volkspistol. Almost all the big name trainers shoot them.
M&P
These are almost as popular as Glocks. If you want a thumb safety it is available on the M&P. You can change the grip for different size hands. The factory night sights are Novak pattern and very useable. They are all green dots, which I am not crazy about, but there are work arounds. Holsters for the 9L and 9C are going to be harder to find on the used market. M&P mags were very scarce a little while ago, I don’t know if that is better now. My favorite sights are available for these as well.
The triggers range from useable to bad. All of these pistols have plastic fantastic “KrunkSPROOONG” type triggers, but Smiths are the most variable. Some examples I have felt are pretty nice. Others are gritty as hell with a fals reset. There is a lot of aftermarket support from Apex to fix the trigger if you hate yours/are unlucky but that cost money (you can spend Sig money if you aren’t careful) and may not be allowed by your Agency. It is well known that some of the M&P 9’s have serious accuracy issues. Smith and Wesson does not seem to be handling the problem well at all. Having said that plenty of people never have a problem and I wouldn’t let it keep me from buying one. If you were going 40 S&W I think the M&P does it better than Glock.
XD
These are the least common. I think most servicing has to go through Springfield Armory and they fight having spare parts sold privately. Some folks have an issue with the grip safety, citing issues with one handed manipulations and reports of dirt/debris locking the gun up.
I don’t have much personal experience with these other than to say “seem nice”. I would expect to pay more for accessories, mags, etc. because the market isn’t flooded. I think the XDm series addressed some of the grip safety issues.
Hope that helps in some small way. Focus on trigger control.
Regards,
Robert A
That is the S&@ 500 and it would blow a limp arm clean to the sun. So its a powerhouse. And yes I’m a Knife collector from wayyyyyyyy back.