Quick Advice (Gun Show Tomorrow) $900 To Spend on 9mm

Hi guys,
Just looking for some quick recommendations for a friend of mine that would like to buy a quality, reliable SD pistol tomorrow.

Criteria:
No Glocks
Compact preferable but full size OK if it's easily concealable.
No Sub Compacts
9mm
Used or New OK
$900 or less

He will not deviate from the above criteria but anything else is fair game. I would think he could get a very good quality pistol for that kind of money. He likes my HK USPc, so that's already on his shopping list.

Thanks for any suggestions.

Brass Magnet said:

Hi guys,
Just looking for some quick recommendations for a friend of mine that would like to buy a quality, reliable SD pistol tomorrow.

Criteria:
No Glocks
Compact preferable but full size OK if it's easily concealable.
No Sub Compacts
9mm
Used or New OK
$900 or less

He will not deviate from the above criteria but anything else is fair game. I would think he could get a very good quality pistol for that kind of money. He likes my HK USPc, so that's already on his shopping list.

Thanks for any suggestions.

Click to expand...

Look into Springfield Armory's XD and XDm lines, both very well built pistols, ergonomic design similar to 1911 in regards to grip angle. It a breeze to shoot and even easier to clean. The XDm you could probably get for $5-600 I think XD's arr cheaper, as they are made to a slightly lower standard ( the m means match grade, tighter tolerances and better trigger than XD) the 9mm hold around 19 rounds per mag.

Comes with cheap holster and two magazines, loader and dual mag pouch. Very nice gun for the price.

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Also have him checkout Smith and Wesson's M&P line of pistols. Most people believe these guns to have superb feel and ergonomics. I have two and can attest to this.

I second the Springfield XD lines. The XD45 was my first pistol and it is still one of my favorites. He might also want to look at some Taurus guns like the 24/7 Pro. Their quality has greatly improved in recent years and you an get two for $900. Last recommendation from me would be the Ruger SR9 or SR9c.

Big budget for a 9mm. I would go with an HK P30. Buy a couple of extra mags, (they are expensive) you can sell it if you get into a bind for close to what you paid for it. Not that should be your reason for buying one, HK makes excellent weapons, I have put 500 rounds or more through my P30 in one range visit, no problem.

Don't forget some of the other "budget" brands out there. Bersa's Thunder 9 should allow for the purchase of gun, top-line belt, top-line holster & mag holders, and a handful of extra 17-round standard capacity magazines with enough money left over for a few boxes of SD and range ammo. And maybe have enough left over for a burger and soft drink at the snack bar.

Just because all the sekrit skwiril operators are not wearing those budget brands does not mean they are not solid shooters. As much as folks make fun of High Points they go bang every time and put bullets in the center of the target just like the Haitch und Kaye toys, but don't hate you because you suck. Buy a HP and all the accessories and you can go out for steak afterwards on the budget he has. Besides, as ugly as that HP is he won't need to pull it to protect himself - the BGs will run after just looking at it.

stay safe.

Sig Sauer makes really good hundguns. They have quite a few that are compact. A lot of their guns are more then 900 but there are a few that are cheaper. I have the SIG SAUER SP 2022 it comes in 9mm, .40, and 357 Sig. With contrast sights it costs just over 500. With Sig Light Night Sights it cost around 580. It is one of the most accurate weapons I have ever shot and is very easy to use. No weird levers or anything. Just a suggestion.

+1 on the H&K P30 and P2022

Also:
Walther PPQ
Ruger LC9 (best compact 9mm I've seen so far. It's its own gun instead of chopping off the barrel and grip of a normal 9mm)
Ruger SR9c (if the LC9 is too small)

Springfield XDs

I also will vouch for the Springfield XDs, I had the XDm .40 and I absolutely loved it so if you want a good gun for that money get one of these.

Yance said:

I also will vouch for the Springfield XDs, I had the XDm .40 and I absolutely loved it so if you want a good gun for that money get one of these.

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But if I had $900 to spend I wouldn't settle for anything less than the XDm. If you've got the money you might as well go for the match barrel.

They aren't common, but look for Steyr M9 or S9. The A1s are pretty much the same gun, except that they have a standard accessory mount. I have an S9 that I bought in about 2004 for $350. I CC it every day. Having shot at least 7-800 rds I have never had a malfunction. Everybody who has shot it has liked it. I can recommend the model without reservation.

I would recommend he skip the gun show and buy online from Bud's or the like. Use the money he saved for extra mags and ammo.

Thanks everyone. I'll relay your suggestions to my friend. He'll be driving a couple hours up to the candy store.....er.....gun show......today.

Brass Magnet said:

Criteria:[/U]
No Glocks
Compact preferable but full size OK if it's easily concealable.
No Sub Compacts
9mm
Used or New OK
$900 or less

Click to expand...

I've shot a LOT of 9mms (Beretta, Browning, Taurus, . I picked my CZ 85B for a reason, and it's been 100% perfect ever since. Although it's a full-sized firearm, CZ makes several compact 9mm models, too. If I had to buy a new one today, it would be as a back-up gun, and it would be the CZ P01 or the CZ 75 SP-01 Tactical.

Ruger's P95 is based on the 1911 with some modifications, and is much cheaper. The one thing I read about it I don't like is the rail sliding directly on the polymer frame. Here are some reviews:

Liberty Blog

Police Link

Best Pistols

Best Nines They're listed in order of preference. Please note the CZ 75B is at the top (the 85 is an improved model) while the P95 comes in last at #25. "I don't think you can do better for under $900. Ditto for the CZ 85b. Could CZ better the 75b platform? Yes; see the awesome CZ SP-01 and SP-01 Tactical. The SP-01 can be bought for under $600 if you haggle!"

Weapons Cache Interesting info about the way P95 allows you to chamber a round while automatically decocking the hammer.

Ruger's Model Listings