Reliable Pistol
 

In my neighborhood we have had such a rash of burglaries night and day and even with people in the house that I have decided to finally buy a gun for shooting people instead of animals.

I do not like to have a loaded gun around but do not mind having a loaded magazine next to an empty gun. I have looked at the specs on almost all of the pistols available and have settled on about 5 that have barrel lengths that suit me and are in 9mm which has a low enough recoil that even I can probably hit a person inside the house several times in a row. I have added a Colt 1911 in 39 Super just out of nostalgia. Double action means nothing to me being as I am so used to single action that I would never use it. Revolvers are too slow to load and I have several already.

What I want to know is only one thing. Which of these is the most reliable and jam free. I do not want a pistol that is finicky and has to constantly have the magazine lips adjusted nor do I want to have to try to clear a stoppage when I most need to shoot. If there is a 4.5 -5.0 inch barrel 9mm that I have not listed then feel to add it to the list.

The pistols under consideration are
Glock 34
Berretta 92
H&K USP Tactical (USP9 SD)
Sig P250
Colt 1911 38 Super”

PM sent. Here's a good link on a Glock 21 torture test LINK I'd personally go with the Glock.

The Springfield XD tactical is also a good weapon.

Sir, I second the vote for glock. It will go bang everytime you want it to. In 9mm I would go with the 19. I had a XD in .40, I sold it in less then 3 months and went back to the glock.

V/r
Anevolution

Not necessarily, I've personally had my dept issued Glock 21 go click no bang twice in 4 years.... both were on the range thank God, bad striker spring both times IIRC, could have been my wicked bad luck/karma, but I never felt great about Glocks after the 2nd time it happened. BTW I am/was extremely anal retentive about cleaning my weapons, I carried a back up Sig 239 in a vest holster as a result. Put thousands of rounds through both my Sigs (220&239) and neither has ever missed a beat.

I’ll always vote Sig (until I find something better) Just my .02 YMMV. (Sig also do good deals direct for Mil/LEOs as well),

And I've got two XD tacticals (9mm & .45) that you can't talk me out of. :p FWIW - I would check out the XDm 9mm, maybe the new 3.8 version, or look into a S&W M&P in 9mm since you seem to have a rationale for your caliber choice. Sorry, I'm (obviously) not a Glock fan. Otherwise a Sig 229, 250 or the USP varient. Why give up magazine capacity in favor of nostalgia with the 1911? I've personally used everything except the M&P and the 250. I've got respected friends who've given me input on them, that's why I'm comfortable with passing the opinion. Good luck.

I've got more experience with the Glocks than anything else

I have the option with my department to carry whatever gun I want and I carry a Glock everyday

Smith and Wesson M&P's are really nice and very reliable. I have one with over 5,000 rounds on it with no issues. I had a G34 and hated it and it's extended slide, the G17 and 19 feel more natural to me, YMMV. The H&K P30 and the P2000 are two more that should be on your list of wonder nines to consider.

Defender968:
Your cleaning habits could have something to do with your issues. Glocks like to be run a bit dryer then other guns and maybe a bit dirtier. You being anal about cleaning and stripping your gun could have played a part in the failure. Getting two bad striker springs after being replaced with oe parts by a glock armor sounds to me like something else is wrong.

V/r
Anevolution

I own a 9mm P250c that I use as my carry pistol. I've put around 1k rounds out of it without a jam. Also, I like that if I want to have a .45 or a .357 sig or any of the aforementioned calibers in a standard size I just have to buy the kit and not a new handgun. So far it carries well and is really light even with all 17 rounds. Mine was a certified pre-own I picked up off of gunbroker.com. If you are considering one check with Youth Shooting Sports Alliance on gunbroker mine was in perfect condition and I only paid $400 for it :D. It's a charity organization auction and they have one up for bidding right now.


T.P.

+1 for the XD
I've been shooting my XD9 religiously for several years and treating it like shit and have never had a problem.

Great choices here...but.
 

My two cents probably aren't worth that much when it comes to pistols but here goes.
Of several 9mms I have the Berretta 92 is near flawlessI say near because it has never failed me. Eats anything I load it forgivingly, accurate, and carries lots of rounds.
My favorite shooter is the Walther P99QC, a little expensive but never has failed and shoots fast, it's .40cal, I've a couple of .45s but my favorire non malfunctioning one is a Ruger P97DC. Also eats what ever I feed it.

I don't own but have fired a Springfield XD .45 of a friends and really like it.
I also like my 1860 Colt cap 'n Ball, but wouldn't defend my home with it even if jesse James robbed banks with it. LOL Dave

With out a doubt I would go with the Glock. Reliability, cost, accuracy, and accessibility for mags and after market parts, you can not beat a Glock. I carry a Glock 19 every day.

I have a Glock 19C I have carried off duty for 12 years now. I have put a few thousand rounds through it in that time and have never had a problem with function or accuracy. It is large enough to use as a service weapon and small enough to conceal under most circumstances.

H&K
 

Sir,
I +1 everyone on the Glock, I love them. But that H&K is the Lexus of handguns IMHO. I own the same one, just in the .45 version. The smoothest firing .45 I have ever owned, so I would imagine the same or better for a 9 MM. Pretty pricey though, and it is important that you always shoot premium/match ammo through it. Kinda like putting unleaded in a mercedes - just doesn't work. And the sights on the tactical are big, so you are pretty limited on the selection of holsters if you want to go concealed. My front sight post sticks out like a shark fin and doesn't fit anything but the Blackhawk drop leg with the jumpable retention strap. Although with the popularity rising I assume manufacturers are building to those specs.