natedog
Member
Finally handled one of these puppies at the range the other day (see my other post "Good Day at the Range" in General Discussion). I handled the XD 9, USP 45, M92FS, and a Kimber Custom II. Right off the bat, let me get you my thoughts on them.
1. USP 45
2. XD 9
3. M92FS and Custom II a close tie
(These are a close tie)
1. The USP felt perfectly balanced in my hand. I loved the texturing on the grip, and the big wide double stack grip was perfect for me. The large white dot sights aligned naturally. The slide release was reactive, and the mag release was as well. The single action pull was somewhat long but not that hard. The double action pull, however, was long. I mean are-we-there-yet long. Not only was it long, but it was inconsistent. It would feel like it was breaking, and then it had to go a little further, a little further, and then snap. The finish was good. The safety/decocker took quite a bit of pressure to disengage, but nothing I couldn't get used to.
2. XD 9 was very close. Very close indeed. Good eregronomics, good single action pull, similar sights to the USP. The slide release was a bit hard to hit, and I found the grip safety to be somewhat annoying. You grip the safety, and then grip it a bit tighter before it completly engages. But overall a good design.
3. M9. Hmmm. The eregronomics were not as bad as everyone makes them out to be. The frame safety/decococker wasn't to far out of reach. None of the controls were out of reach. A very nice, and dare I say, sexy pistol. I liked the open slide design, and the nice solid feel to it.
3. Custom II. Another great pistol. I really didn't like the grip safety on it, it was even worse than that on the XD. The grip safety was in the best position out of all of the pistols that had a manual safety. It felt solid and cold. Some nice wooden or rubber grips would have improved the feel. The trigger was the best out of all the pistols. I did not like the sights, they were not the easy-to acquire white dot sights like on the other pistols. Also, I didn't like the single-stack grip as much as a double stack one.
Overall, I liked the pistols about the same. I did not shoot any of them, so I guess that that will be the final test. But the USP came out on top.
1. USP 45
2. XD 9
3. M92FS and Custom II a close tie
(These are a close tie)
1. The USP felt perfectly balanced in my hand. I loved the texturing on the grip, and the big wide double stack grip was perfect for me. The large white dot sights aligned naturally. The slide release was reactive, and the mag release was as well. The single action pull was somewhat long but not that hard. The double action pull, however, was long. I mean are-we-there-yet long. Not only was it long, but it was inconsistent. It would feel like it was breaking, and then it had to go a little further, a little further, and then snap. The finish was good. The safety/decocker took quite a bit of pressure to disengage, but nothing I couldn't get used to.
2. XD 9 was very close. Very close indeed. Good eregronomics, good single action pull, similar sights to the USP. The slide release was a bit hard to hit, and I found the grip safety to be somewhat annoying. You grip the safety, and then grip it a bit tighter before it completly engages. But overall a good design.
3. M9. Hmmm. The eregronomics were not as bad as everyone makes them out to be. The frame safety/decococker wasn't to far out of reach. None of the controls were out of reach. A very nice, and dare I say, sexy pistol. I liked the open slide design, and the nice solid feel to it.
3. Custom II. Another great pistol. I really didn't like the grip safety on it, it was even worse than that on the XD. The grip safety was in the best position out of all of the pistols that had a manual safety. It felt solid and cold. Some nice wooden or rubber grips would have improved the feel. The trigger was the best out of all the pistols. I did not like the sights, they were not the easy-to acquire white dot sights like on the other pistols. Also, I didn't like the single-stack grip as much as a double stack one.
Overall, I liked the pistols about the same. I did not shoot any of them, so I guess that that will be the final test. But the USP came out on top.
(maybe both!)