Opinions on the best Hi-Cap pistol in 9mm

[Ironicaintit]

My choice now, and for as long as I can remember, and for as long as I dare to guess, will always be the Browning Hi-Power.
Its a wonderful example of form and function.

 

[ACP]

I like the Browning Hi Power best (the old SAS standby), followed by the CZ 75B.

I've owned several Glocks -- they don't fit my hand. And they were not "stone reliable" FOR ME -- YMMV.

I wouldn't pass up a 3rd Gen. S&W auto, either -- it worked for Kevin Vickers.

http://gunfreezone.net/wordpress/index.php/2014/10/24/badass-of-the-week-kevin-vickers/

 

[george burns]

My experience with guns and court are real and actually happened, where a simple spotting of my gun by a rookie, took 18 months in court, because of the type of gun and bullets I had in the gun, I had 8 cops examine the gun and rounds, they couldn't figure out how to unload it. It required 13 court appearances and several thousand dollars, by the time it was finished and I got my guns, "in NYC they immediately suspend your license and take all of your guns". When my modified gun wad returned along with my license, it was partially destroyed.
This is not uncommon, and if you ever read Mass'es newsletter, who in his day to day job is evolved in shooting and gun cases, he is the first to tell you not to carry or modify your carry gun. It will lead to problems down the road should you have an incident where your gun is taken and you need to appear before a judge or jury.
And god forbid someone is shot with that modified gun, it won't go well for you.
My credentials are it happened to me, I beat it in court, got the cop in big trouble at a Captains hearing, and had my gun ruined, and spent a few bucks getting it fixed.
I could have just given up my license, but being 25 years younger then, I didn't let anyone including the NYPD, push me around.

 

[ACP]

Good enough for Prince Harry in the sandbox

 

[Pilot]

CZ-75 variant or Browning Hi Power. I have multiple examples of both and they've never let me down.

 

[jjones45]

your not going to get an definitive answer here since there are so many really good 9mm pistols. Rather you're going to see some repeated more than others. 9mm being the most popular combat handgun cartridge in the world has made companies tune out some fine examples. I've come a long way with 9mm handguns and while I can't say what's the best I will say if I could only have 1 it would be the cz 75b. I'm judging this on price, reliability, ergonomics, aftermarket, accuracy, how easy it is to shoot good and world wide popularity (not just American). However you wouldn't exactly do yourself a disservice by purchasing a glock 19/17/34, sig p226/9, p320, Ppq, p99, P30, vp9, usp, m9/92fs, px4, hi power, m&p, xdm, fnx/s, sr9, or anything else one could think of.
My top 5 full size would go something like this:
1. Cz 75b
2. Sig p226
3. Beretta m9/92fs
4. Hk p30
5. Glock 17

Compact is a little different:
1. Walther Ppq
2. Glock 19
3. Sig p229
4. Cz p01
5. Xdm 3.8c

Sub compact:
1. M&p shield
2. Glock 26
3. Cz rami
4. Hk p2000sk/p30sk
5. Xd-s

 

[Analogkid]

I'm not as well versed as most of these fellows here. But after owning a bunch of wonder nines throughout the years I have grown to be able to shoot only a few of them very well.

I have owned a ton of glocks and a few other polymer frame pistols I really like.

At the end of the day if I had to run out of the house with a backpack of 9mm and two 9mm's, They would be my Glock 17 and My Browning Hi-Power. I have plenty of others that were supposedly the latest and the greatest. But none of them hold a candle to either of these two.

Get out to a range and rent a bunch of guns and find one that fits you.

 

[I6turbo]

CZ 85 Combat and Browning Hi Power. I like the feel and operation of those two better than any others I've ever handled or fired. And I shoot those two better than any other semi-auto 9-mm I've fired. I probably shoot the CZ slightly better. 75B is also great, but I like the trigger on the 85 Combat a little better and I like the easily-adjustable sights.

 

[edmo01]

GLOCK...

I would pick a Gen4 G-19 or G-17 in that order.

Edmo

 

[justin22885]

id say CZ-75 SP01, very reliable, very accurate, easy to handle, and superior ergonomics to the block... err.. i mean glock

 

[tarosean]

"Economy' has to be considered, as it isn't fair or realistic to compare a $3000 custom piece to a $450 off-the-shelf stock pistol.

Why? The man asked for the "BEST" with no other qualifiers. Best to me does not equal a production gun.

 

[cliffb]

I carried a Glock for a lot of years as a LEO. They are a reliable tool but are not for everybody.

Recently I've been messing with a Sig P320 9mm compact. It feels good in my hand, it's accurate and so far 100% reliable with several different factory and reloads.

 

[samweller]

I second ROAshooter. BHP... I've carried and fired one for years..accurate, pleasing to handle and shoot, easy to maintain, and it is actually made of steel.

 

[Terlingueno]

i'm really happy with my Glock 19 that I carry.

 

[vaupet]

never shot the CZ,

I would say Sig 226 and H&K P30

 

[eddd7]

Depends on what you mean by "best". In a rental comparison of full size 9mm polymer pistols a couple of years ago, with my subjective categories including price, ergo, trigger, operation, and lending out to relatives in case of emergency, the Ruger SR-9 came out on top.

Personally, I enjoyed shooting the PX4 most, but it had too many idiosyncrasies.

What idiosyncracies?

 

[justin22885]

never shot the CZ,

I would say Sig 226 and H&K P30

in terms of hammer fired metal pistols, the CZ-75s probably the best shooting, since its slide rides inside the frame rather than out its able to achieve a pretty low bore axis, combine that with the weight of the steel frame and they are very easily to stay on target with quick followup shots.. also, while most companies cheap out and sell you stuff pistols made with lower quality metals (aluminum), with CZ you still generally get a quality made steel product

i recommend trying them, the standard CZ-75 if you like a classic styled gun, the CZ-85 if you want ambidextrous, or the CZ-75 SP-01 if you want the full dust cover with a rail

 

[WVsig]

in terms of hammer fired metal pistols, the CZ-75s probably the best shooting, since its slide rides inside the frame rather than out its able to achieve a pretty low bore axis, combine that with the weight of the steel frame and they are very easily to stay on target with quick followup shots.. also, while most companies cheap out and sell you stuff pistols made with lower quality metals (aluminum), with CZ you still generally get a quality made steel product

i recommend trying them, the standard CZ-75 if you like a classic styled gun, the CZ-85 if you want ambidextrous, or the CZ-75 SP-01 if you want the full dust cover with a rail

I like the CZ 75 platform but steel vs Alum is not a "cheap metal" issue IMHO. There are guns with much higher quality of construction than CZs that use alum frames. Some of them are even loosely based on the CZ 75 platform.

 

[zb338]

I shot all sorts of 9MM pistols when I shot IDPA. I settled on a
Glock 34 which shot well for me and had a no safety advantage.
The 34 is too big to carry so I picked the S&W M&P with a trigger
job by Dan Burwell. Dan made it a sweet shooting piece of plastic.

Zeke

 

[Dain Bramage]

What idiosyncracies?

From my notes: I compared it to what I've heard about driving supercars; you conform to it instead of the other way around.

1. Long oval grip cross section was different than the fairly standardized shape of the others. It was hand-filling and contributed to my enjoyment of shooting the pistol, but I didn't think it would go over universally.

2. The slide release was oddly wedge shaped, and had a long reach.

3. Similar long reach to slide mounted safety/decocker.

4. Mag release stiffest of the group.

5. Mine must have been a Type F, and was the only DA/SA in the group.

6. The ambi-safety "ears" were annoyingly in the sight picture.

7. Looong trigger take up for both DA and SA.

8. The rotating barrel was not an idiosyncrasy, but it was certainly different.

As I said, I preferred it as a shooter, but in a group of similar guns, it stood out as an oddball.

 

[oldways]

The mighty S&W M&P.
The SA XDM.

 

[ljnowell]

After handling and shooting a TP9SA for over 500 rounds now I'm positive I wouldn't trade it for any Glock or SA 9mm.

 

[eddd7]

From my notes: I compared it to what I've heard about driving supercars; you conform to it instead of the other way around.

1. Long oval grip cross section was different than the fairly standardized shape of the others. It was hand-filling and contributed to my enjoyment of shooting the pistol, but I didn't think it would go over universally.

2. The slide release was oddly wedge shaped, and had a long reach.

3. Similar long reach to slide mounted safety/decocker.

4. Mag release stiffest of the group.

5. Mine must have been a Type F, and was the only DA/SA in the group.

6. The ambi-safety "ears" were annoyingly in the sight picture.

7. Looong trigger take up for both DA and SA.

8. The rotating barrel was not an idiosyncrasy, but it was certainly different.

As I said, I preferred it as a shooter, but in a group of similar guns, it stood out as an oddball.

Interesting - thanks.
I agree about the safety "wings" as they stick out quite far. Since I converted mine to a G model, which loses the safety. The former safety levers now act as a decocker, and are easy to move the levers. Beretta sells a low profile replacement for stupid amount of $$, so I've decided to modify my originals on a small belt sander.

My only remaining gripe for the PX4 is the grip serrations areas of the slide are not deep and the edges are rounded off, making them not very grippy at all. Compared with S&W's directional "fishscale" type serrations.....the best in the business, IMHO. Once I can afford some custom machine work, I'll have the slide's grip areas modified. Any recommendations for the machine work?

Other than these things, I love the PX4........especially after converting it to a decocker-only G model.

 

[sappyg]

The best hi cap 9 mm?

I've spent the last 20 years not wanting to like glock for various reasons. They're ugly Blocky Weird looking hunks of plastic but they work. Parts are cheap and easy to replace. Magazines are everywhere and cheaper still. I even like the trigger now (to the point that I'm a bit of a trigger snob) unlike the M&P. The design so basic and uncomplicated.
Now, I do like all the others. In fact, my favorite ATM is a Sig M11 but the glock 19 brings more serviceability to the table. In the end the M11 is the latest in a long line of 9mm pistols I've tried in hopes of replacing my g19.

 

[george burns]

I really like that Sphinx, also the FNX9, I got the , deal today on the FN with 3 mags and NS. The poor guy was so overworked he has to call me back to finish the order.
Got it from a well known online store that showed none in stock. 3, 17 round mags are exactly what I had in mind, It was that or the CZ SP01, which was 18 and 1, but 2 and a half pounds and larger.