Bul Armory vs. Lifetime warraty?

[JTQ]

>> Most Beretta 92 variants have an aluminum frame, so they do feel a little lighter. <<

Does that make them any less durable?

Perhaps.



It was the chosen firearm of the US Military and militaries and law enforcement agencies throughout the world for decades. Sure, you may wear it out, but probably not.

 

[JTQ]

Here are some other good Beretta M9/92FS videos that may be helpful

Why the slide mounted De cocker

There are some really good reasons for the slide mounted de-cocking system, many of them are just not known. 1. It keeps the grip of the frame open for the h...

www.youtube.com

 

[JTQ]

If you want some Browning Hi-Power information, not Springfield SA-35, but related, the late Stephen A. Camp, who was a member here at THR, still has an excellent website working.

Hi-Powers and Handguns https://www.hipowersandhandguns.com/

 

[9mmepiphany]

>> I'd recommend an inexpensive 22 for recoil-free practice as another handgun purchase. <<

Our plan has been exactly that, although a number of people have told us that you should practice with the gun and caliber you plan on using. It's certainly cheaper and easier to shoot .22. Do you feel that the skills transfer?

It's different skills that you are working on. On one hand there is sight alignment and trigger management, on the other there is recoil management. You can work on both at the same time, using one gun, but the likelihood of developing poor shooting habits is much higher unless you're learning under the tutelage of an skill instructor. Developing bad habits early will cost a lot more time and ammo in the long run.

The skills transfer directly, as do skills developed in Dry Fire practice

 

[Howland937]

Do you feel that the skills transfer

Absolutely, mostly.
It takes the same amount of time to learn good habits as it does to learn bad habits, as long as you start by learning good habits. Otherwise it takes roughly twice as long.

A lot of the fundamentals can be picked up and refined with rimfire and dry fire like was mentioned above. Recoil management is really the only significant difference, especially if you choose a pistol that functions very similarly.

 

[Riomouse911]

I'm a newcomer to hangun shooting and I'm trying to settle on my first gun. (Still waiting for my New Jersey permit so I have some time to do research.) I have large hands and I'm looking for something full-size in 9mm. I really like the Springfield Armory SA-35 and a lot of the 1911s, such as the Springfield Armory 1911 Ronin. Yesterday I was at a gun store and saw a Bul Armory 1911 Commander. It seemed to be beautifully made and I'm considering it. My question is: how important is a warranty for handguns? Bul Armory warrants its guns for a year, while Springfield and Smith & Wesson (among others) offer lifetime warranties. This inspires confidence and I wonder what more experienced gun owners think about this.

Like many of us here on THR, I am one of those “try ‘em all” types, owning Glock, Kimber, Beretta, SIG, Springfield, Ruger and CZ pistols in 9mm, .40 S&W and .45 ACP.

The SA 35 is a great pistol, it fits my Joe Average sized hand like it was made for me and shoots extremely well. It has a good trigger and came with a few improvements over the original Browning Hi Power it emulates. The SA 35 is a single action auto, so if you plan on carrying it the “cocked and locked” carry method takes a bit of getting used to.

The SA Ronin I have is the 9mm 4.25” barrel version, often called the commander size after Colt’s Commander model introduced decades ago. I find the Ronin to be a good looking, well made pistol that had a very good trigger right out of the box. All standard 1911’s (9mm or .45) feel good in my hands, the Ronin is no different.

Like the SA 35, the 1911 is a single action auto so the same cocked and locked carry style goes for it, too. The trigger on a good 1911 is the best part; crisp with a clean break. There should be no creep or mushiness in a good 1911 trigger pull, my Ronin follows through with such a trigger nicely.

I read that you shot some Glocks but had malfunctions. What Glock models were you shooting? The double stack 9mm (Models 19-17-26, etc.) frame width can be a bit much for some hands. The larger frame (10mm and .45 ACP ) sized Glocks are even blockier. There is a single-stack 9mm frame that holds 10+1 from the factory, the Models 48 and 43X, that I find to be a Goldilocks frame size for me; just right. If you and your wife have tried this size and don’t like it, of course that’s ok. If you havent shot one, give one a whirl. You (or her) may find it much better than the chunkier frames.

The Beretta M9/92 is a big, service sized pistol that looks like you are familiar with so I won’t waste time on it. (Does your wife like the grip? They are a bit of a reach for some folks.) I will say my brand new M9 failed last week after exactly 42 shots were fired when the trigger bar spring somehow popped out of position. I fixed that, and installed a M*CARBO spring kit in it that reduced the gritty factory 11.5 pound DA trigger pull to a much nicer 8.5 pounds, but the SA still has some creep that I hope clears up with some use.

The SIG Sauer P-229/226 are duty sized guns that have a great feel. The trigger reach can be a stretch, my P-228 has a short-reach trigger installed that helps this out a lot. There is no safety lever on a P-220 series gun, just a decocking lever on the left side for safely decocking the gun.

The CZ-75 is one of my favorites. Like the SA 35, the CZ grip feels great in my mitts. Also like the other DA/SA pistols, the trigger reach can be a stretch. But there are replacement trigger options to make it a shorter reach like the one I put in my SIG. CZ 75 come in decocker (CZ75 BD) or safety lever (CZ75 B) models in full sized and compact frame sizes.
One drawback to the CZ for people with limited hand strength is a smaller gripping surface due to how the slide rides within the frame. Other auto pistols have a slide that rides over the frame, making for a rather slab-sided slide that gives more surface area to grip. Technique is important if ones grip is not strong, so practice if you try one to see if this is a deal breaker.

My Ruger centerfire autos run the gamut from a SR-1911 (.45) to LC9 DA only compact 9mm, to the LCP/LCP II micro .380’s. My Kimbers are all 1911-based, both 9mm and .45 in full sized and compact models. The Kimber Micro 9 is 1911-ish as it looks and operates similar to a 1911, but they are much smaller and are without a grip safety.

Since you have time, keep trying guns out at the range if you can. It is a great way to find the one thats right for you and your wife. Most of us here have plunked down $500-$600-$700 or more on a gun based on print (now internet) gun reviews or marketing hype, only to find out we later were completely disappointed with the gun. (My biggest one was the H&K USP .45. That for me was one of the very few guns I bought, briefly carried and then quickly sold, with zero afterthought or regrets.)

Good luck with the NJ permit process, with finding the gun(s) you both like, and with becoming competent and confident with your new pistol(s)!

Stay safe.

 

[Tallball]

I've owned one of my Beretta 92 variants since 1990 and haven't worn it out yet. I don't think anyone except a professional shooter is likely to ever wear out the frame.

Yeah, 22 practice carries over just fine. I've certainly shot more 22lr in my life than any other caliber. I start nearly every range trip with a 22 to get "settled in".

The Ruger Marks and the Browning Buck Mark are great. I own them both. Have also heard good things about the S&W Victory. After early problems, the Taurus TX22 is supposed to be pretty decent now, too. Any of them would pay for itself with ammo savings after a while.

My two favorite service pistols. A 1911 clone and a CZ75 clone. Not made in the USA, but in friendly countries (the Philippines and Italy). I bought them both well used. The Tanfoglio was used by an Israeli military-affiliated shooting club and had been shot a LOT. They both function perfectly. All I've ever done is put new springs in them and toss a bad 1911 mag.

Citadel 1911 9mm

• Tallball
• Apr 6, 2019

Tanfoglio Cohai TA90 9mm

• Tallball
• Apr 6, 2020

 

[JTQ]

* We tried a Springfield 1911 Operator, I believe. I liked it but didn't shoot well with it. It also didn't pop open when the magazine was empty -- a lot of the rental guns at our range are heavily used and not in the best condition.

Next time out with a 1911, try using this grip and see if it helps. Your grip may have interfered with the slide stop and kept the slide from locking back on empty. At about the :50 mark, note where he puts his right hand thumb, on top of the thumb safety.

 

[brontodon]

>> What Glock models were you shooting? <<

The one that gave me the most trouble was the Model 47. I got "stovepipe" jams several times. This was within my first few minutes of shooting, and its entirely possible that my poor grip was responsible -- I was "limpwristing" it. Having said that, my friend who owns it wishes he hadn't bought it.

 

[Slamfire]

Whatever warranty this had, it went away with the Company.

It used to be that a lifetime warranty was based on the lifetime of the product. Now a lifetime warranty is based on the lifetime of the Company! Here today, gone tomorrow!

 

[brontodon]

>> It used to be that a lifetime warranty was based on the lifetime of the product. Now a lifetime warranty is based on the lifetime of the Company! Here today, gone tomorrow! <<

They still make razors, don't they?

 

[JTQ]

I believe Remington owned ParaUSA for a time and those warrantees would be gone too.

Ruger has a great reputation for customer and warrantee service, but I think we've had a guy on the forum that broke one of those P-Series guns, the P85/P89/P94/P95/P97/P345 family, that have great durability reputations, but when they returned the gun to Ruger, they were told, "Hey, sorry, those guns are long gone. We don't have any parts to repair your gun."

I can't remember what they were offered, either a new gun as a replacement or a discount towards a new model, but they weren't getting their old gun fixed, and I don't think Ruger would send it back either since they determined it unsafe.

 

[sevt_chevelle]

The best thing to do is find a store that has rentals.
A pistol can feel good in the hand at the counter, but feel awful at the range.

The CZ PCR and P01 are criminally under-rated carry pistols.