New semi-auto???

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ATBackPackin

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Greetings and salutations. I am looking to purchase a new semi-auto in Feb., which is when funds will be available. I have done quite a bit of research and believe I have narrowed it down to a couple of choices. This gun will be for home defense and to have fun at the range. I currently have a Mosserberg 500 for home defense, but no handguns. I do plan on getting a concealed weapons permit (sorry I do not know all the acronyms yet) so I can carry it in the car. I do not plan on carrying it on body, but that doesn't mean I never will. I am by no means a weapons expert or guru, but likewise I am not a novice either. I have fired quite a wide variety of weapons, a lot of it compliments of the Marine Corps.

Here is my criteria; durable, reliable, accurate, manual safety, rail, around 4” barrel, external hammer, and would really prefer 9mm because the ammo is cheaper. With all of that in mind I really like the following two handguns.

FN Herstal FNP-9

CZ-USA CZ 75 Compact

While I am willing to hear all facts and opinions about these two weapons I would really like to know the answers to the following three questions.

1. Does anyone know the warranty information about FN Herstal?
I have searched the internet and all I found was that if well maintained should give me years of great service.

2. Are steel framed guns more accurate because of the lighter recoil?
I always qualified expert with Beretta M9A1.

3. Does the CZ 75c 9mm have a light rail?
From looking at CZ’s website it seems that the CZ 75c 9mm does not have a light rail, but the .40 S&W does. Are the pictures just not updated or is that really how it is. Doesn’t make much sense to me that the .40 would and not the 9, but then again a lot of things don’t make sense to me.

Edited for memory loss: What would be fair price for either of these two.

Any and all help would be truly appreciated and I would love to hear about your experiences with either of these two pistols.

To all driving this holiday, be safe. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all.:D
 
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of those 2, i'd go with CZ, without question my friend :)

yes, steel framed guns are generally more accurate with faster followup shots due to their wieght. i believe there is a compact one with a light rail, just check out CZ's website.
 
If you qualified expert with the Beretta why don't you consider a Beretta?

It meets all the criteria you listed.

A great home defense pistol and a real value at around $600.00.
 
Coltman, excellent question. For one, the Beretta is a little more, which in it self isn't that significant. Two, both the CZ and the FNP feel better in my hand. Lastly, I wanted something with around a 4" barrel in case I decided to carry. I did though seriously consider it and it is not totally out of the question. I loved that gun. Simple, reliable, and very accurate.
 
4" barreled Beretta's

I wanted something with around a 4" barrel in case I decided to carry. I
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Might want to handle a Beretta Px4 9mm, 40cal, or 45. 9 and 40 have 4" barrels, 45 is .1m longer, all have high capacity flush mags, 3 backstraps, rail, and can be found 450 - 550.

They all use the rotating barrel which works "well" in both, soft recoil and balance, falling back on target quickly.

From the factory:

Only addition is the Hogue rubber slip-on sleeve

px4onegg02nj8.gif


Or one can modify with stealth levers for near flush slide fit
IMG_0419_1.gif

Very ccw if called on either way

Almost the exact same size of a Sig P229, just a tad longer and higher, along with, the same easy, quick, disassembly, inspection, clean, and reassembly, bar none, out there, as the Sigs.

Luck,


Ls
 
No one has experience with either of these guns?


Wishing everybody a very merry Christmas and safe travels.
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I have owned both. The CZ compact does not come with a rail. Closest thing to it would be the P01 which I also own.

The P01/Compact are great guns in the hand. The fit of the rear tang is excellent. It is very accurate. The only problem with the CZ is the caming on the trigger. All CZs seem to have it and it is the only blemish on what is otherwise an outstanding pistol. The last compact I had I paid $325 OTD for. They were a stellar bargain before CZs recent price increases.

The FNP-9 is a great polymer. One of the most underrated guns on the market today IMHO. You can still get these guns for under $400. They have the fit feel and finish of guns that are priced over $600.

The DA trigger is little stiff right out of the box but the SA is smooth. It will eat anything you put into it. As will the CZ. It should come with 2 backstraps and 3 mags. Hard to beat at that price.

I suggest you go an put them in your hands. One will speak to you more than the other. In the end both would serve you well.
 
What about the Beretta Vertec ? It has a rail and a much friendlier grip for a better trigger reach.
 
Rellascout,

I have handled both, but unfortunately I haven't been able to find a place to test shoot either. Just handling, the FNP-9 has a slight edge plus it does have the rail as well. With that being said though both felt really good in my hands. Do you think the either has an advantage on recoil and getting back for that second shot? I always thought metal framed gun with the added weight had an advantage of eating up some of the recoil, but to be honest I don't really know. I love to shoot but do not know a ton about guns.

You have got to tell me where I can find a FNP for under $400.

Thanks for the info.
 
I have both of these guns. Both are excellent pistols. If I had to have one i'd probably keep the Beretta. It's a very difficult choice. You can get a trigger job on the CZ and have it made competition ready. it's pretty good regardless.

The Beretta is bigger, and it, to me, is slightly a bit more suitable to task, but I can't say it's better. Choose the one which fits your hand the best.

All you need to do with either is simply dry fire them and get a good hold of them and see how they feel. They both point and shoot extremely well.

I'm not getting rid of either. In fact, when I go to the range, they both go together if i'm in the beretta/CZ frame of mind. They are similar in many ways and I consider them a great pair to cross train with.
 
If you're considering the CZ 75 Compact, what about the new CZ P-07? It comes with both a decocker and a safety (interchangeable by the user) and has the new, better Omega CZ trigger system. It's about the same size as the Compact and is a great shooter. It's also likely less expensive. If you like CZs, it's worth a look. See: http://cz-usa.com/products/view/cz-p07-duty/

Kent
 
Between the two guns you listed, the CZ and the FNH, I would have to say that both are excellent firearms. The CZ enjoys light recoil and I am a fan of all steel guns. However, the FNH in .40 cal is my primary home defense gun. Here's why.

The FNH is very comfortable to hold and shoot. I really like the accessory rail on the FNH pistols. The grip is not too large for even my wife to handle easily. I have a streamlight attached which is great for home defense and balances the weapon extremely well. When you shoot with the light attached, it makes any difference in the felt recoil negligible.

The FNH is an underrated handgun and I have no idea why it is not more popular as a police firearm or privately owned weapon. For the money, it is very hard to beat.

To answer your question, FNH has a very good warranty and workmanship policy. I don't know what is written but I know their reputation well. If you were not aware, FN actually manufactures many of the most popular military arms including the M240 Gulf, M249 SAW, the MK19 automatic grenade launcher, and believe it or not they manufactured the M-16 currently issued to me. Their firearms are excellent.

All this is not to say that the CZ series is a bad choice. You would be hard pressed to have to make a decision between the two.

...and the 9mm is a good choice. I love the .40 but not so much when I'm buying commercial ammunition. If you don't reload you'll get a lot more practice with the cost of 9mm vs any other major caliber. Choose the right ammunition and the 9mm is a formidable stopper inasmuch as a handgun can be.

Be aware. Shoot accurately.

Joshua Scott
www.FrontSightFocus.org
 
Ugh, what a conundrum! So this past Saturday I went to a store that has both the FNP-9 and the CZ P01 to see how the felt in my hand back to back. First I picked up the FNP-9 and that gun felt really good in my hand. Next was the CZ P01 and wow, that just felt right. I'm trying to find the words to describe just how right this gun felt but I can't. It felt that good. Just one problem, it has a decocker.

If you remember from my OP I listed the requirements of manual safety, rail, and around 4" barrel in that order. So that being said a decocker really doesn't work for me. The CZ 75 compact has a manual safety and right sized barrel, but no rail. I'd rather have the rail and a longer barrel. So next I see the CZ SP-01 which has the manual safety, rail, and a 4.72" barrel but, if I go that route shouldn't I get the Witness Match instead???

This is really starting to piss me off, why do they put these damn decockers on guns instead of making them an option.

Please help.
 
I've held the Ruger P95 and didn't like it, but after holding the FNP and the CZ back to back I really think I want to go with a metal gun. Thank you though.
 
Two, both the CZ and the FNP feel better in my hand.
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I always qualified expert with Beretta M9A1.
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Obviously, the Beretta could not have felt TOO bad in your hand. I've owned several CZs and as accurate as they were, the triggers were horrible. (Angus could help in that area.) Get yourself a nice Beretta 92FS Vertec and be done with this. Good luck!

3678135031_16768e258c.jpg
 
rellascout said:
I have owned both. The CZ compact does not come with a rail. Closest thing to it would be the P01 which I also own.

The P01/Compact are great guns in the hand. The fit of the rear tang is excellent. It is very accurate. The only problem with the CZ is the caming on the trigger. All CZs seem to have it and it is the only blemish on what is otherwise an outstanding pistol. The last compact I had I paid $325 OTD for. They were a stellar bargain before CZs recent price increases.

The FNP-9 is a great polymer. One of the most underrated guns on the market today IMHO. You can still get these guns for under $400. They have the fit feel and finish of guns that are priced over $600.

The DA trigger is little stiff right out of the box but the SA is smooth. It will eat anything you put into it. As will the CZ. It should come with 2 backstraps and 3 mags. Hard to beat at that price.

I suggest you go an put them in your hands. One will speak to you more than the other. In the end both would serve you well.
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I too would like to know where I can get an FNP for $400? I'm going to be buying one in a couple weeks and the best price I can find is $500.
 
FCastle88 said:
I too would like to know where I can get an FNP for $400? I'm going to be buying one in a couple weeks and the best price I can find is $500.
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called CDNN yesterday and they were quoting the two tone (stainless slide, not black) for $461. This is the model w/o night sights BTW...
 
How much does CDNN charge for shipping? The stainless is what I'm looking for, probably going to get it from budsgunshop for $500 with free shipping because I prefer ordering online to over the phone. They were going for around $420 online back in June when i turned 21 but i ended up getting a glock 26 instead, now they're $500-$600 on gunbroker :(
 
Bender, I looked at a Beretta M9 with a rail yesterday and while the familiarity was nice the CZ felt a lot better in my hand.

I am looking really hard between the CZ 75 SP-01 and the Witness Elite Match. I like the Witness Match better but everybody has said good luck with their customer service ( hope I would never need it ), but then everyone also says that the CZ has a trigger that leaves a lot to be desired.

Anybody have any opinions between the Witness Match and the CZ???

BTW I will probably have the funds in a week instead of Feb. as I initially posted, so it is becoming crunch time.
 
Do you have to be a dealer to buy from CDNN? Everytime I go there I get an error and it says if I am a dealer to log in or click here to go to their commercial page ( where they do not sell guns). What am I doing wrong???
 
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