I'm looking for a 9mm for range use and it may see home defense duty as well. Already have a CCW, so this can be anywhere from compact to full size. It needs to be comfortable to shoot for a couple hundred or more rounds. My Walther P99C surprised me with it's muzzle flip and isn't a whole lot of fun to shoot after a while. I've heard alot of praise for all of these pistols. The Beretta PX4 feels good in my hand, the Glock feels fine and has alot of rabid fans, the Sig Pro is probably a soft shooter since it's pretty heavy, and the HK is said to handle recoil really well for it's compact size. I've never handled the Steyr - found a local shop with one and I need to go check it out. It seems like a terrific value. Anybody who has owned/fired more than one of this group of pistols, I'd like to hear what you think. I expect a certain amount of bias with this being a Steyr forum.
all of the pistols you mentioned are kinda what I think of as the "top tier" polymers (though the XD should probably be on that list too. Honestly they are all more similar than different. That said slightly different bore axis, ammo finickiness, inherit accuracy, pointability, trigger reach, etc. are all gonna vary and each has their better and weaker points. From that list comes down to preferences for features and feel in the hand. There is no right or wrong in that list. For me the low bore axis, tennifer treated metal, best feeling DAO trigger, very smooth action/tight tolerances, and lack of flex due to the steel subframe are the advantages of the steyr. But your right I'm biased, the second I picked one up in the store it just "fit" me like a glove and the rest I found out about later and just confirmed I had the gun for me. YMMV Downsides is requires more lube, is more susceptible to limpwristing, accessories are few, doesn't really require more routine cleaning than others (except the glock) but does require things like cleaning the extractor channel and FP channell out more than say a P99 or USP. Some can have definite preferences for cheap range ammo (i.e. rem vs wwb; wolf is out completely) but all seem good w/ the premium SD loads.
Yeah, those are all outstanding polymor pistols and in the size range I would want for what you seem to be looking for. The only thing I would add to FlaChef's excellent reply is that if the muzzle flip on the P99C bothers you than your probably not going to like the muzzle flip on the HKP2k either. Although, I have to tell you I have a P99C and I fired an HKP2k as a rental before buying it finding that it had just a little more muzzle flip in my humble opinion. Glocks, well to me the main selling point to a Glock isn't its accuracy and certainly not its ergonomics it is the reliability they are infamous for having. If you're looking for a gun that will go boom and doesn't need much in the way of cleaning you should go for a Glock. However, if you're looking for something fun and comfortable to shoot I'd stay away from them. I have no experience with the Sig Pro or the Beretta PX4 so I'll leave that to someone else to reply to. I love the Steyr it is a great pistol it shoots well, but you've got to keep it cleaned, oiled, and fed with decent ammo. However, I've always said a pistol is only a good pistol if you can hit what you're aiming at with it and the Steyr does make you feel like more of a pro out there because it is just such a fine pistol for having fixed sights.
Thanks for the replies. I've only had the P99C a short while and my gut feeling is that I'll adapt to the recoil and it won't even phase me after more range time. That's what happened after I stuck with my .38 S&W Airweight. Recoil, with practice, always seems to get better, not worse. I'm really looking for more of an all-around 9mm right now, and I'm gonna try to make the P99C work for my CCW. Most the pistols I listed are bigger than I'd want for CCW except for the HKP2K, but it's good you mentioned that you found it to be snappier than the P99C - maybe I'll take it off the list if that's the case. For a range pistol, I think any of these would be pretty sweet - have held them all except the Steyr. The Sig might be on the bulky-feeling side, need to check it out again. I know the G19 is a good pistol, but I'm not crazy about the trigger...
I've shot most of these pistols and like the others who have responded find the Steyr to be the best for many reasons, but certainly recoil. Very nice to shoot. I strongly dislike most HK's for their price and ergonomics/high bore axis, triggers etc. The Steyr is also a good size for ccw. I have had no problems shooting Wolf ammo in my pistols, but as a side bar, I do not recommend Wolf's laquered rifle ammunition. It froze my AK 47 closed when the laquer hardened!!!! Not good.............. 8-O
One thing to give a lot of consideration to is aftermarket accessories. If you don't like the G19 trigger it can be made much better for about $15-$45 dollars. Just add a #3.5 connector, then an adjustable trigger stop, and smooth trigger if you prefer. It makes a huge difference. After making those changes I would say it is slightly better than the trigger on my M9-A1. The grip on the Steyr is much better though in my opinion.
Excluding the Steyr I would go with Px4 I'm a huge Beretta fan and heard great things about the gun. I also prefer DA/SA to DAO; safer to carry or keep it loaded IMO. I like my M9-A1 but personally I hate depending on safety mechanisms that prevent the hammer/firing pin from going off. The fact that hammer is down (so the gun won't go off no-matter what) makes me sleep easier at night
I finally found a local gun shop with a M9-A1 in stock - need to go look at it soon. He's priced too high at $499 + tax, but at least I can get a feel. If I love it I'll order it elsewhere. The PX4 feels good in hand, although (maybe you Beretta owners can offer an opinion here) I read on another forum that Beretta customer service stinks. So that's a negative. I don't care for the way the FNP/Browning Pro-9 feels. I know a guy who loves his Pro-9, but that doesn't matter if it feels wrong to me. Sig Pro, I need to look at 'em again. Almost bought one last fall and didn't. May be a bit bulky in the grip for my taste. G19 should be a terrific pistol according to nearly everybody - but the same money will get me a Steyr with a better trigger, so I'm hoping to like the Steyr's ergonomics. I'm glad you guys mentioned HK having a high bore-axis and being on the snappy side. Sounds like my P99C all over again. Will report back after I do some more shopping and/or buy a new pistol.
I have a PX4 in 9mm...a M40-A1...and a Sig Pro 2022 in .357 sig...they are all very well made and accurate shooters. Out of the three...I would say that the Steyr feels the most comfortable...almost tailor made to my hand...the PX4 is also nice in the hands. The safety switch on the PX4 is kind of annoying because my thumb will sometimes slip on it rather than disengaging it when I try to do it quickly...so I just keep the safety off and only use it as a decocker. The Sig feels comfortable...and the internals are built like a tank...but it does have a high bore axis...but it's easy to control and handles recoil well. The Sig has one of the best DA/SA trigger pulls...with the PX4's trigger being almost as nice IMO. The Steyr's trigger is very crisp and short... The PX4's rotating barrel system is a pretty cool design...and makes for a good accurate and soft shooting platform...the glow in the dark sights are somewhat useless for me...not too convenient to have to charge them with a light source at night before using it... The Steyr is the most ergonomic gun I've held...it just becomes part of my hand...and the trapezoidal sights are very quick and easy to bring on target...wish they were night sights... The Sig...is well...a Sig...accurate and quality built...and it comes with a decent set of night sights from the factory... I've tried to like the G19...but the grip just doesn't fit my hand right...I don't like the grip angle...and the finger grooves don't fit quite right... As for Beretta customer service...I've heard nothing but good things about them...
I have owned all of the mentioned sem-autos listed except for the PX4. I am all set with Beretta's. My favorite to shoot and carry is my M9-A1 for sure. It has a smooth trigger pull, low muzzle flip, light recoil, and I think the sights are real cool and they help me aim better (IMHO). I could not be happier.
I've gotta give my vote to the sig pro. I've shot all of those except the hk. DA/SA is my favorite trigger platform and was the deciding factor for me buying the sig pro over the steyr. The sig pro has a great trigger feel. Very smooth. You get meprolight night sights from the factory (so that's about 80 extra bucks you save). The extra weight helps with the recoil I feel. It has excellent accuracy for a short barrel. Some say the take down is hard. It may be harder to take down than the px4 but not much. Some find the grip too wide, but it feels perfect for me.
