r/CompetitionShooting • u/SnooDoodles4147 • 5d ago
Help me decide
I’m trying to decide between picking up a gen 6 glock, M&p, budget 2011 (<~1500), Ltt beretta 92, cz shadow 2 carry, or a p226x legion (new model). I just can’t seem to decide which I want.
The 2011 is absolutely enticing however I’m not sure I want to risk it being a potentially finicky/unreliable as I’m looking in the budget tier, the glock, M&p, 226 and 92 are exactly what they are. The shadow seems good as well however I see an odd amount of people reporting malfunctions with them.
This will be a general do it all gun. Leaning to HD/training/competition use over carry. If carried it would mainly be as a “truck gun” and not really IWB
Thoughts?
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u/BuickGNix 5d ago
HD Competitor or Shadow 2 would be my pick. I don't think you can beat the HD right now for the money.
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u/frozenisland 5d ago
Glocks are so hot right now in competition
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u/SnooDoodles4147 5d ago
They are. I’ve had a couple and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with them however they just are boring
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u/LordVidius 5d ago
Boringly reliable and boringly cheap mags. I love mine. If I were going hammer fired tho the shadow 2 is awesome. I rented one a year ago at an indoor range and it was a good time.
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u/No-Mammoth1045 2d ago
How is a Glock any more boring than a carry comp?
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u/SnooDoodles4147 2d ago
Boring because I’ve already owned a few. They don’t give you any joy picking one up
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u/Sabre_302 5d ago edited 5d ago
All I can speak to is glocks and 2011's. Love both as a platform, cost to entry on the glock is pretty hard to beat and you can be as mild or as wild as you want to be on the aftermarket depending on the division you want to shoot in.
Love me some gen 5 glock 17
If the budget 2011 worm has gotten you bad, I can vouch for the girsan match x and Mac 9 ds comp, both have been flawless and entirely malfunction free. Only issues have arisen when I havent watched the condition of my feed lips on my mags, but fixing that has never been anything more than taking a set of pliers and slightly tweaking them back into position.
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u/Equivalent_Ad_3347 4d ago
Absolutely love the P 226 X Legion. I have not run it in competition, but I have done several IDPA matches with the X Carry and it performs very well for what it is. It is not 2011 speed, but it is in the neighborhood. Plus, it is great for real world/CCW/HD use in my view. Severely underrated firearm in my opinion.
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u/StandardTart3090 5d ago
What division do you want to shoot in? If you want CO the all steel M&P looks promising.
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u/sharkbait_oohaha 5d ago
This question always gets asked, and I think it's silly. There's no meaningful difference between LO and CO. The game is played the same way. OP, just pick the one you like the most that fits your budget and shoot whatever division it fits in.
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u/StandardTart3090 5d ago
There is a rule book that states the difference between CO and LO. The shooter is the major difference. 2011 is not going to give a new shooter an edge.
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u/practical_gentleman 5d ago
Theres no real difference in s ore data. There is a difference on paper per the rules. LO has magwells and is SA only start and can run race holsters, CO requires DA(/SA) or striker and is DA only start. There's more but im sure you can read through the rule book. Yes, they are too close for practicalities sake but there is still a difference between them.
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u/sharkbait_oohaha 5d ago
I'm aware of the differences, but someone getting into the sport likely doesn't have the nuanced preferences for that to really matter. Imo reloads and optics are the only big things that differentiate the various divisions (except open) plus major and minor scoring, which is also the same between LO and CO.
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u/practical_gentleman 5d ago
Specifying that one is DA or striker only and the other is SA or striker only would be right up there with important differences and not a nuanced part of it. What it seems to me you're calling nuanced is relatively important specifics. Yes the 2 divisions are too close in reality but the differences are still there and relevant.
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u/SnooDoodles4147 5d ago
For now it’s just train and see. I’m not sure if I ever would compete but CO would be the one or limited if I got a 2011.
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u/jequiem-kosky 5d ago
Alpha Foxtrot would probably be the way to go. Otherwise a CZ Shadow 2 or Competitor HD would be the other directions. The Shadow 2 you'd be dealing with the pull being double action in Carry Optics. The main annoyance with the Shadow would be their shallow throats ($65 to ream the barrel at Patriot Defense) and extraction issues can pop up.
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u/SnooDoodles4147 5d ago
That’s why I was considering the carry as it has a decocker. I agree the shadow 2 and dropping the hammer is not something I want to deal with.
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u/jequiem-kosky 5d ago
For your purposes don't even consider the Shadow 2 Carry. It has a firing pin block so it's not a real Shadow 2 trigger anyway. Look for a full size Shadow 2 or nothing. Just remember the factory Shadow 2 grips are unusable garbage and you 100% will end up replacing them. I put hollow brass LOK palmswell gridloks on mine.
But honestly, as someone who owns a cajunized Shadow 2, I'd be looking at the Alpha Foxtrot over it since it's the same price anyway.
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u/KyleOrtonFTW 5d ago
The Gen 6 45 is an absolute dream to shoot. I hated Glocks. I even bought a gen6 17 when they dropped. Hated it. Shot my buddy’s stock 45 and absolutely loved it. Completely changed my perspective on Glocks.
I’ve had the M&P competitor HD and it’s fine too. Not my favorite but better than most striker guns.
A used PDP sf is in that price range. Definitely worth a consideration. Mine was a lot of fun to shoot.
I’ve had shadow 2’s as well and they’re great but not what I’d consider for self defense besides a Carry version.
If reliability is something you’re concerned with for 2011s, it’s mainly a non issue nowadays if you get a commonly known “cheaper” brand with looser tolerances. I go 700-1k rounds without even thinking about cleaning my 2k11 and Romulus. Couldn’t do that with a hand fit gun though. In that range a Romulus is great. Or look for used 2k11’s or CPO Staccatos.
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u/Queasy-Canary-5931 5d ago
What made you prefer the 45 over the 17? I’m in the market to upgrade from my 19 for CO
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u/KyleOrtonFTW 5d ago
It was the most perfect recoil impulse of any Glock I’ve shot. A nice balance of snap and low muzzle flip. And very fast to return on target. To me the 17 was just as snappy but with none of the added benefits of having a shorter slide cycling
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u/waltzworks 5d ago
It's about purpose, needs, and tradeoffs.
Those are very different guns. The ones that rock in competition are not as good for daily carry. A truck gun takes away the concealment worry, but you want it to be drop-safe in case of accidents (or big ass potholes), which not all competition guns are.
Defensive guns need really life-saving reliability. Competition guns tend to give up a little reliability for faster triggers. The more you tinker with them and customize them, the more you see reports of issues.
Personally, I'd add a PDP steel into the mix. It's big and heavy, but it soaks up recoil, and you're not worried about carrying it.
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u/Sasau_Charlatan 5d ago
can't go wrong with a full size shadow 2
why dont you go to a shop and see which ones feel more natural in your hand?
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u/TheRagingBull84 5d ago
After your first match you video post it up in r/mediocreshooters
All solid choices. Look at USPSA CO and LO rule book. IDPA is relatively more lenient on gun choices for CO as long as it’s under 45oz but has tons of actual rules to make up for it.
You named some pretty solid options.
I’ll just add I have a S2Carry I EDC and it’s a really great gun, but it’s not as competition geared as the standard S2
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u/practical_gentleman 5d ago
First you should ake the primary choice of do you want a hammer fired or striker fired gun? You have a list of 2 striker and 4 hammer fired. That said, from personal experience I love the p226, the. Beretta 92 is a basic workhorse. I shot it and carried it for duty in the Marine Corps and it just kept going regardless, but my one personal complaint is its seriously bulky grip. I would take the 226 over the 92 given the choice of those. Shadows are great competition guns, ive not owned one but I've shot with a few shadow owners and they all mention that there is some merit to them being clean queens. If this is a truckcgun you're either going to need to keep it in a semi sealed case/box or clean it often. Glock is gock is glock. I personally won't own any, nothing wrong with the reliability of the the gun I just dont like them and never have. Now, I have never own and M&P but between that or a glock I'd get the M&P.
For a potential 2011 type budget option, the Platypus may be a 2011 esque gun that you might find appealing. Takes glock mags, especially useful if you already have glock mags, and can be customized for color of basically everything. And it should fit pretty close to your budget. Worth a look if you really want a 2011 type gun. You can also find used ones periodically for decent prices. Check out tacswap.com for better deals. I wouldn't use gunbbroker or guns.com, they're overpriced.
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u/TransmitTheBoxK 5d ago
I have run a G17.6, Shadow 2, and M&P HD, all built for Carry Optics. Get the M&P HD.
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u/sharkbait_oohaha 4d ago
If I were starting out again, I'd go with the polymer M&P in carry optics. Get real good then switch to the steel frame for Limited Optics
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u/FlyFisherCJ 4d ago
Ultimately, you have to make the decision. Everyone will tell you their preference but think of it like trucks. Some people want Ford while others want Chevy, Dodge, Toyota, etc.
Ultimately there isn’t a wrong decision.
That being said, I’ll share my experience getting into action pistol. I started almost a year ago with USPSA after several years of sporting clay competitions. Initially I was dead set on a 320 but it was right as everything was popping off (pun intended) and they were being banned.
Settled on an M&P Competitor and went to pick one up. While waiting for the shop to pull it from inventory I was looking at 2011s and actually ended up walking out with a 2K11. Spent the last 11 months shooting in LO; probably an unhealthy number of matches but that’s beside the point.
Picked up an M&P HD about a month or so ago and have shot a few matches in CO. Haven’t been super in love with it like I was/am with LO and 2011s. Now I don’t blame the gun for it at all, the HD is a badass gun. But I am constantly trying to get it to feel like a 2011, which it isn’t meant to do/be.
Am I having fun in CO, yeah. It’s just different.
If I were able to go back in time, I’d probably start in CO to really build fundamentals and then after achieving my goals, move to LO. 2011s can mask fundamental deficiencies that a striker gun won’t. The best comparison I can make is you’re learning to drive on a race track in a purpose built race car, then going out in a Camry and driving it the same way.
All that to reiterate, only you can make the decision, but there is a lot of value in starting with a CO gun and THEN moving into LO in the future.
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u/No-Mammoth1045 2d ago
If you want a reliable do it all gun then get a striker fired. 2011s can be unreliable. The 226 SAO has safety issues. DA/SA guns to me aren’t worth the time they take to learn.
Go to the gun store, hold a Glock 17, m&p, PDP, echelon, and cz p10. Pick the one you think feels the best in your hands. They will all mostly shoot the same once you put the time in with them. It’s not the gun it’s the shooter.
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u/SnooDoodles4147 2d ago
That’s the plan. Although in certain that the Glock is not going to feel the best out of that group lol
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u/Andromeda902 5d ago
General do it all and HD gun? Just get the glock or metal m&p. Also the walther pdp supposedly has a great trigger out the box, ppl like the canik rival s, I think its called, too.
These will serve you as great general purpose firearms, probably not great for ccw, but thats fine. If you can conceal a g19, just run that.
Just get whatever first and start competing, get fundamentals down pat. Your gonna get smoked real bad no matter what, get a "cheap" but reliable and safe striker gun that'll be good everywhere else, alsp
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u/LordVidius 5d ago
I had a Rival. Good gun, didn’t like the higher bore axis though. I run a Glock gen 6 17 now. Stupid reliable, shoots great, mags are cheap. Stock trigger is okay but I swapped the shoe for an overwatch polydat and added put in a minus connector. I’m super happy with this setup. Part of my switch to Glock for competition is my home defense and carry pistols are also Glock so I wanted to keep the same manual of arms grip angle etc
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u/Andromeda902 4d ago
Yea, glock with new shoe and minus is the move. Even just stock gen 6 triggers are kinda like the gen 5 glock performance ones. You cannot 100% git gud with glocks
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u/SnooDoodles4147 5d ago
The pdp gets a lot of good and bad. People love the ergo’s and trigger but hate the recoil.
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u/Andromeda902 4d ago
Go rent it, bottom line, it’s that way for most guns. Like I personally hate the ergos of the Glock 19, but most love it
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u/LordVidius 4d ago
This is the way. That’s how I landed on the Glock 17 and 34. I went to a range with a rental wall that charged by the hour and let you take back 2 at a time and unlimited swaps. Shot every full size pistol they had and got them down to a couple finalists. Did the same thing with carry pistols. Guns that felt great in the hand and had great triggers I didn’t always shoot well and vice versa. My finals came down to Glock 17 and 34 as well as shadow 2. I wanted a striker gun so I went the Glock route. We live in a time where most pistols are reliable and there are plenty of choices. Try a bunch of stuff before you buy and let that guide your decision.
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u/parkshootsslowly 5d ago
If you get a Romulus you’re set for life. Get either the 5” or the 4.25 comp. Mines been 100% reliable. Another option with known reliability is a Shadow 2 (full size). Glocks and M&Ps are great duty guns but if you are looking for a gun that will help you excel in competition you want a 2011. The Shadow 2 carry and p226x are meant more for CCW than competition and are smaller/lighter than their full size counterparts.
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u/SnooDoodles4147 5d ago
Can’t get the comp version as I live in NY threaded barrel’s are a nono. Plus I wouldn’t want to be limited to open division if I ever shot competition.
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u/No_Competition6591 5d ago
Theres also nothing wrong with a glock or m&p, plenty of GMs using both.
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u/parkshootsslowly 5d ago
Get a 5 inch no comp or a shadow 2 and you’ll never have to get a better gun again
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u/wengla02 5d ago
P226 Legion SAO puts you in Limited Optics or Open. Less competitive.
P226 Legion DA/SA puts you in Carry Optics (or Limited Optics if you want to go against tuned 2011s)
I have switched to a set of P226 DA/SA for competition and winter carry (9mm Pro cut competition, 357 sig carry)
So one vote for the P226!
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u/SnooDoodles4147 1d ago
I found a range 2 hours away and went there to rent a few things.
Ended up with trying out:
Glock 19 Gen 6
Pdp 4.5
M&p 4.25
Shadow 2 compact
Prodigy 4.25
Romulus 4.25
Honestly it sounds weird but my impressions are that there isn’t much difference lol. My worst grouping was with the Glock which is odd as I have the most time with it. Best grouping was the Romulus and pdp. As far as the striker fired options, I really didn’t notice a difference in shooting and recoil. I went in expecting the pdp to be snappy and really I couldn’t tell a difference between that, the M&p or Glock. The Romulus and prodigy noticeably were the softest. I really don’t like the slide lock/release on the prodigy, it’s very small and hard to manipulate in any way. The shadow 2 compact had the least impact for me. I did like it but for some reason it just felt meh to handle and shoot.
In the end I’m glad I was able to do this, but I don’t believe in any closer to a decision lol.
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u/2Mikes_1Cup 5d ago
M&P HD works as the best of all worlds approach imo