FNP v. FNX v. CZ-75/SP01 v. STI GP6 v. Beretta Storm v. P99

In no order........

CZ 75
CZ SP01
FNX
P99

I would go with the FNX or FNP simply because it has a polymer frame and there is a lot more support for them than the others, due to being more popular.

The P99 and storm are polymer frames also. I have the p99 in 9mm and its an excellent shooter

CZ-75/SP01

Click to expand...

I'd get that just to see what all the fuss is about. CZ-75 gets many rave reviews from owners claiming it to be the greatest thing since sliced bread...just like you hear from glock and 1911 people. There has to be something behind all the hype, at least that's what I've discovered with other pistols. A CZ-75 variant is on my short list of firearms I need to buy.

I'm in the market for something new and after Sunday night, I have decided I'll spend my money with a yet to be determined American company. :insert flag waving smiley here: That's OK, because I'm still wanting a ruger LCR, blackhawk, single 6, 22/45 or a S&W airweight.

Good luck with your decision. You sound like me in that you already have all of the firearms you "need," so now you are agonizing to find a new perceived "need" or just have new gun fever. Either way, I know it is a horrible thing to go through.

Haven't shot the others. Sorry. I do however own the SP-01 and it is a great pistol - well made, reliable and accurate. I bought a Kadet Kit for it so I could also plink with .22. I liked the Kadet Kit so much, I traded one of my SIGs for a CZ 75 SA to act as a dedicated base for the Kadet Kit. Now the CZ 75 SP-01 is strictly 9mm.

Browning High Power.

Well I've got the CZ 75B and the CZ PCR and they are both excellent. Although the PCR is causing me some trigger sting, it is very accurate. O.K. now for the surprise, the other day at the range I rented a full sized Storm in 9mm and was blown away by the smoothness, accuracy, and low recoil of this gun. And it felt good in the hand. I was more than impressed. Fortunately I don't need another full sized gun; however the smaller Storm with the rotating barrel may well be in my future.

As DCR pointed out, you indecisive would-be full-size 9mm buyers always seem to forget the Hi-Power. It is the 1911 of 9mm's. That would be my first pick too. Other folks besides Browning have made Hi-Powers, so they don't need to be super-expensive. We have a Charles Daly that is US-made, and is just fantastic. It cost us $350 new a couple years ago. Cabelas was closing them out.

However, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you already considered and discounted it. In that case, let me know what your primary use is. Since you said full size, I'll go out on a limb and assume you're not going to carry it. (correct me if I'm wrong) If that is the case, there are my picks, in order of preference:

1. CZ SP-01
2. FNX
3. FNP
4. Storm
5. P99
6. STI

The SP-01 has the longest sight radius and is the heaviest. It also has the slide rails which run inside the frame rails, so will probably be the most accurate. CZ75s are exceedingly comfortable. Can you get an SP-01 that can be cocked & locked? If so, that would put it on equal footing with the mighty Hi-Power.

The FNX, FNP, and Storm, I consider to be equal, and style is probably the biggest factor between them. The Storm I shot was in .45 ACP. The trigger was great, and it was very comfortable. I'm luke warm on the futuristic looks though.

The P99 is my favorite gun of the bunch, but is probably inferior to the ones above it in the list for pure target shooting. You see, it is smaller and lighter than them, and has more perceived recoil. It has the best trigger I've ever experienced on a striker-fired pistol. I owned a 1st gen. one of these, and I miss it sometimes. The trigger breaks very cleanly, but only in the last couple mm of travel.

STI - No experience with it. Is it a 9mm 1911? If so, yuck. They shoot well enough, but are not pure of heart. It is like if a tiger went out and raped a lion, the offspring would be a feak of nature; an red-headed stepchild; an orphan. I've shot 9mm 1911s, and the recoil is quite soft, and they're quite accurate. But the idea of it really turns me off. It makes me wish they'd put some effort into making race guns out of Hi-Powers. They could be just as popular as 1911s.

I would go with the FNX or FNP simply because it has a polymer frame and there is a lot more support for them than the others, due to being more popular.

Click to expand...

Really?

I've NEVER seen anyone with one, ever. Read about them on the internets but that's about it. I shoot 3-4 USPSA or IDPA matches a month.

Can you get an SP-01 that can be cocked & locked? If so, that would put it on equal footing with the mighty Hi-Power.

Click to expand...

Yes, you can carry the SP-01 cocked and locked or you can manually drop the hammer and carry it DA first shot.

I would go with the FNX or FNP simply because it has a polymer frame and there is a lot more support for them than the others, due to being more popular.

Click to expand...

With all due respect, not in my neck of the woods. I have never seen any aftermarket sights, triggers, hammers, or custom mods for the FN series pistols. In fact, I understand it's practically impossible to do a trigger job on an FNP/X.

On the other hand, new accessories and mods are becoming available for CZ's more and more frequently.

STI has the best trigger out of the box. CZ SP01 can have a great DA/SA trigger (with some smith work or the CZ Custom Shop). If you really want a shooter then get a 1911 in 9mm, like an STI Spartan or Trojan. FNH makes a good pistol but like the GP6, Walther and Beretta, upgrades and accesories are sometimes hard to find or are expensive. My other choice would be a Glock G34 with an Apex trigger, almost as fine a shooter as my STI 9mm Trojan, and Glock stuff is everwhere, relatively cheap too.

metalman8600 said:

I would go with the FNX or FNP simply because it has a polymer frame and there is a lot more support for them than the others, due to being more popular.

Click to expand...

As a few people have already said, out of the guns listed the FNP is one of the least common. There are a few holsters made for it, and most holsters made for the 4" XD40 will fit the FNP as well, but that's pretty much it as far as accessories/support go.

OP, if you haven't already, try to find somewhere with a P99 in stock and just hold it, should make the decision easy, if not dry-firing it will. I'm probably going to sell my FNP because I don't shoot it anymore after getting my P99. If you want a hammer fired polymer gun I'd go with the PX4 or a Sig SP2022 over the FNP.

another double post...

Jed Carter said:

CZ SP01 can have a great DA/SA trigger (with some smith work or the CZ Custom Shop).

Click to expand...

This has been true in the past. Round trip tuning and shipping to the Custom Shop runs around $250-$270.00 depending on what you have done.

For less than $100.00 you can get excellent performance with new, CZ drop-in hammer kits, made for the DIY'ers:

I have the most experience with the CZ line of pistols. I would get the CZ SP01. That way you get the rail.

There is really nothing wrong with any of the pistols you've listed. Your best bet would be to rent or borrow them. Then you know your getting the pistol you really want.

I've shot them all and owned all but the FNX (which is close enough the the FNP's)... the CZ's hands down, the others are like little kid's guns.

I like the SP-01 over the standard 75's due to their differently shaped beavertail, but either is WAY more gun than the others you mentioned.

Add a CZCustoms competition hammer to either and you end up with a trigger that'll rival a great 1911, except it'll run and run drama-free like a Glock (that's where the magic comes from ForumSurfer).

Try a Shadow sometime, shoot it back-to-back against the best 1911 AND the best Glock you can find, I dare you...

I recently bought my first CZ handgun - an SP01 Shadow Target in 9mm. I have many custom built 1911 auto loaders and S&W performance center guns (945-1, 952-2, PC1911) and the CZ rivals all of them for performance (accuracy, DA/SA trigger pull and reliability) and fit/finish for half the price. This gun is quickly becoming one of my favorites and CZ is a company I will definitely buy more guns from. FWIW

I like the SP-01 over the standard 75's due to their differently shaped beavertail, but either is WAY more gun than the others you mentioned.

Add a CZCustoms competition hammer to either and you end up with a trigger that'll rival a great 1911, except it'll run and run drama-free like a Glock (that's where the magic comes from ForumSurfer).

Click to expand...

I stopped by a LGS on the way back from a school field trip with my son, yesterday. I fondled an SP-01. I really liked it.

Honestly it was the first time I held one. The controls felt awkward and the slide felt very foreign to me. Evertime I grabbed it to cycle it, I found myself grabbing a handful of frame since it is so short.

I gotta admit, I liked the feel of it! If I can manage to find one to shoot, it will make my short list of stuff to aquire.

http://www.lipseys.com/itemdetail.aspx?itemno=CZ91158&mfg=CZ-USA&family=75+Series&caliber=9mm

That one specifically. If that is what you are referring to ckone, yeah...I want one. I do want to run some ammo through it. I've bought more than one pistol that I loved the way they felt, but hated the way they shot.

ForumSurfer said:

http://www.lipseys.com/itemdetail.aspx?itemno=CZ91158&mfg=CZ-USA&family=75+Series&caliber=9mm

That one specifically. If that is what you are referring to ckone, yeah...I want one. I do want to run some ammo through it. I've bought more than one pistol that I loved the way they felt, but hated the way they shot.

Click to expand...

Actually, while the Phantoms are cool and all a "true" and/or traditional CZ has to be SA/DA with a safety (NO-decocker, makes so much sense once you live with it for little while) and made out of metal, if you can you want to shoot a Shadow variant of some type, preferably one that comes via CZCustoms and that has their competition hammer installed, many other CZ's are good but they're the stars of the show, they are born without firing pin blocks like 70's series 1911's and their trigger's are awesome right out-of-the-box... they really show the full potential of how good CZ's really can be but they aren't cheap ($880-1200), that said, for me they've replaced high-end STI's and Wilson's that cost 3 times as much. If you can afford to do it you'd want this one: http://czcustom.com/shadowcustomduo.aspx. Or maybe this one (my new favorite IDPA blaster as it rules in SSP and cocked n' locked it embarrasses expensive 1911's in ESP): http://czcustom.com/cz75shadowsadablk.aspx

In truth a CZCustoms competition hammer is only $65 and will turn any non-decocker CZ into something special. A standard SP-01 with a competition hammer installed becomes a Shadow with night sights and a FPB, comes in at around $600, and can truthfully be used as a duty weapon during the week and win matches on the weekends, they're really underrated. These are all working guns though really, Czech SWAT and Special Forces use SP-01's and Shadows.

I always wanted a gun that ran as reliably as my good ol' 3rd Gen G17 but had the sweet trigger and inherent accuracy of a "fancy" gun, but not so fancy that it couldn't be used as a solid defensive weapon if needed... in the Shadows I finally found it.