# Looking for a new semi-auto handgun.....But can't find one that feels right... HELP!!



## Medic7 (May 18, 2012)

Hello, I'm new to the forums, but not shooting handguns and rifles. I currently have a Springfield XDm 40 but there is some problems after owning and shooting it that I'm not happy with. 1. The recoil is horrible, several friends of mine are deputies and state police officers have shot it and said the same as me that the recoil is nasty, no matter on the load I choose. Also, same as I they do not like the trigger pull it seems very squishy and my friends as well me have a hard time getting used to the pull and I have never gotten used to it. The trigger pull seems way to squishy and light, I hate it.

Currently, I'm looking to find a new semi-auto but have ran into some problems finding a trigger pull that I like. I like a trigger pull thats stiff and snappy kinda like a rifle which I predominantly shoot. I've looked at several makes and models of semi-autos. With several gun shops and dealers in the area I have alot to choose from but there are too many makes and models to try each one.

I'm hoping you guys can help my narrow a decision in finding a suitable model that fits my liking. I'm just try trying to find one with a short, stiff, snappy trigger pull, not sloppy soft pull. I hope you guys can help.

Thanks,

Medic7


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## ponzer04 (Oct 23, 2011)

:smt071 1911 rayer:


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## Medic7 (May 18, 2012)

I have tried a Para 45 1911, I'm trying to find something possibly for concealed carry and shooting. The para 1911 had been to the son of Novac and has some nice mods done to it, and friend of mine is actually friends of the Novac family, I hated the trigger pull on it maybe it was cause the double action initial shot then single action till the magazine is empty, but the trigger pull felt soft and squishy until the moment of firing or rollover then it stiffened up.


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## ponzer04 (Oct 23, 2011)

My post was supposed to kind of be a joke, but if your para had a double action pull, then the 1911 I was talking about would be a single action only trigger pull; a completely different pull.

I now really suggest you try out a normal 1911 with a SAO trigger, in perhaps a smaller frame. You may actually be looking for this kind of trigger pull.










Springfield Armory










1911 Ultra Nitron


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## jtguns (Sep 25, 2011)

You might go the range that rents and try a browning P35 (hi power), its old school but I love mine, also try the 9MM although they are available in 40s&w.
Jay, 
shoot safe


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## Russ (Aug 19, 2011)

Shield. Gun of the decade. Your feel right need will be satisfied sir.

Russ


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## Medic7 (May 18, 2012)

Russ are you talking about the M&P Shield?


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## johnr (Jun 13, 2008)

i am not a expert on any gun, brand or shooting. IMHO you will not find a modern DOA (striker fired?) trigger pull identical to your rifle. you should try some of the DA/SA models that allow a hammer to be manually set, and short quick, trigger release. DA will cock the hammer, and release. trigger pull for DA is significatly longer/stronger than SA in the same model.

i love my FNP9, and hear the FNX model is even better. other brands come to mind (please correct me if i am wrong) Barretta, and sig. of course, you could also go with a standard 1911. in my experience with 1911 (shooting other peoples favorite) the 1911 has the best trigger pull when compared with a quality rifle.

YMMV
John


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## rex (Jan 27, 2012)

Your options are limited in SA.The 1911 and Hi Power are the time tested standards but there are a few others.One of the Sigs can be had SAO,but I don't follow them so I can't say which one.HK's USP can be converted easily in minutes with a $15 detent plate,or just carry it cocked and locked like a 1911.Tangfolio makes or made a CZ75 clone in SAO but I think it was fullsize only for a match gun,it's on the larger side like the Hi Power or Beretta92/96s though.Beyond those I don't know what else may be out there.I haven't touched an HK P7 in a long time,but I think that may be the only striker fired pistol that won't give you the mush takeup.I prefer a hammer fired pistol but that's just one of my quirks.Good luck.


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## berettabone (Jan 23, 2012)

Beretta 92 or 96.......I own 4


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## rex (Jan 27, 2012)

I think he's trying to avoid the DA,I only mentioned the USP because it can be carried cocked and locked like a 1911 or converted to SAO easily.I have and had quite a few DA/SA pistols and shoot them fine but I'm not a big fan of the design,that's one of the reasons I like the USP.

I think one of the FNs are single action also,but I can't say for sure or which model it would be.


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## SMann (Dec 11, 2008)

Just my opinion, but I don't think a handgun and a rifle shoud have the same trigger feel. Think about what each kind of weapon is for and how they're employed and you might figure out what I mean. Just like a sniper rifle and a shotgun should not have the same kind of trigger feel. I think you want your apples to taste like oranges. They are different for a reason.


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## Bisley (Aug 24, 2008)

Medic7 said:


> 1. The recoil is horrible, several friends of mine are deputies and state police officers have shot it and said the same as me that the recoil is nasty, no matter on the load I choose. Also, same as I they do not like the trigger pull it seems very squishy and my friends as well me have a hard time getting used to the pull and I have never gotten used to it. The trigger pull seems way to squishy and light, I hate it.


As a longtime XD shooter, I can tell you that after about a thousand rounds, my XDs have the best trigger I've encountered on a striker-fired handgun. They smooth up very quickly.

Also, if you think the recoil is horrible on an XD40, you are either not gripping it properly, or you are new to centerfire pistols, or both. Yes, the 40S&W has a bit more of a "muzzle flip' tendency than a 9mm or .45ACP, in any handgun, but it is easily controlled with a proper combat grip.

If you are unable to get yourself desensitized to .40 S&W, you are probably going to have to step down to 9mm and stay away from +P ammo in the heavier bullets.


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## berettabone (Jan 23, 2012)

Personally, that's one of the reasons I stay away from plastic guns...."muzzle flip tendency".....all steel guns for me..the extra weight gets rid of that......


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## lamrith (Apr 23, 2012)

Try an M&P. The .40 as mentioned is known for it's sharpness in firing, maybe consider a 9mm or even a .45 instead?
Regardless get your hands on a rental M&P, they are very comfortable in your hand and fire very smooth. Depending on your hand size the std medium backstrap may be fine. If the recoil feels better then may be mention to the range/store you are looking to buy one and ask if you can try the smaller/larger backstrap and see if it helps even more? 

I am a new pistol shooter myself, when I was looking a month ago I fired 7+ different guns, full steel and poly's. I kept coming back to the M&P for comfort and smoothness. I picked up my M&P9fs tuesday and could not be happier.

They are known to not have the nices triggers out of the box, but they do smooth out with use, and worse case there are trigger kits out to make it very nice. Maybe if you decide on an M&P you can find a used one, and spend the saved $ on the trigger kit, that is if someone is silly enough to let one go that is. 

Whatever you do I would recommend finding a range that has a fairly wide selection of models so you can try them back to back. I bought a box of ammo and looked at how many models I wanted to try and just divided up the ammo, I turned out firing 10 rounds per gun each visit. Firing back to back really helps, even being a new shooter I could feel quite a difference from gun to gun.


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## rex (Jan 27, 2012)

SMann said:


> Just my opinion, but I don't think a handgun and a rifle shoud have the same trigger feel. Think about what each kind of weapon is for and how they're employed and you might figure out what I mean. Just like a sniper rifle and a shotgun should not have the same kind of trigger feel. I think you want your apples to taste like oranges. They are different for a reason.


I don't believe that at all,and think the opposite is true.You need 3 things above mechanical accuracy to succede,a stable platform,a working aiming device,and a trigger that won't disturb sight alignment.If you hand a rifle shooter a DA revolver,he's going to get discouraged quick if they don't start out SA.It isn't that a DA,mushy,or 10lb trigger can't be shot accurately,it just takes time to do.Your average shooter isn't going to shoot a DA as efficiently as a SA until lots of practice and money are consumed,and some take to the transition quicker than others.Handguns,rifles,doesn't matter,the nastier the trigger the more difficult it is to equal accuracy and speed.

I used to think as Berettabone did but HK breaks the rules there.I still dislike plastic but I won't part with it shy of trading it for another out of necessity.

I forgot to add,do not judge the trigger on a new gun too harshly.Comparing a few guns you get a general idea of the differences but with use the trigger system will final mate and polish in.How much it cleans up and how long depend on a few things,but they will improve unless you know how to or pay someone to speed up the process.Pull weight can slightly drop and it will smooth out,but the takeup (not pretravel or slack)will not change.By takeup I mean SA creep,a striker's "mush",or the DA's long weighted pull.


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## denner (Jun 3, 2011)

If you can shoot DA/SA, Beretta, Sig, H&k. or as mentioned the single action 1911's. It sounds like you're gonna prefer a hammer fired pistol as opposed to a striker fired pistol, you may consider a Walther PPQ in the striker fired pistols as they are fully cocked when you squeeze the trigger as opposed to the trigger mechanism having to halfway finish the cocking process to fire.


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## VAMarine (Dec 25, 2008)

denner said:


> If you can shoot DA/SA, Beretta, Sig, H&k. or as mentioned the single action 1911's. It sounds like you're gonna prefer a hammer fired pistol as opposed to a striker fired pistol, you may consider a Walther PPQ in the striker fired pistols as they are fully cocked when you squeeze the trigger as opposed to the trigger mechanism having to halfway finish the cocking process to fire.


I agree with the PPQ as an option but do keep in mind that the XD he all ready has is a fully cocked strikers.

What I would probably suggest is a 9mm conversion barrel and a trip for the gun to Springer precision or the Springfield custom shop. I had the chance to fire a slicked up XDM done by Springer Precision and it was very nice.

Other that that it's probably 1911. The Sigs available in SAO are the 220 and X5 variants. The only ones of that sort that are carry friendly are the 220 variants and I found the SAO trigger lacking compared to the 1911.

A smithed up Glock can be pretty crisp as well as the M&P but if you're going to put work into a gun it might as well be the one you have.


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## denner (Jun 3, 2011)

VAMarine said:


> I agree with the PPQ as an option but do keep in mind that the XD he all ready has is a fully cocked strikers.
> 
> What I would probably suggest is a 9mm conversion barrel and a trip for the gun to Springer precision or the Springfield custom shop. I had the chance to fire a slicked up XDM done by Springer Precision and it was very nice.
> 
> ...


Yes I stand corrected, thanks VA.


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## Grunt (May 5, 2012)

Walther PPQ in 9 or 40. You owe it to yourself to try this one. Most awesome trigger
you'll find.


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## berettatoter (Sep 1, 2011)

Medic7 said:


> Hello, I'm new to the forums, but not shooting handguns and rifles. I currently have a Springfield XDm 40 but there is some problems after owning and shooting it that I'm not happy with. 1. The recoil is horrible, several friends of mine are deputies and state police officers have shot it and said the same as me that the recoil is nasty, no matter on the load I choose. Also, same as I they do not like the trigger pull it seems very squishy and my friends as well me have a hard time getting used to the pull and I have never gotten used to it. The trigger pull seems way to squishy and light, I hate it.
> 
> Currently, I'm looking to find a new semi-auto but have ran into some problems finding a trigger pull that I like. I like a trigger pull thats stiff and snappy kinda like a rifle which I predominantly shoot. I've looked at several makes and models of semi-autos. With several gun shops and dealers in the area I have alot to choose from but there are too many makes and models to try each one.
> 
> ...


Sounds like you need a 1911 to me. I prefer either a .45 ACP or 9mm. I never could quite warm up to the .40 S&W. It is a good round, but I could never shoot it that well. JMHO.


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## berettatoter (Sep 1, 2011)

Grunt said:


> Walther PPQ in 9 or 40. You owe it to yourself to try this one. Most awesome trigger
> you'll find.


Yeah, Walther went out of their way to get this one right. I agree with Grunt on this one.


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## berettabone (Jan 23, 2012)

I just could never see purchasing a firearm, for usually alot of money, and then spending more money changing this and changing that....if the firearm isn't to your liking out of the box, maybe you should be purchasing another firearm.


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## dman (May 14, 2012)

A gun is actually a tool , you must know what function you want it to perform , CC , targeting , home protection , etc. . Once you know that , then your quest begins , it's out there somewhere , just keep looking , it's like finding the right woman , she's out there .


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## sonja (Sep 16, 2011)

SAO 1911. Tanfoglio Elite SAO.


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## dondavis3 (Aug 2, 2009)

I own a Sig P220 compact in .45 cal.










It comes in DAO and DA/SA.

Very accurate gun with mild recoil.

:smt1099


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