Help deciding on new pistol.

[steverjo]

I am considering buy a new semi-auto pistol. It will be used by both my wife and me. She is okay with a .40cal, but does not want to try a .45cal. I live in Calif, so the extra capacity a 9mm magazine offers is lost. I max out at 10 rounds regardless of caliber.

I really like the P226 Sigs, but there are a lot of models (I wish the Blackwater came in .40 cal). I think I want double action.

What do you guys recommend in full size .40cal. Looking for quality, durability and accuracy. (Oh, the wife says it must be "pretty" also).

I will consider other makes, it does not have to be Sig.

Thanks.

 

[Raspu10]

well if you want to get an expensive Fancy gun like the Blackwater for 40 S&W look at the Equinox... But The (BlackWater, And Equinox) Are Just Expensive Versions Of The P226 (Full Size) And P229 (Compact).

All P226 Actions With The Exception of The Dak Model Are "DA/SA" And Come With A Decocker And Safety.

In My Opinion If I Were Going For A Sig It Would Be The P226.

And If I Wanted A Show off Gun In 9mm From Sig, It Would be The "Sig P226 BlackWater"
And As For The 40 S&W Probably The "Sig P226 Equinox".

But If I didn't Care About Impressing Friends Just A P226 Or P226 Two-Tone.

But Lemme Tell you Something... if You Get A Sig, No Matter What model You Get, You Will Impress People.



Sig P226 Equinox Pic below On Right.



----------------------------------------------

As For Other Guns In 40 S&W.. You Could Check Into The Below.. All I Will Name In This Post Including Sig Are All Reliable, Quality, durable and accurate... (Well As Accurate As You Can Shoot).

Sig Is Basically An All Steel Construction But You Might Want To look Into Polymer.. Corrosion resistant, tougher than steel and still 86% lighter.

Heckler & Koch USP 40
The H&K USP 40 Is Much like Sig In That Its DA/SA And Has The Safety And Decocker.



SpringField XD-40
The SA XD-40 Has A Grip Saftey And A Trigger Saftey(Like Glock) But Thats Not Much Compared To Sig or H&k As Far As Safety's Go..



But In The End The Only Real Safety As Your Trigger Finger... And The One Between Your Ears.

 

[steverjo]

Thanks for the info raspu10. Nice pics. Are all these yours?

 

[1BLINDREF]

+1 Raspu10 (BTW - nice little Sig collection you got there )

If you want a double action only Sig, check out the DAK trigger. Try to shoot it first before you buy one, some people don't like them. Personally, I do.
If your wife wants pretty and you want double action only, check out a P226 SAS http://www.sigsauer.com/Products/ShowCatalogProductDetails.aspx?categoryid=7&productid=77

 

[Exmasonite]

My one thought to chime in is to get something in .40 and buy a conversion barrel for 9mm. Something like the Springfield XD .40 service or SC (I think you can do this for glock, too).

9mm is cheaper to feed at the range and might be easier on the wife but you'll still have the .40 for when you really need it.

 

[Walkalong]

Take a look at the Witness Elite Match as well, but it is SA. CZ75 for DA.

I am a big fan of the XD, which has already been mentioned. Exmasonite makes a great point.

 

[Ghost Tracker]

Browning High Power in .40 S&W. 9 round capacity. It'll fit your wife's hand & trigger-reach better than "anything" else...and has the pretty part covered in spades!

 

[Raspu10]

I just noticed you lived in California. Put An X Thru The XD Because As Far As I have Heard They Don't Sell Them there Cuz Of There Lack of An ILS (Internal Locking System).

I Only Recommend Glock If Its 9mm, I Luv Glock Like Nothing else But With Me Only The 9mm Line.. My Uncle Has Shot 20,000+ Rounds Thru His Full Size Glock Model 22 (.40 S&W) But If I Were Going .40 I'd Go With Sig/Hk/Or SA XD.


Sry no Those Are Pics I Found On the Inet And Saved Because I thought They Would Help To Have A Visual Reference.

I Have A Glock 17 For Now I'm Looking into getting Alot More Though... Sig And H&k Are Defiantly On the List And Some 1911's Lol.

I have Been Studying Handguns And There Ammunition for 2 years Every Day So When I See Someone In need I Try To tell Them What I Know.

The Reason I Only Recommend Glock in 9mm Is Because When it Comes To 40 And 45 I believe That there Partially Supported Chambers Are Not Enough And H&K And SA XD Have Fully Supported Chambers.. But If You Had Asked A Recommendation on What 9mm To Get Glock Would Be At The Top Of My List..

 

[Exmasonite]

Raspu10-

Better check again:
http://certguns.doj.ca.gov/

put in springfield and there's at least 6-7 XD .40 S&W XD's.

 

[Raspu10]

only reason i mentioned it was because the guy at the gunshow selling guns told me that.. and also my uncle who lives there said he cant find them at his gun shows.

perfect then just go with my 1st post then steverjo

thx Exmasonite

 

[10-Ring]

In a fullsize pistol, I would give the HK USP / USPc & the 226 or 229 a good look.

 

[jmancini]

Bear in mind that many people find the .40 to 'feel' like it recoils *more* than the .45, though sometimes .45 pistols are pretty large for a small-handed female, which can be a problem.

The HK and SIG are both solid recommendations.

Other guns to check out:

Steyr M40-A1: It's got some similarities to the glock, but a nicer grip angle, innovative sights, and a better trigger. The felt recoil is light compared to the .40 glock and similar to the HK USP. It's unusual looking: some find it pretty, some ugly.

Beretta PX4 Storm: I haven't tried it yet but I'm told that the rotating barrel makes felt recoil very light, and it seems to have a good reputation for reliability. The common version is DA/SA w/safety & decocker, like the SIG. I kind of like the look of it, but not everyone does.

 

[Raspu10]

As you Can See As You View Towards The bottom The Chamber Support Increases.

I believe Its The 6 O'Clock Position Your Sopposed To Be Looking At...

AND DONT BE FOOLED BY THE REFLECTION.. H&k And The XD Have The Best Support, These Are All 40 cal Models For Those Of You Who Are Still Learning.

 

[Lonestar49]

Beretta Px4 9mm or 40cal

...

Semi Full size, very narrow gun, slide, and grips with 3 backstraps that you can adjust the narrow grip, larger or smaller. Light weight, forgiving gun in recoil because of rotating barrel, and balanced, point to aim, and accurate.

One of the easiest guns to disassemble, inspect, clean, and reassemble out there, bar none.

NIB 450 -550 bucks..

I have 5300 rounds thru my 40cal, with out any failures, just 100%

Luck,


LS

 

[pogo2]

Sig P229 in .40

You like Sigs and mentioned a "full size" gun in .40. The P226 fits the bill but in CA you waste a lot of space in the grip since you can only get the 10 round magazine.

I own both a P226 and a P229. Although Sig calls the P229 a "compact" size, it is a 32 ounce gun with a barrel of almost 4 inches. My P229 is in .40 caliber and I use it mainly as a range or home defense gun because it is so accurate and easy to shoot. The grip is smaller and more comfortable than the large P226 grip, and you don't waste much space inside the grip since the standard magazine is 12 rounds, only slightly more than the CA 10 rounder. I consider the P229 in .40 to be the perfect all around gun. Here is mine:

 

[Bilt4Comfort]

I kinda like the CZs myself...but I don't have much experience with others to compare. The CZ is pretty much the most pointable gun I've ever handled and they are built like a tank. My next purchase will be a fullsize 9mm CZ.

 

[computerguysd]

I've been getting more "Sig-centric" since a buddy of mine let me shoot his P239 9mm last year. I love the way they handle and the way they takedown. Since you're in California, I'd recommend the P229 for the same reasons as Pogo2. The other benefit that some folks might not be aware of is that Bar-Sto makes a 9mm conversion barrel for the 40 cal Sig. Practice with 9mm, carry 40 cal (Sig also makes the .357Sig barrel).

 

[possum]

i have 2 xd in .40 and i love em, sa does a great job in all the models with the .40 i can not honestly tell a difference in the recoil of my service model and my sc model they are sweet shooters recoil is easily managable and they are accurate to boot. they will run and run for a long long time, plus they are backed by the best warranty and company in the industry IMHO.