I am looking to buy a .40 handgun. I have narrowed it down to the Glock 23, and the S&W P99. My questions to the dopers are, does anyone have a particular favorite and why? And besides looks, what are some main differences?
I could have sworn I already posted to this thread at like 3 today. Guess it didn’t go through…
Anyway, Glock is a personal favorite of mine.
The Differences:
The SW has an ambi mag release, grip inserts to change the size and shape to better fit your hand, a cocked striker and (i believe) a loaded chamber indicator. It also has a decocker and can fire double action. They will both have the same size accessory rails provided it’s a new Glock.
The SW definitely offers more features and if you’re paying retail it is a lot cheaper as well. But the whole point of Glock is simplicity=reliability. I like the way the standard Glock fits in my hand so the grip inserts of the SW are of no use to me. So too are the loaded chamber and the “cocked” indicator. And the decocker…
Every firearm is loaded until you physically inspect it and a Glock will tell you it is cocked because the trigger will be in the forward position. Decocker… if I wanted a double action trigger pull, I would not be looking to buy a Glock in the first place.
They are both fine choices, just don’t buy a Sigma and you’ll be happy…
The ambi mag release though is a good feature. I wish Glock had that. I prefer it, but I don’t find it a necessity
I have a Glock 27, which is identical to the 23 except that it is smaller. It accepts the 23 magazines. I agree with what Bear said about them.
Trying to decide which is better for you is impossible. I suggest finding a gun store that also rents guns. It’s usually about $10, and deciding then. I am a licensed gun dealer so I’ve tried alot of guns. I don’t like the SW99’s mag release. It pushes down instead of in. I don’t like that, myself. But that’s me. Being left handed I wish the Glock had ambi releases.
May I ask how you narrowed it down to these 2? What were you looking for in a pistol? Have you considered the Sig Pro or the Sig P229?
Just my 2¢ but if you haven’t shot both guns enough to know which you prefer you may want to rent each and try them out. Lots of people love Glocks but not taste I’ve ever acquired. Then again I’m a 1911 crumudgeon so take that FWIW.
The P99 feels good to me but I haven’t shot one yet. I have a Walther P22 whichis a pretty cool little piece.
General Questions is for questions with factual answers. IMHO is for opinions and polls. I’ll move this to IMHO for you.
Off to IMHO.
DrMatrix - GQ Moderator
Since you have it narrowed down to the two, I’m assuming you’ve looked at other manufacturers. Personally, I don’t like the way S&W autos feel to me. They just aren’t “natural”. I’m also not a big Glock fan. But if you are considering a Glock, I just wanted to toss in the option of a Springfield Armory XD40.
It is extremely similar to a Glock, but with a better feel, better trigger, more features, is less expensive and in my opinion, a superior firearm.
Worth the time to give it a look. I don’t like Glocks, but the XD40 has won me over and I’m considering one myself.
Another vote for the SA XD. I have a XD 9, but it is the same basic gun as the .40, except for a smaller hole putter inner.
Check out other’s opinions of it at
Ok, first let me get the Gluck joke out of the way:
“Glucks don’t shoot, they are so ugly that they repel bullets”
I looked at a bunch of .40’s before I bought and I got a Beretta 96 Brigadier (nice gun), it came down to a Sig or a Beretta for me, I am kind of an old fashioned guy and there was no way that I was gonna buy a “plastic” gun.
The first gun I bought was an S&W “Enhanced Sigma” .40, it was too cheap to pass up, I put it on layaway and when I got home I searched around on the 'net and found a LOT of unhappy customers so called the gun store and they held on to my money until I could get over there and find another gun.
In the end it came down to the Sig or the Beretta, I held them both and I could not see the extra money for the Sig.
BTW I complement you on settling on the .40, it is a great round, it hits harder than a 9mm and the magazine capacity of a .45 was just too small, I think it is a wonderful defensive round and the ammo is only marginally more expensive than 9mm.
unclviny
T/C .22 classic
Beretta 96 Brigadier
NAA .22LR mini revolver
Winchester defender 12 guage
Tec 9
Well, dang - a thread about firearms, so I just gotta contribute. I was very interested in purchasing a S&W / Walther Model 99 until I shot one (in Tbilisi, Georgia, of all places!) It seems to be a little too light for my tastes. The muzzle seemed to point very easily, but the feeling of “unbalance” was disconceting to me. You didn’t mention the purpose of the handgun, G-Unit, but if you plan to carry it on a routine basis, the lighter the better, I reckon.
If you are a “traditionalist,” you will find both the Glock and the S&W / Walther to be very different from a pistol such as the 1911A1 and variants. The “safeties” in particular are dramatic changes from the old standards found on other pistols.
As for the .40 S&W round… well, I do not own a pistol chambered for this round, but I suppose there are worse choices for self-protection. I think the choice of cartridge is dependent on what you will use the pistol for. For informal target shooting, 9mm holes in paper are just as adequate as .40 holes in paper. In competition, the .40 S&W will make “major” I believe, but the recoil would be somewhat detrimental to quick follow-up shots, perhaps. Also keep in mind that many gun makers discourage the use of handloads in .40 S&W pistols.
If you have decided on the .40 S&W round (I like bigger hunks of lead, myself), I think the advice given by unclviny would be difficult to beat: a Beretta Model 96 Brigadier, Centurion, D, or FS. The open-top slide and ergonomics of the Beretta make it a good choice.
G,
I think that the single most important factor (after the logical stuff) is “pointabilty” and “hand feel”.
It’s like buying a motorcycle (a subject I have some experience with), you will know the right one when you hold it in your hand.
I carry my Beretta every day and some/most would tell you that the gun is too big and heavy for carry but when I picked it up it felt right and the weight/size does not bother me in the slightest (I think it helps in the .40), if I was worried about weight I would have gone to a 9mm (better follow up shots).
But the single most important thing is that you are comfortable with it and that you develop “muscle memory” for the operation of it.
A tip (if you are going to carry it), do not bother with targets, go to the dollar store and find some paper plates as they are the right size for COM (center of mass) training, put them at 15 yards at a range and draw from the holster that you carry in A LOT!!!, learn this move, it might come in handy one day (I hope not, but…).
unclviny, who hopes for the best and trains for the worst.
G,
I think that the single most important factor (after the logical stuff) is “pointabilty” and “hand feel”.
It’s like buying a motorcycle (a subject I have some experience with), you will know the right one when you hold it in your hand.
I carry my Beretta every day and some/most would tell you that the gun is too big and heavy for carry but when I picked it up it felt right and the weight/size does not bother me in the slightest (I think it helps in the .40), if I was worried about weight I would have gone to a 9mm (better follow up shots).
But the single most important thing is that you are comfortable with it and that you develop “muscle memory” for the operation of it.
A tip (if you are going to carry it), do not bother with targets, go to the dollar store and find some paper plates as they are the right size for COM (center of mass) training, put them at 15 yards at a range and draw from the holster that you carry in A LOT!!!, learn this move, it might come in handy one day (I hope not, but…).
unclviny, who hopes for the best and trains for the worst.
I agree with unclviny; the “best” gun for you is the one you feel most comfortable shooting, because that will affect how well you handle it. Most modern firearms are so well engineered that they’re almost interchangeable on hings like reliability and durability. Having said that, the Glock is considered one of the best, most reliable handguns ever designed. Hundreds of police agencies and the Austrian Army can’t all be wrong.
I have a Glock 27 and I like it. It is reliable, simple to maintain, compact enough to carry without difficulty, and very rugged.
Marc