My First Pistol
 

So I'm getting ready to buy my first pistol. I want a 9mm and I'm thinking about the P226 or the M9. Any strong advice??

-Z

I've used a P226 (with a rail) and really liked it. From your choices I take it you want a full-size 9mm? How much are you willing to spend?

Do you plan to carry it. A full size pistol is best to keep at home because it is big

I got both (well not an M9 but a 92FS Inox). The P226 has a far better trigger. If you get a new 226 you'll pay out the ass. A used older one is the way to go.

Main reason for it is home protection and just shooting at the range. I won't be carrying it. Obviously I'd rather spend less but if the SIG is worth the extra 400-600 i might be willing to dish it out. I might do some looking around to see if I can't find a used one though. Good tip!

I reccomend you try to find a range in your area that rents out guns so that you can try a few different pistols out to determine what you feel most comfortable with/what you do best with.

Whether they are both current production or previously made models, the P226/P226R is better than the 92FS/M9 in pretty much every way, and I'd say it's worth the extra 2-400 dollars given all the benefits you get with the gun. Aside from the high cost of factory mags, the SIGs trigger is much better, the controls and grip are more ergonomic, the R has a rail if you want a light, and SIG has a better warranty (Lifetime vs 1 year for Beretta). The only reason one would get a Beretta nowadays is if they are a die hard fan of the gun be it for its use in the military, or the constant use and reference of the gun in the LE and film scene from the 1980s up until polymer became the norm.

Not to say the Beretta is a bad gun, it's just from a time previous and in terms of usability, average at best. If you do decide to get one, I'm guessing it'd be for the price point or the fact that it is THE BERETTA, in which case do yourself a favor and get a used one before they changed to the slanted dust cover of current production models, and if you're privileged enough, before they put warning labels on the frame. In other words, for your nostalgia, get the real thing, the gun worth inspiring nostalgia and pride of ownership.

Just bought a H&K USP9. Got the full size instead of the compact being that the state where I live does not have concealed carry in practice so it would have been pointless to get the USP compact. Though the compact did have a slick look to it, it held two less rounds, a shorter sight radius, and the full sized grip just feels better.

You live in IL? You poor thing

And zackmann apparently lives in California. This thread is pretty much Gun Lovers in Gun Hating States General