9mm handgun suggestions

[CountryGuy]

CG: I have a Sig P220, but in 45 ACP. I love it, and I would highly recommend it. Sig's always seem to fit my hand perfectly. Beautifully balanced, and accurate right out of the box. It took me about three years before I finally bit the bullet, and coughed up the money, but I have never been disappointed. I have Sig P225, and P228 in 9mm. I would highly recommend them as well. I have a friend who had the opportunity to shoot the new Sig P320. He was favorably impressed. He liked it better than the Glock he usually carries and the H&K. Better balanced.

Totally agree, I have (2) - 220's; an original German import with Sig and Browning markings and European style mag release on the bottom grip (hence my Youtube moniker SIG220Euro) and then another German import when they had adapted to an American style mag release, it's currently on loan to Dad as he wanted a .45 but didn't want to spend the $$ on a 1911. The Sigs are so dang accurate an they have beautiful triggers.

I also have a Sig Pro 2022 in 9mm which is nice and has a 15 rd mag, though wish I'd gone with the .40. At the time (not long before Sandy Hook) guns and ammo were going up but 9mm could still be found fairly cheap. I remember buying a few 500rd cases at Bass Pro and think price was like $6-7 per box of 50. I will say the 3 Sigs I have are all true full size so not the most easily concealable pistols other than at this time of year when I'm wearing heavy long jackets. I most often anymore carry a Glock 27 (the subcompact .40S&W) as it's smaller for IWB carry but to be honest I'm not in love with the controls. it shoots OK but it's not the most accurate thing but then again it's accurate enough at self defense distances. The thing I do like is it shares mags with my Kelt-Tec Sub 2000. I'm also not a fan of the Glocks takedown, Sig is so much easier and faster to field strip. I need to check the 320, I've heard mixed reviews and also saw many compare it to the Sig 250 modular pistol they launched a few years back.

[RICHFL]

Since the military as decided that the SIG 320 modified will be the pistol for them, I might have to look at it.

I still feel that a pistol in a firefight is just wrong. A rifle has farther reach and much more impact. Just look at the weapons used by most European Border Patrols and Police are using.

[CountryGuy]

I still feel that a pistol in a firefight is just wrong. A rifle has farther reach and much more impact. Just look at the weapons used by most European Border Patrols and Police are using.

Well what's that saying, something along the lines that "a pistol is to be used to fight your way to your rifle". But with that said, I also think people Assume pistol cartridges aren't enough but I'm a lover of pistol carbines. When you look at the ballistics of most pistol cartridges out of a 16" carbine barrel things start to look pretty interesting. Yes you're not going to pick something off at 800yd but who really is; they'll get the job done all day long inside 75yd maybe even out to 100 depending on cartridge. My first deer rifle I was given was a Rossi lever action with 18" barrel in .357mag and it cleanly dropped white tail within 100yds. I was glad to see a week or so ago that Ruger is bringing back their magazine fed, pistol carbine rifle.Only negative I see is it's only in 9mm for now, fingers crossed for .40 or .45

[dalewick]

I still feel that a pistol in a firefight is just wrong. A rifle has farther reach and much more impact. Just look at the weapons used by most European Border Patrols and Police are using.

I've heard this a lot in recent years but I wasn't trained that way. A rifle cartridge can do things that pistol cartridges can't but why is that a positive or a negative? I was trained and used the weapons that I needed to accomplish the job at hand. We were never limited as to what weapon we were to carry. Many times my team mates and I carried 3 or 4 weapons each because all of them were needed. I often carried a 1911 45 auto pistol along with a MP5SD SMG as well as the M21 snipers system and some times a suppressed 22LR semiauto pistol. On other jobs I might carry a M16A1 (or a CAR), with the M203 grenade launcher attached as well as a sniper rifle (M21 or M24 or 50 cal.) as well as a sidearm. As a soldier we were trained to use the tools (weapons & explosives) that were needed to accomplish the mission and allow us to come home alive.
As Preppers isn't that our #1 concern,...living? I carry a sidearm with me all the time as a civilian but if I walk into Wally World with a SMG or an AR I'm pretty sure it would draw unwanted attention, even here in rural WV. My rifle or SMG is in my vehicle, in case I ever do need it in the proper setting but if something bad happens in Wally World, I can't be thinking about getting to that rifle to come back inside. People go to jail for that sort of stuff now.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, consider what your doing before you decide what your doing it with. Soldiers and LEO's are paid and take an oath, and choose to run in the direction of enemy fire. As a civilian, you are not expected to do that. Maybe hummer can correct me if I'm wrong, but it was my understanding that the military went to the 9mm cartridge because they considered the pistol to be a strictly defensive weapon, which was why certain special operations soldier were still issued sidearms in the 45 caliber which was considered an offensive caliber.

As a prepper don't limit yourself in what you carry as a weapon, but consider YOUR Mission at hand and the mission parameters (Laws and regulations) you fall under. Stay safe. Stay alive.

[RICHFL]

dalewick - The reason that the special operations command went back to the .45 was the stopping power, compared to the 9 mm.. Remember the bit about one hit and down. the .45 does that.

[dalewick]

dalewick - The reason that the special operations command went back to the .45 was the stopping power, compared to the 9 mm.. Remember the bit about one hit and down. the .45 does that.

Yeah RICHFL, I remember that. I was there for it and carried a 45. That wasn't my point.

Dale

[RICHFL]

My point is review police reports about incidents with the 9 mm. It takes multiple hits to put down a suspect. The most rounds used that I read about, was 25 rounds of 9 mm to stop one individual (Drugs involved)....

[CountryGuy]

25 rds? I'd have to see what the shot placement was. A lot of cops are not the best marksman, but no one is taking 25 rds of 9mm center mass unless they have a vest on which isn't an equal comparison. Hell no one is even taking 25rds of .22lr center mass and living to tell the tale. Betting there were rounds in arms toes grazes etc that they count as a "hit".

I don't personally think 9mm has what I'm looking for in a round, but I also damn sure know I don't want shot with one either.

[dalewick]

25 rds? I'd have to see what the shot placement was. A lot of cops are not the best marksman, but no one is taking 25 rds of 9mm center mass unless they have a vest on which isn't an equal comparison. Hell no one is even taking 25rds of .22lr center mass and living to tell the tale. Betting there were rounds in arms toes grazes etc that they count as a "hit".

I don't personally think 9mm has what I'm looking for in a round, but I also damn sure know I don't want shot with one either.

Country,
That actually wouldn't surprise me that he was shot at or even "hit" 25 times. The majority of officers are not the greatest of shots. I remembered a case a while back where 2 officers fired a total of 84 rounds at a murder suspect and hit the guy only 14 times without killing him or even severely injuring him, since he still refused to drop his weapon. ( http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/...icle-1.1066500) and I've worked enough LEO shootings to know sometimes shots are fired and nobody gets hit which was a lot different than the army when the norm was when rounds went down range someone went down.


RICHFL
My point wasn't anything about caliber, it was choice and personal responsibility.

Dale

[CountryGuy]

Good points. It was like that terrorist this fall driving the van down the bike path in NYC. The officer fired something like 14 or19 times if I recall and the terrorist ended up with not to many hits or serious of wounds.

I know several of the concealed classes I've been to instructors have always cautioned that even in a justifiable shoot, we will need to account for every round fired. I don't think the same seems to apply to LEO today. It seems they go with the spray and pray method but I'm wondering just how accountable they are held for any collateral damage or victims. The media always seem to delight in the round count but they never seem to say, in the case you mentioned, where did those other 70 bullets end up at.

[Sierra 173]

Highpoint? Really? When the first disassembly instruction starts with, "Take a hammer and...." No thanks. Just kidding. They really say use a big rock.