So I’m shopping around for a new .40 S&W pistol and have seen several models which might be good candidates. I’m looking for a combination of accuracy and reliability withouth having to take a second mortgage out on my house. I already have a S&W model 410 but am looking for something a bit nicer. The CZ(model escapes me) felt good and I’ve seen good review. The Springfield XD appears to be a good pistol and I’m reading things about it “out Glocking the Glocks”. Any recommendations on a non-subcompact .40 S&W pistol that’s under $600?
Does it have to be new? You can get a used GLOCK 22 or 23 for much less than $500. I’ve also heard good things about the Springfield XD, although I’ve not fired one yet. You could also luck into a used SIG for less than that, and don’t worry too much about size as the “sub-compact” P239 is not nearly as small as, say, the GLOCK 27.
May I suggest checking out your local gun shop? What really matters is that it fits your hand right and you’re happy with it, otherwise there’s no point in owning it. They usually have a nice used gun selection, and it’s all but impossible for casual users to shoot guns to the point of destruction. If they look well-maintained they should be quite adequate for your needs.
Here is a SIG SAUER P226 with night sights in .40 S&W with one 12-round magazine for $600. I love my SIG, which is a 357SIG, because it allows me to buy a drop-in barrel and voila!, just that quickly I have a .40 S&W. SIG makes good stuff.
I’ve looked at a few at my local shooting range/gun shop. I’ve handled a few but the problem is, they only rent the Glocks to test fire. If it has a good price and feels good but shoots piss poor, it’s a waste of money. I will probably look into a few used models but was interested in some first hand opinions on different models. I have multiple pistols in a range of calibers so experience with weapons is not a problem, just looking for some Doper’s opinions on the matter.
Can’t help on the “non-subcompact” front much. I shoot a Firestar in .40. Never had a problem with it. Quite accurate, for the size.
Airman, I’m going to shoot this afternoon so I’ll look over the Sig at the shop. Thanks for the comments in the thread. Let me ask you a question about the Sig. If tomorrow, the shit hit the fan and your life depended on that Sig, how confident would you be in the weapon? Shit hit the fan being anything from someone comes into your home to you being stuck in New Orleans during Katrina or any other scenario you associate with the expression.
I would be 100% confident in the weapon. It is a quality piece of equipment. It is very finely machined, ergonomic (for me, anyway), and has never jammed or misfed ammunition. If I ever get the coin I’ll get a holster for it, load it with hollowpoints, and carry it on occasion instead of my GLOCK.
Crafter,
any experience with this pistol. I am reading reviews and it looks very interesting.
I’m surprised that catsix hasn’t weighed in on this yet. If she had, she would have rebuked me for my GLOCK bias (like she always does… 
) and told you to look at a Ruger. Personally, I find the grips for them intolerably wide and therefore insanely uncomfortable, but she swears by hers, so those are worth looking into as well. Again, different people like different things.
I have a Ruger P345 in .45 ACP which I love except for one issue. After about 2000 rounds, a small wire fell off the slide catch. When I say small, it was so minor I didn’t even notice it and it probably cost about $0.0001. Well, each time I fired the weapon after that, the damn slide would lock in place. Ruger replaced the part for free and it works now but it sure as hell shook my confidence in the weapon. It’s accurate and easy to field strip but I want a hand gun I can go to hell and back with.
My .40 S&W preference is based on double taps and rapid fire. I find the recoil more managable making my firing more accurate.
I have a Kahr K40 and absolutely love it 
. I bought it used for $550, new they are pretty expensive. It is highly accurate, lightweight and pretty darn spiffy if you ask me. I have heard alot of complaints about the polymer bodied ones, but my is all stainless steel, no problems with it. The only thing that may be a problem for you is that it is DAO.
I’ll second the Ruger nominations… my 9mm P95D is as tough as they come (2200 rounds and counting!). I have big hands, so the grips don’t bother me.
I’d be happy with a P944, myself.
I’ve also wondered about the HK offerings, like the USP and the P2000. HK has a good reputation, and the pistols look cool also.
Anyone know anything about them?
I have a friend that let me shoot his USP Match pistol. I’m not sure of the difference between that and the standard USP (with the exception of the compensator at the muzzle end) but I can say that it felt very well put together, and if the standard USP is anything like that it would be at least worth looking at.
Seconded. IMHO Sig and H&K are the best engineered, highest reliability pistols you can buy. However, if “tomorrow, the shit hit the fan and your life depended on that Sig,” while I’d want a P229 (or an H&K USP) on my hip, I’d want a 12 gauge shotgun or rifle-caliber carbine in my hands.
Stranger
Same here for Shotgun or Rifle. Problem is they don’t fit too well in the glove compartment so the odds I’m going to have the weapon with me anyplace but at home is slim to none. When we evacuated for Katrina my pistol collection was sitting in my house. In a huge rush with a family to evacuate at 3am, firearms never made the list of things to take. That really pissed the wife off when two days later I had to buy a 9mm to go back into the city with supplies for my family. Now both vehicles have a weapon in the glovebox.
I’m considering the Springfield XD. I’ve also shot a friend’s Steyr in .40, it was a pretty nice little gun too.
I’ve had my eye on one of these along with its slightly bigger brother here for some time. I like the action on the fullsize models, and I really want to find one of these to take to the local range to see how they feel in action–along with an idea of the accuracy. Darned purty weapons, to my mind…
I’m pretty happy with my Beretta Vertec. The police departments around here seem to be as well.
These are patterned after the CZ-75 type (which is an excellent design, on par with the Browning Hi-Power). The IMI Jericho (and the similar Uzi Eagle and Baby Desert Eagle) are big guns, though (even the Compact versions) and in steel frame, quite heavy. I don’t think I’ve ever shot one, but they seem to have a reputation for reliablity and at least servicable accuracy. If I were going to get a CZ pattern gun, though I think I’d either get a Tanfolglio/EAA Witness or (at the premium price range) the Sphinx 3000 pistols, both of which have excellent reputations.
Stranger