A thread started on October 20, 2009 showed up with some new posts today. The thread is called, "What's your everyday carry?" This thread currently has 86 responses. I am curious about the order of popularity of the pistols mentioned (I am not including revolvers) as follows:
Glock - 16
1911 - 14
LCP - 7
Kahr - 6
S&W - 5
Springfield XD - 4
Taurus, CZ, Walther, HK USP - 2 each
Ruger, Bersa, Browning - 1 each
I am not particularly surprised to see that Glock's and 1911's were the most popular, as both of those types have a group of followers who seem to use those designs to the exclusion of all others for no logical reason. The LCP's popularity doesn't surprise me either, as it is probably the most popular pocket pistol in existence. What does surprise me is everything else.
Kahr was the most popular after Glock, 1911's, and the LCP? I had not even heard of Kahr until I joined THR. I looked at the Kahr website, and the company seems to be similar to Kel-Tec; they began as a CNC machine shop and produced other goods long before they made firearms. I do not doubt their quality, but it seems that Kahr pistols all use single-stack mags with somewhat low capacity compared to other single-stack semi-autos. They sell in the intermediate price range ($450 to $700), which doesn't seem that great since most other mid-quality semi-autos from more established manufacturers sell for the same price. Also, I know Kahr's are made in USA, but I would not want to carry a gun that sounds like it comes from Iran.
After the Kahr, S&W semi's and the Springfield XD were next in popularity? These are basically DAO/SAO (whichever you consider striker-fired to be) Glock-mocks. The only advantage I can see these have over a Glock is the difference in grip angle. They are fairly new designs from mid-quality established manufacturers. Why not just buy a Glock?
There were two votes each for Taurus, CZ, Walther, and H&K, and there was one vote each for Ruger, Bersa, and Browning. I can understand the low popularity of Taurus, CZ, Walther, Bersa and Browning, but I would have thought that the Ruger P-series would be somewhat more popular, and I would have thought that H&K would be very popular since it is one of the highest-quality firearms manufacturers in existence. There were ZERO votes for Sig Sauer - how can that be? Sig Sauer is comparable to H&K in quality! I think the following would make a lot more sense for the order of popularity:
Glock/1911 will always be most popular because of their fan followings.
LCP will remain popular because it's so small and still reasonably powerful, and because it's made by Ruger.
High quality pistols should be the most popular:
H&K
Sig Sauer
Glock (although I don't care for them, they are very tough and reliable)
Mid-quality pistols should be popular only with people who won't pay for better quality:
Ruger
S&W
Springfield XD
Given all the better choices, I don't know why anybody would buy these pistols even if they are decent quality:
CZ, Browning, Beretta, Taurus, Walther, Bersa, Kel-Tec, Kahr, or any 1911
Can anybody give me a good reason - other than price - why you would pick a low to mid-quality pistol like a Kahr or CZ over a high-quality pistol like a H&K or Sig?
PS: I forgot to include Springfield in the poll, so you might as well vote for Glock or S&W if you'd choose the XD.
Glock - 16
1911 - 14
LCP - 7
Kahr - 6
S&W - 5
Springfield XD - 4
Taurus, CZ, Walther, HK USP - 2 each
Ruger, Bersa, Browning - 1 each
I am not particularly surprised to see that Glock's and 1911's were the most popular, as both of those types have a group of followers who seem to use those designs to the exclusion of all others for no logical reason. The LCP's popularity doesn't surprise me either, as it is probably the most popular pocket pistol in existence. What does surprise me is everything else.
Kahr was the most popular after Glock, 1911's, and the LCP? I had not even heard of Kahr until I joined THR. I looked at the Kahr website, and the company seems to be similar to Kel-Tec; they began as a CNC machine shop and produced other goods long before they made firearms. I do not doubt their quality, but it seems that Kahr pistols all use single-stack mags with somewhat low capacity compared to other single-stack semi-autos. They sell in the intermediate price range ($450 to $700), which doesn't seem that great since most other mid-quality semi-autos from more established manufacturers sell for the same price. Also, I know Kahr's are made in USA, but I would not want to carry a gun that sounds like it comes from Iran.
After the Kahr, S&W semi's and the Springfield XD were next in popularity? These are basically DAO/SAO (whichever you consider striker-fired to be) Glock-mocks. The only advantage I can see these have over a Glock is the difference in grip angle. They are fairly new designs from mid-quality established manufacturers. Why not just buy a Glock?
There were two votes each for Taurus, CZ, Walther, and H&K, and there was one vote each for Ruger, Bersa, and Browning. I can understand the low popularity of Taurus, CZ, Walther, Bersa and Browning, but I would have thought that the Ruger P-series would be somewhat more popular, and I would have thought that H&K would be very popular since it is one of the highest-quality firearms manufacturers in existence. There were ZERO votes for Sig Sauer - how can that be? Sig Sauer is comparable to H&K in quality! I think the following would make a lot more sense for the order of popularity:
Glock/1911 will always be most popular because of their fan followings.
LCP will remain popular because it's so small and still reasonably powerful, and because it's made by Ruger.
High quality pistols should be the most popular:
H&K
Sig Sauer
Glock (although I don't care for them, they are very tough and reliable)
Mid-quality pistols should be popular only with people who won't pay for better quality:
Ruger
S&W
Springfield XD
Given all the better choices, I don't know why anybody would buy these pistols even if they are decent quality:
CZ, Browning, Beretta, Taurus, Walther, Bersa, Kel-Tec, Kahr, or any 1911
Can anybody give me a good reason - other than price - why you would pick a low to mid-quality pistol like a Kahr or CZ over a high-quality pistol like a H&K or Sig?
PS: I forgot to include Springfield in the poll, so you might as well vote for Glock or S&W if you'd choose the XD.