Originally Posted by chessail77

Navy Seal Teams who could have any pistol they want, chose and use the Sig P226, the US Army bought over 5000 SP2022 in 9mm for use by tankers, Air Marshall Service uses Sig P series as does the U.S. Secret Service. Army is currently testing and looking for a replacement for the Berettas which are now due to be phased out but I believe gave them good service over the years. Rumor has it that S&W has the lead in the competition, but that is just not fact based. When the Beretta was chosen I remember reading the Sig P226 actually won the competition but was too costly....Beretta was next and part of the deal was they agreed to manufacture them in the USA, I don't believe foreign made pistols were allowed to compete ie Glock, Taurus Etc.......JJ

yes Sig226 won the competition but the second part of the contract was the maintenance/service agreement - that was the part that made Sig loose the contract
others were not prohibited - what the Govt does is issue specs as to what they want - for example exposed hammer etc etc and if you win the contract then they have to be made in the USA - thus several manufacturers didn't enter the competition due to the SPECS the military issued

to answer your initial question
i would trust all the manufacturers you mentioned except Taurus
and you didn't mention Ruger which is made in USA and is a fine weapon

choosing a 9mm pistol is one of the hardest decisions to do because there are so many

so it gets to feel in your hand - they are all different and you have to hold and shoot them to be really comfortable with your choice

you also didn't mention CCW - thank goodness- cause that is a whole different set of gun configurations/considerations

Originally Posted by hideit

and you didn't mention Ruger which is made in USA and is a fine weapon

which Ruger(s) would you add to the list in this price range, of good quality and of 9mm? I will surely enjoy researching those that you list, as long as they are reliable and accurate...thank you!!!

The Ruger SR9 Is a real nice 9mm weapon for under or around 450 bucks. A lot has been said about them, the trigger is grityty somewhat but can be fixed by Ghost products for 30 bucks. I own a couple and have put the Ghost trigger in both. I shoot them very well.

RCG

Do you have any thoughts or an opinion on a Certified Pre Owned Sig?? If you have favorable things to say -- would you rather a 220 or 226 (for a similar price...or will they be different prices by quite a bit??) I was doing some research and they sound good....and the price drops....but maybe something like a Beretta or Glock brand new is the better way for me to go -- any thoughts/ideas?? Thank you!!

Originally Posted by BearArms2

Hello, I am in the market for buying a 9mm handgun. I have gone target shooting with my dad at random times since i was about 18 or 19 and now I am living with my girlfriend and would enjoy taking lessons on how to become a better shot. So this gun would not only need to be accurate for the range, but also reliable for home protection (those are my 2 main reasons for this purchase).
I was told by a local business man that i respect, that a 9mm is great for a beginner like me and for the two main reasons I am looking to buy a guy. Of the items he had in his store, he suggested a few -- and I was hoping to get some help on this forum to help me distinguish between the 5 options and select the best one for me.
He had the Taurus PT 92, FN FNX-9, Beretta 92, S&W M&P 40 and the Glock Gen 4.
While price surely doesnt hurt things (the Taurus being the cheapest of the 5 he suggested), i would only use that if all other things were equal....these all fall into my general price range for what he was asking. I need the gun to be safe and reliable. Something that is good for me to practice with but also something I can use at home if I ever find myself in the situation where I would need to defend my home.
If anyone can offer some help, reviews, tips, suggestions, comments, etc on any or all of these guns listed, i would very much appreciate it -- and I thank you in advance for even reading this lengthy post. Have a wonderful day!

Well, if you are not going to carry it on a daily basis and use it primarily for "home defense", then I would go with the Beretta 92