Instead of substituting my definition of a target pistol for your stated criteria, I'll stick to your definition and tell you about two pistols that I truly enjoy that might be suitable.XDS45 wrote:...I *think* I want to get a .40. ...I mostly want to compete on a friendly level with friends out on the ranch. (knock down 6 steel targets while being timed). So, I'm looking for advice on a particular model of a .40 that would be fun, smooth, accurate and durable.
First is a Glock 24. It's the long-slide version of the Glock, basically a .40 version of the 17L. It's longer than the 35 and not currently shown on the Glock web site. However, I saw a number of them in shops immediately prior to the recent frenzy and Glock is reported to make occasional production runs of them. Mine is a joy to shoot. The sharp recoil impulse of the .40 seems noticeably tamed by the long barrel and porting. Mine is an early 24 with porting by Glock; I've seen later production pistols without porting. If you want a ported barrel, companies like Lone Wolf can provide one. In fact, I have a Lone Wolf 9mm conversion barrel for this pistol that used to be great for shooting up 9mm bargain ammo in vast quantities. The pistol has as good a trigger as Glock provides out of the box and, like all Glocks, can be slicked up with either a little knowledge and elbow grease or by spending money on readily-available parts. A quick back-of-the-envelope estimate is that I've got over 30K rounds through mine with no mechanical failure of any kind. I don't remember the last time it failed to feed, fire and eject with .40. (My 9mm conversion is slightly less reliable, possibly because I don't bother swapping out for a lighter recoil spring.) It's one of my favorite range toys. I have several other pistols (Springfields, Berettas, and some others) to compare and I happen to think that for a *casual* target shooter who wants, essentially, a no-fuss upgrade of what is, at heart, a service pistol in .40, Glock seems to do it better than the others. Do a little googling and you'll find lots of head-to-head testing where people have concluded they prefer the Springfield or the S&W or something else. They can all be good and if you get a chance to handle them, you'll most likely decide that one just feels better to you. Get that one. But without knowing how they feel in your hand and based on my experience, I can say that for someone who needs the power of a .40 (or just wants one) to knock over steel targets in casual competition, I'd consider a G24 to be a solid choice.
Second, I may be reading you wrong. If you don't want an upgraded version of a basic service pistol, if you're willing to pay more than double the price of the Glock for something really *nice*, I can point you toward the EAA Witness Elite Limited. It's available in 9mm, .38 Super, .40, 10mm, and .45 with available conversion kits to swap between them all. EAA does Witness conversion kits for .22LR, too, but I don't know if they are available on the Limited platform. You'd need to call EAA for more info if that makes a difference; neither the web site nor the catalog are particularly clear on that point. I find this big, bulky, heavy hunk of steel to be well made with a great single-action trigger out of the box. Due to the weight and good feel (Almost everybody who picks up any pistol descended from the CZ75 invariably says something like "Whoa, that feels nice!"), recoil management is excellent. Mine is about the most accurate centerfire autoloading pistol I've ever just bought (as opposed to "spec'd out, ordered, and waited"). I believe if you want something substantially better, you'll have to jump into the semi- or full-custom market and spend even more money, possibly a great deal more. That route seems like overkill for your stated goal to "compete on a friendly level with friends". I'm not a 1911 guy and there are more and possibly better options in that world. However, my Limited is one of those objects that has never given me a moment of buyer's regret. Like my Nikon F5 and my Wiebetech CRU-Dataport drive enclosure, it seems way overpriced compared to other machines that do the same job but every time I use it I feel a profound sense of satisfaction that I made the right choice in buying it. With monotonous reliability, it seems to just magically put every round closer to the mark than I have any right to expect. Like the H&K PSP, it's one of those pistols that can convince you that you're a better shot than you actually are. ;) If I had to cut my handgun inventory to just 5 pieces, this would be one of them.
Anyway, you asked for recommendations based on experience. My experience is limited but I think it's relevant. Good luck on your hunt for something that feels right.