Pistol Wars: Beretta 92FS

Beretta 92FS

The contender: Beretta 92FS

Caliber: 9mm

In your hand: The Beretta 92FS feels like water. By that, I mean it really had no taste and was rather generic. The magazine holds 10 rounds and reloads easily. Interestingly, I learned reading that Wiki article that the Beretta's magazine can hold up to 15 rounds, but that local regulations forced the design of smaller magazines. The design reminded me of a 1911, but aesthetically, this handgun is gorgeous, just as you'd expect from Italian designing.

On the range: Sighting on the Beretta was not so great. I missed more than I expected. It could have been excitement. 

Overall: This semiautomatic handgun is the one now used by our armed forces. Beretta beat the competition back in 1985 and the venerable M1911 was replaced. I'm going to rate this handgun second only to the Kimber Target II 9mm I raved about back here.

Pistol Wars: Smith & Wesson 952

The contender: Smith & Wesson 952

Caliber: 9mm

In your hand: This 9mm is heavy and so there was little recoil. The wooden handgrips added a nice feel. The magazine holds 9 rounds, and with one in the chamber a total of 10. The design is reminded me of a 1911, but aesthetically, this handgun is gorgeous.

On the range: Sighting was great. Myopic me was able to put all 10 rounds within a 5 inch circle at 10 yards. This is the best shooting I've done yet.

Overall: Smith & Wesson is a venerable American handgun company located in Springfield, MA.  The S&W is a close runner-up to the Kimber Target II 9mm I raved about back here.

Pistol Wars: Kimber SS Target II

The contender: Kimber SS Target II

Caliber: 9mm

In your hand: Kimber is American made. Here is the company's blurb. This 9mm is heavier than both the Ruger and the Glock and so the recoil is noticeably less. The magazine holds 10 rounds, and bullets are fed with a spring-loaded clip in the handle. The design is a knock off of the Kimber 1911 .45 cal model I reviewed back here. I really like this design.

On the range: Sighting was OK. Again I was able to put 8 out 10 rounds within a 5 inch circle at 10 yards. I thought I would score perfectly with this one but I didn't.

Overall: So far this Kimber is my first choice among 9mm's. What I should do is try both Kimbers (the .45 and the 9mm at the same time for a better comparison. My son and I shoot up enough bullets each week (he's practicing on rifles) that it just gets very expensive very fast. If the price of ammo keeps going up, America's next shooting war could break the bank.

Pistol Wars: Ruger SR9

The contender: Ruger SR9

Caliber: 9 mm

In your hand: The Ruger SR9 feels nicer than the Glock 34. The weapon is smaller and more lightweight, having a mostly plastic body and gorgeous stainless steel barrel and action. The trigger and action were lighter than the Glock 34. The magazine holds 10 rounds, and the spring has a defter touch than on the Glock 34, so that reloading it was not such a fumble.

On the range: Sighting was worse than the Glock 34. I missed 3 out of 10 rounds inside the 5 inch circle at 10 yards. My accuracy fell way off after that. There's no way I could hit a coyote at 50 yards with this Ruger without some more field practice.

Overall:Compared with the Glock 34, the Ruger SR9 would not be my first choice of hand gun. I'm still interested in 9 mm's though.

Pistol Wars: Glock 34

The contender: Glock 34

Caliber: 9mm

In your hand: The Glock 34 is a recent addition to the Austrian gunmaker's line of small, conceal and carry 9 mm handguns. The weapon is small and lightweight, having a mostly plastic body and matching trigger, barrel, and action hardware. The magazine holds 10 rounds, but the spring is so strong that it was hard to get the tenth bullet in the magazine.

On the range: Sighting was OK. I was able to put 10 rounds within a 5 inch circle at 10 yards. Accuracy falls off pretty quickly after that.

Overall:The Glock 34 would not be my first choice of hand gun. I'm interested in comparing and contrasting various makes and models and I had to start somewhere.