Have you experienced a midsize 9mm that you would consider a flat shooting gun, one that gets back on target really quick?

9mm 1911 or 2011 thing.

HK P7’s. But that’s probably not what your going for.

Most of the 2011’s I’ve shot have been really easy to shoot / flat.

Try a PX4 or a CZ P07. Admittedly, I've not shot the compact versions of either, but the full-size variants shoot extremely flat.

Agree the PX4 is very flat especially at speed. I would assume the other rotating bolts on the market would be similar.

quote:

Originally posted by cslinger:
Agree the PX4 is very flat especially at speed. I would assume the other rotating bolts on the market would be similar.

Same! PX4

In my personal testing the PX4 was a very soft shooter. Beretta 92 series is also excellent.

P229. The heavier machined slide (built for the more powerful .40 and 357SIG rounds) keeps the muzzle jump noticeably lower, as least it does for me. If you also hang a light on the rail, it's a very flat shooter.

All depends on how much you want to spend. Plenty of very flat shooting 2011’s on the market.

Steel 1911 9mm

Maybe you want to consider barrel porting as well? It definitely worked for me.

Honestly my gen5 G19. To me it’s very flat shooting and controllable. Other than that a steyr m9/L9

I would add the CZ 75 PCR/SP-01/Compact also shoot very flat.

Flattest shooting... well, that would be the one with the longest barrel while said length captures the most efficient use of powder charge to facilitate the highest bullet velocity, b/c mass of the pistol and moment of inertia has zero to do with flat trajectory.

If you mean lowest recoil, others in this thread have attempted to answer that.

Another vote for the PX4 Compact

Glock 19 also but it is highly subjective between shooters and a lot depends on technique, how well a particular pistol "fits" a shooter, and strength. Best bet is to rent/try out as many as possible. Some ranges have a flat fee instead of "per firearm".

Shooting my 9mm 4.25” 1911 is ridiculous. Recoil is almost nil.

But I think your “flattest shooting” is not what you are looking for as ballistics is ballistics and a 115 fmj out of a Glock compared to a 115 fmj out of a same barrel length in say a M&P would be the same, but felt recoil would be different due to the ergonomics of each pistol.

• Striker fired design allows for lower bore axis than hammer fired.
  
• Heavier frames keep the gun steadier than lighter ones.
  
• Adding weight to the front of the gun helps reduce muzzle flip.
  
• I was skeptical about compensators for 9mm until I got one.

I've not tried a Laugo Alien or Archon Type B, but those are supposed to be among the flattest shooting 9mms around.

Barring those, I'd recommend getting a steel frame striker gun such as S&W's new Spec Series V M&P, which comes comp'ed, or Canik Rival-S and comp it (possibly TTI slide on Rival-S frame?). I hesitate on the PDP, b/c they have high bore axis for striker guns.

Instead of a barrel comp, you could send your gun out to get ported. Add a WML for front end mass. Tune the recoil spring to your loads, or try something like the DPP Recoil Reduction System.

If you are determined to keep things around G19 sized, maybe try a Zev OZ9C. Its chassis is steel and front heavy due to its Pic rails. Add a Radian Ramjet+Afterburner to it or buy the Hypercomp ported model. Add a Surefire X300 size WML and DPP recoil system.

Beretta 92 Centurion, Beretta PX4, Beretta APX, Glock 45, Sig P229, Sig P320 X Pro Carry, Walther PDP 4”. I have found them to be flat shooters. Also, no particular order listed alphabetically.

What is "flat" to you?

Does "flat" really matter?

What are you giving up for "flat?"

I think it's an overused term and overappreciated quality. I want a gun that I can grip in a way that it returns as quickly as possible to where it started. That is largely a function of technique. A lot of people shooting "flat" are over-returning the gun by putting a bunch of unnecessary input into it.

With a few magazines of doubles to figure out the pressures necessary, I can get most guns to do what I want them to do.