Best Combat/Defense Pistol

The "Best" combat/defensive pistol would be the one you are most familiar with. Familiarity trumps "accuracy, reliability and durability".
That said, I'd go to war with whatever I was issued in the interest of maintainability and supply and make a point of becoming familiar with whatever that happened to be.

Welcome to the forum.

FN FiveSeveN. Don't listen to the 1911 sissies and glock babies.

Glock 17 if given my choice.

Given that we're discussing a combat arm and likely to be restricted to FMJ due to the Hague Accords, I'm going to opt for a .45acp. I'm also going to opt for a 5 to 6 inch barrel to get the most velocity out of a fast burning pistol powder. I'd also opt for a manual safety just because I've seen some people in the military I frankly wouldn't trust with a sharp stick, much less a handgun incapable of being booger-hook resistant. With urban warfare becoming more common and the probability of small unit ambush by prepared ambushers, I'd also opt for *gasp* more capacity than the 1911. Something that comes to mind immediately is the XD model that came with a thumb safety. Forget what model and how long it was offered for.

Glock 17

Glock 17
It may not be the best looking, to some it may not be the best handling, but it is accurate, simple, easy to maintain, has a very high (17) magazine capacity and is above all RELIABLE even when neglected.

I'd probably opt for a 45 caliber Glock with a even higher than 13 mag capacity. I like big bullets.

I cant believe someone mentioned the fiveseven. Full size glock or 1911, i prefer glock.

If we're talking about carrying a sidearm into a combat zone, or working as an LEO or something similar, I'd like a G17 or G22. If we're talking a concealed EDC for self-defense, a G19 is my best, out of the firearms I've handled and practiced with.

TAKtical said:

I cant believe someone mentioned the fiveseven. Full size glock or 1911, i prefer glock.

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Dude, he asked for a combat firearm. The FiveSeveN can shoot through vests, holds standard 20 rounds, and can pretty much punch holes in almost anything. The FiveSeveN is the best handgun in the world imho. And I swear, if someone compares that Keltec PMR30 plastic toy to it one more time...!

Edit: Also it has really good accuracy.

Edit2: for the non-believers:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqaUO45Pv0E

Glock 19

I like SIGs. That's what I'm going to recommend since you're experienced with them.

Yeah... Kevlar. Who wears kevlar? Even I have ceramic plates. IIRC the five seven failed to reliably penetrate IIIA and in some tests would not reliably penetrate IIA. The 5.7 is not a magic bullet. It has little recoil, high velocity, and that is all. Ammo is expensive, and not common. If it was THE go to war pistol, I think our military would be using them exclusively. They arent.

Best Combat/Defense Pistol

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The one you practice with most. PERIOD

For general issue? The one that's soldier-proof, absolutely reliable, and made by the company which offers the best deal to the government.

Well, for me and me only, I'd say the 1911. It is the gun I'm most familiar with, as in replacing parts, tuning and shooting.

For me personally, M&P9.
BUT, it's going to vary depending on each person's preference and proficiency.

but we recognize that in combat the rifle is the primary offensive weapon

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Ummm, so I would throw out that as a gun cominity we refrain from calling any rifle an offensive weapon, just because of recent events. The bottom line is that a rifle is a better all around weapon for offense, or defense. Due to accuract, power, and sometimes magazine capacity.

As far as "best combat pistol", there are a lot of ways to measure that. I would suggest the FNP 45. It is designed to opperate similar to a 1911, the 45 acp is a proven defensive round, it will carry 15 rounds in the magazine, and FN makes good guns that last.

However, this answer could change drastically if you feel the 9mm is a better or just as good of a round, or any other caliber for that matter.

To me, the best defense or combat pistol means the best balance of , accuracy, capacity, durability, and reliability, in a full size pistol, in a caliber of your liking.

JMO

I'd personally go with the Glock 20 if I could choose anything for a "sticky" situation. That said, I don't own one. I'd like to eventually, but not at the moment.

Glock 17 - 9mm standard ammo, long enough barrel to get max performance, simple to operate (no external safety to deal with), very reliable, will take a lot of abuse.

Now, for a hammer fired 9mm, I would recommend the Baby Desert Eagle 2. DA trigger action heavy and long enough so that the safety can be left off and bullet chambered. SA trigger good, accuracy good. Close to CZ75 but better.

CZ-75 in 9mm. Reliable,easy to use, accurate, and will absolutely eat anything you feed it.

While I have recently seen gel results that suggest the 5.7x28mm ammo out of a pistol may penetrate less than the FBI recommends, for a combat weapon it makes sense in that it punches through armor better than a lot of other handgun rounds. Besides, 20 rounds and lower recoil makes for better suppressive fire, and the flat trajectory makes it better at long range.

If you're talking about special ops, maybe a .45 would be better, probably in a 1911 or 2011 with a threaded barrel. No worries about whether it's subsonic or supersonic.

If you're talking self defense, I believe there is nothing better than a polymer-framed striker-fired pistol in 9mm. They're cheap, reliable, and they work.

ETA: For use with a riot shield, I'd vote an 8-shot .357 revolver (S&W being the better option, Taurus being on the list), or maybe the Rhino.

Well according to us, that'll be the Gen 4 G17.
We have just completed trials that included most major 9mm Semi Autos.
We have used the Browning HP forever, and recently we bought Sig P226 as a stop gap for operations (although SF have used 226&229 for years)

Here's what was trialled
There was a few to start with:

S&W M&P9
Steyr M9
Sig P226 (Enhanced)
Sig Pro
Glock 17 Gen 3 and 4
FNP 9
H&K P30
Beretta Px4
HS2000 (inc a compact version)

So some time between now and April we'll be taking delivery of a large qty of shiny new Glocks as the new combat pistol for the British Armed Forces.

Defensive, the one you have with you when you need it.

Combat, the one you were issued (because with out a signed document authorizing you to have something else you are in deep do do).