Best Combat/Defense Pistol

Status
Not open for further replies.
Jdh, I don't like those cryptic answers to hardware questions. "Devensive = the one you have with you"...well, at the time of the encounter, yes. But if you're trying to figure out what hardware to bring in case of a defensive encounter, then the question matters.

If I were looking for my first gun and I asked "what's the best gun?" and I got "what you have with you" or "what you shoot best", I'd be like "well I don't have anything with me" or "well I don't have experience, so I don't know what I shoot best". There may not be one correct answer, but a blanket statement like this does nothing to help the person pick out their hardware.

It would be like if I were asking what attire to wear to a party, and the answer is "what everyone else is wearing." I won't know that until I'm there, but you can ask questions like "male or female? what type of party? is there a dress code?" to help me narrow it down.
 
Which one do you shoot the best

TFIT,

I have carried several of the pistols you mentioned on duty and they are ALL GOOD. Carry the one that shoots best for you and fits the need.

The SIG 226 and BERETTA 92 are large guns and can be concealed, but not as easily as the 229. I do not beleive in COCKED & LOCKED carry, so the High Power and 1911 are out for me.

I have found that the BERETTA 92 and 92 Compact, GLOCK 19 or 17, SIG 226 and 229, SPRINGFIELD ARMORY XD and WALTHER P99 all fill the title of BEST DEFENSIVE PISTOL for me. I would use any one of them without reluctance.

I have found them all reliable, easy to maintain, accurate enough, and ergonomically friendly.

I would also add the SIG 225, which shoots really well for me, but many of the POLICE TRADE IN models floating around will not feed hollow point ammo and the SIG 232 which I simply love for concealed carry. The only weakness on the 232 is the low power ammo, .380ACP.

Jim
 
Combat weapon...I'd go with a Sig 226 ...in either 9mm or .40S&W ...if I had an option/ if no option - I'd go with 9mm.

Civilian Defensive Handgun....I'd go with a 5" 1911 ...either in 9mm or .45 acp...
 
I was issued a Beretta. That doesn't mean it's the best.

I far prefer the 1911. Given the choice, I would take my commemorative Para Double-Stack. For my soldiers who have limited training and resources, I would issue Glock 17s or 19s.

Day one in my time as Secretary of Defense.
 
I'd say the full size Springfield XDm in 9mm. It has everything the G-line has plus a loaded chamber indicator and cocked striker indicator which are both visual and tactile. Those could come in handy in a darkened environment or when keeping quiet is essential making this a better option than a press check. The grip safety gives users with limited experience one more level of safety. Plus, it can be field stripped without pulling the trigger which again, based on the limited user experience acid test, is one less thing to worry about from a safety standpoint.
 
Mjldeckard, if I were secretary of defense, I'd determine that there are two types of soldiers: those with limited training, and those who might benefit from having a pistol. For the former, there would just be the rifle and spare ammo. If you have limited training, train with that. For the later, it would be up to the unit to decide based on mission requirements what they want.
 
OH for the love of God!

Another unanswerable, unprovable brand/caliber/model war!

The plain fact is there are many that could fit the description and no-one can definitively relieve you of the responsibility of finding which of the many options answers the bell for YOU.
 
^^^^ What he said!!!

Also, what post two says!
For me, that is a revolver. For some people it is a GLOCK, for others, it is a 1911. You must go with what you feel to be right (in this case).
 
Skribs,

The problem is there is no such thing as universal best. What is perfect for me and my situation may be totally wrong for you and yours. So in an attempt to answer your question in an manner you may find acceptable I will tell you what I told customers of the gun shop I used to work for who were new to guns.

Find a range that rents guns. Try as many different types as you can and find one that fits you, that has controls that you can reach and operate positively and consistently, with which you can hit what you aim at, and you can afford to periodically practice with enough to maintain a high state of proficiency. This may help you to not make a $1000 mistake.

Any gun from a major manufacturer will be more accurate than most people can shoot it and of a quality of manufacture to outlast the owner.

You want to pin me down to an answer, CZ-75.
 
If I had the option of choosing what's the best combat pistol I could have (and I'm thinking battlefield environment here), then it would probably be a SIG P229. Fits my hand well, is extremely reliable and well made, and very capable in terms of accuracy.

If the situation changes where I'm now in a HD/SD/CCW setting, then I would opt for a Colt Commander or something else along those lines as it's something I'm very familar and comfortable with using.
 
The sidearm is the best concealable reactive weapon.

The carbine is the best individual defensive weapon. If there is no need to conceal it, a carbine is superior to a sidearm for defense or CQB/MOUT.

Revolvers are completely unworkable as combat sidearms in the US military, due to carry options, reload speed, capacity, and fragility.

John
 
This one............

attachment.php
 
CZ-75 in 9mm. Reliable,easy to use, accurate, and will absolutely eat anything you feed it.
...........................................................................................................
This ^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Love the 75b but I like the PO-1 a little better.
 
I think we'd all rather have a rifle, but the question was what pistol? When pistol was mentioned I took it as what pistol as a side arm, as only a fool would take a pistol into battle as a primary weapon.
 
460, that appears to be the worst of all words: the unwieldyness of an overlong pistol, with the blast of a short-barreled rifle, not counter-balanced by the weight and support of a stock.
 
General issue has a whole logistics and training trail behind it that I'm not going to worry about. My personal choice if I was going to be dropped in a hostile environment with an indefinate stay would be a striker fired pistol in 9mm. Personal preference would go to my trusty G34.

A striker fired pistol had less likely hood of a firing pin being impinged due to environmental conditions (full submersion in less then clear water, beach sand, or helo insertion can all lock up the firing pin on pistol with the hammer back). It can still happen, but the design of the weapon usually makes this less likely. 9mm as I can carry a lot of it for little weight. Yes there is the question of effectiveness, when actually striking a target. However as any study of combat will tell you, less then 1% of all rounds fired strike their intended target. I'd rather have more rounds available then less.

The G34 is chosen over say a G17 or G19 simply because I'm very familiar with my G34.

-Jenrick
 
My "Go To" is an XDm Compact or a Sig Sauer 239, that doesn't make either the best choice based on the OP's question. But the reasons I posted earlier regarding the XDm go along way to supporting my position.
 
Last edited:
I've carried a 1911 in combat and that would NOT be my first choice.(We had the choice of 1911s or revolvers and virtually every officer and NCO in the unit eventually chose a revolver)

I must be the only "lifer" that likes the M9. For me it is reliable and accurate. I also own a Sig P226. Lighter than the M9 (every ounce counts when you live with a piece of equipment 24/7/365), equally accurate and reliable. A reasonable choie.

But my choice would be a gun I don't own but have carried enough to be familiar. That is the Glock 19. The ideal combination of accuracy, reliability, firepower and weight for a combat service pistol IMHO...
 
For me and for only me, I'd say the 1911. It is the gun I'm most familiar with, as in replacing parts, tuning and shooting and I would carry two of them!!!
I might also carry a .357 Mag as a backup!!!
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top