I have the rare (for me) opportunity to buy a new pistol. But, unfortunately, my price ceiling is rather low. I'm trying to come up with a list of pistols to take a look at and I was hoping that others here could throw in their two cents. I already have a 9MM so I'd like to get something a little more powerful. My brother-in-law shoots in IDPA/ISPC matches, and I've gone to a few with him, so something that would work well in that setting would be nice.
My list so far:
A Ruger P-Series: No, they aren't the prettiest guns in the world but they shoot well. I have several friends who own Ruger P-Series pistols and I've never heard a complaint. They appear to be going in the $360-$390 price range. The mag capacity is rather low for the .40 and .45 models. The availability of parts and magazines is not a concern.
EAA Witness: I have no experience with these. The guy who runs the IDPA/ISPC matches suggested it as a good starter pistol. They hold more rounds than the Ruger which is a plus. The street price seems to be about $380. The availability of parts and magazines is unknown to me.
Stoeger Cougar: I've read an article about these in a gun rag and, of course, they are fantastic. But, those articles are based on one guys impression of a pistol that was hand picked by the manufacturer. I've read a few posts here and on TFL from people who bought them and everything seems positive. But, they are too new to really know much about their reliability over the long haul. I'd like to know why Beretta stopped making them in the first place. Were they just overpriced or was there a real problem with the design? The street price seems to be about $330, which is attractive. The CZs were pretty cheap when they first hit the states but now it's hard to find them for less than $450. I suspect that in the next year or so the Stoeger will either disappear or go up in price. Longterm availability of parts and mags is a concern.
Any comments on these pistols or suggestions for others?
Thanks.
My list so far:
A Ruger P-Series: No, they aren't the prettiest guns in the world but they shoot well. I have several friends who own Ruger P-Series pistols and I've never heard a complaint. They appear to be going in the $360-$390 price range. The mag capacity is rather low for the .40 and .45 models. The availability of parts and magazines is not a concern.
EAA Witness: I have no experience with these. The guy who runs the IDPA/ISPC matches suggested it as a good starter pistol. They hold more rounds than the Ruger which is a plus. The street price seems to be about $380. The availability of parts and magazines is unknown to me.
Stoeger Cougar: I've read an article about these in a gun rag and, of course, they are fantastic. But, those articles are based on one guys impression of a pistol that was hand picked by the manufacturer. I've read a few posts here and on TFL from people who bought them and everything seems positive. But, they are too new to really know much about their reliability over the long haul. I'd like to know why Beretta stopped making them in the first place. Were they just overpriced or was there a real problem with the design? The street price seems to be about $330, which is attractive. The CZs were pretty cheap when they first hit the states but now it's hard to find them for less than $450. I suspect that in the next year or so the Stoeger will either disappear or go up in price. Longterm availability of parts and mags is a concern.
Any comments on these pistols or suggestions for others?
Thanks.
