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Book Title:
Women's Guide to Buying Your First Handgun
Series:
Firearm/Pistol For Life Series
Author: Ruperto
Elpusan Jr.
Be sure to look for
ISBN #0-9772088-3-4 at Amazon, Powells and other fine
online retail bookstores. |
There
is a plethora of choices available in the marketplace for
semi-automatic pistols, and so there are many prospects for a
lady beginner to select from.
As
with revolvers, we do impose a certain number of constraints to
narrow that pool. We
limit ourselves to the following criteria:
·
Costs less than $700
·
Established makes only
·
9mm or .38 special only
·
Either small or not excessively bulky grip
·
Small and in some cases medium frame
These
limitations apply to the average women.
Of course, large, strong women with large hands are free
to go beyond our caliber constraint and small grip limitation.
Only
established makes are considered.
Marginal companies with questionable track records are
not included.
Here,
then are the possible choices in the marketplace.
Glock 17
Glock
is an Austrian company that produces some of the must reliable
and durable handguns in the world.
And they do this and still offer products at affordable
prices.
This
company’s handguns have developed a following throughout the
world because of the durability of the guns.
In fact, there are enthusiasts who are known for putting
these guns through various torture tests such as dropping the
guns from airplanes, getting them run over by trucks and
submerging them in mud, then testing to see if the guns still
operate. Needless
to say, the Glocks fare extremely well in these tests.
The
guns are not only reliable and durable, but they are fairly
accurate also. This
make of gun is one of the more prevalent handguns used in
international action pistol competitions, going side by side
with the much more expensive 1911’s.
Safety
in Glocks is implemented in internal safety devices with no
external safeties. The
combination of trigger safety, firing pin safety and drop safety
is designed to prevent the gun from firing other than via
pressure on the trigger. Therefore,
safety is reliant on training to inculcate the basic safety rule
of not putting your finger on the trigger until you are ready to
shoot.
One
noteworthy aspect of these handguns is the use of very strong
polymer in the stock and frame, and as a result makes for very
lightweight guns. These
are basically plastic guns.
But they are extremely tough.
Apparently,
Glocks are sufficiently reliable and durable to where many law
enforcement agencies and militaries of the world have
standardized on Glocks. It
is to the point that many other manufacturers have replicated
the Glock design to create their own versions for the
marketplace.
All
Glocks model look basically the same except vary by caliber and
compactness. The
Glock 17 is the standard 9mm caliber gun.
|
Price
(MSRP):
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$599
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|
Action:
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Double
Action (Safe Action System)
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Stock:
|
Polymer
Grip Angle
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Caliber:
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9mm
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|
Capacity:
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10+1,
17+1
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Sights:
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Fixed
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Barrel
Length:
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4.49"
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Weight:
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22.04
oz
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To
find out more about this model, check the company website at http://www.glock.com.
Glock 19
Glocks
all basically look the same and vary by caliber and compactness.
The Glock 19 is the compact 9mm gun.
|
Price
(MSRP):
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$599
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Action:
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Double
Action (Safe Action System)
|
|
Stock:
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Polymer
Grip Angle with Finger Grooves
|
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Caliber:
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9mm
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Capacity:
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10+1,
15+1
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Sights:
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Fixed
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Barrel
Length:
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4.02"
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Weight:
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20.99
oz
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To
find out more about this model, check the company website at http://www.glock.com.
Glock 26
The
Glock 26 is the subcompact 9mm gun and is often referred to as
the “Baby Glock”.
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Price
(MSRP):
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$599
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Action:
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Double
Action (Safe Action System)
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Stock:
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Polymer
Grip Angle
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Caliber:
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9mm
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Capacity:
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10+1
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Sights:
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Fixed
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Barrel
Length:
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3.46"
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Weight:
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19.75
oz
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To
find out more about this model, check the company website at http://www.glock.com
Glock 34
The
Glock 34 is a higher end 9mm.
It has a longer barrel and thus a longer sight radius for
more accurate shooting with metallic sights, and it is used
successfully in action pistol competitions.
|
Price
(MSRP):
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$679
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Action:
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Double
Action (Safe Action System)
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Caliber:
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9mm
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|
Capacity:
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10+1
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Sights:
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Adjustable
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Barrel
Length:
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5.32"
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Weight:
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22.92
oz
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To
find out more about this model, check the company website at http://www.glock.com
Beretta 9000S
Beretta
is the maker of the M9 model that is used by the US Army, and of
the full sized model 92. This
model is a compact version and most
of the features of the 92 model are present here: the open top
slide, single or double action, automatic safety and manual
safety on both sides with decocking lever. The magazine release
lever is reversible for left handed shooters.
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Price
(MSRP):
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$485
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Action:
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Double
Action
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Caliber:
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9mm
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Stock:
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Plastic
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Capacity:
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10+1
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Sights:
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Fixed
3 Dot Sights - Dovetail Front
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Barrel
Length:
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3.5"
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Weight:
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26.8
– 27.5oz
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To
find out more about this model, check the company website at http://www.berettausa.com.
Beretta PX4 Storm
The
PX4 Storm is the least expensive of Beretta’s full sized
handguns.
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Price
(MSRP):
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$598
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Action:
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Double
Action/Single Action
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Caliber:
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9mm
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Stock:
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Black
Plastic Grips
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Capacity:
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17+1
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Sights:
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Fixed
3 Dot Sights
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Barrel
Length:
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4"
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Weight:
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27.52
oz
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To
find out more about this model, check the company website at
http://www.berettausa.com.
Beretta 92FS
This
is the main full sized handgun available to the civilian
marketplace. There
are several submodels more expensive than our $700 constraint,
but some do fall within this price constraint.
(Although with inflation, it’s possible the price is
higher by the time you read this book.)
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Price
(MSRP):
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$650
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Action:
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Double
Action
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Caliber:
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9mm
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Stock:
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Black
Plastic Grips
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Capacity:
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15+1
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Sights:
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3-Dot
Dovetailed
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Barrel
Length:
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4.9"
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Weight:
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34.4
oz
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To
find out more about this model, check the company website at
http://www.berettausa.com.
CZ 83
Ceska
Zbrojovka (CZ for short) is a company from the Czech Republic
that is world renowned for producing some of the most reliable
and accurate firearms out of the box.
Their full sized handgun CZ 75B model is prevalent in
militaries around the world.
Make
no mistake: CZ
makes world class guns that are durable, reliable and accurate.
Their products can match with the best in the world for
quality.
The
CZ 83 is a compact all-steel semi-automatic handgun, designed on
the blowback breech principle. The trigger mechanism is of a
Double Action/Single Action type. It features an ambidextrous
manual safety, magazine catch and slide stop on one side.
We
have chosen not to list the famous CZ 75 family of handguns
because the grips are designed for a hand larger than the
average woman. However,
if you can grip it sufficiently well (please get the assistance
of a firearms instructor), please by all means consider the 75,
which fits comfortably within our $700 price constraint.
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Price
(MSRP):
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$420
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Action:
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Double
Action
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Caliber:
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9mm
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Stock:
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Black
Plastic Grips
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Capacity:
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16+1
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Sights:
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Fixed
3 Dot Sight
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Barrel
Length:
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3.8"
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Weight:
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28.8
oz
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For
more information, please check out the company website at http://www.cz-usa.com.
CZ 100
This
polymer frame handgun with internal firing pin safeties gives a
reminder of the Glock design that has become popular in the
marketplace. This
is CZ’s offering in this category.
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Price
(MSRP):
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$449
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Action:
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Double
Action
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Caliber:
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9mm
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Stock:
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Black
Polymer
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Capacity:
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10+1
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Sights:
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Adjustable
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Barrel
Length:
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3.9"
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Weight:
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24
oz
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For
more information, please check out the company website at http://www.cz-usa.com.
Ruger P95
Sturm,
Ruger and Company is a renowned American company that produces
quality firearms that are durable and reliable at an affordable
price. The chapter on revolvers has recommended various models to
investigate in your search for purchasing a gun. Ruger produces a number of models that are top in their
class, however, the selections of major caliber semi-automatic
pistols that fit women’s hands are limited.
The
main product line of full sized semi-automatics within Ruger is
the P89; however, those tend to be somewhat large for women.
The
P95 is somewhat smaller and is therefore a candidate for
consideration. As
with the P89, the P95 comes in variations including:
Double-action only, manual safety and Decocker versions.
Smith & Wesson 908
Smith
& Wesson is long-established American company that is
renowned for its high-quality revolvers. It
has created semi-automatic pistol products as well, but it
doesn’t have the same prowess in this market as it does with
revolvers. There
are other companies that produce semi-automatic pistols of
higher quality at better prices.
In
fact, Smith & Wesson as a large number of semi-automatics in
its product line, which however do not fall within our $700
price constraint.
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Price
(MSRP):
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$617,
$642, $656
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Action:
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Double
Action
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Caliber:
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9mm
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Stock:
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Straight
Backstrap
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Capacity:
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8+1
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Sights:
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Front:
White Dot Rear: Fixed 2 Dot
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Barrel
Length:
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3
1/2"
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Weight:
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24
oz
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For
more information, please check out the company website at http://www.smith-wesson.com.
Smith & Wesson 910
These
represent the more affordable semi-automatic offerings from
Smith & Wesson, which have lightweight alloy frame and a
manual safety.
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Price
(MSRP):
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$617,
$632
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Action:
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Double
Action
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Caliber:
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9mm
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Stock:
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Straight
Backstrap
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Capacity:
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10+1
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Sights:
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Front:
White Dot Rear: Fixed 2 Dot
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Barrel
Length:
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4"
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Weight:
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28
oz
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For
more information, please check out the company website at http://www.smith-wesson.com.
Smith & Wesson Sigma
Series SW9
This
product line represents Smith & Wesson’s most affordable
semi-automatic pistols. It
comes in either 9mm or .40 caliber.
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Price
(MSRP):
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$409
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Action:
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Double
Action Only
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Caliber:
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9mm
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Stock:
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Black
Polymer
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Capacity:
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10+1
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Sights:
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Front:
White Dot Rear: Fixed 2 Dot
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Barrel
Length:
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4"
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Overall
Length:
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7.25"
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Weight:
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24.7
oz
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For
more information, please check out the company website at http://www.smith-wesson.com
Springfield Armory XD
Springfield
Armory is a long-established American firearms company with a
history of providing fine handguns and rifles in the
marketplace.
The XD product line is an
extensive family of affordable handguns with an assortment of
calibers including 9mm, .40 S&W caliber, .357 and .45 ACP.
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Price
(MSRP):
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$536,
$566
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Action:
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Double
Action Only (USA Action Trigger System)
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Caliber:
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9mm
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Stock:
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Ltwt
Ultra Hi-impact Polymer Frm, w/ Light Rail
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Capacity:
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10+1,
12+1, 16+1
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Sights:
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Fixed
Dovetail Front and Rear
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Barrel
Length:
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3.1"
to 5”
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Weight:
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20.5
oz to 31 oz
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For
more information, please check out the company website at http://www.springfield-armory.com.
Taurus PT111
Taurus is a Brazilian company
with a wide array of firearms available in the marketplace,
offering handguns and rifles with a wide assortment of options
in their products.
Blue steel finish, stainless
steel and “bling-bling” gold trim is available.
Taurus varies the appearance by adding different visual
features to make the gun appealing.
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Price
(MSRP):
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$395,
$410, $499, $547, $563, $609
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Action:
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Double
Action
|
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Caliber:
|
9mm
|
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Stock:
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Rubber
Grips-Checkered, others
|
|
Capacity:
|
10+1,
15+1
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Sights:
|
Fixed 3
Dot Sights
|
|
Barrel
Length:
|
4"
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Weight:
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28.2 oz
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For
more information, please check out the company website at http://www.taurususa.com.
Taurus PT24/7
This gun from Taurus has been
reported by some reviewers to shoot fairly accurately for the
price. It has
existed for a couple years in its design, as Taurus is fairly
active trying out different designs, and it has had some success
with its innovation. This
activity has helped its originally shoddy image although some
old-timers still might view the company negatively.
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Price
(MSRP):
|
$485,
$499
|
|
Action:
|
Double
Action Only
|
|
Stock:
|
Polymer
with Ribber Grip
|
|
Caliber:
|
9mm
|
|
Capacity:
|
10+1,
17+1
|
|
Sights:
|
Fixed
3 Dot Sights
|
|
Barrel
Length:
|
4"
|
|
Overall
Length:
|
7
1/8"
|
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Weight:
|
27.2
oz
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For
more information, please check out the company website at http://www.taurususa.com
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