BERETTA 87 TARGET 5.9" vs. S & W MODEL 41

[chemarl]

Hello everyone, I have heard very good coments on the Beretta 87 T 5.9" barrelll, and very good coments on the S&W Model 41 I will like to know which of these 2 will you buy.

thanks

 

[Phil DeGraves]

S&W M41 all the way.

 

[krs]

x2..S&W 41

 

[poet]

Model 41, great pistol, worth every penny

 

[TimboKhan]

I think that they are both very good guns, although I nominate the Beretta simply because I have had more experience with that than I have with the 41. I don't think you would be particularly unhappy with either gun, but my buddy has the Beretta and while I still can't justify replacing my beloved MkII with one, I have to admit that it is a fine handgun. The same can easily be said of the 41, but given my own personal experience, I would recommend the Beretta.

 

[Bullet Bob]

Although I'm sure they are out there, in the local matches I've participated in in three states, I've never seen a Beretta used by a fellow competitor. Now we aren't usually Camp Perry class, or at least I'm certainly not.

41's and older High Standards lead the pack by far, with a few Hammerli's, Walther's, Rugers and things like conversions for .45's thrown in.

 

[TimboKhan]

This is thread veer, but you have seen Rugers used in competition? I mean, I am a hardcore fan of the MkII, but I guess I have never seen one in competition, or at least in a competition where you might also see a Hammerli, hahaha....

 

[Peter M. Eick]

I have both and they are good for different purposes.

The 41 is great for full out bullseye target shooting. I really enjoy it for trying to put everyone in the 10 ring. The downside is it is particular about the ammo it likes as mine does not like the cheap bulk ammo and loading the mags is a bit more work.

The 87t is a fun for just shooting. I have a red dot on mine and find it very relaxing just to empty a brick of cheap bulk ammo out of it. Mags are easy to load and the gun is quite accurate.

So do you want to have a fun gun or a target gun, or do like me and buy both?

 

[Mike OTDP]

S&W all the way.

Yes, I've seen people try to shoot Rugers in bullseye competition. They shoot OK, if you replace the trigger and sear components and do a trigger job. But I'd prefer a Smith or older High Standard any day.

But if you want a serious gun, try a Hammerli 208S, or one of the other top-flight European guns. Very addictive.

 

[Standing Wolf]

This is thread veer, but you have seen Rugers used in competition?

Yes, I have, and as a matter of fact, I own one. It's got a Clark rather than a Ruger barrel, Clark rather than Ruger guts, and Fung stocks rather than Ruger flimsy plastic grip panels.

Out of the box, the pistol's trigger was nothing short of prohibitive of accuracy. If you pour enough time, effort, and money into a Ruger, you can turn it into a competitive gun. That said™, for what I poured into that gun, I could have bought a Pardini, which surely would have been considerably easier to reassemble after cleaning.

All that said™, my model 41, bought new in about 1998, needed work before it was a competitive gun, though a good deal less than the Ruger.

 

[La Pistoletta]

Those competition model Hämmerlis, Berettas and other variants are awfully expensive though. They look like scaled down Anschütz air rifles with those elaborate onehanded-only grips and all.

They seem to be almost required here though, but that's probably because it's so difficult to get gun licenses here that people get a top of the line model for the one to three guns they ever get to own. Shooting here seems to be all about competition and not plinking, technique practising for its own sake or defense.