I think it would be foolish to ignore the wisdom of “authorities” who use and rely on certain tools every day and see others using a wide variety of the same tools on a regular basis. They are in a very good position to see what works and what doesn’t. Most of them get to try a lot of options but in the end they are going to settle on the one they know they can count on from their experience and the experience of their piers.
I work in remote areas of the Southwest and have to drive on a lot of crazy roads that no tow truck is ever going to be able to pull me out of. At least 80% of the people I work with choose one brand of vehicle and 1 brand of tire. Some try cheaper or more exotic options but after a few failures they almost always show up on a future project with the solid choice. I trusted the experience of the “authorities” when I first started out here and haven’t regretted it yet.
The best 9mm to carry is the one you will train and practice with alot! I’ve seen all makes and models come through our training academy. Most guns run fine in basic classes where you shoot 100 to 150 rounds. But in serious training classes where students are shooting 500 to 1,000 rounds in a weekend you start to see a pattern on what works best. You also start to see that these “training junkies” as we are called who take multiple classes a year are mostly shooting Glocks and S&W because they have already figured out which gun is best to carry. The ones that are most reliable in course after course.
Just for the sake of argument, allow me to propose an alternate theory for why these folks use Glocks and M&P. I do not really advance this theory as I know it is a logical fallacy.
Most people will succumb to group pressure in most areas of life. We do this as children, adolescents, and adults. Personally, I think that as seniors we become less concerned about what others think. Still, takes a very unusual person to ignore our peers and make decisions our own regardless of what others decide.
Is it not possible that some or all are choosing Glock and M&P because others are choosing them? If it is at least possible, what does that do to your argument regarding reliability?
I am never concerned with what others think about the things they own. People think all sorts of stupid things. I do always pay attention to what peoples actual experiences are. I mostly see a lot more hate on the internet and at the range for Glocks than I see love. Ugly, poor grip angle, cheap sights, so so trigger, etc. Most of my peers deride the lowly utilitarian Glock. But a lot of professionals rely on them daily.
I own a 12 year old G19 gen3. It is boring, basic, blocky and does not fit my hand very well. But I can shoot it very quickly and accurately and it goes bang every time. The only thing I have replaced on it is the recoil spring. Not because it failed but because after 1000s of rounds and many years I just figured it was time.
I also own a Sig P365 that I love most everything about. Fits my hand perfectly, easy to conceal and I can shoot it almost as well as the g19 at least out to 20 yards or so. But if I had to rely on a gun to go 2000+ rounds of hard use without any cleaning or maintenance it would be the Glock, hands down.
So best to carry every day. I go with the P365 for me for a variety of reasons. But if I didn’t require the smaller size I would go with the G19.
There is probably some truth to that, but I can tell you I absolutely hated Glocks. I tried just about every other brand. I went back and forth Springfield, Ruger, FN, CZ, etc. I just couldn’t stand glocks. But the CZs were really finicky and required a lot of cleaning to keep them running. The Springfield had magazine spring issues, the Ruger and FN ok, but hard to find aftermarket holster that I liked. So,I reluctantly switch to Gloc and haven’t had any issues.
Well, is it possible that a lot of people chose Glocks, for example, because a lot of law enforcement use Glocks? Do we not believe they do so because their proven track record?
I wanted to challenge your post earlier too, but you can’t deny the fact that M&Ps and Glocks are proven time and time again. They simply just work. Yeah, other guns are probably fine, maybe even comparable, but at the end of the day the question is what is the best 9mm carry gun.
There’s two ways to look at it. What is the best tool as far as reliability, accuracy, ease to maintain, user friendly vs what will someone carry.
“The best gun is the gun you carry daily” - I think this is the best answer. However, that doesn’t mean people carry the best tool for the job. It just means they carry what is comfortable to them.
I carry m&ps. I have a family member who always gets mad at me because I always talk about getting a fun new gun, and when I decide to buy a gun, I always walk away with an M&P. It’s a proven make and it’s affordable .
The best part is Glock and M&P have guns of varying size. A G43 and Shield make great carry guns that are comfortable to carry. I think these guns are starting to get overlooked because of the p365 and the Hellcat, but even those guns (which I believe are great guns) don’t have the same track record of the G43 and the Shield.
Like you said earlier, the best gun is the one you practice and train with, but there is truth in proven models at this time. No one has to wonder if M&P or Glocks will be reliable firearms after years of service.
I think that my Kimbers and CZs are reliable. They can run 1000 rounds without cleaning. I use Kimber Tac-Mags in my Kimbers and I use CZ mags in my CZ 75s including the SP-01. I don’t know about 2000. Maybe not. But is that the true measure of reliability? Hard for me to think of any application beyond extreme training where so many rounds get fired. For me, reliable is about whether it fires when I need it to? Never had any of my guns refuse to fire the first round or subsequent rounds so they are all reliable. Regular maintenance is one factor in them remaining so and not a reliability negative.
I read somewhere that the Army tested the 1911 before accepting it as the service handgun. The story went that it fired 60,000 rounds and the only thing they did to keep it running is to dip it in water to cool it down occasionally. Is that reliable or is reliable about what some group of elite professional shooters prefer, for whatever reason. Needs to be about what I prefer. And the guns I prefer are sufficiently reliable. Not going to switch to Glock because some group of shooters who I never even met like them.
I myself have been shooting M&Ps and Glocks for a long time and find them reliable. I have also shot Kimbers, CZs, and FNs which I take nothing away from and are well made and reliable. It’s a matter of how they feel in your hands and how you can shoot with it. There are no negatives in any of the firearms mentioned in these posts. As a matter of fact they are all exceptional firearms. But in this forum we can agree to disagree, and do so maturely. So IMHO carry the 9mm that best fits your needs and you are comfortable with.
you can also change how you carry…iwb/pocket, I like my Glock 43. OWB holstered I like my Glock 26, Belly Band, I love the 19…the 43 is an easy carry, and I shoot it nearly as well as my fullsize guns…but try a belly band holster with your Masada and you may like it.
Maybe but that is not really a good indicator either. Government agencies and Militaries around the world really have 1 thing in common…they buy based on the lowest bid.
That doesn’t automatically make a gun bad because Glocks, Beretta, Sig, etc are all great guns.
But you can’t assume a gun is great simply because an agency has it.
That being said, people absolutely buy what they see agencies adopting instead of doing their own research to see what works best for them.
Not sure if it is still this way or not, but the US Military required an external safety on the pistols. That rules out a lot of great guns off the bat. There are endless debates about the need for an external safety but you need to recognize the Military operates under different conditions than a civilian.
Those are all fair points and I was not trying to imply that weapons other than those selected by military and law enforcement are bad nor that those they do select are automatically good, especially for civilian EDC. However, proven track records do speak “loudly” when selecting an EDC in my book. I’m a big fan of Sigs, for example, but not only due to what agencies may use it. But again, yes, not implying that other guns are bad.
The best carry gun is the one you train with and are comfortable shooting. I’ve had a Ruger American compact, but now I carry a VP9SK and it is the one I am the most comfortable with.
I have been anti-Glock for years. I just didn’t want to jump on the bandwagon until I needed what my wife calls my “church gun”. I needed a really small form factor pistol that was easy to conceal under my suit coat at church. I walked into a gun store intent on buying a Walther PK380. My wife carries one and I really liked it. They didn’t have one, but would I be interested in a very gently used Glock 42?
I took it to the range, prepared to hate it. First magazine, all in the ten ring at 10 yards. Moved to the 25 yard line. Next mag, four of six in a 6-inch target.
What the crap?
I was not ready to be completely blown away by how accurate it was, no pun intended. I now have a Glock 19 as a home defense pistol.
Glock and S&W have lots of aftermarket accessories available. Be sure you can find a reliable holster for whatever you choose. Extra mags, trigger upgrades, sights, etc.?
So many quality 9mm EDC pistols to choose. I have four that I carry depending on what I am wearing and where I am going. A small Ruger LC9s, Walther CCP & a Glock 26. The Glock is a double stack with an extension for a 15 or 17 round mag. The other two are single stacks with 7 rounds & 8 rounds which I carry an extra mag along with them. The Walther is the most accurate, the Ruger is the most comfortable & the Glock hold most rounds.
I have full sized 9mms which I do not carry but are fantastic home defense pistols. My primary home defense pistol is the Ruger American Pro 9mm. It’s a tank. It’s a big, heavy service gun with 18 round mags, tritium sights, Talon sticky grips & a 500 lumin torch. My secondary home defense pistol by where I sit during the day is a Taurus 1911 45. Every one of my guns have night sights. I have 3 1911 45s & 4 full size 9mms. The other full size 9s are a Glock 17, Ruger P89 & Smith&Wesson M&P. The other 1911 45s are a Smith&Wesson & a Ruger.
This is undeniably the golden age of firearms, there’s just no end to good, reliable firearms, all good info above, if you can’t find something that fits your hand, pulls up straight, points well, is accurate with recoil you can handle you’re just not looking.
as we are called who take multiple classes a year are mostly shooting Glocks and S&W because they have already figured out which gun is best to carry. The ones that are most reliable in course after course.
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