The full size $300 dilema

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USAF_Vet said:
Can I prognosticate or what? :rolleyes:

Why would I want a Glock? I hate how they look. I hate how they feel. Why on earth would I spend MORE money on a gun I DO NOT LIKE?
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Okay, if you don't like a Glock, then don't buy one. I'm just saying that while you may have the $300 dilemma, I don't and others don't either. Others have a bigger dilemma called the "I gotta have a 1911" and they buy a $1300 Kimber when a $600 Rock Island is just as good.

A $100 difference to me isn't a dilemma whereas a $700 difference most certainly is.
 
I am a bit like US Vet: When I decide on a certain gun, I tend to obsess about it. And after I finally get it, it usually it just ends up staying in the safe most of the time while my tried and true favorites go to the range with me. The heart wants what it wants. :)

And like TT, I am amused when people insist that you have to pay at least $1000 for a 1911 that will function reliably. Apparently no one explained that to my 100% reliable $399 Turkish 1911. It's accurate, too. Anyone who paid $1200 for theirs and then watched me outshoot them with mine was probably crying on the inside. It happens at the range sometimes. After a while some of them won't look at my targets anymore.
 
Last year, I picked up Tri-Star (Canuk) for around $300. It was a pretty good gun and I enjoyed it at the range. I did't keep it, as I was able to trade it for something I wanted more. However, I had absolutely no complaints with the Tri-Star, and learned that you can have a decent gun and a ton of fun for around $300 or less.
 
I am a bit like US Vet: When I decide on a certain gun, I tend to obsess about it. And after I finally get it, it usually it just ends up staying in the safe most of the time while my tried and true favorites go to the range with me. The heart wants what it wants.
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Well I have been known to obsess about individual guns as well, but in my experience, that is why it's important to shoot a pistol before you buy. A lot of them seemed like they would be a lot better fit for me than they wound up being, and some that I discounted out of hand moved front and center when I actually tried them out. Such was the case with Glocks for me, I always thought, "Why should I buy an ugly plastic block when I can get something cool like a CZ, or 1911, or Sig, etc". But then I tried a G19 at the range one time while shopping for a different pistol and realized "Oh, that's why". Point being, if you don't take the time vet the "That pistol sure does look cool" puppy love with some actual range time you are going to wind up spending a lot more money than necessary finding a pistol that actually works for you.

All of that said, the OP doesn't seem to be asking for advice as much as telling us that he want's to buy a DB9FS. I've heard it's still a free country, so I say go for it and write a range report when you get it.
 
I would not worry about customer service given it's really a hit and miss regardless of the company. Today, many larger corporations outsource customer service (there is a South Park episode about this.) Even those that stay in-house are kind of a hit and miss. I do not think you will get poorer customer service with one of these smaller companies, and you may very well get better service if a smaller company places emphasis on this being a component of their business model to differentiate them from the rest.

It is quite possible some of these newer additions are firearms nearly as or as reliable as their established counterparts. However, they could not sell them for the same price as a result of branding. No one would purchase them otherwise.

The Bersa Thunder is, in my opinion, more reliable than the PPK. It's been out for two decades now, but it took quite a long time for people to start paying attention to it rather than disregarding it. With the internet, new additions can be discussed in a more prompt manner and the information disseminated more rapidly.

This video fully explains the truth of customer service
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSrP69QjQTc
 
You should be able to find the S&W SD9VE and the Walther PPX for around $300.
 
All of that said, the OP doesn't seem to be asking for advice as much as telling us that he want's to buy a DB9FS. I've heard it's still a free country, so I say go for it and write a range report when you get it.
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I agree with this. To be honest not too long ago I decided to buy a cheap gun (Taurus PT 111 G2). I got some comments online that for another $100 I could have bought this or that but I really wanted to try a $200 gun & it seemed to be getting really good reviews. I bought it & I like it a lot. USAF Vet get what you want. Let us know how it turns out.
 
Well, generally speaking, in firearms you get what you pay for. For plinking or range toys, whatever. But, I am not going to trust my life to a second or third tier pistol or rifle. I know there are exceptions, but not that many.
 
There are always critics... when I purchased a Rohrbaugh R9 people commented that it was over-priced. When you pick up a cheap gun people comment that they aren't as good as a Smith, a Ruger or a Colt.

I don't know... I picked up a Turkish CZ Clone - the SAR B6P for $242.00 and it reliably cycles every ammo I've put in it.

I'm not a cheapskate - I daily carry an R9 and bought a S&W 929 for fun at the range. Some of these cheaper guns do work reliably, research them and you find they work.
 
My only advice to anyone considering buying a less expensive firearm is about the same as it would be to someone considering buying a more expensive firearm. Research before you buy not after. I would rather read reports from average joe owners than from a gunwriter that never writes a bad review (you still have to separate the wheat from the chaff) and don't be an early adopter. Always let other people buy the cool new design first & go through the teething process with it before you buy.
 
If it were me, I'd look at:

EAA B6P or Witnesz
Taurus PT 24/7
Taurus PT709
Walther PPX
Canik TP9 or L120

And, the ones that meet your Made in America preference, the Ruger SR9E and Smith & Wesson SD9VE.

I had a B6P and liked it, but wanted to try something different so I traded it in for a Taurus PT-92. Like the Taurus, but it's a bit above your price range.

All that aside, I'm interested to hear about your experience with the Diamondback assuming you go that route.
 
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samweller said:
Well, generally speaking, in firearms you get what you pay for. For plinking or range toys, whatever. But, I am not going to trust my life to a second or third tier pistol or rifle. I know there are exceptions, but not that many.
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A Taurus PT 111 or PT 140 both fit the bill. I can speak for the PT 111 Generation 2 first hand and it is top shelf.YMMV!. I have had positive experience with Taurus customer service.http://www.ytbsearch.com/clip/videos/taurus-millennium-pt111-g2-i58554f6v4v59554x5z374.html
 
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Factory support and warranty are important enough issues that I think those reasons alone are worth the extra money spent, even if you find the quality of the less expensive firearm to be equal. The S&W sd9ve is a great $300 pistol. I'm glad I justified the slightly greater initial cost for a Smith, and I'm one of the "rare" people with a very positive history of Taurus customer service.
 
Hey it's your money and your life. Do as you choose, you seem to have made your mind up so anything contrary to what you decided will not be the answer you are looking for. I look at guns individually and take their past performance into account as an indicator of their future operation. That's why I carry a Glock Or PPQ, as my main full-size gun, and an XDS and a PM9, or 26, as my backup. they all have a terrific history and are pretty much problem free.
 
In the $300 - $350 range for something NIB, the TP9V2 is going to be quite hard to beat.
It's not made in the US and who knows where it's sent for warranty work. Those 18 round magazines cost $25 a piece too. But wow is it ever a dependable and accurate workhorse.
 
Snowdog said:
In the $300 - $350 range for something NIB, the TP9V2 is going to be quite hard to beat.
It's not made in the US and who knows where it's sent for warranty work. Those 18 round magazines cost $25 a piece too. But wow is it ever a dependable and accurate workhorse.
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$25 isn't terrible for mags. Try buying some extras for an SR9 and you'll see.
 
Certainly not terrible.
They're 18 round magazines, made by Mecgar and they work.
 
Kiln said:
$25 isn't terrible for mags. Try buying some extras for an SR9 and you'll see.
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That's how Ruger gets ya. They have a nice model called the SR9(E?). I think it tends to be available for $300 with one mag. I'll look up the price of those mags sometime out of curiosity.
 
I have just purchased a 9E and a SAR B6P. Grab-A-Gun had a pair of 9E mags for $40.09 delivered and a pair of B6P mags for $51.27 delivered. Both mags are OEM manufactured and have been trouble free. They are compatible pistols, the 9E being striker fired and the B6P being DA/SA. You won't go wrong with either pistol.
 
I picked up a 19rd Mec-Gar magazine for the SAR B6P for $17.00 with free shipping from Sportsman's Guide. Every once in a while Sportsman's Guide does have good sales.

The SAR takes the 19rd CZ 75B magazines (with a little work from a Dremel).


Even if you don't take a Dremel to the right slot the mags will still work, it just requires a little more force to seat the magazine.
 
So I'm revisiting this after sleeping on it for a month and browsing the LGS.

A couple weeks ago, I handled a Ruger P89. I liked it. Ambi safety/ decocker, ambi mag release, slick DA/SA trigger, aluminum frame, blue steel slide, stainless barrel and internals. $299.50.

Went back today, and surprisingly, it was still in the case. It's not there anymore. Two 15 rounds mags, original hard plastic box, papers, and mag loader for under $320 after tax.

My full size 9mm pistol itch has been thoroughly scratched. Extra mags are fairly reasonably priced through Mec-Gar, Midway and Brownells.
 
Gratuitous stock photo. Ignore the 10 round mag.

38860ec0ddc35800665ba71c7089da4c.jpg
 
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