A shotgun, 12 or 20 gauge, is your best bet, especially since you’re not “into pistols.”
A good semi automatic rifle in 5.56 also shouldn’t be sneezed at.
But your best bet with a handgun is to get a 1911 in .45, or a Browning Hi-Power in 9mm, and spend the effort to get “into” it.
Don’t buy anything.
Get some training.
Learn to run a handgun.
Then make a decision what tool will be best for your needs.
If I were in the market for a solid, reliable, personal defense pistol, I’d get a used 3rd gen Glock 17 or 19 made prior to mid-2010. After that, probably an S&W M&P.
Whatever you do, don’t purchase some obscure pistol that no major professionals use–look what works well for the more dialed in LE and military folks, as it will probably work for you…
I suggested the M&P but evidentally there are issues with the 9mm. They make a .40 and a .45 too.
Listen to Doc. That is by far your best option.
unless you can’t stand the the sr9 just shoot it alot,what makes it not a hard use pistol?I like the m&p grip better than my sigs or glocks.
this being said Ilike 1911’s best.second best I like m&ps
If Glocks are out I would say the S&W M&P series.
A 1911 isn’t the best at anything the OP will be using it for and a quality example is silly expensive. Yeah, yeah I know yours "works fine " but I don’t want to hash that out in this thread. There are better alternatives at half the price that will be less finicky. Listen to Doc
M&P9 or 40 with Apex sear and striker block.
HK. either a P30 or P2000. These are serious fighting guns. FWIW, I prefer GLOCK and HK.
Doc Roberts’ advice is the best you’ll read today - when he talks, it’s best to shut the hell up and listen.
If you’re still interested in opinions, here’s my completely personal one:
-the Glock 19 was, hands down, the best self-defense/concealed carry pistol on the market - based on reliability, size efficiency, shootability, and “combat” accuracy. For many, the grip shape and angle make the pistol “point” high, but that can be trained through, or fixed with a trip to any number of folks who can do a grip reduction. Unfortunately, in mid-2010, something went sideways at Glock, and it’s simply impossible to predict what you will get with a G19 made since then. Either it will work great, like the older guns, or it won’t work worth a darn, and no amount of tweaking, except for a trip to Mr. Lee’s magic foundry, will make it work. The Gen4 G19 makes the grip angle more workable, but, they’re a complete train wreck when it comes to reliability.
-the S&W M&P 9mms have “better” ergonomics than the Glock, according to a lot of folks, but, for me, none of the golf-ball back straps makes the pistol feel “right” in my hand. Many evidence what can best be labeled lackluster accuracy, and the good folks at S&W don’t show any interest in making it better. Guys I trust my life with, who can shoot better than I could ever hope to, tell me that they have out of the box M&Ps that shoot 12" groups at 25 yards. The trigger is, IMHO, an abortion - soft and indistinct break, and a non-existent reset point. The trigger is a relatively easy fix, again, thanks to Mr. Lee’s efforts, and the 9mm accuracy issue sounds like it’s close to a resolution, if you want to spend the money for a quality barrel fitted to your $400 gun. For me, that’s not a good investment.
-Sig is still languishing under management that puts cosmetics over function, and is more interested in profit margins than in providing a quality pistol. Again, get a good used Sig from the pre-2005 era, and you’ve got a wonderful pistol, but anything after that will be luck of the draw in terms of trigger, accuracy, and reliability. Plus, Sigs are not terribly size/weight efficient.
-HK puts out any number of quality products, but they come at a STEEP price compared to their competition’s polymer pistols. I personally find the P30’s grip to be the best pistol grip I’ve ever felt, and the V4 LEM trigger is pretty darned nice, less the long-ish reset. HK can’t seem to figure out how to make a decent DA/SA trigger - the DA’s tend to be VERY heavy and creepy (though I will say the SA on the HK45ct is pretty dang nice!). HKs are complicated pistols, with expensive parts, magazines and accessories, and parts and holsters are frequently hard to find. HK also hasn’t figured out how to make a “family” of pistols yet, where parts and magazines exchange between full size, compact, and/or subcompact pistols - with HK, what you see is what you get.
-FN puts out quite a few reasonable models, and their new striker-fired pistol is intriguing, but I haven’t had enough trigger time with any of them to really provide an opinion. The same goes for the Walther lineup.
After having three G19 lemons in the last year, and waiting over 4 months for Glock to provide the latest untested pistol for me, I gave up the ghost and got a HK P30. My wallet is screaming, but, so far, it’s been reliable and considerably more accurate than any Glock I’ve ever shot. If my agency authorized Walthers, I’d probably have picked up the PPQ - since it seems to offer the best of both worlds in the P30’s ergos and the Glock’s easy to run trigger.
Again, this is one man’s opinion, and worth precisely what you paid for it.
Regards,
Kevin
Adding: Don’t confuse dry-handling and feel with that experienced during live-fire, and the resultant effect on use and control of the gun. Too many folks will handle a gun at a counter and note that they like or don’t like it, which isn’t the entire picture.
Ive owned an XD45, Glock 19, M&P45, and a M&P9. I kept the M&9.
False the 1911 is the best of the bunch at being the most shootable of any platform. IT does have its draw backs but it also has its strengths.
Draw backs
good stuff
I’m confused. He has an obscure pistol that no major professionals use, yet you’re telli him not to buy anything. Why not trade the sr9 in on an m&p or Glock?
Nothing to be confused about. I told him not to buy anything until he gets some better training and gains more knowledge, so that he can make an informed choice on the best option for his circumstances.
I think this will be my next pistol. It would be interesting to see how the PPQ performs in harsh conditions such as mud and sand.
Excellent post, Psalms!
+1 love my HK45c it’s awesome.