Quantcast

.40 pistols

IH8Rice

I'm Mr. Negative! I Fail!
Aug 2, 2008
24,524
494
Im over here now
You can't rent various models at a range somewhere?
not anywhere here in PA that i know of. hell, theres only one indoor range here (thats local thankfully) but its small.
if i still had my condo in Vegas id go there and go to the numerous ranges that rent every type of gun imaginable.
 

ultraNoob

Yoshinoya Destroyer
Jan 20, 2007
4,504
1
Hills of Paradise
That fuggin m9 almost took my eye out when that locking block crumbled. Carried a glock 19 for a while. Easy to clean but was never as comfortable with it as I was with my p226.
 

sanjuro

Tube Smuggler
Sep 13, 2004
17,373
0
SF
That fuggin m9 almost took my eye out when that locking block crumbled. Carried a glock 19 for a while. Easy to clean but was never as comfortable with it as I was with my p226.
Would you go from a Glock to a Sig P226?
 
Oct 26, 2001
403
0
God Hole NC
My personal experiences for what they are worth have been:
XD subcompact 9mm, dead reliable with several thousand rounds down the pipe.
Sig p226, was a police trade in and nicely broken in. Reliable and very smooth but I managed to hit the slide stop on too many occasions in the middle of a shooting string.
Glock 19. Wifes gun for a while and it was also very reliable but I was not fond of the grip angle.
M&P 9mm, shot a few and liked it. Actually had a 4" pro on order but was production was 4 months out so I cancelled it in favor of bike parts!
HK P30, also Wifes gun. She had a trigger job done on it and it shoots quite nicely and is very reliable but has a different mag release from everything else I shoot.
1911's in .45 and 9mm. These are my go to game guns. Not quite as reliable as the XD/Glock/M&P's but so much fun!

Generally for carry I will either grab the XD or a snub nose 38.

They are really a personal decision. Triggers and controls vary a bit and it will take shooting something for a while to really figure out what works best for you. Having access to reloads is a huge bonus as it can cut your ammo prices nearly in half!
 

IH8Rice

I'm Mr. Negative! I Fail!
Aug 2, 2008
24,524
494
Im over here now
thanks for your input!
what caused the slide to hit the stop on the P226?
what did you like about the M&P 9mm?

i think what turns me off most about the Glocks is the angle of the grip. i know with enough time with it i could get used to it like MikeD said, but my initial thoughts are that i dont like it.


im also apparently in the market for a purple .38 for my fiance.:( the only one i found was a Charter Arms .38
 
Oct 26, 2001
403
0
God Hole NC
For some reason my right thumb (I am right handed) likes to come up a little and would hit the slide stop. Probably something I could correct but I was too lazy.
The M&P shot well for me and would let me shoot a different category in IDPA from what I normally shoot. According to the ATF, XD's are single action while Glocks and M&P's are considered double action. I like having the same pull for every shot so for IDPA double action, the best options are either the Glock or M&P and I prefer the M&P of those two.
Plus guns are kinda like bikes in that the right number to have is the number you own plus one!
 

IH8Rice

I'm Mr. Negative! I Fail!
Aug 2, 2008
24,524
494
Im over here now
thoughts on pistols with the safety lever? the local gun shop just got in a M&P 9 with the ambidextrous safety and they said they have no idea when S&W will be sending the non-safety model since they are fulfilling military and police orders first (is that a clue?) Cabelas has the non safety model but id like to support a local store if possible.
 

MikeD

Leader and Demogogue of the Ridemonkey Satinists
Oct 26, 2001
11,689
1,734
chez moi
If you are carrying concealed, don't do it.

If you're keeping it in a drawer, I suppose it borders on academic.

If you're shooting at the range from a bench, no difference.


Me? I'd buy from the people who had what I wanted.
 

IH8Rice

I'm Mr. Negative! I Fail!
Aug 2, 2008
24,524
494
Im over here now
If you are carrying concealed, don't do it.



Me? I'd buy from the people who had what I wanted.
dont get the safety version you mean right? thats what i was figuring most would say, especially for concealed carry.

id like to support a small local shop, but Cabelas does have what a want at a similar price and has every single other thing id want/need too.


unfortunately i paid for my hesitation to buy a sidearm last night when a dog attacked my fiance and our dogs.
 

ultraNoob

Yoshinoya Destroyer
Jan 20, 2007
4,504
1
Hills of Paradise
unfortunately i paid for my hesitation to buy a sidearm last night when a dog attacked my fiance and our dogs.
Any injuries? Hope all are ok.

FYI... bear spray works better in those situations. Unless you've been training, downing a charging dog with a pistol isn't the easiest thing in the world.
 

IH8Rice

I'm Mr. Negative! I Fail!
Aug 2, 2008
24,524
494
Im over here now
Any injuries? Hope all are ok.

FYI... bear spray works better in those situations. Unless you've been training, downing a charging dog with a pistol isn't the easiest thing in the world.
yes, my one dog has a large wound on his paw as well as a puncture wound. thankfully my fiance is okay, which is my main concern.

i thought about pepper spray or a bear spray but it would have fogged us all. i didnt even see the dog charge us until it was 5' from my fiance and her dog (it was dark out.) it then proceeded to attack my two dogs. i wouldnt try and shoot the dog while it was tangled with our dogs, but i would have done something as i kicked it away and it ran away.
 

ultraNoob

Yoshinoya Destroyer
Jan 20, 2007
4,504
1
Hills of Paradise
yes, my one dog has a large wound on his paw as well as a puncture wound. thankfully my fiance is okay, which is my main concern.

i thought about pepper spray or a bear spray but it would have fogged us all. i didnt even see the dog charge us until it was 5' from my fiance and her dog (it was dark out.) it then proceeded to attack my two dogs. i wouldnt try and shoot the dog while it was tangled with our dogs, but i would have done something as i kicked it away and it ran away.
yea, a gun wouldn'ta helped much in that situation aside from maybe startling the attacking dog. If forced to choose between getting pepper sprayed or mauled by a mutt.... I'd pick pepper spray.

but if you get some don't get this:


learn from a pro and get some that has punch and range
 

IH8Rice

I'm Mr. Negative! I Fail!
Aug 2, 2008
24,524
494
Im over here now
If forced to choose between getting pepper sprayed or mauled by a mutt.... I'd pick pepper spray.
yeah, the dog didnt even flinch when i kicked it hard twice. my fiance wants a purple revolver for Xmas but im getting her pepper spray now despite her hesitation. the last thing i want is her to carry after seeing her under pressure last night :D

i know shooting at a charging dog would be hard, especially at night, but even the sound would scare the sh!t out of it....hopefully
 
Oct 26, 2001
403
0
God Hole NC
thoughts on pistols with the safety lever? the local gun shop just got in a M&P 9 with the ambidextrous safety and they said they have no idea when S&W will be sending the non-safety model since they are fulfilling military and police orders first (is that a clue?) Cabelas has the non safety model but id like to support a local store if possible.
Don't let the external safety scare you off if you like the gun. Practice with the gun like you should and it will be second nature to flip it off. From shooting the 1911's, when I draw my XD my thumb automatically goes through the same motion as sweeping off the safety. The safety lever on an M&P is similar to a 1911 and is a fairly natural motion. Some other handguns though, are rather...awkward.
My bigger issue is the magazine disconnect on some of the M&P's. I don't like those one bit.
 

IH8Rice

I'm Mr. Negative! I Fail!
Aug 2, 2008
24,524
494
Im over here now
The safety lever on an M&P is similar to a 1911 and is a fairly natural motion. Some other handguns though, are rather...awkward.
My bigger issue is the magazine disconnect on some of the M&P's. I don't like those one bit.
yeah the position is in a nice spot compared to some of the others i tried. just curious what everyone here thought. most people on other sites seem to not recommend a safety on a concealed weapon..every second counts i suppose

arent M&P handguns able to fire without the mag?
 

-BB-

I broke all the rules, but somehow still became mo
Sep 6, 2001
4,254
28
Livin it up in the O.C.
Btw... newbie question.

Why no revolvers? Out of fashion? Drawbacks?
I inherited a Colt Cobra 357 and a S&W 44mag and I've got at least 1k "down the pipe" as you say. I've shot magazine style pistols (Sigs, walter's etc) and they are pretty smooth, I'll admit. The simplicity of a revolver is real nice as well though, and almost no chance of a jam etc. The guy I go to the range with seems to always be taking his stuff in for "issues" etc though.
 

MikeD

Leader and Demogogue of the Ridemonkey Satinists
Oct 26, 2001
11,689
1,734
chez moi
Post above has it right.

Great to shoot (even DA, IMHO), quantifiably worse to fight with. Reloads and capacity, as noted, are seriously problematic in the face of an automatic and real-world combat conditions. Putting a speedloader to the cylinder involves many more coordinated fine-muscle movements and attention than a magazine change.

The few gaming shooters who can do it super-fast are proving this fact rather than rebuffing it...if they did fewer, easier movements just as fast with an automatic they would have reloaded more quickly. And if you were shooting back at them they likely couldn't do it at all.

Less reliable than a modern automatic handgun, especially under adverse environmental conditions. They don't have stoppages, but any malfunctions generally take the gun completely out of action until a gunsmith takes it apart to fix.

Snubnoses have a place as a backup gun (portable in pocket or ankle rig, able to make contact shots without going out of battery), but smaller automatics or even a knife can fill a similar role.

If you're hunting animals with a handgun it's another story--big bore capacity matters and none of the fighting concerns do. And they are simply beautiful to shoot--would love to put some time in behind your collection, BB. Real classics.

Edit: ****, H8r, sorry to hear about the dog situation. Glad no one is hurt too badly.

As to the safety on a carry gun, it's not about speed but about the need for simplicity under stress, to streamline both the mental and physical processes involved. You could have it, of course, but it's just a chance for something to go wrong I'd rather not have, and since the weapon is carried in a proper holster with the trigger covered it really serves no purpose on any weapon but a single-action. Which, since it's not 1928, I would recommend against.
 
Last edited:

IH8Rice

I'm Mr. Negative! I Fail!
Aug 2, 2008
24,524
494
Im over here now
From the size of that Magazine you certainly are not in California!!
;)
all my friends in NY were surprised too. after buying the 25rd mag for the 10/22 i started reading that some states limit ammo capacity to 10. and after searching for a handgun, most mfg's offer a 10rd mag and a larger variant.


Edit: ****, H8r, sorry to hear about the dog situation. Glad no one is hurt too badly.

As to the safety on a carry gun, it's not about speed but about the need for simplicity under stress, to streamline both the mental and physical processes involved. You could have it, of course, but it's just a chance for something to go wrong I'd rather not have, and since the weapon is carried in a proper holster with the trigger covered it really serves no purpose on any weapon but a single-action. Which, since it's not 1928, I would recommend against.
i can def see how streamlining the draw and target acquisition would be key and not fumbling over a safety would be nice. before this search, i had never realized that a lot of handguns dont have safetys now since they are built into the trigger or grip.
after talking with one salesman, he had mentioned if i ever wanted one of them fancy Crimson Trace lasers on the M&P 9, id had to get the non-safety version.
i think i am leaning towards a non-safety model since, like you said, modern holsters and guns prevent (most) accidental firings