Tested a few, what to make of it

[bajabill]

I went to a range that has handguns to rent/try and shot 3 9mm semis.

I have been leaning to the Ruger P95, but they only had a P89.
Also shot the Springfield XD
and a Glock 19 (compact frame)


Since these are range guns, I have no idea what they have been thru but I had very drastic differences in performance.

roughly half the distance of the indoor range, 5 shot groups - 

Glock  3 - 4 inch
Spring 4 - 5 inch
Ruger  12 inch

I had to shoot at the center bull to find all my shots with the Ruger.  Now, I am even more confused.  I dont know if I should chalk this up to a bad gun, or a gun that doesnt fit me well, or the ruger is not a good choice.  I did not really notice either of them "feeling" better than the others to me, and I like operation of the P95 compared to other semi auto handguns.  Should I ignore my results??  Well, I may make another trip there and do the same with 40sw choices first.  Low price of the Ruger is nice too and I wish they had some SW sigmas to try.

[corbanzo]

I happen to own a ruger P89 and have used it to keep up with or outshoot most other semi's I've come across.  

Not sure where that poor of accuracy would come from in that gun, built like a tank, not much to go wrong.  Too much gun for recoil to make a difference.  Mine has been tight through thosands of rounds, couldn't see action making a difference, and 9mm not known for barrel wear....  

Gotta be something with the gun though, because I have shot a few p89's and have faired well with them all.  

I used to own a sigma in 40, like the p89 better, so sold the sigma.  There was nothing wrong with it, great, reliable little gun.  I was more accurate with the p89 but the 40 has a much more snappy recoil.  If you are looking to save money, sigma is the way to go.  I have seen them on special for $225.

[Mikey]

bajabill:  Yep, those are some differences alright; but you probably laid your hands on some very well used handguns stoked with inexpensive ammo, unless you brought your own along.

Rugers however should shoot better than that.   Da/sa or dao semis are also not that easy to shoot, for me.  You must be familiar with the functioning and well practiced with that style of trigger system until you know exactly where rounds #1, 2 and 3 will hit in a stress fire situation.  Learning to shoot a dao or da/sa semi is like learning to shoot a hammerless snubnose - it takes familiarity with the piece and lots of practice.  

It also sounds as though you should keep shopping.  A good gun that is a bad fit is not good; if a bad fit can be fixed, that is gooder.  A good gun that is a gooder fit is about as good as you're going to get.  A bad gun that is a bad fit is out.  

Do not ignore your results beacuse you find the same with 40s, which I feel you will.  Expand your database - try other makes and models.  You didn't say what you preferred to use it for but there may be many more options than you originally thought.... The Moderator of the New York State forum, wnywhitetailer, receently tested the new S&W M&P and really liked it, if that is of the type/style you might be interested in.  Hope this helps.  

[williamlayton]

Some days you got it---some days you don't.
Go back out and try them again with your ammo and see what happens.
Blessings

[Hook686]

I have not a clue about the results with the Ruger. Your 'Best' results being with the Glock 19 do not surprise me. I had it and a S&W 3913. The Glock shot more accurately (about the same as the difference you show between the Glock and the Springfield) than the S&W. I gave the Glock 19 to my father for his home defense pistol. He shoots it well also.

I think the Glock 19 is a really fine shooting pistol.

[Tonk]

BajaBill, if your reason for testing at the range, was to find out more about which pistol could be your CCW tool of choice, I would vote the Glock hands down. No external safeties to worry about and no frigging De-Cocking levers either to deal with in the strees of a gun fight on the street etc.

I am a GLOCK convert, after many years of viewing and shooting the Colts, Smith & Wessons, Sig Sauers, Kimbers and Springfields. No matter weather a revolver or semi-auto, I loved the deep blue luster of those handguns. Later down the road, I got my first stainless......no big deal.

However, once I tried a Glock (plastic gun?) and put it to the test, I was sold American! We now have 6 Glocks and one on the way. The Glocks are accuarate enough on the street and a little work on them, you can tune them up to shoot even better. I had a gentleman shoot my 10 mm the other day at the range, and he was making head shots at 125 ft away, keeping the majority within a 6 inch circle of the 9 inch pie plate.

[rio grande]

I've heard you can't shoot lead bullets w/ a Glock. Only jacketed.
Is it true?

[Autorim]

Handguns are very personal items - maybe that's why we have so many choices. I am a big fan of Ruger rifles, revolvers and .22 autos, but not their centefire semi autos. My favorites have been the Glock 19, S&W MP9 and the Springfield XDM9. They all shoot very well, but now I only have the Springfields because I like the way they feel and shoot. I also no longer own any 1911 style pistols in favor of .45ACP revolvers.

As you can see, it is a personal issue and what works for me will probably not work for you. Shoot several and make your choice.

Ken

[bajabill]

Im not looking for a carry gun.  I also dont think its going to be a home defense gun - I want to get a DA revolver to keep at the home for that.

I want a low cost, reliable, fun to shoot (accurate) handgun for target shooting.  I already have a Ruger MKII, but want something else.  The sub $400 price point is justifiable for me based on the intended use of the gun.


Since I got home and have been thinking of it, I keep rethinking the different sights on the guns.  All I can recall is that I liked the hi-lites on the Glock, and that the ruger's were darker and more difficult to pick up.  But, realistically, this was my first experience with these types of guns, and in my half hour session with 50 rounds I was mostly trying to soak up the basics.

[williamlayton]

You are approaching this in a reasonable manner.
Don't get fixated on a particular price---keep it too a price range.
Blessings

[rawhidekid]

I've heard you can't shoot lead bullets w/ a Glock. Only jacketed.
Is it true?

  This is deffinetly true.  If you want a Glock and want to shoot lead, replace the barrel with a Barsto match barrel.  The new barrel will run between $150 and $200.  Used to find them at Brownells.  Hope this helps.

[Mikey]

Will someone please tell me why Glocks do not shoot cast bullets.  This sort of bites my butt a bit, that a handgun like that won't shoot cast.  Is it the rifling, polygonal??  Does it not grab the slug??  What's the story?  Mikey.

[Savage]

Mikey, depends on who you talk to. I know a few shooters that shoot nothing but lead through their Glocks with stock barrels. They claim normal cleaning removes any lead or fouling. I'm a cautious soul, I use the Lone Wolf barrels in my Glocks, and pretty much shoot only lead. I have never witnessed a problem with stock Glocks shooting lead bullets and I shoot a lot of club matches where there are multiple shooters doing it. Funny you never hear of lead bullet warnings from the manufacturers of other polygonal rifled pistols like HK and Tanfoglio.

Bill, The Ruger centerfire pistols are about as rugged and reliable as they get. Beyond that, I don't expect much from them. My P95 had decent plinking accuracy, the P89 had minute of barn door accuracy. Both are gone now, my son likes them just fine.
There are lots of good pistols out there for your applications. The Glock, XD, M&P, and CZ are all good choices. However,----the best pistol anywhere for the buck IMO and the opinion of others who've tried them is the Tanfoglio pistols, imported by EAA as the fullsize "Witness" pistols. They are all steel pistols that are tough as nails, stone reliable, and the most accurate out of the box 9mms I own. The price is well within your range as well. Just another option.
Savage

[rawhidekid]

The lead problems with Glocks has been writen up several times.  If memory serves it was in the owners manuals, although it has been at least 10 years since I owned one.  The first Glock 22 I had, I installed a Barsto barrel as stated before, after that I just shot fmj.  I have also owned the Witness in 45 ACP and 10 mm, good guns except poor magazines in my experiance.  Hope this helps.

[Masterblaster1]

I have a Ruger P95 DC that is approaching 1500 rounds fired without a single jam or stoppage whatsoever. Any load I put in it runs it fine. I have shot normal 115 grain FMJ to extremely hot +p+ doubletap brand hollow points and they all worked great. At 25 yards off bags I can manage a 3 inch group. Good enough for my purposes as a carry gun. Only thing I can say is the grip is bulky so if you have small hands and or stubby fingers like me you may have to adjust your grip so you can reach the slide release lever. I got it new for $350 and couldn't be happier great reliable inexpensive shooting iron. For a target gun you may want something with adjustable sights though...

[rawhidekid]

The baby eagle, browning hi power, and the witness series are all good choices for those with small hands.