The BEST of the BEST....

[Hokkmike]

I am an older duffer... I have owned and shot a lot of great semi autos over the years.

Currently, a Glock is my regular companion.

But, in a thoughtful comparison, the BEST of the BEST has to be FN. Quality guns, rough and tumble and ready for the fight. The company stands behinds them and keeps you in the loop. I am not saying that there are not other really good guns - but only one can be in first place.

 

[starling]

FN is good. I would say across the board (Commercial,Military, hunting, Sport) Beretta. HK is up there but they are kind of a young company and more like FN focussing in one arena.

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

Except, perhaps, for low-volume bespoke customs, this-

 

[starling]

Oh stop... You P7 nuts are becoming a cult. You need to get a room with all the luger collectors.

Nice P7. Dont make me break out my Vp70

 

[jeff-10]

FN holds a special place in my heart. All I have right now from them is a 509m but they are a really great company. They gave us the Hi Power and FAL, Also, it isn't by coincidence that the main two belt fed weapons used by US Army infantrymen are FN in origin. HK is another phenomenal company. The P7 NIGHTLORD40k posted is a work of art. My VP40 and P2000sk are 2 of my favorites and I have a PTR 91 which is an HK clone. It is flawless which is saying something when it is basically a cheap clone/parts gun. I like SIG but I feel like the more Americanized the company gets the lower the quality. There is something about Western European craftsmen and engineers that we have always had a tough time replicating. Most of the pistols by SIG, Austria and Beretta are made here but typically I stay away from service pistols of US origin like Ruger and S&W. I like our revolvers and 1911s but not our polymers or subcompacts.

 

[cslinger]

Completely objective.
Glock by far.
-Inexpensive
-Durable
-Reliable
-LONG and wide track record from cops to secret squirrel types
-Parts availability second to none
-Wide Product offering. CCW to optics to gamer etc.
-Wide caliber choice
-Probably the best magazines made today
-Easy to learn/teach
-Most consistent QC and CS I have seen over the years

So what Glock do I carry? An HK P2000 . I am not really a Glock guy but I am a intellectually honest with myself and have a fairly wide shooting experience so Glock really still is the best overall IMO and experience.

 

[cslinger]

Oh stop... You P7 nuts are becoming a cult. You need to get a room with all the luger collectors.

Nice P7. Dont make me break out my Vp70

I prefer took think of us more as a tribe or possibly a cabal.

 

[ericuda]

Hum best at what? Competition, self defense, accuracy, durability, fun, ease of use and on and on. We probably all know what fits the most important category.

 

[starling]

Dont sell us short. We tend to push the envelope on raw power. Automags and Hard core hand cannons are our thing. Most innovation we see comes from the small guy with an idea. The larger companies are typically just trying to steal market share away from each other for profit. They dont care about progression unless it increase the profit margin. Thats why you have to help support the small guys even if they can be a little rough around the edges. I typically wont even buy a foreign made gun unless its used. I like to try and keep the money in our country. I dont agree that our guns are substandard either. Ruger P series will outlast a sig or Beretta. I like Sigmas more than Glocks.

The days of careful craftsmenship and high quality are over outside of nitch companies. Everything now centers around cheap mass production. I would say from a gun prospective (I was thinking best of the best company wise earlier) the best currently would go to HK. Top notch raw materials and well tested designs before put out to consumers. Durability wise I would put them at the top.

Everything is subjective though. Some people might say Hi-points are the best because they offer a capable and reliable firearm at a price point to which even a homeless person who collects bottles and cans can afford. As a true firearms enthusiast that is a beautiful thing. Someone on the opposite end... the elitist gun snob will say Korth. I am the oddball because I kind of like everything. Accu-teks, Lorcins, AMT, Beretta, HK, S&W..... the are not many guns I dont like. Clerks come to mind... those are bad. I cant turn Clerks into functional firearms.

I do miss the 80s and 90s though when we had so many companies puting out their own unique platforms and styles. Back then you could see a gun and imediately know what it was. These days everything kind of looks the same... similar to cars. Also... break thru and revolutionary means its offered in pink or tiffany blue.

 

[Buzznrose]

Completely objective.
Glock by far.
-Inexpensive
-Durable
-Reliable
-LONG and wide track record from cops to secret squirrel types
-Parts availability second to none
-Wide Product offering. CCW to optics to gamer etc.
-Wide caliber choice
-Probably the best magazines made today
-Easy to learn/teach
-Most consistent QC and CS I have seen over the years

So what Glock do I carry? An HK P2000 . I am not really a Glock guy but I am a intellectually honest with myself and have a fairly wide shooting experience so Glock really still is the best overall IMO and experience.

Im kind of on the other side of this…I generally carry a Glock of some sort and acknowledge all your points, but other than the LONG track record, I gotta say I think the other companies have really stepped up their game lately.

FN’s are very solid, but so are the XD/XDm, CZ P series, the Walthers, the HKs, the Rugers, and the M&P’s.

Only one to really give me pause, ironically, is the new military sidearm Sig P320 line. They’ve had some bugs like dropped guns going off that I have a hard time getting past.

 

[cslinger]

Im kind of on the other side of this…I generally carry a Glock of some sort and acknowledge all your points, but other than the LONG track record, I gotta say I think the other companies have really stepped up their game lately.

FN’s are very solid, but so are the XD/XDm, CZ P series, the Walthers, the HKs, the Rugers, and the M&P’s.

Only one to really give me pause, ironically, is the new military sidearm Sig P320 line. They’ve had some bugs like dropped guns going off that I have a hard time getting past.

I am not taking away from other makes nor do I disagree that feature wise Glock is surpassed and pretty much any tactical Tupperware is dead nuts reliable. I am GUN GUY not a fan boy of anything. That said I still don’t think anybody brings it all together into one boringly reliable package like Glock and again I am not a “Glock Guy” so to speak. I just really feel like they are still unsurpassed if one dispassionately looks at the whole package. Now if they could make a gun sized for something other than life sized Lego mini fig hands then they would really be on to something. I mean they even offer real sights these days instead of dovetail protectors.

 

[starling]

I prefer took think of us more as a tribe or possibly a cabal.

Prices keep going up you might as well be Heavens Gate or the Peoples temple. Most Luger collectors are living on Epstien Island now because they sold their souls to feed addiction after going down that rabbit hole.

CZ should bring back the P7M8 so folks can experience blowing through 30 rounds and burning your hand. They are about the only ones I would trust to pull it off. HK wont ever do it because they are jerks. Such a great niche gun though. People would freak out these days trying to get comfortable operating one after growing up with striker glock ripoffs. Then they would run to the internet and complain.... "its too hot.... I dont like the squeeze cocker.....its not practical".... blah, blah, blah. Next hipster wimp I hear complain about triggers at the range I am going to make him shoot my VP70 or Patriot 45. And If I hear another... "40s&w recoils too much" he can pop a few rounds from my Accu-tek XL9 if it doesnt blow up.

Myself... I have come to the realization that I will never own a Beretta 93r.... not even a semi auto. I do think I will end up owning an Automag though. Plan is for 2 Automags. This is the result of growing up reading Mack Bolan books after riding my bike to the bookstore seeking out new adventure novels.

 

[Jonny2guns]

Dont sell us short. We tend to push the envelope on raw power. Automags and Hard core hand cannons are our thing. Most innovation we see comes from the small guy with an idea. The larger companies are typically just trying to steal market share away from each other for profit. They dont care about progression unless it increase the profit margin. Thats why you have to help support the small guys even if they can be a little rough around the edges. I typically wont even buy a foreign made gun unless its used. I like to try and keep the money in our country. I dont agree that our guns are substandard either. Ruger P series will outlast a sig or Beretta. I like Sigmas more than Glocks.

The days of careful craftsmenship and high quality are over outside of nitch companies. Everything now centers around cheap mass production. I would say from a gun prospective (I was thinking best of the best company wise earlier) the best currently would go to HK. Top notch raw materials and well tested designs before put out to consumers. Durability wise I would put them at the top.

Everything is subjective though. Some people might say Hi-points are the best because they offer a capable and reliable firearm at a price point to which even a homeless person who collects bottles and cans can afford. As a true firearms enthusiast that is a beautiful thing. Someone on the opposite end... the elitist gun snob will say Korth. I am the oddball because I kind of like everything. Accu-teks, Lorcins, AMT, Beretta, HK, S&W..... the are not many guns I dont like. Clerks come to mind... those are bad. I cant turn Clerks into functional firearms.

I do miss the 80s and 90s though when we had so many companies puting out their own unique platforms and styles. Back then you could see a gun and imediately know what it was. These days everything kind of looks the same... similar to cars. Also... break thru and revolutionary means its offered in pink or tiffany blue.

Did you really use Hi-Point and reliable in the same sentence? Reliable isn't a correct way to describe Hi-Point, cheap yes.

 

[starling]

Did you really use Hi-Point and reliable in the same sentence? Reliable isn't a correct way to describe Hi-Point, cheap yes.

All the ones I have ever shot ran fine with bulk ball ammo. I am always suprised when people have problems or dont like them. There is not a whole lot to go wrong and they are accurate. My point was that their mission is to offer affordable handguns to even those with extremly limited resources.

 

[Mosin77]

I have a really hard time differentiating between the plastic fantastics of Glock, S&W, Beretta, Sig Sauer, FN, Walther, HK, and Springfield. Heck, throw Ruger onto that list too. They all seem incredibly reliable, pretty tough, pretty ugly, and reasonably affordable.

Actually I’d say FN is kinda far down on the list. As a company they’ve done amazing things over the last 120 years, but their current handgun options seem pretty much par for the course. If you asked me which was better, an FNX or a Glock, I’d have to go with the Glock just by virtue of it being the more popular choice by far, and certainly “good enough” in this category. By comparison, the FNX could be discontinued tomorrow and I wonder how many people would even notice.

 

[Armored farmer]

I'm a shotgunner, and a revolver shooter. My trigger has to be single action for me to be accurate. I know it's my weakness.
The best of the best for me is a 1911.

 

[P89DCSS]

1911 is the GOAT, everything else fights for 2nd place.

 

[FL-NC]

All of my FN with current production items has been with MG's like the M240, M249, MK 46, MK48, MK17 SCAR, and P90. Along with some military M4's, which obviously aren't a FN design. No complaints about the quality and performance of the products I have used, but the whole SCAR program and our (US mil) experimentation with it was an unnecessary folly.

 

[Walkalong]

GOAT? Don't know about that, but I do like my FNS-40

 

[BreechFace]

Hard to beat a Glock.

 

[starling]

The FN polymer guns are always nice looking (for poly pistols) with high quality but never seem to get noticed in the market..... Kind of strange. Another company that has this problem is Steyr. Great quality and design that just never seem to get out of sleeper status on the market.

 

[js8588]

Best in all categories? Probably the HK USP Elite/Expert/Match/Tactical (anything that has the match trigger).

 

[Buzznrose]

I am not taking away from other makes nor do I disagree that feature wise Glock is surpassed and pretty much any tactical Tupperware is dead nuts reliable. I am GUN GUY not a fan boy of anything. That said I still don’t think anybody brings it all together into one boringly reliable package like Glock and again I am not a “Glock Guy” so to speak. I just really feel like they are still unsurpassed if one dispassionately looks at the whole package. Now if they could make a gun sized for something other than life sized Lego mini fig hands then they would really be on to something. I mean they even offer real sights these days instead of dovetail protectors.

Okay…no argument from me. I carry, train with, and shoot Glocks way more than anything else. I have magazines that still run flawlessly after many thousands of rounds and rough use. I quit replacing RSA’s because I decided to ignore the recommended replacement schedule and thousands of rounds later, we are still going strong.

I HATE their slogan “Perfection” because nothing made by man is perfect, but truth be told, you can take the gun from the box and without much more than a few drops of lube periodically, shoot the gun for years and many thousands of rounds without cleaning it or replacing anything. Not my recommendation, but it is my belief.

 

[Atavar]

Did you really use Hi-Point and reliable in the same sentence? Reliable isn't a correct way to describe Hi-Point, cheap yes.

I had a Hi-Point 9mm that was ultra reliable. It ran every kind of ammo I could find for it and went bang every single time I pulled the trigger (with minimal maintenance).
Cleaning was a barrel brush and swab and flush everything with Gun Scrubber then spray oil.
Appropriate adjectives would be cheap, big, ugly, passingly accurate, reliable.

 

[BreechFace]

Appropriate adjectives would be cheap, big, ugly, passingly accurate, reliable.

One addition: low capacity

I would agree on all your adjectives. I feel they would improve their sales with some magazine technology.