Ruger vs FN vs Steyr HELP picking firm firearm!

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thepanda

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First of all, hello. This is my first post to the forum. I have spent several weeks reading about handguns and have finally decided to ask for personal advice.

I am going to buy my first handgun sometime this month. I want this firearm for range shooting, but am most worried about a reliable gun for personal defense. I'm currently considering the Ruger P345PR in .45 ACP, the FN Herstal P40, and the Steyr M9. I can purchase each gun for similar prices (around $360-$370), but was wondering what the general consensus on each firearm is. Are there any other guns I should consider? Is the Taurus 24/7 worth considering? How about the CZ 40p or cz 75?

Thank you.
 
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Your best bet is to go to the range and rent every type of gun you are thinking about. First time owners are easily let to a gun that does not fit them for many reasons.
First hand comfort. Trigger pull, correct size for your application, Concealment, available accessories and trigger enhancing add ons.
Most of the lower priced guns do not have any accessories available.
The Ruger is the most popular and has more accessories, The FN is #2, and the Steyr is #3 in my personal rating.

Good luck. Tony D
 
Personally I would go for the Steyr, but I've always been a little hooker for german guns. The Taurus 24/7 and the CZ75 are VERY good choices also. Never been a fan of Ruger autos though, they were however, the runner up against the Berretta 92 for the USG contract during the field trials back in the day. They cant be all bad, I did not like the fit (rattle) and finish on their guns. They are all reliable good choices though. Have fun, shop around. Check out some police dept, trade ins or refurbs, I've seen nice Sig 220 .45's go in the high $300 to low $400 range lately.
 
Its a personal choice, go fondle them and if possible shoot some. I have a couple of CZ-75's and a Steyr M9. They're all good, but I prefer the CZ's.
 
I like the P345 but the thing that keeps me from it, is that darn loaded chamber indicator. Something about it just gnaws at me. So for a 45acp Ruger I will stick to my P97.
 
I dislike guns with decockers. Ruger feels really thick and beefy in my hands, as well. I'd choose a CZ-75 or a BHP. I own both and they are great guns. The fact that the trigger pull is the same between each shot really does eliminate part of the learning curve.
 
Some folks I know and respect think highly of the Steyr.

Personally, I've never thought very highly of Ruger semiautos.

John
 
I have handled all three, and I would say that I prefer the FN first, the Ruger second, and the Steyr last.

All are good guns, but the FN is my pick -- it just feels best to me. The ruger is a nice, solid gun, but feels topheavy to me. The Steyr dosn't feel topheavy to me, but the grip angle is all wrong for me... the trapezoid sights are pretty cool, though.

The only way to know for sure is to handle them all yourself, and if possible, shoot them.

Wes
 
MCgunner said:
My P90 is my absolute favorite center fire autoloader. I'd pick the Ruger hands down. Rugers work, and my P90 is match grade accurate right out of the box. It don't get no better.
Click to expand...


Isn't it incredilble how accurate they are. From what I have heard. During the development of the P90, Ruger went to Barsto for input on the barrel.
 
Of the choices, I think you'll get about the best value from the ruger, dollar wise It'll be about the cheapest. You won't be able to pick up a CZ75 for much less than $400.

I have heard good things about the steyr, but I'm not sure of the state of their importer. At one time not long ago I heard they went out of business... You may have trouble with warranty work if you go that route. (but check this, I may be wrong).

Since this will be a range gun, I'd reccomend a pistol in 9mm since you can shoot about twice as much for the same $$ for .45 You may want to look at a ruger P95 they can be had for around $300 even... and you'll have enough left over to buy a holster an extra mag and a bunch of ammo...
 
I have heard good things about the steyr, but I'm not sure of the state of their importer. At one time not long ago I heard they went out of business... You may have trouble with warranty work if you go that route. (but check this, I may be wrong).
Click to expand...

That rumors been going around for a while. They've had some issues with importers, but they've solved that problem by building their own plant in Georgia that's suppose to be open first part of 2006.

Who does the warranty work for FN or Steyr, where are they located?
Click to expand...

Warranty work can be done on the Steyrs but I'm not sure who to contact, I've never had to deal with that issue.:)

Check out Steyrclub.com for questions about warranty work and any other aspect of Steyr handguns.
 
Since this is your first pistol, I suggest you start with a 9mm. In a Ruger I would recommend their new P95D. Ruger pistols are as reliable as any other manufacturer's pistols, and no manufacturer's pistols are more reliable than Ruger's pistols. In the Steyr I would recommend the M9 A1 over the M9. The older model had some extraction problems that the new model has resolved. In my opinion the Steyr M9 A1 and M40 A1 are the best combat pistols in the world.
 
I'm in the Ruger 9mm camp for your first autoloader. The P95DC was the first pistol that I kept. poppy
 
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