Another "Help me pick a gun"

So, which one?

  • Springfield 9mm EMP

    Votes: 15 18.8%

  • Browning 1911-380

    Votes: 3 3.8%

  • Springfield XD/e 9mm

    Votes: 4 5.0%

  • Taylor Open Top .38

    Votes: 11 13.8%

  • CZ 2075 RAMI

    Votes: 17 21.3%

  • Colt 9mm Defender

    Votes: 14 17.5%

  • Something else?

    Votes: 23 28.8%
  • Total voters
    80
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Hasaf

Hasaf

Member
Joined
Dec 10, 2017
Messages
1,111
Location
Kansas
Here is the situation; it appears that I won about 1K in a pistol drawing. I get the money, not a predetermined gun. Yes, I want to use it on a pistol, considering that it was a pistol drawing, I want to play it that way.

I currently carry a Kimber Micro .380, which I am pretty happy with. Many years ago I underwent some pretty extensive training with the 1911 platform and am comfortable with it. I still have my .45 1911 Government Model. I have other .380 pistols and am happy with the calibre (Glock 42, PK380, Colt 380 Government Model, Makarov 9x18). I am also set up to reload .380 and 9mm.

I am considering:
  • Springfield 9mm EMP I like (Well regarded and has all of the features I like)
  • Browning 1911-380 I like (I have handled it and liked it)
  • Springfield XD/e 9mm It is Okay (the only "Plastic" gun on the list *edited to say that I just realized that it isn't, the Browning and the Grand Power are also plastic))
  • Taylor Open Top .38 Haven't handled, but I am pretty sure that I would like for a range toy (it just looks fun)
  • CZ 2075 RAMI I haven't handled one (it is a well regarded small 9)
  • Colt 9mm Defender I haven't handled one, but it is similar to the officers model(I consider the Colt to be a bit of a standard)
  • Grand Power P11 I haven't handled one (it is just different)
I am going to add that as far as I am concerned, my Micro 380 is heavy enough. My only 9mm is a Browning Hi-Power that I don't carry, it is too big and heavy. I also have two 9mm carbines that I do like shooting (CZ Scorpion and a High-Point/High-Tower bullpup).

I think you can see that I have found that I prefer hammer fired. The Taylor just looks fun. It could be combined with the XD/e and still be under (or real close to) the line.

In a carry pistol, I would like to see a compact that is set up for a red dot. I just can't think of any. It would go a bit over my stated budget; but that is okay.

Any thoughts or suggestions?
 
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No one needs more than one underpowered .380, the Colt is not that nicely finished, and you don't (apparently) like the Springfield Tupperware. . . so EMP it is.

There, that ought to get opinions flowing! :p
 
Hasaf

Well I think you're pretty well set with .380s so I would go with something small and in a 9mm. The Springfield Armory EMP would be a fine choice but you might want to check out the SIG P938 and the Kimber Micro 9 as well. I had a Colt Agent with the XS sights but after getting a Kahr CM9 I carried it a lot more than the Colt so I ended up selling it. No experience with the CZ 2075 but love my CZ P01. The Taylor Open Top would make for a great range toy! Let us know what you decide to get.
 
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Three extra magazines and a range bag with purchase of the Springfield XD/e 9mm.
 
I've handled the EMP and Rami. Both very nice guns but they are apples and oranges.

I've also handled several P938's and am sufficiently impressed that I plan to buy a Legion version. I want a backup gun for summer. If you've trained with the 1911 extensively the P938 may be a good option.

I handled the XDe also. Hated it. Bulky and the trigger was garbage.

I carry a P30SK in winter with night sights and a LEM trigger. Bulky, but a great shooter.
 
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If you like the 1911 set up, and you don’t currently have one in 9mm, why not get one? You don’t have to spend a lot of money to get a nice 1911. My family and I are big RIA fans. I think we have 6 between my brother, father, and I. Accurate, well built, durable, and very affordable. You could buy 2 and still be under $1,000.

Or, with that $1,000 you could buy one in another caliber like 45 or 10mm, and buy a set of dies, brass, bullets, powder, and still have money in your pocket.

I also didn’t see you having a revolver. Maybe they aren’t your thing. And that’s ok. Maybe you’ve never had one. If it’s the latter, and you’ve got $1,000 to burn, I would seriously consider one. Because they are a ton of fun.
 
Colt Defender/Officer's ACP in 9mm is the awesomesauce of bitty 1911s and subcompact semi-autos. My wife has a Springfield Armory equivalent and the package just plain gets it right.

Relative to bitty 1911s in .45ACP or .40S&W
1. More reliable
2. Much more manageable recoil
3. Less muscle needed to operate (recoil & mainspring-wise)

Relative to other sub-compact 9mm pistols
1. 1911 manual of arms & ergo
2. Slim and easy to cally IWB
3. Easier to shoot well
4. More aftermarket parts and accessories than you can count
5. Grip is great for bitty hands as well as the ham-fisted

==================

Second choice, were I confined to the guns you listed, would be the CZ 2075 Rami.

CZ makes good kit and the Rami is good stuff. My only grip is its width, given it is a double-stack. Might want to consider some of CZ's compact CZ75-derived guns.

==================

Off-list suggestion: 1911 Lightweight Commander. I like Smith & Wesson's iteration, the SW1911SC E-Series but Dan Wesson produces a good one, too. And Colt.

The difference that alloy frame and a mere 3/4" of bbl/slide makes is astounding. I was a die-hard GM-sized 1911 guy, until I bought my LtWt Cdr "as a back up or spare" to my steel 5" bbl 1911. Well, that has reversed itself

Good luck.
 
Congratulations on your winning the prize!

I'm sure you will find something you really like, just take your time.
 
I want a Grand Power P11. Have had that itch for a while now. The more I learn about them the more I want one. Go for It!
On YOUR list the Rami.

"Sometimes a gun is the only thing that stands between good and evil"
 
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I would say a Glock 19 or S&W M&P, but from your choices it seems that you don't care for striker fired pistols. To me, a 1911 in anything but 45 ACP (or maybe 38 super) just seems wrong. How about a commander size 1911 in 45 ACP for a no-nonsense winter CCW piece? You live in Utah, so you wear more clothes than we do in Fl most of the year. I'm thinking leather pancake thumb break holster and a single mag pouch to go along with it.
 
If you want a 1911 in 9mm, for almost no money you can get a surplus Star BM or Super B. The BM is a smaller 1911 with no grip safety. The Super B seems like a full-sized 1911 with no grip safety, but actually operates like a Hi-Power. They cost around $200-$300 apiece. I have one of each and they are great.

Like you, I prefer steel and hammers. For actually carrying a 9mm, I am disappointed to discover that Glocks are easily my favorite. I have a Model 43 (single stack) and a Model 26 (double stack). Their size, trigger, and sights are hard to beat, imho. If I am going to carry 9mm, I carry one of those two and leave my other dozen or more 9mm pistols at home.

For yet another underpowered 380... I carry a micro 380 pretty often. It used to be a Kel-Tec P3AT. Now it's a Ruger LCPII. They are tiny, light, easy to carry, and I shoot them reasonably well, plenty good enough for SD.

My most common carry piece is a Ruger LCR in 38 special. I prefer revolvers. It is light and handy. The trigger is good. I shoot it well.

I don't have an open-top, but SA revolvers are my favorite. I am a Blackhawk guy, but any good SA revolver is fun. The bigger calibers, 44 and 45 are even more fun, imho. You can get a Blackhawk "convertible" that shoots 45acp. Mine shoots it quite well.

If I were given $1,000 to spend on handguns, I would get about three of them, but that's just me. I'm a bargain hunter and a cheapskate. There are lots of nice used handguns out there for $300 or so, if you are patient and take your time. I got all of the ones listed above for $225-$325, other than the Blackhawk, which is one of the last ones I ever bought brand-new. My excellent 357 Blackhawk was $299 used and my kids will probably be shooting it long after I'm gone.
 
Tallball said:
Like you, I prefer steel and hammers. For actually carrying a 9mm, I am disappointed to discover that Glocks are easily my favorite. I have a Model 43 (single stack) and a Model 26 (double stack). Their size, trigger, and sights are hard to beat, imho. If I am going to carry 9mm, I carry one of those two and leave my other dozen or more 9mm pistols at home.
Click to expand...

Ditto.
 
I really tried to like the Glock, after all, it has to be popular for a reason. As you see, I have a Glock 42. I did a lot of work on it to get the trigger decent. I replaced the sights, added some grip tape; however, in the end, it just isn't the pistol I reach for in the morning.
 
Since it is essentially free money,,,
Use some of it to rent the candidates and "try before you buy" one.

The felt recoil of the 9mm EMP is very harsh,,,
I wanted one just because of how they looked until I fired one.

The RAMI is a well respected handgun,,,
That doesn't fit my hands at all,,,
Teeny-tiny little grip.

I'm not saying anything bad about any of the guns on your list,,,
I just hate to see people buy a handgun based on it's specs and looks.

JMnsHO

Aarond

.
 
if you like 380 the sig P238 - sweet little 380s I have and carry one. If you like 9mm the kimber micro 9 (also have an carry), or the sig P938 in my opinion is just a little less finished than the kimber, but both are nice.

If you want a plastic gun, look at the Ruger security 9, way under your price range at under $400 and you have money left over to buy something else also, heck, you could probably get a p238 and a Security 9 for around a grand give or take a $100

Revolver - Ruger GP-100 double action match in .357 another sweet gun.
 
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Congratulations! I don’t know why but I really want a stainless Ruger 1911. That would be my first choice. As a side note the FNH FNP-9 is the finest 9mm I’ve ever fired. I’ve shot a lot of 9mm platforms from G19 & G17, Sig 220, H&K lemon squeezer, Lugers, all the S&W models, and even the Beretta M9 in the service. Taurus clones, Brazilian single stacks, and Ruger P89s and LC9, Kimbers and EMPs also. It’s not gonna be an easy find as FNH no longer offers the FNP 9.
 
How about the new Sig 365. I see them being available now and price is less than $600. Comes with 2 10 round mags. I've heard nothing but great things about them. 10 rounds of 9mm in a gun large enough to shoot and small enough to carry. Hard to beat that combination. If it were me, I'd be thinking more on lines with a nice S&W Model 27 with a 6 or 8 3/8" Barrel. Great target gun and if look long enough, you can get out for less than 1k
 
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