Looking for a new pistol ( need help )

[jordanb]

Now that i am upgrading my arsenal i am now looking for a new pistol. My current settup is a stock WE high capa 5.1. Not bad but i am looking for something a little more reliable, and easier to upgrade than gonna toss the high capa to my gf. I know i want either the TM p226 e2 or a glock. Ive always loved the p22's so i am leaning more towards it but i would like some opinions. I am wanting to wait on upgrades until i run into problems with the gun. I am also open to other models, but wanting to stay with a tm. thanks guys!

[MaybeStopCalling]

Don't get me wrong... a P226 is nice, but damn heavy with variable trigger pulls due to being a full metal DA/SA pistol. I'd suggest an M&P or Glock- Polymer, one single trigger pull, low bore axis, high magazine capacity.

[Szevin]

I love my TM P226r. Feels great, shoots great.

[jordanb]

Originally Posted by MaybeStopCalling

Don't get me wrong... a P226 is nice, but damn heavy with variable trigger pulls due to being a full metal DA/SA pistol. I'd suggest an M&P or Glock- Polymer, one single trigger pull, low bore axis, high magazine capacity.

The M&P looks really nice. Seen lots of good reviews on it. However i have not found anywhere to purchase one. So i would have to wait to get AV'd. As for the glock that was my second choice to the p226. Cant go wrong with a glock tho. thanks for the help!

[jordanb]

Originally Posted by Szevin

I love my TM P226r. Feels great, shoots great.

I only got to fire off a few rounds in one and it was amazing. Theres something about a p22 with a threaded barrel.. Every time i see one i wanna buy it.

[Bigload]

I am enjoying my KWA M9 PTP. Little aftermarket options, but reliable. Full metal. You can pay a little more for a TM, but I can't complain about the price.

[GR]

WE Glock 17. Not TM, but has a solid metal slide and performs very well. Most likely is also cheaper than TM. Check it out.

[siggypoo]

Originally Posted by GR

WE Glock 17. Not TM, but has a solid metal slide and performs very well. Most likely is also cheaper than TM. Check it out.

And in my limited experience is rather low in cost to repair or upgrade, most of the parts being TM compatible. I've a Stark/VFC Glock 18 that I adore.
A basic rule of thumb that seems to carry over from real steel to airsoft is, "the fewer moving parts, the better".
Glock has it. I'd love to get my hands on a 228 or 225 though.

[Spadona]

I own a KWJ p226 (KP-01 version, without trades). It's a very comfortable pistol to hold, as it has one of the most ergonomic grips of all the pistols. That said, I agree with the above comments that it is heavier than other pistols. Lugging that thing around in a drop-leg holster can be troublesome.

[MaybeStopCalling]

I'm going to come in and say a TM Glock is your best option. You'll spend more, but you'll have something that's pretty much top of the line and will last you a long time.

Trigger Pull

Having fired all three sidearms, I've come to the following conclusions: The Glock has an extremely good trigger which should not be overlooked. I don't believe it was done intentionally, but what TM has done is installed an extremely crisp two stage trigger. The first stage, taking up approximately 2/3 of the pull, is light and smooth until it rapidly increases in weight. From this point, the trigger breaks like a glass rod, and resets with a loud and clear feel and sound. Lastly... one trigger pull to learn, instead of two. Downside? No double strike ability. If you have a misfire, you have to run a double feed drill.

KWA's M9 series pistols are a constant favourite of mine. The double action pull is long with an satisfactory break- Something I'm not a fan of, but I'll accept the DA mode is more of a "Oh shit I need to draw my gun and fire NOW" mode than anything accuracy related. The SA pull, however, is crisp and clean. Not quite as forceful of a reset as the Glock, but it's there. It was an excellent pistol for marksmanship and an excellent sidearm if not for its other shortcomings in my opinion.

Last is the KJW P226. DA was heavy but again I'm willing to accept that in DA mode. SA... SA was weird. I don't know if it was the particular pistol (an E2) or an issue with them all, but the SA pull was long and the break was sudden in an area of increased resistance- There was no clear feel of when the breaking point was reached- no glass rod so to speak.

Ergonomics

I'm a freak of nature apparently- I find Glocks the most comfortable. However, depending on the generation, they're either my favourite or a disappointment. Generation 4 is super grippy- I have the utmost confidence with the grip. Generation 3... lacks grip- KWA/KSC are bad for this. That pistol will start sliding far far sooner than I'd like. Magazine catch on the Gen 3s are also a pain in the ass, Gen 4's is nice and big. The angle isn't for all, but when it fits, it fits well. It's simple to take apart, though the 92FS and Sig have it beat by miles. It's the lightest of the three, which makes a difference when wearing it in a holster.

Where the Glock works best overall for me, the 92FS was the best for me in target shooting. It's weighed nicely, returns to target nicely, and the controls are nice and big. Slide release, for example, is nice and pronounced. Not so nice is the safety. I would definitely prefer a decocker without safety. If you handle the slide (Charging the pistol, slingshotting the slide) you run the risk of unintentionally putting the gun on safe. Not a good thing to pull the trigger while getting shot at, only to have a non functioning pistol. I like the disassembly lever it has- very easy and simple to use. It's the heaviest of the three... good as a target gun, bad after four hours on a duty belt.

Sig Sauer's E2 grip seems like it has potential. I'm not a fan of it, but I can see why someone would like it. Very pointable, decocker's position is excellent... slide release position takes some getting used to but it's not a huge problem. Weight is decent, though it could be better. Disassembly method is best of the three.

Reliability & Durability

I'll leave the 226 out as I don't have much experience with it. The 92FS always went bang for me. It's a solid metal pistol made of metal parts. In my time using it, I never had any failures. The decocker can get iffy on the 92 series, so you might have to do some gunsmithing. Taking apart the gun to upgrade a hammer spring or a hopup rubber is borderline ridiculous. I speak of the KSC/KWA model- The TM based ones I don't have much experience with apart from knowing they're not 100% close to the actual function of the real pistol. The open slide is a mixed blessing- It makes it super easy to manually feed the pistol and clear out minor dust... drop it into sand or any major debris and you're in trouble.

TM's Glocks... are dead simple to work on. Never had any failures on it, however they, being half polymer, do bring some issues to the table that ultimately let down their RS counterparts. The front chassis screw post has a habit of failing after repeated impacts. This can be rectified through various methods of varying success. An upgrade frame will do wonders, but it sucks this issue exists at all. KSC/KWA's Glocks don't have this issue, but are offset by a variety of other issues- They're complex, their hammer is a poor design that fails often, and their parts stream is drying up now that they've moved onto the ATP (At least KWA's stream)

Misc

- Glock's sights are the only replaceable ones, but god do the standard issue ones suck.
- Sig can take CO2 magazines, the others can't.
- Stay away from WE Glocks... they're not TM compatible due to variances and their quality is iffy, plus they have all the potential issues of the TM Glock.