9mm Range Gun.....24/7 or Sigma ?

[boalex207]

I'm going to a purchase a 9 mm pistol as a rental / range gun for Carry Permit class students.

The candidates are the Smith & Wesson Sigma SW9VE and the Taurus 24/7 Pro.

Polls are open..........cast your votes

 

[-v-]

24/7 based on DA/SA trigger group making it a little easier to shoot then a Sigma, however I hate the 24/7's grip, hard to get a good finger-to-trigger contact and makes it too easy to shoot with your knuckle instead of with your pad.

 

[boalex207]

You mean the grip is too bulky ?

 

[railroader]

I would probably go with the Taurus because of the lighter trigger pull. I just had a 24/7 pro 45 acp that I got new and only kept it for a couple of months. It was an just ok gun but the trigger had real lot of take up for single action. If you are looking for an inexpensive gun that works how about a ruger p95 with a hogue slip on grip. They run around $300 I think. Mark

 

[Ed Ames]

You are going to rent this out?

Go with the Smith. No question. Why? Everyone seems to agree that S&W's service dept is much better than Taurus's. It's inconvenient and frustrating to have a personal weapon out of commission for a couple of months. It's money out of your pocket to have a business gun out of commission for the same time. Taurus has a reputation for giving slow service.

Beyond that, the Taurus DA/SA is going to be harder to explain to new shooters. If this is a "rent this from me so you can finish the course even if you don't have a gun of your own" situation the Sigma's very simple operation will make things easier on you. The stiffer trigger isn't that big a deal compared to someone not engaging the safety after a few rounds and mishandling an unsafed single action pistol.

That's my take anyway.

Oh, and if the numbers look decent it might be worthwhile to bite the bullet and just get a glock. I'm not a fan of them but everyone will know what it is and it's got most of the advantages of the Sigma plus a better brand association.

 

[kle]

I voted for the Sigma because I've owned one and found it was accurate, fit my hands extremely well, and the heavy but consistent trigger pull wasn't as bad as people say it is. I actually broke mine and had it repaired by S&W with a turnaround time of about a week (versus waiting a month for Taurus to send out a new firing pin for my 905), so plus-one to S&W's customer support.

No safeties (aside from the trigger "safety") to complicate things, dead-simple operation, and the rebate/magazines offer is nice.

Addendum: I suppose since it'll be a rental/class-gun, more magazines or even the rebate won't matter too much. Still, for carry I like the idea of a heavy, consistent trigger--requires a deliberate pull/squeeze to fire, and I doubt that in a shooting situation a heavy trigger will matter much (though I've never been in one).

 

[Blarelli]

Personally, I love how the 24/7 feels, but I have no experience shooting it. Are you totally set on one of these two, or are you open to others in that price range?

 

[boalex207]

Are you totally set on one of these two, or are you open to others in that price range?

No, any 9mm in the $ 325 range could work.

Beyond that, the Taurus DA/SA is going to be harder to explain to new shooters.

I thought about that after I had posted. And the more I read I'm not sure I totally understand it.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

On service alone you have to go with the S&W offering.

 

[worthirt_99]

I've never had a problem with Taurus service. The 24/7 works well for me, but I'd go with whatever feels the best for you. If you get a chance to fire them do so and go with whatever works best for you.

Edit: I'm tired and didn't read fully, for a rental I would still say the 24/7, but that's just me.

 

[wally]

I voted Sigma for the reasons Ed Ames has so clearly stated.

--wally.

 

[Blarelli]

For a rental gun that newbies could potentially be using, I vote ruger p95. I think it's far ahead of the sigma and 24/7 in terms of reliability and overall awesomeness.

 

[Jackal]

While I have shot one and dont personally like it, I would also say the Ruger P95. They can be had for around $250 from CDNN right now. They seem to be reliable and very durable.

 

[-v-]

boalex207 by the grip being not very good in the hand is the grip, I mean that it is fairly wide at the bottom but somewhat narrow at the top. For some people it's bound to work, for others it might not be that good in the hand.

Personal opinion, but I think for a novice shooter one of the upsides of a Taurus is that it does have a safety, so that someone new can confidently set it to safe. I've also had a P95DC and while it's a nice gun, the thicker grip can give some shooters trouble, I know for me that was one of the reasons for me getting rid of mine.

Personally, the lack of a true mechanical safety on the DC version was something that turned me off, as I always had to watch the trigger and be extra careful, as I knew that the weapon, unless locked back was always live. I think for a new shooter, the ability to positively safety a weapon could be a real bonus to personal safety and piece of mind. Plus, while careful handling of a firearm is very important to safely enjoying the sport, having additional safety system in place to minimize the risk of an "oh ****!" is deffenatly an advantage, in my mind.

However, Ruger does make a P95 with a frame mounted safety, so this whole point is rather moot, all-in-all. I think kle's suggestion of getting a p95 with the safety might be the best suggestion, as that thing is a tank, and will never give anyone grief. Not the sexiest gun out there, but its almost as sure-firing as revolver.

 

[d20111a]

I agree with Ed Ames also. Plus, if you are going to rent this for profit, you may get more "takers" with a Smith just by name recognition.

 

[glockman19]

Neither.

Get a Glock 17 or 19.

If you must buy one of the guns listed then get the S&W.

 

[hondapro]

I think smith&wesson is offering a 50 dollar rebate and 2 free magazines on the M&P until the end of January.With a little shopping you should be able to find one for around 380.00 after rebate.

 

[kle]

Wa'n't my suggestion on the P95--credit for that goes to Blarelli and Jackal.

Still, if all you want to do is have someone learn how to shoot (under supervision, of course), they don't need to be confused with safeties, DA/SA operation or anything fancy.

 

[strat81]

Just to clarify, the Taurus 24/7 is not a traditional DA/SA. It is a SA/DA. The gun is always in single action unless you pull the trigger and get nothing. In the event you get nothing (hard primer, poorly seated primer, etc), the trigger then becomes double action and you can pull the trigger again.

For all intents and purposes, the 24/7 is a single action gun, assuming you feed it quality factory ammo that won't have misfires. There is a bit of a long take up, but the actual pull is very light. I'm very happy with my 24/7 Pro.

 

[D-Man]

I'm with those who think you may be better off getting something else - even if it's a used gun instead of your two choices.

Is this a gun that would be used by all, or maybe just by people who don't already own one? I'd be concerned that neither of those gun choices may be particullary good, and it may either bring bad habits or a leave a bad taste in the mouth for people having to use one.

 

[boalex207]

bump

good info. and comments

keep 'em coming

 

[bigmike45]

I have shot both, in 9mm, and for natural grip angle, function, accuracy & just all around good looks the Taurus gets my vote.