Favorite Striker Fired Pistol?

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I generally don't like the trigger of them, but I haven't shopped around too much for a long time.
That said, I don't much care about how nice a trigger is on an SD gun as long as it acts like it's supposed to, and I got lucky and turned out pretty happy with my Ruger SR9c.
 
glock 30 gen 3. Fits my hand well. shoots well. Carries well; and can use 10-13 round mags.
 
I went to the range yesterday to train with my single stack(ish) summer carry guns. I took 3: an XDe in .45ACP, an XDs in 9mm, and my recently acquired Blue Label Glock 43x. My best shooting, by a good margin, was done with the Glock 43x...30 rounds in a group the size of my palm at 7 yards. This was even a bit better than I do with my Glock 19. The 43x conceals very well with no printing in my Blade-Tech, is light, even with a 15-rd Shield gen 2 mag, and 100% reliable. It is now my go-to gun.

Harry
 
I think the Steyr is clearly the better Austrian striker fired handgun over other more popular options (not naming name).

Edited to add: The Steyr is superior by virtue of its monolithic frame rails, smaller footprint grip, and the very precise Steyr trapezoidal sighting system. Some claim it also has a lower bore axis which helps control recoil and that may be true, however the difference must be very slight having compared a lot of similar pistols first hand.

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Let's try to respect his request for complete information rather than just naming one's favorite striker fired pistol
Thank you for reminding everyone. The why is honestly what I think is most interesting.
This was on the last page and it seems to work for several posts...then folks reverted to just naming their favorites without explanation.

Last warning. Any posts with just a favorite striker pistol without an explanation of why, risk being removed
 
I don't own one, but always thought the Glock Gen 4 G34 would be my choice. Glocks have a great reliability/durability reputation, are easy to self-service, have lots of parts/accessories available, and most of those parts/accessories are relatively inexpensive.

The G34 is similar in size to a 1911 Government Model that I'm most familiar with, but the G34 would give me a much lighter gun to tote around. The longer barrel would also optimize performance of the 9mm round.

The Gen 4 guns gave the grip a more rounded profile than the previous generations, and with no backstraps installed, the reduced trigger reach is an advantage for me. I've always thought the slide cutout was pretty neat looking. The Gen 4 9mm guns had a bad reputation for ejection/extraction early in their model run, but I think Glock adjusted the recoil spring assembly and did some modifications to the ejector/extractor during the model run to fix those problems.

Edit to add: I entered 2020 with the intention of buying a Gen 4 G34 in the summer of that year. I had recovered financially from putting my kids through college, and was ready to get a new pistol. Then Corona Virus hit, then George Floyd, then I think it was May or June of 2020, Glock announced they were discontinuing the Gen 4 guns, then the election happened. Probably not meant to be for me.
 
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Thank you for reminding everyone. The why is honestly what I think is most interesting.

I suppose I could expand a bit. As I said earlier I've tried and owned most of the strikers and Glocks really seem to fit me well for whatever reason, just the way they hit my hand and the trigger, as maligned as it often is, just "does it" for me as well as a nice SAO in most practical drills.

I like the Gen 5 19 the most because I like the overall size both in hand fit and comfort and the 4" barrel is the ideal length for a clear front sight with my colorblind eyes, any longer and things start to blur a bit more.

I don't actually like the Gen 3 Glocks all that much, the texture of the frame just feels bad to my hands and they tend to give me "Glock knuckle" from time to time. In fact it wasn't until I picked up a Gen 4 (a 21 to be exact, still have it and it's one of my best .45s) and was converted from a Glock disliker to Glock enthusiast.

The Gen 5 19 further gets rid of my main gripe with the compact, finger grooves that don't suit my hands. I shot my Gen 4 19 very well but just never really liked it, and preferred my 17 or 26 for just about everything. Once I got my Gen 5 19, I got rid of all my other 9mm Glocks (well, I have 2 Gen 5 19s).

Fun anecdote, I was just doing some laser bullet stuff in my basement and had out new sights on a P2000 and decided to just do a quick comparison at 7 yards between the HK, Glock 19 and Wilson EDC X9.

Game was to shoot from low ready as soon as I got a clear picture, sets of 10. I'll be darned if I didnt get tighter and higher scoring groups with the Glock 19 consistently, eventhough I've shot it much less yes year than either of the other two. Guess that's something to be said about muscle memory as overall I have more rounds downrange with the Glock 19 than anything else.
 
My favorite striker fired handguns are the Walter PPQ and the HK PSP P7. Both are very accurate. The HK is a great CCW, as the trigger is really good, the weight (which should be a negative) and low bore axis mitigate recoil nicely. It is inherently drop safe, there is no safety to remember, all you have to do is grip the gun as you should to control it. The negatives to me are the heel mag release, the way it heats up over the trigger when practicing, and the cleaning procedure.

The PPQ has a really good trigger, good capacity for anything but gun games, good ergonomics and how well the paddle mag release works for me. Biggest negative is Walter’s customer service, which makes HK’s look great by comparison.
 
Mike J, the OP, said: "So my question is what is your favorite striker fired pistol & why. I am just as interested in why it is your favorite as I am in what is your favorite."

The above is from the OP, and many posters recently seem to be ignoring his full request...(the Why)

Let's try to respect his request for complete information rather than just naming one's favorite striker fired pistol

I currently have three striker fired pistols: Grand Power Q100, Walther P99 AS and Taurus G3. My favorite to shoot at the range is hands down the Grand Power Q100 and, as a fun pistol, I would choose it over all the striker fired guns I've tried in the last 14 years. However, if I had to choose a single pistol for range, self defense and home defense, it would be the Walther P99 AS. If I had to choose another striker fired pistol from the ones I don't have but I have tried, it would be the Glock 17 Gen3.
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The Grand Power Q100 is my favorite for its superior accuracy, for the way the rotating barrel absorbs the recoil and transmits it to the shooter. I like the long, soft and light trigger (sort of a 3 pound DAO trigger). The reset is a litte long but I can't care less since I'm not a "reset shooter". Ergonomics are at the highest level. I like the fact that it is completely ambidextrous and last but not least I like the above average machining.

I like the Walther P99 AS because it is an extremely ergonomic and reliable pistol. I have the completely ambidextrous version (like the first PPQs). It has great sights, it is accurate (not as the Grand Power Q100), well made, the finish is extremely wear resistant. In addition, the DA/SA configuration with decocker-only, no safety, is the one I prefer.

I'd like to add a Glock 17 Gen3 (or a Glock 34 Gen3) in my little collection because every time I tried it I liked it. I like the way it fits my hand, I like the way it points, I like the stock trigger, I like the accuracy, I like the recoil sensations.
 
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Edit to add: I entered 2020 with the intention of buying a Gen 4 G34 in the summer of that year. I had recovered financially from putting my kids through college, and was ready to get a new pistol. Then Corona Virus hit, then George Floyd, then I think it was May or June of 2020, Glock announced they were discontinuing the Gen 4 guns, then the election happened. Probably not meant to be for me.
Are you allergic to buying used?
 
I run a Glock 19 gen 3 as my main carry, Trijicon night sights, Litghning strike trigger, Titainium guide rod, OS Mag release, slide stop. Shoots like a dream. I use to carry 4" 1911's and the Glock was just something I picked up to have a high cap pistol arround. But I reallized I shot the Glock better, the finger grooves never bothered me, and when the 9mm self defense ammo improved I switched to 9's. I have a 19X rigged for SD. Nothing wrong with the other guys but the reliabilty and after market support for Glock make them a no-brainer to me.
 
Just my .02! I have been extremely pleased with my HK VP9sk. It's a better shooter than I am. Before my purchase I compared it to a number of striker fired pistols. They all seem to be of good quality. I compared the FN509, M&P 9 compact 2.0 (both 4" & 3.5 barrels), my full size M&P 9 v1.0, my shield 9 v1.0, Sig P320x and a Glock 19 gen 5. Didn't get to fire each (except for my pistols) but I went with what felt the best to me for fit and trigger. The HK just seemed to fit my hand better! IMO it's more important to have the best fit for you. So, my opinion is just that.

Forgot to add the multiple inserts for the frame which provides some added customization for your grip. It was one of my reasons for choosing it over the others.

Good luck in your search and I hope you get a chance to try each one before you make your decision.
 
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I am no particular fan of striker-fired pistols, but will nominate the Gen4 Glock G17, which became my duty pistol, in October 2015. I had not liked Gen3 G22 Glock duty pistols, which I used from 2002 to 2004, so I transitioned to one of the other authorized choices, a SIG P229R DAK. The P229 was a better fit. (DAK was my choice; most of my colleagues who opted for SIGs chose DA/SA.) By age fifty, in 2011, however, the fast acceleration of the relatively heavy .40 bullets, the high SIG bore axis, and the light-alloy frame, were combining into a perfect storm, that vexed my aging right thumb, hand, and wrist. Well, in September 2015, the chief OK’ed 9mm duty pistols, and Gen4 Glocks fit me much better than Gen3, so, time to buy a Gen4 G17.

The G17 offered a lower bore axis, a gentler-than-.40 recoil impulse, and an “orthopedic” grip, that pointed well in my hand. It was that simple. Pure utility. The G17 was part of the reason I kept working, until 2018, rather than retiring as soon as late 2015. No heroic deeds performed, with my G17; it just did its job.

This favor may shift, after I finally get around to vetting a .380 G42, and .45 ACP G30s Short Frame and Gen4 G30 Glocks.

I’ll give honorable mention to a Kahr K9 I used, for a while, in the Nineties. It reliably fed Federal 9BPLE ammo, but when my source for that ammo dried-up, the only +P ammo I could find was Cor-Bon, and my K9 did not get along with Cor-Bon. Somewhere along the way, I traded that K9, and later, of course, wished I had kept it.
 
I much prefer a SA/DA with decocker setup, but having said that, my favorite striker-fired pistol is this CPO SIG P320. The trigger is excellent, it points extremely well for me, and doesn't have the annoying integrated trigger safety like my Ruger American or my XDm or the Gluck.

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.... So my question is what is your favorite striker fired pistol & why. I am just as interested in why it is your favorite as I am in what is your favorite.
I have to admit that my experience with striker fired pistols, heck with pistols generally, is limited in comparison to many of the members here. The number that I've fired in my lifetime is certainly still in double digits. With that said, I have to go with some variation of the S&W Shield as my favorite. The only question is which Shield. I've had a 1.0 in 9mm and I was very fond of it. Then I got a 4" Shield 45, and I really like it, too. And when the Shield Plus came out, I bought one and sold the 1.0 to a good friend.

As to the why? They fit my hands better than any other polymer pistol I've ever handled, for starters. All of the ones I've had also handle recoil remarkably well. The 1.0 was 100% flawless through, oh, probably ~750 rounds I fired through it. The Shield Plus seems to like warmer ammo, and I've had a handful (as in <10) failures to lock back, but no failures to feed, fire, or eject. The 45 has had a few extra growing pains, but seems to be improving.
 
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