Suggest a full-frame gun for me that's not a Glock or 1911 variant?

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Mark-Smith

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I'm looking for a full-frame magazine-fed pistol that isn't a Glock or 1911 variant.

Something that's highly accurate, or can be made highly accurate for less than half the price of the gun ;)

Budget? $800 or less hopefully. If I had a better budget I'd get a H&K Mk. 23 (well, I'd probably try one out first before buying it), but sadly I don't foresee dropping a grand or more in the relatively near future :(

I've shot Glocks and 1911's and I have no complaints about them, but I'd like something to fall in love with :D
 
I've heard good things about the CZ and Sigs in general (the one time I tried a rental Sig 226 at an indoor range, it wasn't terribly accurate, but who knows what had been done to it, it was a rental after all ;) )

I've never shot a CZ of any sort though - anything that makes you a fan of them?
 
Simple, Beretta 92FS 9mm....Superb, buttery smooth action, the king of the hill in reliability, long but excellent trigger, outstanding accuracy, easy to maintain and repair, and one of the most beautiful pistols every produced.
 
Mark-Smith said:
Never tried one before - any particular reason you recommend one?
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They're reliable, accurate, within your price range, and are not only very nice looking guns, but they're not a Glock or a 1911.
 
The P220 is quite possibly the closest rival to the 1911 in terms of accuracy, reliability and durability in .45 caliber.

The CZ 97B is a finely crafted Czech weapon capable of putting the same hole on paper. It does have a wide grip more suitable for larger hands. The finish is above par and the magazine capacity is good for a .45. Plus it has CZ reliability.
 
You can get a USP Tactical used around $800-900. Basically a more realistically sized and priced MK23 (not exactly though). It will fulfill that itch and have accuracy and reliability that is as good as it gets.
 
USP vs CZ - which wins in terms of accuracy and comfort?

One of my friends has the Springfield XD in .380 - it seemed very similar to a Glock, striker fired, polymer frame / metal slide, didn't strike me as being different enough to be interesting. That said, I haven't fired it, or done more than handle it briefly.
 
Given those 2 I'll say the CZ75 will be more accurate. As far as comfort some people complain about the DA trigger reach being too long. So maybe advantage USP.

Are you sure you fired an XD? I don't know of any in .380. In contrast the XDm has interchangeable backstraps so you can fit the pistol to your hand. A match grade barrel is also a prominent feature. Good triggers are easy to come by with an aftermarket kit or trigger job. In fact they can be made exceptional, then the match grade barrel is really noticeable.;)
 
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I like my stainless CZ and it's in your price range. For a bit more dough you can get one from ghostholsters with a custom hammer and trigger job. Or, again in your budget, get a regular polycoat CZ with the custom stuff. And they ship for free.
 
I'm new to everything, just got my first handgun and ccw in dec. So I may not be the best judgement, but I was first turned onto to the xd and fnx .40s.

The xd, or xdm just feels great in your hand and has I think 16+1cap, and they're between $400-600, got some cool features; kinda like a cross between glock and 1911. But I'm a fan of neither.

The fnx is like a cheap usp, fits well, but it might've just been the model I viewed, but the grip plastic felt flemsy and cheap. Still good to look into if you dig the hk's.

I was at my local store about to pick up an xdm 40 when the owner recommended the s&w m&p, as soon as I held that, I knew what to get. Very comfortable, quite accurate in my novice hands, 15+1, but more steel than the xd, so that weight makes it feel real. very low recoil, better trigger squeeze than glock, and light enough for my daily carry, being winter and all. Oh yeah and I picked it up less than 2 months used with nightsights for $489, fl tax made it come out to $520. new they're like $589.

hope that was somewhat helpful.
 
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I'm very partial to the Sig 220, specifically the 220ST
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These were both CPO guns and cost ~$600 each

The Sig 220 is highly accurate without using a barrel bushing (It's barrel is stabilized by the angled hole in the slide) and does not need it's slide and frame to be fitted to be accurate. The ultimate action tune will cost less than half the gun if you even need it (I've have one being tuned and the other is stock, I teach with the stock one)

You can also get one with an aluminum alloy frame if you'd like a little less weight...grips on the ST have been changed to Hogue Aluminum, those on the regular 220 are Hogue rubber
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What caliber do you prefer? 45acp like the H&K?

What does highly accurate mean to you? Are 2" groups at 25 yds highly accurate?
 
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Another one to consider is the Beretta PX4 45. I got almost a 1000 rds out of mine. Been flawless so far.
 
Smith & Wesson 39-2. Single stack 8+1 rounds. New magazines for it are 9+1. About the size of a Colt Commander. Conventional DA/SA trigger. Alloy frame. Long out of production, but well worth the hunt. Can be found for around $400.00 or less on today's market.

A Classic.

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For $800 or less and not a 1911, or a G34 Glock? For decent performance a CZ 75B, CZ 75SA, SP-01 Are around $500-600 + trigger work. Sig P220 or a P226, Beretta 92FS, Browning HP. All need trigger jobs out of the box to get the most out of the weapons.
Nice pics of my very first firearm, S&W 39-2, beautiful pistol, but only a fair shooter, if I still owned one , it would be a safequeen. S&W 952 is a real shooter but is way more than the $800 limit, so is a SIG P210. Most service pistols are great out to 20-30 yards or good enough to hit a 6" circle. For $800 I would get a SIG P226, if it would also be used for home defense I would add night sights. But if I were you I would look again at a 1911, they come in 9mm, .38 super, .40S&W, .45ACP and 10mm. STI Spartan 9mm or .45 starts at $630 and will outshoot anything in it's price range.
 
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