educate me on those not-so-expensive 9mm pistols

[oh]

i do want a sig or hk but those are just a little over my price range

so tell me about those other cheaper 9mm pistols in the $300ish range such as ruger, s&w, and taurus......hows their quality? are they worth it? how are they compared to sig/hk/glock....etc...

edumacate me

 

[Eastex]

I have the all steel Baby Eagle. http://www.best9mm.com/

 

[NG VI]

Or how about a CZ for 150ish more?
There have been tons of threads on them recently. I have a CZ .45 and I love it, really want one of their 9mm versions.

As far as the ~$300 price range, I have a S&W Sigma 9VE and I like it quite a bit. It has never malfunctioned in any way, it has good capacity, the brushed stainless slide doesn't make me nervous about the Kydex holster I have, and it is light. And if it will be a defense gun, try out the Federal 147 grain HST. I recovered a 230 grain HST yesterday I shot through the end of a 2-liter full of water into a snowbank, and it looks fearsome. the 147 9mm is an excellent round.

 

[Black Majik]

+1 to NG VI.

Excellent recommendation to the CZ75. Once in the $400 range, the options open up significantly.

XD9, M&P, CZ75 or G17/19. Slightly used will easily make into the $400 - $450 range with some patience.

 

[CalebJns]

I personally like the XD9. I owned one, then sold it (STUPID on my part) I am now looking for another. I own a Taurus PT92AF...great gun, functions flawlessly. CZ is also a great one as well...to restate what was mentioned above...I too own a Baby Eagle...well worth the money. Found it at a gun show, (don't scream at me) for $250. In great condition. Most importantly find someone that you know that has a 9mm and shot them to find out what you like best.

 

[AJM]

There are a few recent posts on the Stoeger Cougar, which is essentially a Beretta. It's in the $300 - $350 range and receiving lots of good reviews.

 

[electric wombat]

Look into the EAA Witness pistols. The basic model is around the $300 price range. Their modeled after the CZ 75 and IMO are every bit as good if not better than the CZ. Many of the european competition & olimpic shooting teams use EAA. I have a Witness Match grade in .40S&W & I love it. Works perfectly, takes any ammo I feed it. Never failed to fire, no ejection problems & it fits my hand perfectly. To top it off it's dead on accurate, where you aim is where the bullet goes.

Also look at the baby desert eagle. I have one of those in 9mm. It's pretty accurate & really comfortable to shoot. Like CalebJns, I picked mine up at a gun show for $250. Only drawback to mine is it's a little finiky about what kind of ammo it likes. So far the only ammo that I've shot through it with no problems is remmington. Everything else seems to jam up around the 6th shot. I like the remmington rounds so I'll just keep getting those & I shouldn't have any problems.

Keep your eyes open for a beretta 92FS. They're great guns... of course. NIB they're a bit pricey but if you don't mind having one with a little holster wear you can pick up a police trade in pretty cheap. From my understanding police guns are carried a lot & shot a little. Trade off for the cheaper price is a little cosmetic wear but it should have a nice bore & function flawlessly

 

[Shear_stress]

You sure SIGs are out of your price range?

http://www.aimsurplus.com/acatalog/Sig_Sauer_P225_P6_9mm_Pistol.html

 

[dreamer56]

Exactly as Shear_stress says - I picked up a P6 locally for less than $300 and it compares real favorably to the P226 I have - same function and feel - just a little more compact - it was in very good condition - I think maybe even with a new recoil spring? - neat pistol.

 

[sd]

do a google search on these if you like :
stoeger cougar 9mm or 40SW
Bersa thunder 9mm or 40SW
CZusa.com , various calibers
Ruger P90, P95
Springfield XD line
taurus PT92 line
all pretty solid , allowing for various opinions.
I am looking at my next purchase too, best to budget a little extra, broadens your choices, allows for ammo and a holster with your gun.

 

[sarge83]

FEG Hi-Power Clone, $289 otd. Sweet shooter!

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

A used S&W "third-generation." Although I can only achieve a sort of rough "center of mass" accuracy with its DAO trigger, I picked up a 6946 (compact, double-stack 12-round, stainless slide/alloy frame), also with night sights, for a little over $300. Also recommended: the 5906, a full-sized, DA/SA, 15-round, all stainless steel model. My real favorite, the 3913, usually goes for more. These were made in a dizzying assortment of metals, finishes, sights, and three kinds of trigger systems, although you will not commonly encounter the frame-mounted decocker models.

I have no experience with them, but Bersa "Thunder 9s" are well spoken of.

 

[NWdude83]

Just because you don't want a $700 9mm doesn't mean a $500 9mm should be overlooked.

 

[Nasty]

Second the looking into surplus handguns...AIM has the Sig P6 and now also the Czech CZ-82 9x18 Pistol.

Both *fine* firearms...I got a P6 from them myself.

 

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

IMO, the Bersa Thunder 9 and Bersa Thunder 9 compact is a heck of a good pistol. Not JUST a good value - it's an INCREDIBLE value. It's a darn fine pistol in its own right. Very well made, good features, pretty good ergos, reliable, high capacity, accurate, etc.

If you're going used, the old Star guns are universally good (Firestar, Modelo B) for the money, although not very high capacity.

You can get a drop in 9mm barrel for a CZ52 for about $75-$100, and then the CZ52 itself for $150-$175, and you've got yourself a nice well made 9mm (albeit very large, and single stack).

The FEGs, Arcuses, and Witness pistols are good, too - coming in at the $350 plus or minus range.

The Daewoo tri-action guns are a tad bit more, but also an excellent value.

There are quite a few used police trade in guns at cdnninvestments.com , but I don't look at their catalog anymore since they decided to become PC and eliminate the pistol prices without having to call them - what do they want me to do - spend 8 hours on the phone with their staff: it would be like Borat in the cheese aisle: "so what's the price on THIS pistol? uh-huh - and what's the price on THIS pistol? yeah, and what's the....."

You can get the best values in 9mm pistols, because they are the most popular worldwide; being the most popular, there are the most different gun models made, which gives rise to stiff competition, which keeps prices lower.

 

[skinewmexico]

Love my P6. You can find a lot of sub $300 pistols at CDNN. Call and ask for a paper copy with prices.

 

[Wetawd]

I had Taurus 24/7 Pro 9mm just sold it 2 days ago:banghead: I hate myself sometimes.

Wanted to try out some other guns but.... I shoulda kept it. Anyway it worked great and very accurate, the grip takes some getting used to.

 

[NG VI]

Anyone else notice how the Best9MM website is flooded with CZ-75B, variants, clones, and knock-offs?

Telling. All these pistols are great, quite a few of them are ones on my wishlist.

 

[TimboKhan]

If you buy used, your options open up signifigantly, to include CZ 75's at around the $350 range. There are a whole bunch of great guns at around that range used, far too many for me to say definitively "This is the one you should buy". CZ's are great, Taurus PT92 and PT99's are a good option, Baby Eagles and Tanfoglio CZ clones aren't bad, Ruger P89's are a great value and so on. Outside of something like an HK, it's really just a matter of picking something you like and then hunting for it.

 

[modifiedbrowning]

Bersa Thunder 9, Ultracompact or Fullsize. Usually run around $300 to $350.
I have three all have been 100% reliable. One is my daily CCW.

 

[Mastiff]

I bought a Norinco Model 213 (a Chinese version of the Russian TT-33 in 9mm) in 1992 for $89. It is the most accurate handgun I own, and the most reliable. I have run over 55,000 rounds through it with zero problems. It is extremely thin and conceals easily. The backwards safety takes some getting used to. I have seen them on Gunbroker selling from $125 to $200.
If you want a new pistol in this price range check out the EAA M-88. It is a modernized version of the Tokarev designed around the 9mm cartridge. It is much smaller and is more concealable than the Tokarev. The cheapest price I have seen for this is $218 new.

http://www.thegunsource.com/store/item.aspx?PID=73783
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?p=4319336

 

[Confederate]

My advice is to take a long, hard look at the used Smith & Wesson 659s/5906s. They're incredible for the money.

 

[Tom Fury]

+1 with Confederate: S&W 6904, 6906, 469's; DA/SA's are underrated, but I have experienced them as flawlessly reliable.

Cheers, TF

 

[oh]

thanks guys for the infos, very helpful

i looked at the taurus pt92 and it is a very attractive gun for under 400 bucks, the pt917 is also very attractive

i know youre probably saying..."you can get a glock for just 50 bucks more".....but i just don't like the fact that it doesnt have a manual safety, i know it does have 3 different safeties internally but....thats just me, i like to have a manual safety

i also looked at the surplus p6 and i do like it, minus the fact that, again, it doesnt have a manual safety.....and in my research i also found that it does not have all the safety features that the newer sig has

 

[enfield303]

Take a look at the Walther P99. Great gun for the money.