Most accurate pistol for ~ $700 or less?

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Seattleimport

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After a full, six-hour day of rental shooting at two different ranges, I've discovered that, for me, the joy of pistol shooting comes entirely from accurate shot placement. After my buddies banged away at the center of a target, I gleefully bullseyed the target's logo at 40 feet with a Taurus PT 1911. I likewise got a kick out of rapid-fire accurate shooting in the black with a CZ-75B.

So, a 1911 in .45 or the CZ-75B SA (http://www.cz-usa.com/product_detail.php?id=33) are the top contenders for my very first semiautomatic pistol. My question is: are these decent target guns? Will I be able to use them in competitions? Which is more accurate out of the box? Should I be considering different autoloaders?

Restrictions/more info:
  • I prefer the feel of metal guns over composite.
  • Glocks don't feel right in my hands.
  • I don't intend to handload/reload ammunition.
  • I'd like to keep the cost under $700 (or less!)
  • My main home defense gun is a Remington 870 (purchased today!).
  • This pistol will be a secondary home defense gun (therefore, I'm looking at .45 ACP and 9mm, and not .22)
  • This won't be my carry gun.
  • I'll likely eventually get a .22 target pistol.

Advice much appreciated!
 
Simple question really. Which has the better trigger for you?

While I own a few others, all the guns I shoot competitively with are 1911s. CZs are fine pistols but I am just not a fan of DA/SA triggers. You'll need a bit more than $700 to get a target grade 1911 though - even used.

Here's 1 of my favorites, a Dan Wesson Pointman:

IMG_DWPM-X.gif
 
You have the answer right in front of you! CZ-75 with a CZ Kadet .22 conversion kit! You might get both for about $700 total. You already like the CZ. :)
If you decide that you need a .45, I like the CZ-97 but would probably go with a quality basic 1911 pattern pistol with a .22 conversion kit as well. The .22 kits allow more trigger time for less cost with your carry/defense pistol.

My opinion is worth every dime you paid for it.
 
No question - CZ 75b. (Get Angus to work that trigger for you and it will be even MORE accurate!)

Otherwise, to get better accuracy, you'll need to delve into some higher end 1911s.
 
Springfield Armory XDm

in .40 cal or 9MM. LArge capacity, adjustable backstraps, match grade barrell, and lifetime warranty. Incredibly accurate pistol for around $600.
 
I have heard good things about the XD-M, and I like the grip and trigger safety. The lack of a grip safety is one of the strikes against the CZ 75 B SA. Obviously I don't *intend* to ever drop the gun, but the extra level of safety against accidental discharge is comforting.

XD-M, CZ 75 B SA, or a 1911 (no idea which one, though I like the Taurus PT). Decisions, decisions!
 
I have a CZ75BD 9mm with the Kadet Kit. Very accurate and economical to shoot. This was one of my first center fire hand guns and has tens of thousands of rounds through it. A brick of .22 and a couple boxes of WWB will give a good day of shooting.

I have a few 1911s and a Ciener .22 conversion. The 1911 fits my hand a bit better. I came to the 1911 later in my shooting. Had avoided the .45 until I started reloading. Now I have a 9mm 1911 as well. I like the single action triggers better for accuracy.
 
Depends on if you actually mean most accurate.

You might be able to score a TOZ 35 for less than $700, given that they were $499 not too terribly long ago. Here's a writeup by THR's own Xavier.

http://xavierthoughts.blogspot.com/2007/12/toz-35-range-report.html

Any semi-auto you could get for $700, in fact any semi-auto period, will be nowhere near as accurate as a real free pistol. And the TOZ 35 is the cheapest free pistol you're going to find without being obscenely lucky.

As far as semi-autos suitable for home defense, there really is almost no difference between any of the brands, despite what various kool aid drinkers will tell you. We're talking differences like a 3.5" group at 50 yards for a Glock, compared to a 2.5" group for an H&K or whatever.

Actually, though, if you are ever looking for a very accurate CCW piece, you may want to consider a Kahr. For some reason, my tiny Kahr MK40, with its short little 3" barrel, prints groups about half as big as those of my Glock 23. I hear a lot about Kahrs being incredibly accurate for their size, and mine at least definitely is.
 
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You will be lucky to find a TOZ 35.

IMHO a readily available pistol for under $700 the HKP7 PSP would have to be in the top 3...
 
Tough finding a target gun for $700. There are a lot of nice bases to start with -- that you can build into a nice target gun -- Maybe a SA Mil Spec, Hi Power clone of some kind

Good luck on your quest
 
EAA witness

Look into the EAA witness series of handguns, you can get calibure conversions for them and shoot different cailbures from the same frame. I know they can be made into match / race guns. I watched Doug Konig (sp) use one at the Binachi cup several years ago. It was a 9mm.
 
The Witness Match can be had which has an adjustable single action trigger that is very nice. That said, the CZ-75SA is a nice pistol. I wouldn't worry about the grip safety as it has a firing pin block and can handle being dropped.

Ash
 
+1 for the STI Spartan. A friend of mine bought both the STI Trojan Stainless and the STI Spartan. We got out to the range and discovered that the Spartan($600) was more accurate than the Trojan($1100). We were using standard 230gr ball ammo from UMC and WWB. It was quite a shock to us that the Spartan , which costs half as much as the Trojan, was so accurate.
There are a couple of reviews of the STI Spartan floating around the web.
Plus, the Spartan is covered by STI's warranty.

Good Luck in your search.
 
You can get the Walther P5 (German police trade-in models) for under $400 from SOG at the moment, and you can't do better in terms or both reliability and accuracy. The P5 is amazing, even if the mechanics were originally developed in the 1930s and the gun was refined into its current state 30-plus years ago. If you've never tried one, you are missing a good bet at a more-than-reasonable price
 
I was at the gun store the other day and, remembering this thread, checked out a Witness Match in 9mm. I found it odd that the frame covered the majority of the slide. I admit part of the appeal, to me, of the 1911 platform is the classic look--which the Witness didn't have.
 
The Smith & Wesson M&P9 Pro Series was made for competition shooting. The 5" barrel gives the shooter a longer bore axis for a more accurate aim. The fiber-optic front site allows for faster target acquisition in most lighting conditions. The S&W Performance Center trigger job gives the gun an easier and more consistent trigger pull than the standard M&P.

If you paid for these after market upgrades, it would be far more than $100-$200 price differential.

This is what the famous Massad Ayoob had to say about the M&P9 Pro Series... If you don't want to read the article, I can tell you that he beat his all time best IDPA scores the very first time he shot the M&P9 Pro.

http://www.gunsmagazine.com/Features/0908/Ftr0908.html

My son and I love our M&P9 Pro Series. I own custom competition 1911's that don't shoot as laser straight as the M&P9 Pro. The Pro Series are being bought as fast as they make them and they very hard to find right now.

http://www.smith-wesson.com/webapp/...ted=tech&isFirearm=Y&parent_category_rn=15711
 
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