Help picking out a pistol

[jackdanson]

My brother in law wants a pistol, it will be his first pistol, but he is in the military and has carried a m9 while overseas(beretta). Here are his requirements. Keep in mind these are his requirements, not mine.... so NO BASHING!

Common caliber. Prefers 9mm, but may use .45.

Autoloader.

Manual safety like on a beretta/sig.

Cost under $1200.. that is a fairly high ceiling IMHO, I don't own a pistol that cost over $600, but he wants something fairly nice.

Not a 1911, that was my first suggestion.. for some reason he isn't too into them.

Not a beretta 92, he wants something different than what he carried in the military.

He likes tacticool pistols.

The pistol will be used for in-home defense, but won't be carried.

Sooo, I was thinking maybe a sig, but I don't know too much about them, I've only owned berettas, glocks, and springfield xds. I also considered an HK, to fulfill his tacticool fantasies, but frankly I don't like HKs, they seem too bulky and I don't see the benefits they present over other pistols.

My other thought was a cz, but once again I don't know too much about them either. Any thoughts on cz vs. sig? Is an HK really worth more than the cz/sig? Any other suggestions?

Thanks!

 

[chris in va]

If he likes all the doodads, tell him about the Sig SAO 45.

http://www.sigsauer.com/Products/ShowCatalogProductDetails.aspx?categoryid=6&productid=152

Or in the CZ line, he might fancy the 97b. Not as 'tactical', but quite large like the Beretta with amazing accuracy.

http://www.cz-usa.com/product_detail.php?id=43

 

[mtlucas0311]

His price range leaves the door open to almost everything. I'm partial to the Sig 220 match, HK45, Sig 226 Xfive, or even the USP Tactical. I say those because it sounds like he WANTS to spend the money on a less common gun to increase the cool points. Any of your higher dollar guns are going to be reliable and accurate (with proper ammo). I would push him more in the direction of how the weapons fit in his hand; ie: can he manipulate the controls, especially the safety, and does the weapon fit in his hand properly.

 

[Gunfighter123]

Check into the EAA Witness line -- do a search here , lots of good info about them.

 

[benderx4]

Yes, I'm an HK fanatic, but even if I wasn't, your brother in law needs to handle one of these babies before he makes his decision.



For whatever reason, the HK brand gets a bad name because of its perceived "haughtiness". Despite that fact, the company really does make outstanding weapons that are well engineered, accurate, ergonomic, and very reliable. Besides this USP45 Tactical, I'd also have him look at a HK45. Only other guns I'd consider for home defense would be a Sig or an XD. Good luck!