vanfunk
Member
Hi All:
I trotted out to the range this morning to do a little informal comparison between my two “military commercial” 9mm pistols, the Beretta M9 and the Sig M17. They’re described as “Mil-Comm” because of course they are commercial versions of the military guns and almost identical, but not quite. For my purposes, though, there’s no difference.
The Beretta is a big pistol and its weight and ample grip help to tame recoil; the comparatively light slide is fast cycling and returns to zero quickly. The DA trigger is long and pretty heavy but very smooth and it’s easy to make that first DA shot count. SA is a very light 3.5 lbs in my example, with an excellent break. The reset is short, tactile and audible but not quite as emphatic as with some other pistols. Accuracy (25 yards offhand, 50 yard IPSC steel) and function were excellent at the range today, as they have been every time.
the M9 likes a combat hold which is not my preference but I am getting used to it.
Somewhat subjectively, switching to the M17 creates a feeling of overall lower quality than the Beretta. The Sig is unquestionably a fine pistol, but all the components feel as though they were pulled randomly from a bin and thrown hastily together (because they were, lol). Of course this interpretation is all about “feel” and not function. The grip is comfortable and a very good fit for my hand size; the controls are easy to manipulate and positive in function. The 3 dot night sights are easy to acquire and present a good picture for pinpoint shooting as well as fast work on the plate rack. Recoil is greater than the Beretta courtesy of the Sig’s lower weight and, perhaps, the higher bore axis. The Sig’s trigger feels a bit sloppy during dry fire but live fire feels excellent for a “striker.” Offhand accuracy was excellent.
The verdict? Well, both pistols fed ravenously on my supply of S&B 115 grain ball ammo, with no failures and excellent combat accuracy. Surprisingly, I think I actually shot the Sig better; it may be due to my having more of a natural affinity for 3 dot sights vs. the Von Stavenhagen “Dot the i” sights on the Beretta. However, if I had to pick one I “like” better, I’d choose the Beretta as it just feels better.
Edited to add:throughout my range session, the Sig never went off without me pulling the trigger
I trotted out to the range this morning to do a little informal comparison between my two “military commercial” 9mm pistols, the Beretta M9 and the Sig M17. They’re described as “Mil-Comm” because of course they are commercial versions of the military guns and almost identical, but not quite. For my purposes, though, there’s no difference.
The Beretta is a big pistol and its weight and ample grip help to tame recoil; the comparatively light slide is fast cycling and returns to zero quickly. The DA trigger is long and pretty heavy but very smooth and it’s easy to make that first DA shot count. SA is a very light 3.5 lbs in my example, with an excellent break. The reset is short, tactile and audible but not quite as emphatic as with some other pistols. Accuracy (25 yards offhand, 50 yard IPSC steel) and function were excellent at the range today, as they have been every time.
the M9 likes a combat hold which is not my preference but I am getting used to it.
Somewhat subjectively, switching to the M17 creates a feeling of overall lower quality than the Beretta. The Sig is unquestionably a fine pistol, but all the components feel as though they were pulled randomly from a bin and thrown hastily together (because they were, lol). Of course this interpretation is all about “feel” and not function. The grip is comfortable and a very good fit for my hand size; the controls are easy to manipulate and positive in function. The 3 dot night sights are easy to acquire and present a good picture for pinpoint shooting as well as fast work on the plate rack. Recoil is greater than the Beretta courtesy of the Sig’s lower weight and, perhaps, the higher bore axis. The Sig’s trigger feels a bit sloppy during dry fire but live fire feels excellent for a “striker.” Offhand accuracy was excellent.
The verdict? Well, both pistols fed ravenously on my supply of S&B 115 grain ball ammo, with no failures and excellent combat accuracy. Surprisingly, I think I actually shot the Sig better; it may be due to my having more of a natural affinity for 3 dot sights vs. the Von Stavenhagen “Dot the i” sights on the Beretta. However, if I had to pick one I “like” better, I’d choose the Beretta as it just feels better.
Edited to add:throughout my range session, the Sig never went off without me pulling the trigger
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