If you were going to purchase one, as a long term investment in your life for defense of the homestead, range fun, and nightstand life, which would it be?

There is no "other" category. My reading, my research, and my parts availability has narrowed it down to just these contenders. This may at some point have an RMR, or a can, or extended mags, or any number of fun additions, but it has to be a great starting point. For various reasons, I have narrowed it down to these.

For your consideration: I currently - and for quite a while now - am carrying a gen4 G26. My pleasure gun is a WC tuned Beretta 92FS. Obviously there are some advantages in those two choices that the others don't have. But there are some downsides to them as well.

Question:
If you were going to buy one long-term HD, range only (no holster necessary) pistol. Which would it be?

Choices:
Sig M17 Bravo
Glock 17 gen 5
HK VP9 LE
Beretta 92A1
Walther Q4

 

You own a Glock and a Beretta.

So buy another Glock or Beretta.

Or better yet use one of the 2 that you already own...

quote:

Originally posted by bionic218:
If you were going to purchase one, as a long term investment in your life for defense of the homestead, range fun, and nightstand life, which would it be?

There is no "other" category. My reading, my research, and my parts availability has narrowed it down to just these contenders. This may at some point have an RMR, or a can, or extended mags, or any number of fun additions, but it has to be a great starting point. For various reasons, I have narrowed it down to these.

For your consideration: I currently - and for quite a while now - am carrying a gen4 G26. My pleasure gun is a WC tuned Beretta 92FS. Obviously there are some advantages in those two choices that the others don't have. But there are some downsides to them as well.

I did not vote because none of those would be my selection for home defense.

Personally I have a Rem 870WP on one side of the bed and a Smith and Wesson 327 TRR8 on the other and my lever gun cabinet is only a few feet away with both of the 45 Long Colts already loaded.

For your situation, since you already have a preference for a Glock as a carry sidearm, I would go with Glock's full size version of what you carry.

That will offer you two handguns that can use the same full size magazines for a reload.

There would be no worries about grabbing the 9MM handgun and the 40 caliber magazines (actual incident at FHP qualification a few years back with one of the brass) or the other way around.

For a bedside wake up confused in the middle of the night in pitch black conditions grab something and go clear my house like Bruce Willis, I'd go with whatever you TRAIN the most with. If you regularly train and carry any gun for duty, CCW, etc...that's what I'd want. Familiarity of operation under stress. If one doesn't fit that role, then I'd actually go with something like a S&W R8, loaded with either .38s or .357s....it's 8 shots, there's nothing to fumble with, no malfunctions to worry about....heck, you can even put a light on it if you want. I would. From your limited list though, I voted the Sig M17 because it has a safety (for late night fumbling around in the dark protection) and it's a "growth" gun that you can modify as you want...red dot sight, light, etc.

So why not start with an M9A3 or Glock 17 MOS if a can or RMR is in the future? Why just the M9A1 and or plain Jane G17?

quote:

Originally posted by cslinger:
So why not start with an M9A3 or Glock 17 MOS if a can or RMR is in the future? Why just the M9A1 and or plain Jane G17?

I was thinking M9A3 as well, however the OP wants to keep it within the limits of the provided list of pistols, so I voted for the H&K.

I’d change those choices to

SIG X5
Walther Q match
Glock 34 MOS
CZ Shadow Target

I voted Glock 17 since you carry a 26 and I think one should keep the manual of arms as close as possible, if not in the same gun family at least same trigger type.

That being said for your purposes a 17 MOS is probably the way to go. This way you are gtg for an RMR out of the box and threaded barrels, sights, and any other part is easy to get.

I am a DA/SA guy so if I were in your exact shoes I would go M9A1/A3 for me.

I voted for the M17, given the possible RMR upgrade later. Otherwise, I'd have gone for the 92A1.

Glock 17.

That way you don't have to think about what it is or any operational idiosyncrasies when you hear a window shatter downstairs. It is the same as your carry piece. Just hope you never have to use it.

On familiarity, I hear ya. It’s always a good call. In fact, if I could attach a decent light to my 26, or my 92FS, I would just do that. But there’s no way that’s not contrived to do that.

On shotguns, I agree. They work good. I’ve got several.

On the limited choices, I’ve got a part time gig at a shop, and if it’s in stock, I get it at cost. So there’s that.

I have owned or currently have some variant of each of the pistols listed. That’s another reason why why I picked them for this list. But each one listed is an ‘in stock’ possibility.

Thanks for the thoughts and insights. Keep it coming.

I gotcha, I read your WC as one of their factory models with a rail, but see now that it's a 92FS tuned by WC.

So I'd definitely say a 92A1/M9A1 of G17.

If you want the 'comfort' of a safety to not shoot your eye out at night when fumbling in the dark (which I guess is a thing for some people), go with Beretta.

If you are competent with trigger discipline and wake up unretarded, the G17 is an option too.

Nightstand is either one of my 1911s or Sig 226 or 229.Have sufficient confidence in handling either format.

My Bureau Drawer Special is a P226; I value the DA start in a gun to be recovered after a sudden awakening. So my first choice off your list would be a Beretta.

If a Glock, stay with the standard trigger or a NY-1 for the same reason.

Do not use this as an excuse to get a different operating system.

quote:

Originally posted by bionic218:
For an unholstered - nightstand/hd/range - pistol, which of the following?

Based on the "unholstered" criteria, I voted for the Beretta.

Hard to go wrong with either the Glock or the Beretta. Get the 92A1, do the trigger in a bag, and there you go

Which ones have night sights?

The Glock or Beretta are both good options. But I will swim upstream and recommend the P250. The DAO would be a good choice, safety wise, when aroused suddenly from deep sleep. And do you want to hand the WC Beretta over to the cops after you use it? I would not.

USP tac 9 with jetfunnel v1


has been my nightstand gun for 4 years. Prior to it, I used a sig p220 elite SAO with 10 round mag.

Here is a shot of my old p220, I sold it to a guy in va here while i lived in ct.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: DSgrouse,

I have narrowed down my guns to just Glock and Beretta for commonality of parts/mags. I would say either the 92A1 or the Glock 17, as the gen 5 pistols have an amazing trigger right from the factory. I am partial to the Glock line as they just plain work. It is the only pistol I could trust right out of the box without firing a single round if need be.