Home defense

[docboss]

I put this post here because I believe the readers of the Rohrbaugh Forum are knowledgeable about a wide variety of firearms and not swayed by some purely emotional "gut" or "loyalty" issues. Here is my question: I am seeking a handgun for home defense and wish your opinions. The perinent information and needs are:
1. 9mm as I want to use the same caliber as my Rohrbaugh.
2. Must have a rail that allows placement of a light.
3. Double strike capability as no ammo is 100% reliable.
4. Reliability is a huge factor.
5. Capable of being fired and controlled by a petite female as well as large male. Trigger pull must be reasonable.
6. It will not be stored in "cocked and locked" condition. Therefore 1911 or other single actions are out.
7. A safety is not needed.
8. This handgun will likely never be carried.
9. Money is not a major concern (otherwise why would anyone buy a Rohrbaugh?)

So far I have considered some of the Sigs and H&K's.

Thanks. 

[thor447]

I would suggest taking a look at the H&K P30.

[Chief-USN]

I would suggest looking at Sig-Sauer their double action/single action triggers are the best out there and Sigs always work.

Chief

[Jack_F]

I put this post here because I believe the readers of the Rohrbaugh Forum are knowledgeable about a wide variety of firearms and not swayed by some purely emotional "gut" or "loyalty" issues. Here is my question: I am seeking a handgun for home defense and wish your opinions. The perinent information and needs are:
1. 9mm as I want to use the same caliber as my Rohrbaugh.
2. Must have a rail that allows placement of a light.
3. Double strike capability as no ammo is 100% reliable.
4. Reliability is a huge factor.
5. Capable of being fired and controlled by a petite female as well as large male. Trigger pull must be reasonable.
6. It will not be stored in "cocked and locked" condition. Therefore 1911 or other single actions are out.
7. A safety is not needed.
8. This handgun will likely never be carried.
9. Money is not a major concern (otherwise why would anyone buy a Rohrbaugh?)

So far I have considered some of the Sigs and H&K's.

Thanks. 

S&W M&P  or Glock   I currenttly have 5 of each in various sizes   ..my favorite is the S&W M&P 9mm Pro...  the S&W Shield would be an great gun for your wife and it has an outstanding trigger..if the round did not fire on the first firing pin strike it needs ..tap,rack,bang.... clearing not multiple trigger pulls to see if it will fire..JMO

[Richard S]

And under the conditions you suggest, I would suggest consideration of s Browning Hi-Power or HK P7.

[Griff]

Except for the double-strike capability, Glock operates like Rohrbaugh.  Aim, pull trigger.  No safeties to manipulate.  I would also suggest considering a double action revolver. I really like my Ruger LCR with the lasergrip.  They are made in .357, .38 special, and .22 long rifle.  THere is no light-rail.

Good Luck with your search.
Griff

[jetboater]

I'll second the HK P30.

Also look at the HK P2000--- similar size to the P30 but slightly different grip----either is a fine choice--I have 2 HKs and my wife also has a 9mm HK P2000sk (shorter version of the P2000) as her CCW.

There are several choices of trigger types---the LEM is the DAO with second strike capability---all 3 of ours are LEM.  No safety to fool with.

They're one of, if not the, softest shooting 9mms on the market-- that's what attracted my wife to one (she picked it out on her own after trying over a dozen choices)

HKs are not cheap but they are very high quality. 

Best thing to do is try to find a range with a large rental gun choice and see which ones fit your hand and then rent it and try it out--- it's really hard to go wrong with most of the choices folks have suggested here---I'm just an HK fanboy...

[docboss]

Thanks for the quick responses. Glocks are out because of no second strike. They are very reliable and perfect in most ways, but in a panic situation I want second strike. All the revolvers are out because of the need for a rail. As you may have noticed, I looked at a P7 but no rail and second strike only after recocking. I guess Sig of H&K it is. I have not fired a DAK or LEM, but the SA/DA would work. My trainer says the SA/DA is really not what I want because of the difference in trigger pull. Could someone give an evaluation of these triggers? By the way, I finally received my shipment of 9mm ammo from Ammo To Go. Everyone locally is sold out of all 9mm except Cabelas has some Remmington Golden Sabre. Even .22 is sold out. Crazy. 

[jetboater]

Here's some info on the HK LEM trigger--it's a DAO with every trigger pull the same (unless it's a second strike)---essentially when you rack the slide to chamber the first round, it precocks the gun so the first trigger pull and every one after that is exactly the same.  Should the round not go off, then it reverts to a "traditional" heavier double action trigger pull the second (or third or forth) time you pull the trigger on that round.   But it's not cocked in the sense of the SA on a DA/SA--it's internal and very safe-- it's used by law enforcement who require their officers carry DAO  (LEM stands for Law Enforcement Module). 

http://www.hkpro.com/forum/hk-handgun-talk/123078-please-explain-lem-trigger-newbie.html

My first HK was a P2000 with the traditional DA/SA--- great gun but I traded it in after a few weeks for the same gun in LEM as i wanted every trigger pull the same-- really love it. We now have 2 more LEM HKs.

And the major HK forum for some good info is (note the "world of HK" section at the top-- also has some good info)

www.hkpro.com

The P30 has the traditional rail on it as well as interchangeable side and rear grip panels that come with the gun so you can customize the fit to your hand.   

[Ljutic]

I'm not afraid to try the new stuff that comes along and this one from Walther that was announced at SHOT this year may be exactly what you are looking for functionally.  It's a bit on the ugly side, but sometimes all the beauty of a pistol is in the guts that you can't see.

http://www.waltherarms.com/products/handguns/ppx/

[docboss]

Great suggestions but the Walther PPX appears to have no second strike without racking. Yes, it's...ugly. I have fired the Walther PPQ and it is sweet, but not what I need. So far, it looks like the P2000 and P30 have what I want. Although we would probably never use it, the long slide release might help with a smaller hand. Finding a H&K with a LEM trigger at any local range will be a major challenge. Any particular Sig recommendations out there?  My friend has a 229R but it weighs a ton.

[MRC]

docboss said:

   "Thanks for the quick responses. Glocks are out because of no second strike"



Just my opinion, but in my experience second strike capability is a cure for a problem that just does not exist with any of the striker fired pistols I own and shoot.  They always fiire on the first pull and that is why I prefer them over DAO-hammer fired pistols.  To get an acceptable trigger pull on the hammer fired pistols, spring strength is usually compromised.  Boberg is hesitant to put his 6# spring in his pistols as he was informed by his insurance libility carrier there are 4 lawsuits against gun manufacturers right now about pistols not firing on the first pull in defensive situations.

Again, just my opinion.

[Richard S]

My apologies for speedreading your post and missing your rail requirement. The oversight perhaps reflects my own preference for tac lights to be mounted on home-defense long guns but not on handguns. (That's why I have three tac lights sitting in, on, and around my nightstand.)

[Chief-USN]

 If you are really worried about DAO as the only type trigger Sig has those on many models. It has never bothered me at any rate due to the fact that if you know what the first pull is going to be like it is not an issue especially a pull like the Sigs have. And the single action pulls are extremly nice. Sigs tend to be priced better as well. And Never fail. I have a P228 that I have run for 21 Years and I do not even concern myself over whether or not it will fire. Many SEAL Teams and other SpecOps groups prefer the Sigs (Mk25) (P226 is an Example of a 9mm they like) for that reason as well.

Chief