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What's your favorite or best 9mm you shot?

54K views 334 replies 252 participants last post by  prfornaro 
#1 ·
Your opinion , all around best 9mm
 
#2 ·
I haven't shot lots and lots of 9 mm pistols; less that 10 different ones, probably. But it is hard for me to imagine that there is a carry pistol made that I would enjoy shooting better than my SR9C.
 
#4 ·
I loved my Dad's old Smith and Wesson single stack model 39-2.
 
#5 ·
I've owned a bunch of 9mm over the years including most of the major manufacturers. Beretta, Glock, Walther, etc. Hands down the best 9mm pistol I've ever owned or fired is a gun I still own: mid 80's vintage W. German Sig P220 9mm. Absolutely perfect.
 
#7 ·
Best 9mm

The one I have and the only one I have ever shot.
In excess of 30,000 rounds with the original spring/barrel.
Only a 2 inch group though, offhand at 15 yards standing, two hands.
But at 70 with Agent Orange disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol, it is fine.
I think I can deter any intruders with 15+1!
The pistol?
It is 30 years old.....:)

P85:
 
#9 ·
My pistol firearms enthusiasm centers around 9mm pistols. I've owned far too many of them over the years. I tried out everything from the lowly Hi-Point to Sig P226's, H&K's, and in between. For me there are two categories of 9mm: practical (for carry & home defense) and range only pistols.

Best overall practical 9mm handgun: Glock 19. It's far from perfection. It doesn't do any single thing outstandingly well. What it is is a collection of well made parts, combined in a minimal efficient design, that creates an astoundingly above average, reliable, easy to maintain pistol. Affix my choice of sights, and I'm able to achieve real world, accurate, shot placement under simulated stress.

Best overall range fun 9mm handgun: Springfield Range Officer 1911 9mm. Big, heavy, 1911 single action trigger, target sights. Shoots soft as a creampuff and gives me all I need to achieve tight little groups via slow fire. I use this gun just for the sheer joy of shooting.

IMO, the best overall handgun is subjective to the individual. We're all uniquely proportioned and have unique perceptions. What works for me may not work for you.
 
#307 ·
I still stand by this. I listed a practical use, striker fired pistol. I listed a single action. I want to add a full size, DA/SA, all steel 9mm pistol: CZ 75B.





Shiny high polish stainless steel or standard black poly-coat, it's one heck of a shooter.
 
#10 ·
Ruger P95. Amazingly accurate, no recoil. Its the first gun I ever owned that would put the bullet right where it is supposed to go, over and over again, all day long. It never malfunctions, and will digest any ammo, including that down and dirty steel crap.

Honorable mention goes to my two 9mm revolvers, a Taurus 905, and a Charter Arms 9mm Pitbull. I took a chance on the 905, as I had never owned a Taurus before. There weren't any other 9mm revolvers available at that time, and I really wanted a rimless revolver. Its been an excellent little shooter.

My Charter Arms 9mm Pitbull has been a little quirky, but once I figured out what it likes, its a joy. Extraction of fired casings was its issue. It only likes brass ammo, and if I feed it as such, its perfectly reliable.
 
#11 ·
Like the DA I can be, sadly I traded off what I now consider the best 9 mm I've ever shot, and it was a Sig 228. I lost faith in the 9 mm back in the late 90's after shooting a bunny rabbit at about 40 yards, only to have to finish it off with a 45 ACP. It was just a cottontail rabbit and the bullet was still in it when I skinned it for the grill. So, I swore off of all nines and traded them away. Now I'm back with a few 9's, but no 228 , yet.

Currently, my best shooter is my CZ 75, but I am really fond of my S&W 3913.
 
#12 ·
I have limited experience with 9mm pistols (and only one Ruger - the LC9), but the best 9mm I've used has been the Springfield XDm. The Beretta 92 / M9 is a close 2nd.


Jim
 
#194 · (Edited)
I'm thinking that my CZ-B (with .22LR Kadet kit) ~~ arriving this week; should be better than my Shield, which is better than I can shoot.

However; I'm really waiting on my Miculek Louisiana Alien's S&W 929 ~~ arriving the week after may be good enough (compensator, sight radius, Performance Trigger/Apex upgrades) to just allow me to reach an epiphany on how to actually become a reasonable Shootist!

I'm intrigued by the Friday email that Kimber's coming out with a ReEvolver. Please let there be 9mm of goodness in the catalog.

Exciting times in the 9mm world.

Here's hoping the ammo companies bring out some exciting 9mm offerings @ Shot Show.

Lighter than 115 gr target loads - for teaching newbies?
Self correcting plinkers?
Non press necessary hand loadable target and defense rounds?
Duplex, triplex, quad-plex loadings?
Poly cases with "sugar packet" pre measured stick powder for kitchen table loading? Maybe my Moonclip tool can be modified to seat the bullets?
Short barrel 9mm (LCR, J Frame) specific loads? (Super fast but not flashy powder?)
Special "no-crimp-jump" 9mm loadings- the "crimp jump" concern postings herewithin the Forum may become a thing of the past.

Hey, what ever happened to the plastic cased .38SPL self reloadables and the triplex loads that were all over "G&A" in the 80's? Did they go the way of "WonderNines" when everybody realized the CZ folks were building 20 round 9mm's when we Colonists were content with our single stack JMB 1911's @ .45ACP as the be all/End all of hand gunning?
 
#20 ·
I'm not an auto guy, but when it comes to the slide guns I only go with Ruger P-series autos and the CZ-75 series.

I would say the CZ-85b 9mm I've had for 10 years would be my "best" and favorite. It eats anything, and is very accurate. It's become my go-to 9mm auto for anything I would need a 9mm pistol for. Range blasting, a car gun for long trips, bedroom "back up" gun, etc. I've probably put 20,000+ through that gun over the years, still tight as new.

I like it so much, the ONLY auto loading pistol I would even look at anymore would be a stainless CZ-75 9mm, I've wanted one for years but keep buying wheel guns.......matte or polished, wouldn't matter to me, I want a stainless CZ75:)

Other than that I could care less about adding any more autos unless a stainless P89 or P94 fell in my lap for a good price.
 
#22 · (Edited)
I've only shot the following:

Kahr:
MK9
K9
CM9

Bersa:
BP9cc
Thunder 9HC
Thunder 9 Compact

Ruger:
P94
P95

Kel Tek:
PF9

Edit: rented a Shield today. Loved it.

The Rugers are my favorites, but the Bersas are very good, and the Kahrs are very good. All for different reasons.

For carry, the Kahrs are hard to beat. For a going-to-war gun, I'll grab the P94.
 
#26 ·
I only shot a Glock (meh), SR9C (family favorite), and CZ75B--my personal favorite.
 
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