New DA/SA Auto

[Zeke2A]

Wife and I are looking for a new DA/SA .40 cal auto and have narrowed it down to three . Here they are in no particular order:

Beretta Px4 storm (I have the Px4 subcompact as my primary cc )

FNX .40

H&K USP ( the price is factor )

This will be a HD gun 50% and off body carry for my wife.

Please no safe action or striker fired suggestions already have an M&P and CC is not an option with it due to some safety issues , she shoots it great just isn't comfortable carrying it. We also want to stay with .40 due to ammo costs.

Thoughts on any of these three ?

[Palerider]

H&K USP ( the price is factor )

No experience with Storm nor FN. I owned a USP compact. It was uber reliable and will highly recommend it. I sold it though b/c I did not like the DA/SA trigger, other than that, awesome gun.

Look around for a used one to see if you can get a more competitive price point.

[Mity2]

My wife had PX4 Storm compact, and did not like it at all. Recoil was too sharp for her(in 9mm), to the point of gun maffunction(limp wrist/FTE)

I had FNP9(Very similer to FNX), and she liked it okay, until she shot it. Mine for some reason kept spitting empties right to her forehead.

Now, I have no experience with H&K USP, but I hear they are well worth the money.

So I would go with H&K myself, if I have to pick one out of 3 you listed.

Have she consider a CZ75B? I bought one for my dad(in 9mm), but its a one well made pistol. Great for small hand shooter(read female). So good that I went ahead and bought another one for myself(SP-01)...

If grip area being little on wide side doesnt bother her, Sig P226 or P229 is another great option

[TJB63]

I can recommend the USP H&K -- Very nice gun and never had a problem with it.

The PX4 Storm intrigues me, But I know nothing about them. I'd recommend some hands on with each of them, They all seem like decent picks IMO, So get some trigger time and decide what works for both of you.

TJB

[medsteele]

Of those, I would pick the HK.

[IronButt]

Of those, I would pick the HK.

Yep! No doubt in my mind.

Since you're considering HK, has she handled a P30 yet? I have one in 9mm & love it. They're also available in .40.

[amfn]

Have she consider a CZ75B? I bought one for my dad(in 9mm), but its a one well made pistol. Great for small hand shooter(read female). So good that I went ahead and bought another one for myself(SP-01)...

If grip area being little on wide side doesnt bother her, Sig P226 or P229 is another great option

+1 on both suggestions. I have found CZ75s to have some of the best ergonomics around & are super reliable & accurate. I'm kicking myself in the ass for trading mine(I have not shot one in .40 though) My P226 .40 is my favorite handgun. The grip is a bit on the wide side by they are available with the G2 grip now which is supposed to have better ergonomics. This gun just seems to find the target naturally for me(& for others that have tried it). Another thing to consider is that you can get a 9mm conversion barrel & a .22 conversion kit for it(I have both). It's something worth looking into.

[JW1914]

HK OR FN. Id buy both before any beretta handgun not to mention a load of other guns.

[medsteele]

HK OR FN. Id buy both before any beretta handgun not to mention a load of other guns.

This, but I'll limit it to the PX4 series specifically. Some of you have read the posts from pistol-training.com and ToddG on the subject. I don't trust them (them being PX4s), and there are several people there with first-hand experience with them that I have no reason to disbelieve.

Basically, when run through several hundred rounds in a sitting (like in a class, or extended range session, or god forbid you didn't clean your gun last time you took it out), they have been known to lock up-- BAD. To the point of needing a mallot to get them freed up for disassembly. Several officers who were required to carry them actually carried mallots in their range bags for this very reason. So I'll pass.

I'd recommend the 92fs/92a1/m9 all day long. But the 96 (.40) has an unreasonably short lifetime expectancy compared to its 9mm brother.

[medsteele]

I also completely forgot about Sigs (how is that possible?).

If you're willing to spend HK money, then you owe it to yourself to check out the Sig P226 and P229. Or opt for a cheaper (but still very, very good) alternative, and look at the SP2022. Buy two for the price of one Sig or HK.