Recommendation based on experience?

Large - Beretta 92, CZ75, Browning High Power, 1911. Those are time tested classics and fun to shoot. All have clones and variants. I have at least one of each.

Medium - A compact variant of the Beretta 92 or CZ75

Small - Ruger LC9, LC9s, or LC9s pro

There are plenty of other good ones. These are some that I own and recommend.

If it is not for cc and the person does not have small hands, a full-sized pistol is the best choice.

Ruger SR9-C.....4000 rounds through mine and not a single hiccup. Flawless gun. I don't know about the full size, but the 9-C has an awesome trigger.

Ruger SR9 and SR9c; Glock 17,19, 26; CZ75B; Browning Hi-power, Ruger LC9s or LC9s Pro. But, there's no substitute for actually trying some out at ranges that rent or friends that lend: shoot many; buy one.

I went through a lot of research on this very same question a few years ago and ended up with the Glock 19, here's why...

I was looking for a reliable, concealable, high capacity 9mm Pistol that would be a main carry gun in all situations I find myself in and could also be counted on in a SHTF scenario.

- Reliability - the Glock 19 is a very proven and reliable pistol with a great track record in actual service, which is VERY important.
- Carryability - the Glock 19 carries like a small pistol but is shootable like a full size pistol
- Accuracy - the Glock 19 is a very accurate pistol
- Parts availability - in a SHTF scenario, all the parts for the Glock are readily available and cheap
- Simplicity of Design - the Glock is a very simple pistol with very little that can go wrong. It can also be detail stripped with a punch or nail easily by anyone with basic mechanical skills, unlike some competing designs
- Capacity - the Glock 19 will take higher capacity mags up to the 32 round stick mags
- Durability - we've all seen the Glock torture tests. The Glock can take a beating and keep on ticking

That was my reasoning. Hope that helps in your decision.

Paladin7 summed it up pretty well.
The only thing that I could add is that an inexperienced shooter is not going to notice that a G19 doesn't have that great 1911 trigger or the awesome fit of a early Sig.
The only thing that important is that it runs well and is easy to take care of. And after a few cases of ammo, after they get more experience, if they want to go with
something else they will get most of their money back. Glocks do hold their value well. Just get a Glock19.

Have him go to a range and rent 2 or 3 guns to see which one fits him best.

I like the sig 226, but to each his own.

Darkhorse said:

I have a friend who wants to buy a 9mm auto, but I only have experience with a few brands.

Can you recommend a particular brand / model based on your specific experience , not just on "it has a great reputation" or something vague like that?

I don't know if he plans to carry it; he doesn't have a permit so far.

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Glock. Pick the size that best suits the role. 26, 19, 17, 17L, or 34.

Easy to shoot, inexpensive, great reliability and durability, absolutely massive industry support in terms of magazines sights holsters etc, factory mags are about $25 and very good, very simple point and shoot interface with no extra controls (trigger, slide stop, mag release, that's it), consistent trigger pull every time, holds value very well in the event of later resale


But really there are a ton of viable options. It's pretty nice.

I am a big fan of the CZ line.

Five years ago, we didn't own a single 9mm, nor any polymer frames in any caliber. Now, between the wife and I we have -
Glocks:17L, 19, 26, 34, and nine in other calibers
Sig: SP2022
S&W: M&P 9c and two Shields
RIA: 1911 Tactical (3 of them)
CZ: 75BD and I get a 75SA out of jail tomorrow

The only 9mm we haven't kept was a Ruger LC9. The wife wanted one - until she shot it...

There are lots of quality 9mm handguns on the market, even in California. Shoot everything you can, and find what works for YOU. We shoot all of ours, and enjoy them all. Those I've shot and not enjoyed don't live here. Your tastes may be different than mine - lots of folks love the Beretta 92, and I don't, and that's all right!

I own and shoot 5 different 9 mm pistols,S&W Pro Series,Beretta 92 FS,CZ 75B,Ruger P89 and Sig 225/P6 and all are accurate and very reliable. I do reload for the 9 mm and the Sig is the "problem "child as the ammo has to be loaded to SAAMI oal. I've owned a Hi Power in the past not my cup of tea but a solid pistol none the less. As far as Glocks go they never felt right in my hand but again that's me.

Darkhorse said:

I have a friend who wants to buy a 9mm auto, but I only have experience with a few brands.

Can you recommend a particular brand / model based on your specific experience , not just on "it has a great reputation" or something vague like that?

I don't know if he plans to carry it; he doesn't have a permit so far.

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I bought my first handgun 42 years ago (NIB 150- model 4" Blued Ruger Security Six) and I currently own a few dozen handguns.

The 9x19 that I find most comfortable (as a shooter) is a Glock 19Gen4. I only own 2 Glocks (the other is a 30S). I mention that so that you know that this is not simply the response of a GlockFanBoy.

My 9x19 carry gun is a Kel-Tec PF9 that I have carried since 2007 but it is not a range gun.

Glock 19

I recommend a Pardini GT9.

It's has a way better trigger than an XD.

Any Hk. Reliable, accurate, durable, great customer service if , by chance, you need it. I particularly love the vp9 because of the really great trigger( striker fired) and the customized ergonomic side panels and back straps. Price is very reasonable. In my opinion your friend couldn't do better. This advice comes from experience with most of the HK models .

My two all time favorites are the Sig Sauer P226 and the Beretta 92 Compact. I cannot recommend those two enough.

When I wanted a first gun that would be fun to shoot, reliable straight out of the box, great for home defense, and required little maintenance, after much research, I went for G17.

It had proven to be all of that and then some.

However a full size gun is hard to conceal under a t-shirt, and is very uncomfortable when carried IWB.

So last year I bought a G26.

In my opinion this is the best 9mm gun Glock ever designed. In my hands it's as accurate as G17, very concealable, small enough that it disappears under a regular t-shirt even when carried OWB. And easy to carry IWB. If I had actually tried G26 instead of assuming it would be "uncomfortable" to shoot just because of it's looks, it would likely be the only Glock I would ever need. Now however I have two great guns.

G19 didn't work for me personally - the space between the last two grooves on the grip is just tight enough to pinch my pinky somewhat uncomfortably. It didn't look that much smaller than G17. However, there's a great number of people that love that model. So it's definitely something to consider.

I'm not a Glock fanboy and I am sure there's plenty of great guns in 9mm from other makers. Personally, I'd love to get my hands on a classic all-steel hammer gun like CZ75B or one of the Soviet block milsurps. And Glock certainly wouldn't win any beauty contests. But both of my guns have been completely trouble free and easy to use, reasonably priced, extremely easy to maintain, in my opinion Glock is the best gun to start on.

I've fired probably most of the 9mm guns on the market over the past 30 years. I was only able to do this as I worked for a federal agency that did a lot of evaluation and encountered a lot of manufacturer reps willing to lend me a gun for a decent period of time. The best all around 9mm IMO is a Glock 19.

When choosing what you should carry for SD you should first consider w by at do you shoot well

Based on the many 9mm's I've owned and have experience with, my short-short list is (in no particular order):

Glock 19 (or 17)
CZ P-07 (or 09)
Walther P99
Sig 229 (or 226)

There are many, many other excellent options but those are the ones I would look at should I be purchasing another 9mm handgun (granted, I own most of those on the list).

Of the 5 I currently have I can't say one bad thing about any of them.

CZ75
CZ p-09
Ruger p89
S&W Shield
Taurus g2

Of course you can't go wrong with a M&P Pro or regular M&P. I've owned the regular M&P and have put a bunch of round down a couple of PROs.

The Sig 226 can't be beat except in price.


Pistols are like fishing rods, there are different uses and no one pistol can cover all bases.

Not a Glock fan, I'd never buy a gun with a springy thingy on the trigger, read of to many L/O's shooting themselves in the leg.
Can't go wrong with a Sig or a High power but for my money CZ provides the biggest bang for the buck. Started with an 85 combat and liked it so much I bought a PCR for CCW. It has become, far and away, my favorite pistol.
The ergonomics, accuracy and reliability make them winners.

Based on specific experience, CZ, Glock, S&W M&P, SIG-Sauer P-series (except for the P938).

That's like asking which tooth paste to buy. Tons of choices.

brutus51 said:

Not a Glock fan, I'd never buy a gun with a springy thingy on the trigger, read of to many L/O's shooting themselves in the leg.
Can't go wrong with a Sig or a High power but for my money CZ provides the biggest bang for the buck. Started with an 85 combat and liked it so much I bought a PCR for CCW. It has become, far and away, my favorite pistol.
The ergonomics, accuracy and reliability make them winners.

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Are you saying you like a manual safety so that you don't shoot yourself in the leg?

I own the BHP, CZ-75's, Beretta 92FS, HK P7, and several other oddball 9MM's. Of these I find myself gravitating towards the several CZ-75 variants I have. They are accurate, reliable, well made, and still a good value.

Turkish CZ clones certainly provide a lot of band for the buck.