Plastic wonders - your favorite(s)?

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joe sixpack

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Please relate your experience with the composite type semi-automatic pistols.

Steyr, Glock, Sig Pro, H&K, S&W, Springfield Armory XD, and any others I failed
to mention here preferably in 9mm and in full size.

For those of you who have owned or used more than one please do elaborate
on any differences you perceived and your overall opinion on the ones you have some history with.

I've only shot the Glock in the 17 and 19 flavors and found the trigger to be a tad odd but the overall fit and function to be very satisfactory.

Do all the plastic guns have a similar trigger feel as distinct from their metal cousins?

Any information appreciated, thanks.

Cheers, js
 
Ruger P95. Solid, dependable, and the magazines interchange with my PC9 carbine :) Maybe a bit large for some, but compare it to the HK's and it doesn't seem so big.

Also rather inexpensive compared to those you mentioned, but the accuracy and dependability are top notch.
 
I don't think the triggers are necessarily any different - at least, not across the board. I have P95 and 97 .. both fugly Rugers but - I like em! :) Triggers are not great but then the P89 I tried once was not a huge lot different, as I recall.

Also much like my SW99 despite some ergo' aspects I have yet to practice with to gain total familiarity.

I have a 22/45 too - and don't think it's trigger is hugely different really from a straight MkII

No - I don't think plastic means better or worse triggers for most part - the trigger is just a function of the gun, whether plastic or all steel.

Others may well disagree of course! :) Probably will! :D
 
Glock 22-kinda a take it or leave it gun, I would feel alright if it was issued to me, but I wouldn't buy one.

Glock 23-It's not a bad gun and would probably carry one if I had never shot a Steyr

Glock 19-I kinda like it, I shot surprisingly well with it.

Glock 27-Don't like the feel of them

Sigma .40cal-Good ergos, but I don't like the trigger.

Steyr M40-It's all good

Steyr S40- It's just like the M40, but easier to carry.
 
I own an FN Forty-Nine in .40 S&W.
The ergonomics are good. Better than my CZ75B, but that is a personal thing. Fits my medium-large hand very well.
Recoil is very managable and accurate double taps are easy enough. Contols are easy to reach and function flawlessly. Magazines are of good quality and feed reliably. The finish on the slide is pretty good. Stainless slides are available.
The DAO system throws many people off, but i like it for its simplicity. The pull is a relatively easy 10lbs (not terrible for DAO) and is pretty linear. It doesn't do anything quirky. You simply squeeze it and it goes off. Speaking of which, it goes bang every time. The face of the trigger is smooth as all good pistols should be.

I'd buy another if I had it to do over. I won't sell this one.
 
i've shot a large number of them, the only ones i didn't like were the walther [crummy trigger] and the colt 2000 [worst trigger i have ever touched] i have several glocks and like them. my 1911's are better by far, but i love them all. guns are a lot like sex, even the worst are interesting in some way [almost!]
pat
 
hate the way glocks look but i shot my buddies G21 and was very accurate, i did better with his glock than i did with my USP45 :cuss:
 
Ruger P345 for everyday carry. Great sights, slimmer than most Rugers, great accuracy. Keltec P11 for CCW. The Keltec, for me, has been completely free of problems. Reliable, accurate to 20 yds., very concealable, a nice 9mm gun.
Happy New Year to all.
 
The full sized USP is a tank and will never let you down. It is big and bulky. If it fits your hand, it is a great pistol to shoot with little recoil and a decent trigger.

The Glock is more svelt, the trigger is interesting--not bad, just different, parts are more plentiful.

I liked the usp compact the best, so that's what I own.

--usp_fan
 
I have not owned any of these, as I tend to prefer SIGs and Hi Powers, but I have rented several at the range, and shot on a number of occasions my buddy's SIGPro 2340, Glock 23 and Springfield XD9SC.

I never could get comfortable with the USP. It just didn't fit me right and the checkering irritated my hand.

The 4" XD9 was much more comfortable, but it took some getting used to and I was not very accurate with it.

I simply cannot appreciate a Glock, the grip angle is just all wrong for me, and I don't care for the trigger.

The SIGPro was nice enough, but it just didn't excite me.

Now the subcompact XD9 is an altogether different story. Incredibly accurate for such a short barrel, easy to shoot, comfortable in the hand, simple to conceal. I tried to buy it from my shooting buddy, and in a moment of weakness he nearly sold it to me. If I wasn't already satisfied with my P228 as a carry gun, I would get a 3" XD9.
 
My top choice would be my Walther P99. The thing that attracted me to it the most was the feel of the grip (really comfortable in my small hands). What made it a keeper was the trigger feel. It's got the most predictable break I've shot.

I also like the USPs. I have one in .45 and my brother has the 9mm (both full size). They're built like an armored truck, albeit a plastic armored truck.

I'm picking up my Glock 19 on Jan 7th (CA wait period). I've shot the 17 and 21 before, the trigger is funky so try before you buy.

Never shot a Poly Sig, but the P229 and P226 I've tried had trigger pulls that felt like sliding butter on ice, really nice. What I don't like is that you never seem to know when the trigger breaks.
 
Glock 19/23/32

Compact, capable of taclight, slim, lightweight, reliable. Though this is the only size Glock I like.

I like the SUSP for its shooter capability, though I'll never own one cuz I dont like the way it feels. The checkered front/backstrap hurts my hands. But I do enjoy the option of decock/cond. 1. Very smart safety system. :D
 
I own two Glocks (22 in 9mm, 26), one with modified trigger parts, a Sig Pro 2040, USP40, and XD40, (and my wife has the P99 in 9mm) and I also played with a S&W Sigma and watched my hand shake as I pulled the full double action trigger, dang that thing was heavy!

The Glock I modified for a smoother/lighter trigger I like a lot, still not a a SA 1911, but nice and easy for me to shoot quickly and accurately. The standard trigger, I never really thought was that bad either. But as with anything, it can be improved. After shooting a 1911, the Glock points high, and the opposite is true. Lots of modifications can be made to that frame though, so it isn't a deal breaker for most people. No problems with either Glock.

The Sig Pro, has the same DA/SA trigger as its brothers, feels the same too. The frame isn't as featherweight as a Glock frame, and it also has interchangable grips, but the options are not too big right now, either standard or bigger than standard. The DA trigger is a stretch with my finger. Had failures to return to battery when new, and failures to lock back when new, but those went away around 250 rounds. Front rails have little use currently.

USP40, no problems, fits well, checkering in the plastic doesn't bug my hand at all. Standard DA/SA trigger, since this was used and has a matte nickel finish, I think the trigger was worked on because it is quite smooth. Would have liked the cocked and locked version, but this is a decocker version. Very nice, I used to shoot it better than the Glock 22 in 9mm, but lately, the Glock has been winning. Need some more practice. I really like the location of the mag release, all other "standard" release I need to shift my hand, not so with the USP and the P99 either. Specialized front rails.

XD series, the trigger feels more mushy to me than either Glock and a heavier break point at the end, but otherwise, it works fine, just takes some getting used to. Ambi mag release is nice, but see above. Haven't shot it too much so far.

P99, I prefer the Walther over the S&W iteration for looks, and for a few random charts of accuracy I have seen. Though the new Walthers don't look too good, I haven't seen one face to face. Consider the P99, it is a nice gun, uses the mag release same as the USP which I like, can be carried cocked, with a long light trigger, or decocked, can be had DAO, etc.

Sigma, ick, didn't like it at all. And Steyr, I keep on thinking about it... I like how it feels, I would like to test fire one.

Favorite? Varies upon the season! I like them all!

Good luck!
 
Sa Xd-9

Over the past two years, I've fired some 1500 rounds (of various types) through my XD-9 service model without a single failure of any type. In my example, the sights are dead on and - with the exception of an occasional flyer - the gun is capable of repeated 4 inch groups at 25 yards. I suspect that limit is me, not the pistol.

The trigger pull is long but smooth, and breaks at a very consistent 6.6#. I am anxiously waiting for 15 round, SA magazines to show up locally, but I have used the well known trick of (slightly) modifying the feed lips of .40 S&W mags to hold a higher number of 9 mm rounds. For me, the success rate for this modification is around 50%, others do much better. YMMV.

In fact, the only problem with the XD-9 is that there are no problems. For that reason, I have a growing interest in 1911 pistols! Thank you, Tuner! :rolleyes:
 
In the next week or so I plan to take my son with me to a range that rents handguns where we will try as many of these as we can.
Essentially, whatever I will be purchasing will be a gift for him.

Thanks for all the responses to this, I really appreciate it.

cheers, js
 
I have had or have almost all of them. I think I found the one I was searching for. Wilson KZ-45 Compact. 1911 manual of arms, Best trigger I have ever touched on an auto, 10 rounds of .45acp ready to go, the best built light weight polymer design I have ever seen, rock solid reliable by reputation and my experience, the most accurate pistol I have ever owned, the best service out there. If you want the best you have to pay for it. Got it for 899 LNIB. :D
 
I've owned a dozen glocks,5 kel-tecs,1 kahr P40 and really couldn't get comfortable with any of them.Out of all of those the Kahr was my favorie and if it was a P9 I probably would have kept it.I finally did find a great plastic pistol in the form of of a Springfield XD-9.FIts my hands,shoots to POA,doesn't jam and was priced right to boot.Good things DO come to those who wait.tom. :)
 
mk23.jpg

My crew served land cannon... built like a tank, and almost as big as one. Been utterly reliable and the trigger has a nice 5lb break. It breaks cleanly, not like Glocks where you can feel it stop moving and have to muscle it. Recoil is soft as a baby's bottom and has no flash. It's much more accurate than I am. The double action is a massive 12lb trigger pull though :eek:

Cocked and locked is the way to go with these.
 
Don't care for the Glocks, XD's SW or P99's. Just don't like striker fired pistols. Nothing wrong with them just a personal preferance. the later 3 just don't appeal to me comsmetically or ergonomically either. :barf: Gloacks aren't pretty but I don't buy a gun to win a beauty contest.
That said, I do like the Hk's- buying a 3rd quite soon. The Ruger's aren't the classiest but are rugged, reliable and affordable for a plinker. Will likely own a P345 style in 9mm when it is released or a P95 if it's too far away.
Have zero experience with the Styer line. have heard little bad about them but also have heard little in general. Most all is favorable. For the $, I can't see many better deals than this line.
The CZ polymer models are just plain :barf: too. A poly 1911 just isn't "right" for a classic model as such.

To each their own though. :)
 
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