9MM Suggestions

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Going to buy my first semi-auto pistol in 9MM for home protection (always had revolvers for reliability but want more magazine capacity) and have narrowed it down to Glock 17, S&W M&P and Ruger SR9. The most important thing to me is reliability since it’s for home protection, I welcome your opinions, thanks.
 
Springfield XDM. I have had them all. Its the best auto and most reliable for under $1000. If you have narrowed it down to the three choices then Glock is a close 2nd. S&W jams more and SR9 jams a lot depending on ammo. Never had the XDM jam, ever.
 
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Can't go wrong with the Glock 17 or M&P. If you think you may carry it one day get the Glock 19.
 
I really like my Ruger P85. It's bigger and heavier than a Glock, but they are cheap to buy, easy to maintain, reliable, and relatively accurate. I inherited a 1989 vintage piece with SS slide and aluminum frame. I've put hundreds of round through it at the range.
 
Originally Posted By: DirtyMoe21
G17 or M&P 9. Glock mags will probably be easier to find.
And cheaper.
 
None of the above are bad choices, IMO (XD/XDM included). Personal preference and comfortability/proficiency are really just as important when comparing these 3-4 9mms. The best thing you can do is find a range that rents all or most of the models you are looking at, send 50 rounds downrange with each, and pick the one you like best.
 
My
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. I have a Glock 19 (3rd Gen), Ruger LC9 and M&P Shield (9 mm). I find the Glock to be the most reliable as its never had a FTE or other issue. I would stake my life on that gun, but its too heavy for CC. The Ruger and Shield are both nice guns, but I have had FTE's with both, causing jams, which concerns me. I've only put about 200 rounds thru each of those so I am hoping this issue will resolve itself with more use. The Ruger has a very long trigger pull which takes getting used to but the Shield has a very nice, even trigger pull. Right now I CC the Shield and the Glock is for home protection. The Ruger is my back-up CC. Its the lightest and most concealable of all three. Hope this helps.
 
I have the SR9. Have not had one jam or misfeed in over 500 rounds with a variety of ammunition. To be fair, it was fired straight out of the box and had some problems then, but after a good cleaning and oiling, no problems since.

Price no object I might consider the Glock.
 
Any of these are very, VERY good firearms, and I would buy based on the best fit in YOUR hands. Glocks have different grip angles than the other guns. See if you like it or not. Springfields use grip safeties...some people like those and some do not. The M&P comes either safety-free or comes with a thumb safety, so with that one you can choose what you prefer. The Ruger ONLY comes with a thumb safety AND a magazine disconnect, so consider that, too. I believe that all of them but the M&P use a tang-within-the-trigger as a drop safety; the M&P uses a hinged trigger for the same functionality. These guns are all generally in the same class, but they all offer a slightly different feature set, so consider them all carefully.

My home defense fullsize 9mm is a CZ P-09. It's a DA/SA hammer-fired gun instead of a striker-fired gun. I recently bought a single-stack 9mm for concealed carry and considered the Walther PPS, Springfield XDs, Ruger LC9, and Smith M&P Shield. We bought the Shield...not because it was "better" than the other choices, but because we liked the specific feature set that it has and it fit our natural grip the best.

I plead with you a second time: ask for opinions here, but go handle them yourself and let THAT weigh the most in your decision. All are extremely reliable and all will serve great in a home defense situation. Consider whether or not you want a safety, consider how the grip feels to you, consider how the trigger feels to you. If you have a local range that rents guns, go shoot them all. You'll know what is the right gun for you.
 
Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
Any of these are very, VERY good firearms, and I would buy based on the best fit in YOUR hands. Glocks have different grip angles than the other guns. See if you like it or not. ...

...

I plead with you a second time: ask for opinions here, but go handle them yourself and let THAT weigh the most in your decision. All are extremely reliable and all will serve great in a home defense situation. Consider whether or not you want a safety, consider how the grip feels to you, consider how the trigger feels to you. If you have a local range that rents guns, go shoot them all. You'll know what is the right gun for you.


Amen to that. They are ergonomically different.
 
Originally Posted By: Bud_One
Ruger P95


I had one of these as my service weapon for awhile, and we trained on alot of "tap and rack" due to failures.. ive had 2 FTF myself with that weapon.. never had a failure with a Glock.
 
Check out The pelted p11 I trust mine with my life very good pistol and they aren't very expensive.
 
Fired very close to 1,000 rounds with the P85 and have had no misfires or jams. I have used a number of different ammo brands as well.

I am not that well versed in firearms, but competent and a good shot. I tend to think that there are many good choices out there. I only suggested an older Ruger like mine due to lower cost ($250-300 maybe).
 
The Glock is the AK47 of the pistol world in regards to reliability and durability.

Following that I would say the S&W would be my second choice.

To make a suggestion that is not on your list I will say that my Beretta PX4 has been a great gun if you want to go with something with a more traditional DA/SA trigger. This would allow you to have a second pull of the trigger on a lazy round where with the Glock and S&W you have what is really almost a single action only trigger system that requires the slide to be racked to recock the striker.
 
Originally Posted By: Robenstein
To make a suggestion that is not on your list I will say that my Beretta PX4 has been a great gun if you want to go with something with a more traditional DA/SA trigger. This would allow you to have a second pull of the trigger on a lazy round where with the Glock and S&W you have what is really almost a single action only trigger system that requires the slide to be racked to recock the striker.


I hate to take this off-topic, but it might benefit the OP, so...

I have both. I have a CZ P-09 with a DA/SA hammer and I have an M&P Shield which is striker-fired. The CZ will double-strike all day long. And triple-strike. And quadruple-strike.

And that's the basis of this question. What is more likely if you are running factory ammo and one doesn't go boom? A primer that needs another strike? Or a dead round that needs to be ejected and the next one loaded?

I've read both opinions. In a defensive situation, a second strike is helpful because it can get that round sent off without you racking the slide and loading another round. And to the contrary, I've read that in a defensive situation, you don't want to fool around with striking a second or a third time...you need to train to get that round out, get a new one loaded, and go boom. They say that a pistol with a second strike capability can handicap you into wasting time striking a round that'll never fire, and that you need to train as if you had a firearm that can't strike a second time.

I see the merits of both opinions. But I haven't really formed my own opinion yet on it. Thoughts? I feel that this is as neutral a place as any to ask this question. Ask it on a Glock or an M&P forum and you know what all your answers will be. Or ask it on a Beretta or a CZ forum and you know what all your answers will be.
 
I own the following 9mm pistols: Beretta 92FS, S&W 5906 (older 3rd generation, all steel), Glock 17, Glock 19 (three of them).

If I were to pick one of my guns for a person that was planning on using it for HD, not carry, and was not an experienced handgunner, I would pick the Glock 17, no question. Good capacity. Full size service pistol makes recoil very mild.

The Glock is a paragon of reliability and has the simplest manual of arms: pull the trigger. No safety to be manipulated in the heat of the moment. You simply can't beat a Glock's reliability and simplicity.

That said, there are some very good alternatives out there. You owe it to yourself to shoot a few of the ones recommended here.

Last, but not least, learn your new pistol. Really learn it. Learn the manual of arms. If it's got a safety, practice the first shot (presentation, safety off, double action pull, etc.) several hundred times. You can use snap caps/dummy rounds to learn this, but you have to develop the muscle memory to be able to employ it when you're surprised in your home and the adrenaline hits. You should be able to "tap & rack" quickly if you get a FTF. Simply buying the gun and punching holes in paper is not enough. Being able to employ the gun effectively under stress is what makes it a defensive tool.
 
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