While my revolver of choice has already been discussed (multiple times), my semi auto was actually much harder to choose. Keep in mind that I live in a state with a 15 round magazine limit, so some of the weapons on your list might not even have been eligible for mine, but even with that limit, I still think I made the right choice for several reasons.
The count down, starting at 3:
3rd Place…Smith & Wesson M&P 9C
I love my other M&P pistol, so what is the M&P 9c 3rd on this list?
To be honest with you I really like the M&P9 and wished that getting a 15 round clip for it was both affordable and feasible. If that was available, this list might have been very different. But it was not to be. So I was left with the 12 round M&P9C. the first negative is that it is 3 rounds short of my legal limit, and I would like to have as many rounds at my disposal as I can have. The second is that finding clips for it right now is nearly impossible. Not unless you want to pay double or triple the MSRP on an auction site. And thus the M&P9C is 3rd on the list.
2nd Place…Glock 19
The Glock 19 looks perfect on paper. It has a 15 round clip, the Gen 4 package comes with 3 clips, and because the 19 has been around for so long, you can find clips online at reasonable prices. So why 2nd place and not 1st? I don’t really like not having a physical safety to switch on and off. The other aspect is that it doesn’t quite have the flair the 1st place winner has.
1st Place…CZ75 P01
I have to say I love the way the CZ75 P01 feels in my hand. It is solid and just the right weight, it feels like something that is going to last a long time. The second thing I love about this pistol is the external hammer. I like the ability to leave it decocked so I know it is safe. There is just no way it can fire in this state.
The external hammer also lets you use the weapon as a single action pistol. The ability to use this as double action or single action is an awesome plus.
And the last factor was that I found clips very readily. With a single online search I found a five pack of clips for a hundred bucks.
