Most Accurate 9mm Out of the Box

[targatop]

Any recommendations on a 9mm full sized for target practice. My .45ACP 1911 is my favorite target gun, but it gets expensive to shoot.

I have the M&P compact in 9mm, and I'd like to carry just one ammo type to the range. However it is as accurate as a compact self defense gun can be. Enough to kill a BG, but not as satisfying when it comes to killing a BE (BullsEye).

Price is not really a consideration, but I would like to keep it under $800 if all possible.

I've heard good things about the USP series, and the locking breach of the Beretta Px4 looks interesting. I'm open to all brands.

CZ is priced right, Sig/HK look interesting, I just don't know. Glocks are not very interesting to me, too bland, but I won't descriminate. I've already got a plastic pistol with the M&P that I like. I'd be interested in something all metal most likely, but again, I just want accuracy.

Basically I'm looking at a gun that I can start getting competitive with, without having to spend lots of $$$ to for range time to do so. Something that isn't a safe queen and doesn't have to be pampered, and has relatively high capacity.

Resale value not an issue. I want ACCURACY out of the box. My SW1911 was dead accurate out of the box. Other guns I've owned not so much.

What is your opinion?

 

[Deer Hunter]

I would go with a CZ. If you don't like the trigger, that can either be fixed by range-time or with a trigger job. I'm happy with the trigger on my CZ75B. There are many 9mm CZs to pick from. They are more accurate than others out of the box, plus they arn't as pricey.

 

[hksw]

SIG P210 if you can find one (discontinued last year).

 

[schwantz]

H&K P9S Target if you can find one.

 

[LeonCarr]

You might look at a Smith & Wesson 952.

Just my .02,
LeonCarr

 

[psyopspec]

The most accurate out-of-box pistol I've owned was a 20 year old, used, HK P7M8.

 

[tackleberry45]

My vote goes to the Sig 226 Blackwater.

 

[10-Ring]

Out of box, my USP 9 & P7M8 are my most accurate pistols.

 

[eddiein1984]

You won't be able to find a P7 or Sig 210 for that budget. You should be able to get a P9S in that ball park.

Realistically, unless you are a fantastic shot, the mechanical accuracy won't make much of a difference. A long sight radius, good sights, and a crisp trigger will have more to do with practical accuracy than anything. A nice BHP or Beretta 92 with $50 worth of trigger work would have all the practical accuracy most people could need.

 

[browningguy]

I'm going to take you at your word that you want a match quality gun, not something to carry around.

Go get an EAA Witness Elite Match, nothing short of a P210/Smith 952 will outshoot it at the range. And to top it off they are under $500. All the other match grade guns mentioned will be over $1K well used, and $2K+ new, at least around these parts. CZ 75's, Berettas etc. all have acceptable combat accuracy and are decently built. But in the world of accuracy you generally have to move up to the Smith 952 (around $1800 new) or a P210 (over $2K) to get a really accurate pistol. I'm not steady enough any more to shoot bullseye competitively but the Witness Match could be competitive. My old centerfire match pistol was a Pardini .32WC pistol, and the $500 Witness is nearly as good. It has an excellent polygonal rifled bore, very good sights, and a really excellent single action trigger.

In 9mm it has 16 or 18 round capacity I believe. I shoot one in IDPA in .40 and I'll never need to buy a more accurate pistol.



By the way, that P9S is sweet looking, but man they are tough to find.

 

[Ala Dan]

The Swiss made Sphinx 3000 series 9m/m; but is mighty costly;
as distriubted by Sabre Defence of Nashville, TN~! Tactical model
starts at 'round $2500; and they go upwards to 'bout $3K~!

 

[KINGMAX]

Tarus PT 92 parabellium

The only nine I ever owned was a Tarus PT 92 Parabellium. Never jammed, very accurate. = JOMHO

 

[Princi]

Accurate vs Precision

When you say accurate, I assume you really mean how close you can group the bullets shooting it yourself. There are some guns that are very precise, meaning from a Ransome Rest you can get really tight groups, but they may not be accurate when you shoot them. This can have to do with the grip angle, sights, trigger, etc.

One of the favorite all time pistols has been the 1911. It is available in 9mm, in fact I have a couple. If you want to stay in the $800 price range, Springfield Armory had the 9130L. Looking at www.sportingarms.com, which is where I bought mine, their current price is: $804 for the SPX9130L. You may be able to get it at a cheaper price somewhere, but they are less than 20 miles from me, and I've been very satisfied with their service.

Out of the box I was happy with it until I took my dealer shooting. She thought the trigger was too heavy. So, I did a trigger job on it, and it is now 2-1/4lbs. She hasn't shot it since them.

However, if you want to spend a little more money, then I'd strongly recommend the STI Targetmaster. It was a little over 2lbs right out of the box.

I wouldn't spend any more money on Tupperware - you already have the best with the S&W M&P. I have the H&K Elite in 9mm as well as the M&P, and I like the M&P better. If Consumer Reports did test on guns, I'm sure they would give the M&P a "Best Buy".

Oh, yes the PX4 Storm is my favorite Beretta. It is a wonderful shooter, but since you already mentioned that you liked the 1911, I think a 1911 in 9mm would give you the most satisfaction. The PX4's rotating barrel was the reason that I bought the gun.

 

[daysleeprx]

Either my P7M8 or CZ SP-01...right now the edge goes to the P7, but that seems to change every time I go to the range...

 

[hankdatank1362]

Sig Sauer X-5

 

[brentn]

What about those grand power's they sell over in the UK? The one with the rotating barrel instead of the traditional locking lug type.

 

[CPshooter]

I also vote some sort of Sig 226 in 9mm.

 

[ParChaser]

HK USP Expert 9mm or Elite if you like it a little longer. P9s Target

 

[G95]

look for a used P7 of some kind they are very accurate or a CZ75SA, G34, BHP, or a 9mm 1911 if you can get one at that price

 

[targatop]

When I say accurate I mean bullseye accurate - like my single action only 1911. So far the P9S has really peaked my interest as well as the EAA Elite Match. There are so many great selections here, you guys have really opened my eyes to a lot of new guns.

 

[G95]

www.larrysguns.com has a used 9mm pardini GT-9 for sale that is probably insanely accurate, the S&W 952, SIG P210, and H&K P7 series are the most accurate 9's i have ever seen though

also any 9mm STI is going to be pretty impressive

 

[targatop]

Thanks for all the great feedback! I ended up purchasing the Sig 226. I went and held the HK USP full size, but I didn't like the plastic feel of the gun. It had a good angle and grip, but the plastic grips just felt, well, cheap. And for the $$$ that rubbed me wrong.

I liked the CZ, but it was a little rough around the edges. The finish was so so, but I'm sure it is a super reliable and super accurate gun. I've heard nothing but praises about it. I was really torn between the CZ and the Baby Desert Eagle Full Size. I decided against the full size Baby Desert Eagle just because I thought parts might be hard to find.

I called on the Elite Witness match, my dealer is backordered 9 months on it. I don't like to buy a gun I can't touch/feel, so no go there. Went to 3 gun stores and 2 chains and couldn't find a single EAA gun on the shelves. Makes me nervous because parts/mags/etc. will be harder to find. I did find one online for $400 for the gun and $100 for 4 extra mags - but I had reservations about buying without inspecting first. If anybody is looking for one I can point you to where there is one in stock and ready to go.

A lot of the other options (S&W 952, Sig 210, HK P7) were WAY out of my price range for what I'm doing with this gun.

I ended up with the 226 because the fit/finish on the gun is spectacular. It has very tight tolerances with a super smooth slide, and all the controls seem to be in the right place for my hand. Trigger was made out of higher quality materials than the HK USP (which had a small, thin, plastic trigger). A good number of aftermarket accessories and holsters are available for it, and it just felt quality - more so than any other gun in this class I handled. It had a nice long sight radius, good barrel length, and appeared to be an excellent full size pistol. A bit pricier than some of the other options, but I think I got a relatively good deal on it for right around $700 NIB.

I broke it down and put some oil on it in all the right spots (noticed that it had almost no grease from the factory), then took it to the range. I will say this gun breaks down easier than any other pistol I own - save my revolvers. It's a painless procedure taking down the gun and re-assembling.

Today I mainly focused on breaking the gun in and getting a feel for the trigger. What I can say is wow, this is a nice piece of iron. I put 250 rounds of WWB and not a single hiccup. I was shooting low initially but then I noticed I was dropping my hands about 1/4 of an inch right before trigger engagement. I fixed that, and started shooting nice groupings. I only had about 45 minutes of range time before I had to pick up the wife, so I was shooting quickly with focus on feeling the gun.

Here's my last grouping of 30 rounds (2x15 mags) put through the target in about 1 minute at 10 yards. I'm still adjusting to the sights, grip, and trigger, but I feel that this was the gun I'm looking for.

A couple of flyers from rushing it, but overall it seems to be very consistent. If they don't go where I want them, it's not the guns fault but mine. That's the problem I like to have.

For my first time out that's pretty accurate, with most shots falling toward the center mass. Sights took a bit for me to get used to, and I might change them out with something a bit more visible. Much more accurate than my M&P compact 9mm, although I will say that I was outshooting most 1911 shooters with the M&P on my last range outing. And this time I was easily outshooting the entire range in both speed and accuracy with the 226. That being said - it wasn't competitor day at the range - mostly weekend warriors.

I feel with time that this could become a superb all around range gun for me as I shoot my 1911 a bit less. And after it's flawless feeding of ammunition and easy ability place accurate bullets on target - it might end up as my carry when I can take a full size pistol.

Oh, and why is it that every salesman answers every question with XD? SA must be giving out tremendous spiffs to salesman for selling that gun. I know it's a good gun, but geez...every salesman asked me about whether I'd tried the XD yet. I have and I prefer the M&P over the XD or Glock for it's purpose of a general all around throw it in the mud, scratch it up, and kick it around pistol. All three are excellent, but not what I would consider tack drivers. Maybe that's just my bias...but we're all allowed 1-2 biases in life right?

Now tomorrow I will be doing a full field strip and cleaning, then back to the range to focus on slow shooting with accuracy.

Thanks again for all the help in choosing! I'm not sure I would have looked at the 226 without guidance from this forum.

 

[vnepilot]

I have a SIG P226 Stainless and a SIg P226 Navy both in 9mm and as soon as I save the money Im going to get a X5 you made a great choice.

 

[Thin Black Line]

targatop, welcome to the Club 226. Pick up factory hicap mags now while
you can.

 

[WmCC]

Targatop,

You and others have already answered your question. I can't add anything except to say that among the "top offerings", you will shoot the best (bullseye type) groups/scores with the one that balances and points (read, feels) the best to you, and has the best trigger and sites for you.