[daddySEAL]

I still have space for one more pistol in my safe.
(I'm looking for something by a different maker than my 4)

I have a Glock 23, a Springfield XD40 subcompact, A Beretta(Stoeger)8000 Cougar, and A Taurus Millenium Pro PT-40

What is the very best semi-auto pistol by any other makers that you've ever owned(and still made today) for accuracy, reliability, durability and good feel in your hand to shoot?

(I stay wit 40 cal. to make my reloading simpler for all my weapons)

Please tell me your very most favorite

 

[wwb]

re: What is the very best semi-auto pistol you've ever owned

1911

It served the U.S. Military for about 75 years and they're considering going back to it (plus, the Army Special Forces and the Navy SEALs never quit using it).

If you've ever watched IPSC or other pistol competition, the 1911 totally dominates.

You can have it in .45 ACP, .40 S&W, .38 Super, 9x19, 45-38 Clarke, and who knows what else.

Personally, I've fired Ruger, S&W, Glock, and SIG pistols.. DA and DAO flavors. Some folks may find otherwise, but as far as I'm concerned, none of them measured up to the 1911.

What else is there to say?

 

[daddySEAL]

re: What is the very best semi-auto pistol you've ever owned

Do you mean the Springfield maker(aren't those 45's?)?
I've read other companies are making copycat 1911s...like Taurus, Colt and Dan Wesson, and Sig, etc.

Is that too bulky to carry concealed?

 

[wwb]

re: What is the very best semi-auto pistol you've ever owned

The original 1911, both civilian and military, was manufactured by Colt. During WWII, there were about a half-dozen companies producing 1911 pistols.

What makes it a 1911 is the basic design - single action with a grip safety, a hammer block/slide lock safety, and a trigger/hammer interlock safety. Today, there are several manufacturers.... Rock Island, Springfield Armory, Colt, Kimber, Wilson Combat, etc. They can be finished in blued, stainless, parkerized, teflon, etc.

The 1911 comes in 3 basic flavors -
Government model - most common
Long slide - longer barrel, target model
Commander - shorter barrel, 1 shot less in mag (shorter grip)

The commander is reasonably well-suited to concealed carry, but is still kind of on the large size. For CC, my choice would be a small-frame revolver in .357 Mag.

An internet search on "1911 pistol" will keep you reading for a lifetime.... but here's a good place to start:

http://www.m1911.org/

 

[Asylum Keeper]

re: What is the very best semi-auto pistol you've ever owned

You can have it in .45 ACP, .40 S&W, .38 Super, 9x19, 45-38 Clarke, and who knows what else.

as well as
.22LR, .17HM2, .357 SIG, 10MM, .45 Super, .460 Rowland, .400 Cor-Bon, .440 Cor-Bon, .30 Luger, .50GI, .50AE

Get a 1911. Kimber, Colt, Springfield Armory all make very god pistols.

 

[Pistolero]

re: What is the very best semi-auto pistol you've ever owned

For out of the box, no tuning required reliability it's hard to beat a Sig Sauer.

Since you prefer the .40 caliber, there is a huge selection of Sig pistols, from the compact 239 to the full size 226.

 

[Chaco1]

re: What is the very best semi-auto pistol you've ever owned

I second the Colt 1911/1991. Mine is the easiest shooting pistol i have ever shot and almost all who try it say the same thing.

 

[Fuelburns2]

re: What is the very best semi-auto pistol you've ever owned

Its a draw between these two.

Springfield 1911 Long Slide

IMI "baby" Desert Eagle available in 9mm .40S&W and .45acp. Every one of my friends who have shot this gun either now own one or will soon. My first vote is for the 1911 but if you want a .40 then this one is hard to beat.

 

[txgolfer51]

re: What is the very best semi-auto pistol you've ever owned

No one "very best". That I've owned... G23 and G27. A Lot depends upon what you want it for. Full size in .40 s&w for range and home defense? G22, Sig P226, H&K USP are all proven performers.

 

[claybird]

re: What is the very best semi-auto pistol you've ever owned

Well , Let me think.Out of the 7 or 8 that I have owned over
the years I always though it was the Colt Combat Commander
in 45ACP. That was until I ran a few boxes thru the CZ75 Compact in 9mm. Now I want a CZ75 in 40cal.
Biggest disapointment was the Beretta 92 and 96 9mm.

 

[john1911]

re: What is the very best semi-auto pistol you've ever owned

I've tried several semi-autos. P-95, 92, XD-40, 1911 and a few more. I prefer the 1911 over all others. Good fit, reliable (with good magazines), accurate and easy to shoot. They only problem I've had has been magazine related. Buy a 1911, toss the factory mags and buy some Wilson Combat mags.

 

[jaymce]

re: What is the very best semi-auto pistol you've ever owned

My favorite is my Desert Eagle in .357 but it is not very practical.
My favorite all around gun is my SIG 226. If you do not have a Sig I highly recomend one. This is the gun I can give to any one and they can hit the target. One guy, who was practicing in preparation to qualify with his Smith and Wesson Semi-auto he intended to use as his police duty gun, asked me how long my buddy and I had been shooting, (we both were placing much tighter groups than him) I answered that I had been shooting about a year but my buddy had never picked up a gun prior 30min ago he just packed his stuff and walked off the range.

I have shot several thousand rounds through it with never a malfunction. I have shot plate with it and seen other guys slide a magazine in there Glock and seen the mag drop right back out. Never had that happen to me. It is easy to disassemble and clean, there are plenty of high cap mags available, and it is just a great all round shooter.

I would also like to try an H&K but they are not available to me in this state.

 

[noahtaylor_00]

re: What is the very best semi-auto pistol you've ever owned

I have several 1911 pistols and love everyone of them great pistol. I have a couple of Springfields, a Colt, Kimber and a Smith And Wesson 1911. However I really really like my Sig Sauer P220 45, great feel, super reliable and probably one of the most accurate large caliber pistols out of the box.

 

[Rev.]

re: What is the very best semi-auto pistol you've ever owned

I have many handguns, five of which are Glocks. My newest is a G22 in which I have installed a 357 Sig barrel. This quickly becoming my favorite.

 

[Roadkill Bill]

re: What is the very best semi-auto pistol you've ever owned

I'm a huge Glock fan, however, since you already own one, I'd have to go with the SIG. You can't beat the ergonomics, and they passed the military tests just like the Beretta. The government went with the Beretta simply because they were cheaper--not better. Handle the SIG and see if it doesn't feel better in your hand than any other semi-auto.

 

[Alert]

re: What is the very best semi-auto pistol you've ever owned

Sig Sauer 229 9mm two tone with nightsights

 

[GunChef]

re: What is the very best semi-auto pistol you've ever owned

I have a S&W model 457S 45acp. For the quality and vaule this pistol is great. It has done what was expected of it and does it well.
S&W Model 457

The spirit of models 28 and 46 lives on at Smith & Wesson in the Value Series guns. These reached their position of "best buy" status with the 1996 introduction of the Model 457, a compact 7+1 shot .45 ACP with an aluminum-alloy frame. This series of pistols has plainer finishes and the edges are squarer and blunter to save machining of contours.

All Value Series versions of the conventional DA first-shot S&W autos are good buys. For example, the Model 908 at $466 is the Value Series treatment of the top-line Model 3913 in the same 9mm chainbering, which retails for $662 -- an almost 30 percent savings. The 457 carries a suggested retail of $515, compared to the stainless top-line Model 4516's $822 price tag. This is a whopping 37 percent savings.

It gets better. The 4516 is a chunky, all-steel pistol. The aluminum alloy-framed 457 is much lighter and more portable. The only counterpart in the S&W line is a very high-end pistol, custom made for a certain distributor and selling for roughly twice the price of a 457.

Very reliable and very accurate, the Model 457 is probably the best buy in the S&W catalog today.

 

[darkgael]

re: What is the very best semi-auto pistol you've ever owned

Just saw this thread.
The first thought that popped into my mind for questions like this is "best" in what way. Accuracy? Reliability? Concealability? Etc. Most of the posters have accommodated that by mentioning more than one gun. I'd have to put my Colt 1911 Gold Cup as #1. But it's not a gun to carry. I like a Glock 36 for the belt or pocket.
My most accurate gun is a Hi Standard Victor - with the Colt a close second. The gun that is most often in my pocket is S&Ws little 317 Airlite .22 - at 10oz. loaded, it's a great walk in the woods gun. A really fun gun (reliable, 20 round mag., accurate - just over 4" group at 100yds) is FN Herstal's FiveSeven.
Pete

 

[RuffBuff]

re: What is the very best semi-auto pistol you've ever owned

That's an easy one for me, but I hesitate to mention it because, although it is still available in that it can be gotten from the Custom Shop, they are a bit tough to find otherwise.

It's a Browning High Power, 9 mm, Herstal Belgium

If that one doesn't qualify, here's my carry pistol.

It's a Para-Ordnance LDA CCO, .45ACP, single stack ... my second choice. It's still available.

 

[claydoctor]

re: What is the very best semi-auto pistol you've ever owned

That first one that RuffBuff posted looks very much like what I was going to suggest. I have two, the European police model I carried in Korea circa 1968 and the Curt Hardcastle customized version I added to the collection later. Hard to beat for workmanship if that is your criteria.