I'd like to get some suggestions from the forum for a full size 9mm semi-auto to use for target shooting. I have a couple of 9mm sub-compact striker-fired semi autos -- one is used as a bedside home defense weapon, and one is my EDC. But as you know, these small plastic-framed guns are not a lot of fun for target shooting. They're pretty snappy and hard to shoot tight groupings with, which is to be expected owing to their intended use and design. When I want pleasurable shooting and tight groups, I use one of my S&W revolvers.

I'd like to get a full-size semi-auto for a more enjoyable range experience when shooting 9mm, but I don't know a lot about what's good and what's not. Something with good capacity and a red dot sight. A Staccato P would fill the bill, but I don't want to spend that kind of money, nor am I interested in a 1911. I was thinking about a 5" M&P 2.0 Performance Center (pictured). If it was available with a manual safety, I wouldn't even be asking the question, as I would have already gotten one. Maybe I'm just being paranoid, as I know a manual safety is not all that important for a range-only item.

Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

You can always add the safety. You see the little square cut out in the frame right where the safety would go? Those are frame plugs. Pop them out and add the safety.

S&W M&P 2.0 Manual Thumb Safety Detent Ball Spring Install Kit Smith 1.0 M2.0 | eBay

EDIT- Re-read your post and now agree with those below. CZ 75 is worth a hard look.

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2B1ASK1

CZ makes fantastic pistols at a reasonable price. A CZ 75 SP-01 Tactical has high capacity magazines and a rail for red dot/flashlight. A bit less expensive is the CZ 75 B. A couple less rounds for the mags, and I'm not sure about red dot capabilities.

If I were looking for full size 9mm I would give serious consideration to the cz75 as the previous post said also SIG has some excellent full size hammer fired pistol I would look at and there are some good ones on the 1911 platform but they are not high cap pistols. Lots to choose from..

If I were in the market for a full-size 9mm Target Pistol, then my choice would be the Beretta 92X.

For me, the Beretta 92 is the quintessential 9mm Pistol, so that's where I would be looking.

Honorable mention goes to the Heckler & Koch USP Expert/Elite. I own a USP45 Elite which I absolutely love, but the 9mm Version is expensive, hard to come by, and just doesn't appeal to me personally. The USP was built around the .40 S&W cartridge, so it's kind of overbuilt for 9mm Luger.

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Shooting Comfort is bilateral.

Cannot go wrong with a canik. But I'm in agreement with Forte Smitten Wesson, beretta is the BEST way to go. I wouldnt trade my m9a3 for the world.

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Please no more EZs...

I have two (2) full sized 9 mm sidearms.

A S&W model 5903 and a FN Hi Power.

Your have so many choices, it can be overwhelming.

Many of the officers I worked with have the Glock and are served well with that sidearm. I agree that CZ has a fine reputation and would be a worthy selection.

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I am a sheep dog!
1601 (ret)

Sig 210.

Pricey, but worth it imo.

Since you asked.

I’m saving up for a CZ Shadow 2. It might be awhile.

92x
P320 X5 Legion
HK USP Expert 9mm
Glock 34 MOS
Shadow 2
CZ 75

That'd be my short list of 9mm target choices in no particular order. Only downside to USP is aged design w/o RMS capability.

Find it hard to warm up to the S&W M&P offerings for whatever reason.

I second the Sig 210. I shot one some years back that belonged to a friend. It shot like my model 41 Smith

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Kind regards, Heinz

I've been absolutely thrilled with my 2.0 5" 9mm besides the color LOL. I did make some minor changes-Apex duty/carry kit with aluminum trigger and night sights. This thing shoots like a laser, has been 100% reliable with everything I put in it and with the light gets home duty. Best $500 I ever spent on a pistol (minus the trigger/sights).

I love my 5906 with adjustable sights. I also have the full size M&P 2.0 in 45 ACP and it is a sweet thing.

I would definitely suggest a hammer fired pistol for the use you have in mind. Some excellent target type 9s I've owned were the SIG X-5 and P210A, HK USP Expert, Hi Power GP Comp, and various 9mm 1911 type pistols.

I've handled the Staccato, but had to look up the prices on these. I suspect all of those I mentioned, with the possible exception of the German SIG X-5, could be found at less than Staccato prices...

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NRA Life, COTEP 640

Do not buy a CZ, if you buy one you will buy another then maybe another. I bought one about 10 months ago, I now have 2, a 75BD and a 75D PCR. God luck choosing.

The CZ75 is as good as everyone says it is. Mine came from the Grafenwöhr Rod & Gun Club forty some years ago and has gone through a boatload of ammo since then. A very comfortable in the hand, feels a lot like a Browning Hi-Power but with an SA/DA option and an easier to use safety. The trigger is much crisper than the BHP too

How about a SW1911 in 9mm ?

If you can find one.

Since you already EDC a striker 9 and have another at your bedside (presumably same make), why not a full size pistol of the same make/model? If the manual safety is a must-have on the M&P 9, it seems like a solution has been offered earlier.

For a full size 9mm range gun, you can't go wrong with the Browning Hi-Power or one of its many clones. The new Springfield SA-35 is outstanding and reasonably priced IF you can find one.

For DA/SA pistols, my first choice would be the Sig P226 with the Beretta 92 a close second.

If you buy CZ get one with improved trigger. Glock 34 is worth a look, as is Canik with optics. Sig 210 would also be cool if you can afford it. Nothing wrong with the 2.0 either. Some seem to shoot better than others.

My CZ TSO has made me not care about ANY OTHER 9mm. It IS that good.
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I've still got it made.

The best advice I can give is buy a 40cal. They are going to ban 9mm. But as luck would have it I’m willing to accept all the 9mm pistol and will send you a box of premium 40 cal ammo for your new pistol.

Are you serious ?? Sig 210

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John

I seldom shoot any 9mm pistol anymore, but for many years beginning in 1988 I attempted to work up accurate cast bullet loads for the 9mm cartridge using a new Beretta 92F and a new Sig P226, among other 9mm pistols. I finally succeeded and found these guns will shoot cast bullets as well as they will jacketed ones, in fact, the cast are probably a little more accurate. Along the way, I found both pistols to be excellent ones for any use most shooters would have for a 9mm pistol.

Both are good sized guns and heavy, but that makes them easier to shoot than the latest 9mm marketing iteration that groups poorly and offers little except weight reduction over better guns. The newschoolers probably have little interest in such guns because they're old designs, but old doesn't mean a step down, contrary to the YouTubers mistaken beliefs. They're also very safe guns. I question the need for huge magazine capacities, but that may be the only redeeming point these guns would have in the eyes of "upgraders".

CZ are great guns..... but a Beretta 92 from Wilson Combat or a Elite II..... or one of my favorites a 92 single stack (8+1) M... or a 1990s S&W Performance Center 5906........

I have a current thread going about my recently acquired Sig P210. Definitely Recommend but higher pricethan the S&W you are looking at.
But I also have a CZ75B matte stainless and a CZ75 SP01 which I would also highly recommend. Both have been to CZ Custom for the full spa treatment. CZ has other great models and the custom shop offers already modified new guns for sale. Same with Cajun Gun Works.
And I have Walter PPQ which I really like for a striker fired. Discontinued but available on used market and subsequent other models available new.
None of these allow for mounting an optic sight. So it just boils down to decisions, decisions, decisions …..
Good luck with your quest.

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A CZ/Canik is great for a new manufacture pistol.

There were NOS 5906's out there a year or so ago. I LOVE mine. That would be my choice, and the mags are available from MecGar and aren't nearly as pricey as some 3rd Gen mags.

The only striker fired full size 9mm I have is a Walther P99AS, and it's great, It's a true DAO as well. It's been discontinued, but they are out there to be had.

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BTDT, Got The T-Shirt

The Beretta 92 Brigadier is the most accurate in my hands since about '96...a couple years ago I purchased an HK VP9 and I am impressed with it.
Many good suggestions above...I also have and enjoy a 5906 with the adjustable sights and a couple Glocks-27 & 35 with conversion bbls to 9mm...I've heard good things about Canik...good luck!

the curent millatery 9mm with 15 shot mag. is hard to beat.

Thanks all for the responses. Lots to think about and consider. But the search is half the fun. I'm definitely considering new and not used, so that narrows it down somewhat.

My list of tried and tested;
CZ SP-01 Shadow and CZ 75 variants
Witness/Defiant from Tanfoglio (CZ clones)
Canik Rival (highly impressive for the price)
Sig P320 X5

All of the above shoot like lasers for me.

I agree about the Beretta 92. I have several excellent semi-autos, but they've all had at least one failure to feed or eject. A friend of mine who has been shooting all of his life (he's 91 now) has a Beretta 92 with over 10,000 rounds on it, and he has not had a single failure of any kind. While I can't speak to its accuracy, in terms of reliability the 92 looks like the way to go.

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What, me worry?

If I could only have one 9MM it would be a CZ 75.

I have a Taurus 99 that is the sweetest shooting gun I have owned. Great accuracy and fit and function. It has adjustable rear sights and is one of my most favorite target guns. I don't know if it is offered anymore, the 92 is but it has fixed rear sights. I stumbled across this at my LGS and after checking it out made it my own. May be worth looking for. I like it more than my Beretta 92. I never liked the safety on the slide.

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Endeavor to persevere. <><

ZGrand, I certainly agree, the joy is in the quest.

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I am a sheep dog!
1601 (ret)

1. Beretta 92. Most accurate auto pistol I own.
2. 1911. Best "target gun" there is, outside of a revolver (depending on what you mean by "target"). I know you say you aren't interested in them, but I'd suggest re-thinking that stance. They are outstanding.

In terms of reliability, my Beretta 92F has far more rounds than that through it, mostly cast bullet handloads, but also a good number of jacketed loads. I tried about a dozen cast bullet designs and many powders over a lot of years. I've used cast .38 semi-wadcutters never intended for use in a semi-automatic pistol and have yet to have one not feed and function properly in the Beretta. I can say the same for a Sig P226 so far, but that gun has fired fewer rounds fired than the Beretta. A Walther P4 also seems to be jam proof and 100% reliable. I've been shooting all these guns since the late 1980s.

Sig P210
Dan Wesson Valor or Specialist 9mm
P226 SSE
P320 X5 Legion

There are the best 9mm full size guns I can think of

the P-35 Browning Hi-Power, IMO, is the finest 9MM ever built. If you have never fired one, do it. Forget the 3rd world knock-offs. Look for a clean used Browning weapon or just buy the new Springfield SA-35. I was lucky to find one locally. With an MSRP of $700 it's comparatively priced with most other quality 9MMs. It shoots like a dream, Springfield has eliminate the magazine disconnect to produce a crisp trigger pull. If you carry "big boy" pistols you will find the gun carries comfortably in the correct holster.

Check out the Canik line. Best bang for the buck. Literally.

I've never owned a Browning Hi-Power, but they've always had a good reputation. They were quite popular in the '60s and '70s. If I bought one, I'd spend more to get an original older gun that would hold its value well rather than a facsimile by another manufacturer, like buying a Colt 1911 or Colt AR 15 as opposed to a copy.

I gave up all my 9mms after I learned they could blow your lungs out!

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Thirty characters. Exactly...

About 20 years ago I bought a Browning HP Practical. Twenty years later and countless models of pistols fired it is still my go to center fire for comfort, capacity and ability to hit what I am aiming at accurately. I don’t know why it is but from day one it has felt like it was made for my hand. I suggest finding a firing range with a variety of handguns to try out and look for the one that fits you.

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Steve

If you think the BHP is the finest 9mm ever built, then there is an entire universe of high-end 9mm pistols with which you are not acquainted.

I love BHPs for their elegance and historical pedigree, but there's nothing special about them at all as shooters or from a build-quality standpoint. Bad triggers, generally average accuracy, and not very durable (especially the old forged-frame versions). Removing the magazine disconnect generally results in an acceptable trigger -- though sometimes even that is not enough -- but certainly not anything close to a great one. What they do have going for them are superb ergonomics (for most people) and excellent reliability. They're not very rewarding as range/target pistols, though, if you've had experience with the finest modern 9mm pistols.

Actually, there is one exception to that -- the relatively uncommon Hi-Power GP Competition model produced from 1980 to 1987. It's pretty dated, the build quality is still nothing exceptional, and it gives up most of the regular Hi-Power's good looks, but it's a smooth, accurate shooter with a nice trigger.

Hard to beat the regular BHP for looks, though, and I've bought quite a few. Here's my unfired 1968 tangent-sight T-series from 1968 (with some Ren Wax globs/streaks):

Anyway, what's your budget, OP?

HPs have the worst trigger of any one handgun ever designed by a man. It's hard to imagine same has been the inventor of our beloved 1911.

BHP
1911/9mm
Sig 210.
Mod if necessary.
Sight options or just irons old or new.

Are we shooting XXXXXXs or just hitting the backstop?

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Have Fun/Stay Safe

Try the 9mmEZ. Low round count per mag. But recoil is very easy as well as slide pull. I have both the 9mm and 380ACP in the EZ style. You won't be disappointed.

Not ours.

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Have Fun/Stay Safe