intro

So many options out there, how do you know which handgun to buy?

I hope this can be a reference point to help you choose.

most cost effective pistols

“From an agency armorer perspective, the easiest and most cost effective service pistols to maintain are Glocks then M&P’s, distantly followed by 3rd gen S&W, classic Sig, HK, and Beretta. We don’t have enough data yet on long term servicing issues with the HK VP9 and Sig P320. If you don’t have superb gunsmiths (not just factory trained armorers) on staff or readily available, it is hard to keep 1911’s up and running.”

https://pistol-forum.com/showthread.php?4337-Service-Caliber-Handgun-Duty-and-Self-Defense-Ammo&p=75147&viewfull=1#post75147

1911 gun buying guide

“For many years, U.S. military Tier One units used custom .45 Auto M1911 pistols. However, beginning in the mid–‐2000’s the most celebrated U.S. military counterterrorism unit switched from 1911’s to modern striker fired pistols. Likewise many LE agencies whose tactical teams carried 1911’s have moved away from the pistol in recent years.

While a properly customized 5″ steel-frame single-stack 1911 in .45 Auto is a superb, unparalleled choice for the dedicated user willing to spend a significant amount of money to get it properly initially set-up and considerable time to maintain it, 1911’s are no longer an optimal pistol design for organizations to choose, given the high initial costs and increased maintenance associated with the platform compared to other more modern designs that function just as well.

Keep in mind that agencies issuing 1911’s will need to ensure access to high level, very experienced pistol-smiths (not just basic armorers) trained in servicing combat weapons; such folks require extensive hands on training, demand high prices, and are hard to find. 

Also remember that 1911 pistols in calibers other than .45 Auto and barrels shorter than 5″ induce increasingly greater problems. 

I will not use any 1911 with a Schwartz firing pin safety (like on the Kimber II pistols) as I have seen high numbers of them fail; the Colt Series 80 firing pin safety is the only one I might trust for urban LE use, but they have also been known to fail in harsh environments (particularly surf zone and high dust) so I generally prefer a standard USG style 1911 pistol w/o firing pin safety.

I would not choose to carry most stock or even semi-custom 1911’s on duty without making sure they were set-up properly with reliable function, durable parts, and ergonomic execution.

I firmly believe that if you want a 1911 for serious use, the minimum level of quality for a duty/carry weapon is the SA Pro model (either PC9111 or PC9111LR if you want a light rail); if you’re not willing to invest that much into the weapon system, don’t get a 1911… I write this after being around quite a few 1911’s over the past two decades of military and LE duty, including GI, commercial Colt, SA (Milspec, Loaded, MC Oper, Professional models), Wilson, Kimber, Nighthawk, Les Baer, and Para Ord, as well as custom pistols by folks like Bill Laughridge, Wayne Novak/Joe Bonar, Ed Brown, John Jardine, Hilton Yam, Larry Vickers, and Chuck Rogers. I’d strongly recommend anyone contemplating a 1911 for serious use read all of the material on 1911’s here: http://www.10-8performance.com/pages/Articles.html. 

For agencies and individuals that want a .45 Auto pistol, but don’t want to invest the funds and effort necessary in acquiring and maintaining high quality 1911’s, they would be better served with a modern pistol like the S&W M&P45, HK45, or 4th gen G21. 

After being issued, qualified on, or carrying 1911’s for 25 years, in 2011 I retired the 1911’s and transitioned to the M&P45 w/ambi safety and Apex duty kit.“

https://pistol-forum.com/showthread.php?4337-Service-Caliber-Handgun-Duty-and-Self-Defense-Ammo&p=75147&viewfull=1#post75147

glock buying guide

• for compact, only run 9mm. Larger calibers are too hard to control
• don’t run subcompacts in 9mm or larger (too hard to control)
• anything larger than a 9mm, run the full-size frame version of that gun (e.g. don’t go below a G22 when running .40)

“Not getting into the weapons transition issues from frame design to frame design (it’s the reason I love to hate the Glock), the fact of the matter is that the recoil on the G23 crosses the magic line of running the shit out of your pistol. Allow me to explain… Most of the guys mentioned that they can handle the reduced size of the 19 and the recoil increase over the G17 is acceptable. Most of us have also determined that this does NOT cross over to the .40 cartridge. Guys with a firm handle on recoil manipulation can use the G22 and G35 with acceptable results. However when you go down to G26’s and G23’s, the juice is not worth the squeeze. The recoil is now noticeably effecting times and it’s measurable. If you can’t effectively control recoil and are wasting time allowing your pistol to settle between shots then this is all a wash and means nothing to you, but if you can apply the fundamentals effectively you will quickly see that you can’t run a sub compact 9 or a compact .40 worth a shit. So a decision to accept a larger pistol in order to have an acceptable recoil impulse based upon caliber must be made. The smallest 9mm Glock recoil that I will accept is the G19 and I will not go below the G22 when bumping up to .40.”

Experienced Senior SOF NCO @ https://pistol-forum.com/showthread.php?4337-Service-Caliber-Handgun-Duty-and-Self-Defense-Ammo&p=75147&viewfull=1#post75147

sig sauer gun buying guide

“The older German made Sig 9 mm’s are generally superb, however from about 2005 to 2012 Sig saw a precipitous decline in QC, durability, and reliability, so proceed with caution. The new Sig P320’s appear to have great potential–time will tell.”

https://pistol-forum.com/showthread.php?4337-Service-Caliber-Handgun-Duty-and-Self-Defense-Ammo&p=75147&viewfull=1#post75147

smith and wesson (s&w) gun buying guide

• pre-lock is better
• in recent history, an internal trigger lock above the cylinder latch was added, to make s&w revolvers more “lawyer proof”. Many users state however that this is an inferior design, and strive to avoid it by purchasing older production models (more info here)

springfield armory gun buying guide

“XD’s are a no go for serious use–the inability to retract the slide without engaging the grip safety makes one-hand injured operation very difficult with the XD–this is a deal breaker for me. In addition, in some government tests, XD’s (particularly the .40’s) have broken a lot of parts compared to other pistols being tested…I’ll take a 9 mm Glock or M&P any day of the week over an XD.”

https://pistol-forum.com/showthread.php?4337-Service-Caliber-Handgun-Duty-and-Self-Defense-Ammo&p=75147&viewfull=1#post75147

important considerations

After having gone through the juvenile collector stage of idiotically wasting money by purchasing one or two of every type of service pistol ever produced, I finally grew-up and realized it is far better to strive to master one quality pistol type, then be perpetually mediocre with many. I strongly recommend purchasing two or three identical pistols once you have decided upon the model that you plan to use, carry, and train with. I dedicate one pistol for carry after thoroughly vetting function with 1000 or so rounds through it. Another identical pistol is solely used for training–it is shot till it breaks with minimal cleaning or babying during its service life. If I am able to afford a third pistol, it serves as a back-up to the other two and usually sits in an easily accessible safe as a readily available personal defense weapon mounting an x300u light.

If you have the option, carefully assess what your service pistol and handgun caliber needs are, based on potential engagement scenarios, objective measurements of skill including scores and times, and ancillary factors. In closely looking at where I am at today, it is clear that I currently shoot 9 mm better than .45 Auto; as a result, I phased out my .45 Auto usage and am concentrating on 9 mm. Likewise, I currently shoot an RDS better than iron sights; as a result, all my pistols are now equipped with an RDS.

Whatever you choose, make sure you fire at least 500 and preferably 1000 failure free shots through your pistol prior to carrying it. If your pistol cannot fire at least 1000 consecutive shots without a malfunction, something is wrong and it is not suitable for duty/self-defense use.

https://pistol-forum.com/showthread.php?4337-Service-Caliber-Handgun-Duty-and-Self-Defense-Ammo&p=75147&viewfull=1#post75147