Dedicated HD pistol - Opinions

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malakili

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I currently have a Glock 26 and a Ruger LCR .38 for primary and backup carry guns, but in the near future want to pick up something to use as a main home defense pistol that has greater power/capacity/sight radius. I figure since concealability isn't a requirement on a dedicated house gun, that doesn't need to be a compromise made. Huge size is okay. Here's my list of wants, for anyone that would like to offer an opinion on what a good choice would be (PS, I like the Glock platform but am not married to it) :

Autoloader.
.40 S&W or .45 ACP (another reason for picking these calibers is because they are easier to find than 9mm or .38 right now).
4 inch minimum barrel length, more is better.
10 rd. minimum standard capacity in .45, if it's a .40 I'd like more.
Rail for light.
Factory night sights or least has night sights easily available.
Reliable!
I'd like to not go over $650 if at all possible.

Thanks in advance for your opinions, fellas.
 
I'm sure there are plenty of choices out there, let me be first to offer my opinion.

CZ P 09 comes in 40 S&W I believe 15 + 1 4.5 inch barrel, light rail and I also think you'll be able to get tritium sights as well. It should be under your price.

I have the gun in 9mm and no tritium sights, OTL was $550.
 
Glock 21 or glock 22. Although I wouldn't have a problem with using the g26 with a glock 17 magazine.
 
Autoloader.
.40 S&W or .45 ACP [.45 ACP]
4 inch minimum barrel length, more is better. [4.6 inches]
10 rd. minimum standard capacity in .45, if it's a .40 I'd like more. [13+1 rnds]
Rail for light. [on Gen3 and Gen4]
Factory night sights or least has night sights easily available. [both factory and after market]
Reliable! [duh! ;)]
I'd like to not go over $650 if at all possible.[generally around $550 retail]
Click to expand...
If you can handle the grip size (the SF and Gen4 grips help), the Glock 21 hits all your requirements. I've had a Gen2 for around 20-25 years now with never any problems. I find it easy to shoot and suprisingly accurate. Its my own choice for HD handgun.
 
I know you said .40 or .45, but I would recommend a Glock 19, 17, or 34, considering you already own a Glock 26. In a lot of places, 9mm is back to being plentiful, and that way you'll be able to load the full-size mags into your 26, which is a nice bonus. And there's really no measurable increase in effectiveness if you go with .40 or .45. Also, I think you're probably more likely to have to deal with multiple threats in a HD situation than you are in a CCW situation, and that's where the 9mm's higher capacity and lower recoil could really come in handy.

My HD handgun is a Glock 19 loaded with 17-round magazines and a Streamlight TLR-3. Oh, and it has an Octane 9 HD silencer on it too, because I had one lying around ;).
 
I'd get a Glock 17L

The extra barrel length can give those 147gr bullets a little extra ooooomph.

It still is fairly lightweight, with a lot of the weight distributed forward of the trigger so there is hardly any muzzle rise. It is easy to keep the sights on target after each shot and the long sight radius makes the 17L an accurate shooter.
 
^^^ They don't make the 17L anymore (at least not at the moment), but the 34 is basically the same thing but with a slightly shorter slide. Though if he finds a used 17L that would be a good choice too.
 
I'd choose any Glock in 9mm since you already have the G-26. With todays better bullets you gain little or nothing with 40 or 45. This way you only have to stock one caliber, and the longer G-19 or G-17 mags work in the G-26.

The lack of ammo is a temporary thing, and except for 22's, is over. 9mm will always be cheaper and easier to find. The answer is to stock up on ammo when available.

Of course there is nothing wrong with the 40 or 45. I have own them as well as 10mm. But it is 9mm that I stock up on.
 
My choices....

For home defense Id look for these brands;
Glock 23 gen 04, SIG P250 .40S&W or .45acp, S&W SD40VE .40, Beretta PX4 Storm C(constant) in .40, the S-A XDm in .40 or .45acp, the Ruger SR40 or SR45.
Any of these pistols should meet your needs. I'd add Trijicon HD night sights & maybe a Surefire X300 light, www.surefire.com .
For defense use only factory rounds. No reloaded or hand-load ammunition.
In either .40S&W or .45acp, Id look at these well made brands: Winchester Ranger T/T Series, Speer Gold Dot, DPX, Hornady Critical Duty, Federal HST.
For home protection, a pre fragmented load like the MagSafe SWAT or Glaser Silver Safety Slug could work well.
RS
www.shopcorbon.com www.sgammo.com www.gunsamerica.com www.policehq.com www.slickguns.com
 
Glock 21.

Unless you want to match ammo and some mags with the G26, in which case a 17 or 34 would be nice.

I had a G26 for carry, and then I got a G19...after that I got a G21SF which is a house gun (also open carry gun, and a few times a year concealed carry gun). I don't regret buying the 21SF and I won't be getting rid of it, hopefully ever, but logistically a G17 may have been a better fit.
 
G21 is a good bet. Personally, on my short list is a Springfield XDm .45. I got a chance to shoot one once and it was a dream to shoot.
 
Look into the FN-FNX. This was my choice because of the ambidextrous controls( my wife is a lefty). This seems to fit your criteria. I have not looked into night sights yet.
17 rounds (FNX-9)
14 rounds (FNX-40)
15 rounds (FNX-45)
15 rounds (FNX-45 Tactical)
 
I believe that home defense falls into two general categories. The first is when you don't a visitor to know that you are armed, and the second is when that just doesn't matter anymore.

A concealable handgun is ideal for the first situation. It should be accessible to you on your way to the door. It allows you to deal with potentially suspicious people safely and discretely.

A big, powerful gun with a light on it is ideal for the second role. Unless there is some reason why you'd want to dedicate a handgun for this purpose, a carbine or a shotgun offers superior power, controlability, and (depending on ammo choice) even reduced penetration through walls. A handgun offers no advantage here.
 
Post #15....

I disagree with #15.
In a real lethal force incident or break in, your hands are going to be full. Phones, lights, weapon, etc.
A 12ga shotgun or carbine won't be very practical.
A .45acp could be great. A Glock 21 could work but the new SIG P227R or HK45 could be better if you can save some $ up.
 
I disagree with #15.
In a real lethal force incident or break in, your hands are going to be full. Phones, lights, weapon, etc.
A 12ga shotgun or carbine won't be very practical.
A .45acp could be great. A Glock 21 could work but the new SIG P227R or HK45 could be better if you can save some $ up.
Click to expand...

Bluetooth or wife/friend/etc on the phone and a weaponlight means you have 2 hands free for the long gun, with a good tactical advantage. A pistol grip and/or a sling will also help if you need an arm free.

That said, I agree there are advantages to a handgun over a long gun, and a handgun with a rail-attached light is great for HD. For this particular post, my recommendation stills stands: XDm .45.

I will say my top recommendation for an HD weapon is a military-style rifle (i.e. AK or AR-15 platform) and my next recommendation is a semi-automatic shotgun.
 
Personally, I chose a Springfield XD Tactical w/factory night sights. I put a Viridian C5-L on it, and it stay's in the gunvault that's bolted to my bedside table. I open the box when I go to bed, and close it when I leave in the morning.

5" bbl, 13+1 .45acp, and a laser/light all in a package that fits me very well and is very pleasant to shoot.....
 
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MikeJackmin said:
I believe that home defense falls into two general categories. The first is when you don't a visitor to know that you are armed, and the second is when that just doesn't matter anymore.

A concealable handgun is ideal for the first situation. It should be accessible to you on your way to the door. It allows you to deal with potentially suspicious people safely and discretely.

A big, powerful gun with a light on it is ideal for the second role. Unless there is some reason why you'd want to dedicate a handgun for this purpose, a carbine or a shotgun offers superior power, controlability, and (depending on ammo choice) even reduced penetration through walls. A handgun offers no advantage here.
Click to expand...

There are still advantages to a handgun, I think it's a good idea to have a handgun and a long gun available. The handgun is very easy to use one handed, leaving the other hand free to manipulate other items. Say for example phones, light switches, doorknobs, animals, children (pick up/carry/direct), etc.
 
I'd go with the FNS-40. 14 round magazine, comes with night sights, rail for a light/laser, under $650, ambidextrous.

Love mine, but prefer the fnx-9 for the same role.
 
Don't overlook the SIG SP2022 - it's my current bed gun, and I just ordered another in FDE for Firearms For Sale ($439.99 delivered).
http://www.slickguns.com/search/apachesolr_search/?keys=SP2022&op=

'Course, they only seem to come with one mag these days, and you'll have to hunt / wait to find decent prices on extra mags.

The first one I bought came with 3 magazines and three backstraps - looks like they've lowered it to 1 mag and probably only 2 backstraps - still has the night sights.
 
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I disagree with post 18. There are plenty of good solutions for mounting a light on a shotgun. And a shotgun is much better for ending a gun fight.
 
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