[Asaph]

Which pistol would you use for accuracy, power, and speed?

Smith & Wesson M&P 9mm Or Glock 17 9mm.

[IndianaBoy]

Glock 17 or 34.


Mags, holsters, ammo, etc.. cheap and plentiful.


3.5 pound connector for a good trigger.


Load it with 10 rounds and shoot productions... no penalty for minor power factor.

Or load it with 17 and shoot Limited and have a lot more fun.


This is coming from a guy who uses a CZ. Get a glock.

[RH45]

Not all hands are the same, so, whatever fits YOU the best.

[eflatminor]

What RH45 said. Try the XD too and maybe even a Beretta 92. Whatever feels best in your hand. PLENTY of gear for all these options. Accuracy is a matter of matching up the right ammo (different with every gun). Neither are any "faster" than the other (though the Beretta does have a REALLY heavy first pull). Power factors are all the same.

Pick the one that feels best and have fun. After a year, you'll know what kind of customized gun you want (Single Stack, Open, Limited, etc).

[Riss]

If not sure of what caliber you want, any Glock in 40 would be a good choice. Easy enough to install an new barrel and a couple of mags, you can switch between classes without a totally new gun. If you are going to shoot. Shoot major. I see no practical sense in shooting minor unless in open class or maybe production if that is all you have.

[skinewmexico]

A 9 will kill you as far as power factor.

[msharp08]

I recently started in the sport and purchased my first handgun. I chose the Glock 34 for a few reasons. The main one being that it felt good when shooting. I tried multiple other 9mm as well (Sig 229, Beretta m9/93 & PX4, Glock 17). The 34 felt good and I was able to fiind a good deal on one. The Sig was great but too much $ for a first gun IMHO, I shot the daylights out with the PX 4, but didnt like the trigger pull on it. So the Glock it is. Had it about a month and love it.

The power factor doesnt mean that much to me yet. I am more worried about learning the sport and shooting all Alphas. Using a 45 and missing doesnt do much me much good.

The other thing is since I am new and dont reload, 9MM is less expensive to shoot than 40 or 45.

My .02

Matt

[sargenv]

I don't normally like glocks but I borrowed a friend's 34 to get ready for a GSSF match and well.. not only did I place high enough to win money, I jumped from C to B in Production shooting that 34.. d'oh!

[ants]

For my Production gun, I set up a 32-round Course of Fire and ran it 5 times each with my Glock 19, a 1911 single stack in 9mm, a S&W 5906, and a Beretta 92FS. Of course, the 1911 is a natural pointer in my hands. The 5906 feels almost as good. The Glock and Beretta don't feel right. I never liked shooting the Beretta anyway.

Lo and behold, the best hit factor was the Beretta! All 5 strings. Hands down, period. So I bought the right holster and this year I'm shooting the 92 in Production, and we'll see how I progress by December.

So I learned a valuable lesson. Try to give yourself as many options as possible, then test yourself with each. You may surprise yourself.

[ants]

If your choices are ONLY the M&P and the G17, look at the availability of accessories, parts, and permissible modifications. Make sure you can obtain and afford accessories for the one you shoot best with. Then go out and have fun!

[eflatminor]

ants, I too started IPSC with a 92fs. One day I'll find a 92 with removalbe sights, front and rear. With the right tuning, it can be a competitive Production pistol at the highest levels.

[long762range]

Most of the shooters here use a STI in 40 cal. I compete in the single stack using a Springfield 1911 45. Use what you are comfortable with. It is all for fun anyway.

[Fly320s]

Which Pistol for IPSC?


Sounds like you are new to IPSC/USPSA.

If you are brand new, I'd suggest that you borrow a gun and gear from someone to see if you will even like the games. Or use the gun you already own. If you don't have a gun, I'd suggest a used Glock 17 or 19, but you should choose what feels right to you.

You don't want to run out and spend $1,000 on guns, gear, and ammo for a game that you don't know if you will like. A used Glock can be easily found, the price is fairly low, you can't find ammo cheaper than 9mm, and there are a ton of accessories for Glocks. Besides, the Glock 17 and 19 are mature designs; the bugs have been engineered out so that the guns are reliable and very easily maintained.

[lmccrock]

Or load it with 17 and shoot Limited and have a lot more fun.
Then get Dawson extensions and have more fun. With the spring Dawson provides and no tuning, I get +5 so 22+1 in a G17, and still 140mm legal for Limited. There is a scoring disadvantage to the 40's, but shoot in the A-zone and it does not matter. Having the extra rounds makes more flexible reload strategy.

Lee

[Feanaro]

The Glock has more accessories and it is very popular. For shooting Production, accessories are irrelevant if the M&P feels and shoots better for you. There are holsters and magazine pouches for the M&P, which are the only required accessories. Pick the one you like.

I wouldn't attempt to get a pistol for Limited or Open until you've tried some and played the game a bit.

[arrowrod]

Get the Glock. You can get used Glocks for $300. If you go to a Glock match, their armorers at the match will fix any problem for free. (If you have match tuned stuff in you Glock, they will throw it away and replace it with "standard" parts.) You can buy new magazines for less than $15. Every person I know that shoots Glock at USPSA (ISPC is the rest of the world outside the US), will share technical information with you.

M&P can have a better trigger and they provide 3 palm swells (for different hand sizes). S&W have determined that they will not provide parts that help with trigger work. Only one gunsmith that I am aware of does a "non-mushy" trigger job. Even his has a long take up.

Glocks and M&Ps are not competitive in Limited.

When you shoot in the Production class, minor power factor is irrelevant. All scoring in Production is minor. All guns in Production is are restricted to 10 rounds + 1 in the chamber to start.

[sargenv]

Of those two choices.. a Glock 17.. if I had my druthers about model #.. If shooting production I'd choose a 34 since it has a longer barrel. Longer barrel usually means better accuracy. If shooting Limited or L10 either a 35 or a 20 with a drop in 40 S&W barrel (larger 10 mm frame, might be easier to control depending on hand size, and you can load the ammunition longer giving more versatility for bullet weight and less chance of a KB.). In open probably a 17 or 34 modified to shoot 9 major.

But then... I owned a model 35 for about 5 mins.. I won it at a GSSF match and promptly sold it to finance another project. My buddy built it into a L10/Limited gun.

[Eric F]

I love threads where a person aska which would be best A or B then there is a rashon of use C, D, E, F, X, Y or Z come on guys he asked about a glock 17 or a M&P in 9mm

go with the 17.

[rhyfl]

I use the M&P 9mm along with my 3 sons - works very well for us. Comp-Tac belt holster in kydex along with mag holders.

With the rebate S&W is offering of $50 and 2 mags - it's worth checking out.