Which would you buy for ~$500

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whatever feels best in your hand

CZ, XD, or Glock, would be my choices, and not necessarily in that particular order.

If you like the benefit of having the same consistent trigger pull each and every time, go with either the Glock or XD depending on which one fits your hand best.

I have a CZ P-01 which I love. It feels great in my hand. Over 1500 rounds without any malfunctions or issues whatsoever. I also have a Glock 17 which I've had for years. I take it with me camping because I don't (nor does the Glock) care if it gets wet or dirty or dropped or scratched.

After working at a gun range that rents pistols I have concluded that Glocks tend to outlast XDs, mainly because there are fewer things that can go wrong with Glocks. Though similar to the Glock, the XD is not as foolproof. I have seen it reassembled incorrectly so that the slide is locked in place. IIRC, we had to ship that one back to the dealer. I have seen the "cocked indicator" (it may actually be the striker itself which protrudes from the rear of the slide) get bent rendering the gun unable to fire.

We presently have two Beretta 92s that are down. Both have broken slide stops. Also, they have that ridiculous and awkward slide-mounted safety which makes engaging the safety difficult, racking the slide uncomfortable, and releasing the slide by thumbing the slide-stop potentially dangerous to said thumb (if your thumbs are large).

We don't rent CZs so I don't know how they'd hold up to the neglect and abuse of sloppy novice handlers.
 
Since I haven't fired many of the guns on the list, out of the guns I do have experience with: Walther P99, G17, and the Beretta 96, I would choose the Beretta 96. Out of the bunch I can shoot it more accurately. Although the safety is a little weird, it wouldn't take much to get used to it.
 
Any of the guns you listed are quality weapons. You need to decide what you like best. Pick up and pull the trigger? Glock would good and if that's your choice I'd go for the G19 a good size for accurate shooting and concealment. That would be my pick but I'm not you, Without looking at your list again all the others listed have a safety of some sort. You need to look, handle and decide what works best for you. With the guns listed be leery of those who advise on absolutes, by that I mean absoultely this or absolutely not this.
 
I've never had any issues with my XDs...currently own 2 and recently owned another. They have eaten every round without fail and zero mechanical failures.
They fit my hand more comfortably than a Glock and I'm pretty accurate with them. I have never fired the XD9 though. Frankly I am afraid to, because there isn't room in the safe for another gun. So if I were to rent one and fire it, I'd likely have to purchase another safe. Damn it!

Another thing to keep in mind, rental guns at ranges generally do not get cleaned nearly as often or as thoroghly as they should, and that can affect performance.

I vote XD...just don't tell me how much you end up liking it please.
 
Ahh nevermind...

All are good choice. Just try and hold them in your hand if possible or better yet shoot them if possible.
 
Be aware that the Glock will start to have magazine problems after about 30,000 rounds and you may have to replace the springs.
Click to expand...

Big deal, thats about 3500 bucks of ammo and your worried about replacing a few springs or magazines?
 
Who wouldn't be impressed after reading about that torture test? And that HK USP comparison? No comparison!

Makes me proud to own a Glock.
 
Quoted by Chrome:
"In response to 1911 suggestion, I'm not looking for .45 and other caliber variants of the 1911 are out of my price range. Somewhere down the line I will purchase a 1911 in .45, but it won't be within a few weeks like one from the list will be."

You can find a host of 1911 prices from $100 copys to $2000 custom guns. Personally I have owned or still own the Beretta 92F, Glock 27, Springfield 1911, Taurus PT145, and a handful of wheel guns. The only one I have never considered trading is the Springfield 1911. It is my favorite gun and cost me less than my Glock 27. You can find Rock Island Armory 1911's for the $300 price range. Don't rule out the 1911 solely based on price. It also has the most widely available selection of after market parts of any gun in the world so customization and repair are much easier. If I had to choose from your list I would pick the Springfield Armory XD .40 for self defense. If it's just a plinking gun I would go with the Beretta 92 F series in 9mm for reduced ammo price.
 
My first choice is Glock because of its well documented reliability.

I wouldn't consider the XD or Taurus until they passed a few service or major law enforcement agency tests. Between the XD and Taurus, I have more faith in Brazilian over Yugo/Croatian manufacturing.

CZ and Berettas are certainly good guns if you don't mind the weight. If you eventually carry every day, you'll wish you picked the lighter gun. It's also sort of hard to hide a Beretta.

I don't like Walther (or HK which I'm forced to carry) because of the magazine release lever located on the trigger guard.

There are many good choices out there. Just feel them and see which one you like the best.
 
I thank you all for the comments and suggestions. I made my descision. This morning I went and picked up a barely used P99 AS with two extra mags in 9mm for $400. I think I got an excellent deal.

After handling all of the guns, there are several I would still pick up should a deal ever come along. I absolutely loved the feel of the P99 though and just had to have it. At $400, not many would say I got ripped off.

As far as my opinions on the other pistols, I feel they all represent good purchases. Here are some of my findings that may help someone someday.

I shy'd away from the XD due to the fact the grip saftey felt awkward as I engaged it. The bottom poked my hand as I squeezed it and was not comfortable until I squeezed it tightly with a higher than normal grip. I probably could have gotten used to it, but it was enough to push me away initially.

As for the Glock, they are excellent built pistols and felt very comfortable in my hand. I couldn't decide between the 17/19/22/23 they all felt great. I will end up buying one eventually. I understand where the fanboys come from, they truely are amazing guns.

With the Taurus 92/99 and the Beretta 92/96, I liked the design of the pistols. Taurus did a great thing by located the de-cocker to the frame instead of Beretta's awkward slide mount. The Beretta was a tighter fit and had a nicer trigger, but the Taurus was still a nice piece and I would not hesitate to recommend it to someone on a budget.

The CZ75, wow, is all I can say. A very nicely built gun that pointed great and was a beautiful fit to my hand. The trigger on the one I used was a little gritty, but then again it was brand new. If CZ puts out an 85 Combat in SS I may have to pick one up, I'm a sucker for Stainless steel. Had I not been able to get the Walther, I was going to order a CZ.

While the Beretta PX4 was a nicely built gun, it felt a little awkward while holding it. It maybe due to the fact the straight backstrap was on then one I held, but I'm not sure. It was very nicely built and pointed well.

Later,
Chrome...
 
The bottom poked my hand as I squeezed it and was not comfortable until I squeezed it tightly with a higher than normal grip.
Click to expand...
All pistols should be gripped as high as possible. I'm not sure what you mean by a "normal grip" but there should not be any space between the top of your hand and the little overhang at the top of the backstrap. I only mention this because I have seen many shooters grip their firearms too low. It's comfortable to them and they don't realize it's wrong until it is explained to them. I used to be unaware of this, also. Once it was pionted out to me my overall control of the pistol increased.
 
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I knew someone was going to mention that as I typed it. What I mean by gripping too high is that the webbing between my thumb and index finger was actually higher than the grip and up onto the beavertail. It was a very awkward feeling.

Later,
Chrome...
 
xd all the way. tough and reliable like the glock but more comfortable to grip and shoot and safer with the grip safety. Many prefer the trigger pull of the xd also.
 
Of the list I would choose the Beretta PX4 in 40. I have held and shot one and it is a very accurate and low recoil gun with the rotating barrel design (just like the Cougar).
 
As I've said in another thread: get a Glock 17! It was my first gun and if I could have only one gun now, that's what it would be.
 
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