The short backstory. My brother in law recently texted me asking about what guns I had. I filled him in and asked why. He wants to get into shooting and wants to have something at the house for SD protection. My sister (his wife) who has typically been indifferent to guns has been seeing and reading the stories of home invasion (particularly the young lady in OK who defended herself and her newborn) and I think it sparked the fire to be proactive. all good in my book.

So I loaded up a diverse range bag of my guns and lots of ammo and met him the other night for some shooting. He had shot before but in a very limited capacity. I went over all the basics of gun handling and safety for each handgun. In our discussions, I learned he wants to get a 9mm so I brought at least one.

As some may or may not know, I recently picked up a PC 627 snubbie that I was dying to shoot so this was its maiden voyage. more on that.

I brought with me, two custom 1911s, a ruger gp100, a 9mm XDm, and lastly the 627.

My BIL is a natural shooter. He did amazing in all calibers. In fact, I would venture to say he was shooting the 357 mags best of all.

Now on to the gun. Let me first say how impressed with the 627 I am. This gun is so accurate, I was shocked. At 20 yards, there was zero problem putting all 8 rounds inside the ring. At this time, I still had the factory eagle boot grips on it. I was pleasantly surprised to see how shootable it was with those grips. While they were not optimal for me since I need to get that pinky up on the grip, it was not bad at all. I was shooting 180 grn. and 156 grain magnums with ease. Recoil wasn't overbearing and was very manageable. We followed up with a box or two of 38 special +p and it was like a puppydog. So much so, that I was longing for a few more boxes of full power magnums. It was a hoot to shoot both rounds through this revolver. The trigger is smooth (a tad heavy on DA but smooth) and just killer in SA. Again, the accuracy out of this 2-5/8" barrel was what really impressed. Every round went downrange exactly where POA was. I am a true believer in this revolver and have been carrying it most everyday, which too is a pleasure. I'm still waiting on my Lobo IWB holster for it, but have since put on Ahrend's tactical finger groove grips which are simply the perfect fit on the gun and to my hand. IMO, these are the grips it should ship with. Having the pinky onboard is just the ticket it needs for ultimate comfort in shooting.

Next we shot the gp100. I've had this revolver for some months but only shot it a tiny bit. We put it through the paces and it too reconfirmed why so many people praise the Ruger. As we all know, built like a tank, and feels great in the hand. This 4" gp, is well balanced and actually has a very nice DA/SA trigger right out of the box. we shot the same loads as was in the 627. The trigger has a slightly lighter pull in DA than the smith, but the SA (while nice) was not as nice as the 627s SA pull, which is something to behold.

The gp was also extremely accurate. I will say its a superb gun when you factor in build quality, materials and their stoutness, and moreover, the pricepoint. It's really a solid economical gun. My BIL really liked shooting this one.

Next we shot my 1911s...my favorites. He had never shot a SA only pistol so it was great to watch. I have some sweetly tuned triggers on these and he loved it! Nothing much to report here other than one FTF jam which I attributed to a tired recoil spring. I changed that out and all was back to good. The old spring was about 3/4" shorter than the new one I installed...my own shooting negligence is the reason, I could not even remember the last time I changed out its recoil spring through thousands and thousands of rounds shot. oops!! LOL

Lastly, we shot the XDm. Again, another accurate, reliable, well balanced gun. Shooting 9 mm after shooting magnums and 45 acp is almost anti-climatic. Pure fun, but the rush is gone. ha. Felt more like 22LR. My BIL really liked the 9mm and being that this will be his first handgun, is looking to that round for a couple reasons. First, he wants to shoot it alot to become proficient with handguns. 9mm will allow him to shoot more ammo at a price he can afford. No reloading in his future I'm sure - at least for a long time. Second, there is really a good crop of 9mm guns out there to choose from which leads me to that question.

Anyhow, to sum up, the 627 is now one of my favorite handguns and am working it in to my EDC (that's coming from a true blue 1911 lover). Accurate, reliable, great action, conceals well, and looks so darn nice.

gp100 was rock solid and accurate to boot. just a fun gun to plink with all around.

my 1911s are always a favorite to shoot and carry. Nothing to report other than they are still my favorite gun to carry and shoot due to their laser-like accuracy, superb trigger, and just about the prettiest gun ever made.

the XDm, with its top notch trigger (Springfield sure took these triggers to a new level over the old XDs) its reliability to eat everything, and its dead on accuracy will keep one of these in my stable for years to come.

So my question....with regards to 9mm, and keeping in mind this is a S&W forum, what are your "other" recommendations for securing my BIL a 9mm? He wants to stay in the $600 range or below for his first purchase. So far I have on the table for him:

Springfield XDm
M&P 9
Beretta 92
FNH FNX9
G19
Sig P229/226

I will say we held a few guns after the session. He did not like the grip angle on a G19, and he thought the Sigs were a bit too thick through the grip. He really likes the Beretta and the XDm and the MP 9.....any other recommendations??? For a new shooter such as himself, what would you choose and why? I have my own opinions on the 9s mentioned, but would love to hear yours. sorry about the long-winded post.

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God Bless Our Troops.

Sir,

I can't help you with your choice of a 9mm, but I'm wondering about the gentleman's wife. Will she be using the gun also(or need to be able to use it)? If that is the case, I would advise that she be at the range learning also, and that the gun purchased be one that she can use proficiently.

Just a thought.

Regards,
Andy

+1... Good advice.

The pistol they both feel comfortable with will be the winner.

Edmo

I've handled a number of 9s and my favorite (maybe because I own one) is the M&P 9c. It's large enough to shoot with comfort yet small enough to conceal easily & holds 12 rounds. I've never had any kind of malfunction and any good SD ammo in 9mm will do the job.

A good 9mm is a winner as a cartridge - relatively cheap and easy to shoot, and even in a stout SD/duty load not obnoxious. The M&Ps in 9mm are generating some accuracy gripes on 10-8 and LF. It's a shame, especially when they are inconsistent and hard to trace and correct, because the platform has a lot of potential and I know some folks who have done HARD testing with them in 45 and been really impressed. While I have no use for the 40 as a round, a friend is an armorer with an agency that adopted them a couple of years back, and he is much impressed as a shooter AND armorer. Some good gunsmiths are also finding a great way to mount a red dot sight.

I personally would avoid anything that is DA/SA, especially the M92. Slide mounted safety/decocker pistols are really hard to run well, IMHO. The Springfields seem to have a good reputation generally, but not as duty guns because parts and non-factory armorer options (critical for LE) are not an option. Sig's QC has taken a dive in the last 10-15 years; I had a 239 ordered out of their custom shop that they didn't even get the options correct on. If he does not like the grip angle on the Glock, that's probably out, although a used G19 Gen 2 with the Grip Force adaptor might be a winner. My personal 9 is a 19L (really a 17 with the grip frame cut to 19 length), and I am considering the GFA. Go to the 10-8forums and search out the string if interested.

In the alternative, I have a Hilton Yam 10-8 1911 for sale; the ad is on the 10-8 forums. :-)

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NHI, 10-8.

I showed a few to a couple sorta like you describe, he a fairly familiar shooter & her rather new to it. He is rather light in the handgun area though. This is to be a gun mostly to her favor. They ended up ordering a S&W Model 60 with a 3" barrel. To each his/her own.

I vote for the Sig.......in 228/229/226.

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S&W Accumulator

Great advice. Only thing I'd add is to get the one she's comfortable with first, and then follow up with the one he likes. We took my Sister in Law out for the first time the other night at our local indoor range. She had never shot anything before and thought of guns as loud evil things. By the end of the evening, she decided she likes 44 magnums best - go figure! Her husband was delighted. They went from "get that nasty gun out of the house, to get one for me too!"

Good luck

I took My BIL out looking at 9mm handguns just this weekend, He was dead set on a Glock. I made him pick up and hold just about everything we could find just to feel how they felt in his hand. He like me has smallish hands.
We tried ;
CZ-75
Browning HiPower
Sig 226??
Firestar
3rd Gen S&Ws
S&W M&P
S&W Sigma
Springfield XD
Glock 17
Beretta 92
Ruger P85??
and many many others

He walked away hating the feel of the Glock and really liking the single stack 3rd Gen S&Ws the 1911s and out of the blue the S&W 325. I just have to get him out shooting now to see how some of his choices feel under recoil.

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Regards,
Guy-Harold Smith II

Considering the price point stated and the desire for a 9mm I see only 2 choices on your list that meet all of your requirements.

One is the M&P 9mm, which can be had well below your 600 dollar maximum and is a fine choice for a first pistol.

The second is the Glock 19, another good choice that is within your budget. However, IMO you should add the G17 to your list, you'll gain a slight increase in capacity.

As for the XDm, in my area the XDm is over your stated budget. Other than that, a very fine gun with the added security of a grip safety that if used properly can prevent "glock leg".

As for the Sig Sauer, another fine pistol that is well over your stated price range. In addition the width of the grip on a P229 can be a bit problematic for those with smaller hands such as your sister. Personally, in the Sig Sauer lineup I lean towards recomending the single stack P239 simply because the grip is much more suited to a wide array of hand sizes.

Pote:
Take a close look at the CZ75B. My Wife is buying one this week. I think this is a great 1st timer pistol. Solid and a great trigger. Can be had for about $500. $600 for SS. This is not necessarily a conceal carry gun but she ( we) will use it a lot for honing shooting skills at ranges. I think too many people assume you are always looking for a carry gun. I think it's better to learn to shoot well and you get a lot more action at the range or out plinking than you will when that one time in your life you might have to defend yourself. (the op Ed was free)

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John 1:17
NRA Life Benefactor

Glock 17 is tough to beat for the price.
Holds 17 rounds, and no safety to worry about under stress.
My Gen 3 is very reliable and accurate.

I know they're not for everyone, but I was surprised how well they shoot. After shooting a friends G17, I bought a 21SF .45 ACP, and the 9mm G17 a bit later.
They both shoot lights out.

-Jim

The 5906 and 6906 are the best buys on the market right now. I've seen them as low as $275 and none over $400. Great guns, built like tanks. The 6906 is great for ladies too.