I don't know why I'm wading into this, but IMO, both are true. You can do a lot of research (including bench testing) to find "the most accurate" gun, but once you're on the firing line, it's a bit theoretical and moot if it's not also the gun you shoot most accurately. Research might tell me to pick up one of those sexy CZs, but until I actually shoot it, I'd really just be guessing that it's my best option.
Shooting 9mm Handguns - Which was the Most Accurate
- Thread starter Tallball
- Start date
I don't know why I'm wading into this, but IMO, both are true. You can do a lot of research (including bench testing) to find "the most accurate" gun, but once you're on the firing line, it's a bit theoretical and moot if it's not also the gun you shoot most accurately. Research might tell me to pick up one of those sexy CZs, but until I actually shoot it, I'd really just be guessing that it's my best option.
Unless there's some extenuating factor like the gun is just too heavy to hold, the one that's most accurate off the bench should be the one most accurate offhand since the goal is to get as close to the mechanical accuracy of the gun as possible.
Yes. Should be. Not automatically the same as will be, though. I experienced some of this myself. One could argue I needed to alter my grip, but life's short - instead of me taking time to bend to the gun, I switched to something similarly accurate, but that I shoot better.
My shooting buddy and I were both feeling poor, so we decided to go on a range trip and only bring 22lr and 9mm parabellum handguns. After we warmed up with 22's, we decided to find out which 9mm handgun was the most accurate of all. We went to one of the seven-yard benches and wasted a bunch of ammo embarrassing ourselves with our mediocre shooting skills before we were through. The answer was unexpected.
Ruger LC9s pro - It's one of the small CCW 9mm pistols I keep in a safe and carry revolvers instead. It is puny in my gigantic mutant paws. Either of us could empty the magazine into a fist-sized group easily, but they were all a little bit high and to the right.
Glock 43 - It's another one of the small CCW 9mm pistols that I choose to own but do not choose to carry. We shot my friend's example. It was pretty much like shooting the LC9s, but the trigger not quite as good. It shot to POA, though.
Ruger SP101 - I do not like SP101's very much. I got this one used with a decent trigger. I changed out the grips, installed a slightly lighter mainspring, and shot it a whole lot of times. At this point I have finally accepted it and can shoot it almost as well as my preferred j-frames or LCR. After I warmed up with a few cylinders, I shot it a little better than the small autopistols. I'll probably be practicing with this one a lot, since 9mm is much cheaper than 38 special right now.
Ruger P85 - My friend inherited it from his dad. His brother put adjustable sights on it for him. The trigger is dreadful, but other than that it's easy to shoot. He and I both shot decent groups with it - about the same as most service pistols. (No picture, sorry.)
RIA 1911 - I don't know why a cheap imitation version of an antiquated design (in the wrong caliber no less) is so easy for me to shoot well, but it is. I bought it used, it had been shot a bunch, and I have shot it a bunch more. My friend and I both shot tiny groups with it. I shoot my 1911's better than almost anything.
Ruger Blackhawk - I bought a 9mm cylinder off ebay and by luck it fit into the revolver... just barely, after I scrubbed it within an inch of its life. It's ammo sensitive and a few random factory rounds won't quite fit into the chambers. I've read that the barrel isn't even the right diameter for 9mm anyway, and there's no way this thing can be very accurate. Besides, the revolver itself is from the 1970's and has had a whole lot of rounds through it. None of that matters. Most of my groups had every hole touching. My friend's groups were close. It was the most accurate 9mm handgun of the group, though the 1911 was close.
What's your most accurate 9mm handgun?
Most accurate that I own...Glock 34
Jackrabbit1957
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For me it's a Beretta M9 shooting 358 diameter 125 grn bullets. Still working on the loads but much more promising than shooting 356 diameter bullets, it was scattering them all over the place. Nothing on paper as of yet but definitely minute of beer can at 30 yards.
pbearperry
Member
Back in the 90's,my Dept. was in the process of transitioning from revolver to Semi auto. My Chief gave me 3 test guns, A Sig, a S&W and a Glock.I shot all three extensively and told the Chief they were all accurate but I found shooting rapidly, I was able to regain my sight picture faster with the Glock.Keeping that in mind plus the Glock cost less, we went with Glocks. I believe most firearms are able to be more accurate than the shooter in most cases.
Zaydok Allen
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Zendude
Member
What's your most accurate 9mm handgun?
From the ones I own, it’s the one in my avatar. I don’t know exactly why, but my guess would possibly be the low profile ergonomics from to the recoil spring design. The reason I say that is because the most accurate 9mm short handgun for me is a Bersa Thunder I used to own (shooting in single action).
From the ones I own, it’s the one in my avatar. I don’t know exactly why, but my guess would possibly be the low profile ergonomics from to the recoil spring design. The reason I say that is because the most accurate 9mm short handgun for me is a Bersa Thunder I used to own (shooting in single action).
tws3b2
Member
Sar U S A b6
LiveLife
Member
I agree.
Most 9mm handguns these days are assembled from mass produced modular parts with varying degrees of manufacturing tolerance variance. With both hammer and striker fired pistols, I noticed some pistols (Even same make/model) experience quite a bit of front sight jump/movement when the firing pin/striker is released until trigger parts are well broken-in (And some continue to do so even after break-in).
To me, movement of front sight means movement of muzzle, which will move POI away from POA, enlarging the target group. So I have been dry firing different samples of pistols before buying and choosing the ones that do not move the front sight when dry fired as I consider pistols that do not move the front sight (or move front sight less) out-of-the-box will shoot more accurate as trigger parts wear and break in.
This was well illustrated in the "Accurizing 22LR on the cheap" thread where new 10/22 and T/CR22 5/10 shot 50 yard groups were captured during 10,000 round break-in and accurizing. As factory 10/22 trigger went from 7.5 lbs down to 4.5 lbs during 4000 rounds of break-in, trigger smoothed out and group size got smaller. With 2.5 lb Volquartsen trigger kit, group size got even smaller - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...22lr-on-the-cheap.898035/page-2#post-12454264
As other members already posted, I believe inherent mechanical accuracy of most pistols far exceed what we are capable of shooting. Based on my experience, I find most fullsize/compact pistols are capable of producing 1" groups at 7-10 yards, 2" groups at 15 yards and 3" groups at 25 yards using decent ammunition.
And I consider pistol/ammunition combination capable of 2" groups or less at 25 yards to be very accurate.
Here's Berry's regular plated 124 gr RN and Titegroup producing 3" down to 2" 25 yard groups during load development out of Gen3 Glock 22 with KKM 40-9mm conversion barrel - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...s-and-discussions.778197/page-9#post-10938615
And RMR thick plated 124 gr RN and WST/BE-86 using same pistol/barrel - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...ts-and-discussions.778197/page-6#post-9924922
Same pistol with fine tuning OAL producing sub 2" group with RMR thick plated 40S&W 180 gr RNFP and BE-86 - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...ick-plated-bullets.761471/page-4#post-9646469
I think the 1”, 2”, 3” groups from 10, 15, 25 yards is close to what I can get from my service pistols. My Canik will drop down to 1.25-1.5 inches at 25 but only with one particular load combination.
My heavy barreled target pistol triples group size when going from rested to off hand shooting. Is the same sort of increase reasonable going from a Ransom Rest to hand held rested shooting?
My heavy barreled target pistol triples group size when going from rested to off hand shooting. Is the same sort of increase reasonable going from a Ransom Rest to hand held rested shooting?
OP
OP
Tallball
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It's kind of weird that this thread is still going. I've been to the range a time or two since, including yesterday.
The 6.5" 9mm Blackhawk is still putting holes in the paper right next to each other over and over again. I would swear it's becoming less ammo sensitive lately. Maybe the 9mm cylinder is finally getting "worn in".
My accuracy with it is probably because of the long sight radius and me growing up with a Single Six.
As a revolver guy who doesn't reload, my 9mm Blackhawk and 9mm SP101 are going to the range every trip lately.
The 6.5" 9mm Blackhawk is still putting holes in the paper right next to each other over and over again. I would swear it's becoming less ammo sensitive lately. Maybe the 9mm cylinder is finally getting "worn in".
My accuracy with it is probably because of the long sight radius and me growing up with a Single Six.
As a revolver guy who doesn't reload, my 9mm Blackhawk and 9mm SP101 are going to the range every trip lately.
giggitygiggity
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For me, it’s a toss up between my SIG P210A, CZ Shadow 2 SAO, and Canik TP9SFX.
I tested some Gallant cast bullet loads today in my M&P9. One load rivaled the accuracy of my Canik but had a flier wide left. I was shooting from a rest, but occasionally could feel what I thought was an odd trigger pull. I'll see if it confirms and if so, it will be just barely behind the Canik Mete SFX.
Theoretically then everybody should shoot a Swiss P210-6 and HK USP Expert at high master scores, i.e. above 97%. Still, when you go to matches you will see certain makes and models of handguns prevail but actually there is quite some variation from user to user and so few shoot at master level.
JKP
Member
My SA Prodigy (4 1/4") and my SA Garrison (5") are both my most accurate 9mm's. Behind them is my Canik TP9sfx. All my other 9mm pistols are either compact (Sig Ultra 1911, Ruger SR9c) or sub compact (Sig p938, Sig p365). The smaller grip and shorter barrels hold them back, although the Sig Ultra shoots very well for a small gun.
Jim Watson
Member
Anecdote alert:
Not a 9mm, but FLG built a regular customer an OACP with a barrel installation "they" said could not be done.
The little sucker is as accurate as a target pistol from a Ransom rest. It is limited by short sight radius hand held but the owner holds hard and does very well with it, better than stock. So the base gun was NOT "more accurate that he is."
Not a 9mm, but FLG built a regular customer an OACP with a barrel installation "they" said could not be done.
The little sucker is as accurate as a target pistol from a Ransom rest. It is limited by short sight radius hand held but the owner holds hard and does very well with it, better than stock. So the base gun was NOT "more accurate that he is."
I can shoot my Springfield 1911 in 9mm pretty well if I do my part. On most days I take my Ruger Sr9c with me I shoot that the best. I’m not sure why, I just seem to shoot it better than anything I have. I sure wish they still made them.
Jeff
desmobob
Member
My Taurus 92FS, followed by my CZ-75B and, way in the rear, my Kahr CM9.
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