Considering Optics Ready Defensive Pistols (WWAZSD)

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BigNate
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Re: Considering Optics Ready Defensive Pistols (WWAZSD)

#16

Post by BigNate »

Basher wrote: March 23rd, 2022, 5:11 pm If you’re not considering the Langdon LTT RDO, then you’re wrong and you should feel bad. 😂
OK - so I looked this up and I'm reading this to be a Langdon customized Beretta 92... If I'm mis-reading this please let me know.


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Re: Considering Optics Ready Defensive Pistols (WWAZSD)

#17

Post by Basher »

BigNate wrote: March 24th, 2022, 8:47 am
Basher wrote: March 23rd, 2022, 5:11 pm If you’re not considering the Langdon LTT RDO, then you’re wrong and you should feel bad. 😂
OK - so I looked this up and I'm reading this to be a Langdon customized Beretta 92... If I'm mis-reading this please let me know.
You are correct, sir! If you like the 92 series, this is one of the top RDO pistols available. Everybody makes a Glock slide or whatever, but the Langdon LTT is really something else. Well worth the price of admission, and then can be found used for a good bit off retail.

Technically speaking, it’s a slide milled for an optic plate. But it’s one of the better done options out there. To my knowledge, I’ve not heard of any issues with them, and they’re breathing new life into the 92. Absolutely fantastic pistols.
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Re: Considering Optics Ready Defensive Pistols (WWAZSD)

#18

Post by BigNate »

OK - Update on my search. I've eliminated the following for various reasons:

* Sig 229 / 226 Legion RDX - Price and hand feel were overrode the fact that I loved the trigger. As much as I love these guns I think I'm going to stick with the simplicity of the striker fire gun for EDC.
* Langdon LTT RDO - found a different Langdon Beretta (polymer frame of some sort - I don't remember the model) and a standard 92X - same reasons as above. The trigger on the Langdon that I was able to put my hands on was absolutely fantastic - and I'd be surprised if I don't end up with one some day - but at this point it won't be my choice for EDC.
* S&W M&P 2.0 - There are some things to like but I really did not care for the trigger - particularly the reset. It felt like mush and as I was dry-firing it, it felt much longer than it really was as I kept releasing well past the reset. A lot of the other stuff seemed "pretty good" to me - but the trigger really killed it for me.
* CZ P10C - Did not care for the hand feel and in my view the trigger was "OK" - but I don't remember being super impressed by it and given the way the gun felt in the hand I have not gone back to look at a second one.

The following are still in the running and are listed in order of preference based on what I've been able to do with them so far. I'm going to try to shoot each of these...
1) Walther PDP Compact - Really love the feel of this gun in my hand and the trigger is fantastic. It is not absurdly expensive which makes it an easier buy than the VP9. Trigger is the best factory trigger I've felt in a striker-fire pistol.
2) VP9 - Two of my kids own this gun (although not the optic ready version) so I've shot it, and really like it. I put it below the PDP on this list because it is more expensive - so if the PDP shoots as well as the VP9 it will be hard to spend the extra.
3) Glock 19 or 45 MOS Gen 5 - This is still on the list primarily because of its place in the market, and the fact that I was surprised at the improvement to the trigger in the G45 that a sales guy stuffed into my hand. I think it is a long-shot - but I'm going to go shoot my kid's gen 5 G19 MOS as part of this exercise.

It is not impossible that I get through shooting these and get launched back into the Sig and Langdon/Beretta territory but I doubt it.. .
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Re: Considering Optics Ready Defensive Pistols (WWAZSD)

#19

Post by h8pvmnt »

The S&W M&P trigger can be greatly improved with the APEX kit, once that's done its a great option especially the compact optics ready version. The G45/19 are great but not really concealable to me. I have settled on a SIG P365XL with a Romeo Zero for an Optics Carry gun.
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Re: Considering Optics Ready Defensive Pistols (WWAZSD)

#20

Post by h8pvmnt »

Langdon sells the optics ready slide separately as well that can be installed on most 92 series guns. AZ firearms has a M9 right now for less than or close to 500.00 on GB. The trigger jobs on the LTT elite however are so good that just the slide wouldn't be enough once you feel the difference....
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Re: Considering Optics Ready Defensive Pistols (WWAZSD)

#21

Post by BigNate »

h8pvmnt wrote: April 1st, 2022, 10:57 am The S&W M&P trigger can be greatly improved with the APEX kit, once that's done its a great option especially the compact optics ready version. The G45/19 are great but not really concealable to me. I have settled on a SIG P365XL with a Romeo Zero for an Optics Carry gun.
h8pvmnt wrote: April 1st, 2022, 11:00 am Langdon sells the optics ready slide separately as well that can be installed on most 92 series guns. AZ firearms has a M9 right now for less than or close to 500.00 on GB. The trigger jobs on the LTT elite however are so good that just the slide wouldn't be enough once you feel the difference....
Thanks much. For this one I'm really fixed on buying a gun that I don't need to modify to make it what I want. I'll modify race guns, weekend plinking guns, etc. but I personally want to carry a factory stock gun for personal defense / EDC. Not trying to start that argument here (it would probably make for an interesting thread) - but for the purpose of this search I'm looking at dead-stock guns only.
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Re: Considering Optics Ready Defensive Pistols (WWAZSD)

#22

Post by h8pvmnt »

Fair and understood, i on the other hand can't leave anything alone LOL. Good luck with the search.
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Re: Considering Optics Ready Defensive Pistols (WWAZSD)

#23

Post by BigNate »

Whelp... Walther PDP (full size 4.0") and Holosun 507C X2 purchased. It will be a week or two for the plate to arrive - after which I'll put some lead down range and let you know whether I have any regrets.

I laid the compact on top of the full size on a gun-store counter and the differences in length and height were not enough to make me forgo the extra three rounds of capacity for the fullsize gun. Here's a screen clip from an online tool that lets you overlay various handgun images to compare size. This is almost exactly what I saw when I did this physically.
pdp.JPG


Decision making factors for me were:
* The feel in my hand compared to the others
* The feel of the trigger (when dry-firing only so far) is the best stock striker fire trigger I've felt. Crisp break and a super short and positive reset.
* I like the feel of the heavy serrations in the slide (for grip) - and the fact that these exist on the front of the slide as well. Maybe I'll get used to racking the slide by grasping over the optic - but that really seems wrong to me. I'm sure I have a lot to learn about shooting an optic equipped handgun.
* Lots of you-tube watchin' - I found lots folks swooning over the platform. I get that this has to be taken with a grain of salt - but when looking at a slew of different sources for "best optic ready carry / duty handgun" type questions the PDP really did seem to be at or near the top more than most of the others.

The other guns that were still in the mix at the end were a P320 and the VP9. The Walther was a good bit less expensive than the VP9 and felt better in my hand that the P320.

As to the optic - it was pretty simple. There were two decision points:
1) The 507C X2 has the circle-dot reticle. At first I thought it was gimmicky - but as I compared a few of them I found that I would "find the dot" much more quickly with that bigger circle area than I did with a simple dot. It seems to give the best of both worlds between a small dot and having the edge of the reticle come into view quickly so as to not have to "hunt" for it.
2) It was half the price of the RMR, and I know a couple of folks that have the Holosun products and are happy with them - so I thought this along with the first thing above made it the easy choice.


Anyway - the proof will be in the shooting of the gun - looking forward to learning it and figuring out whether it is what I really want.
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Re: Considering Optics Ready Defensive Pistols (WWAZSD)

#24

Post by blasternaz »

Well? Range report, sir!! Please???
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Re: Considering Optics Ready Defensive Pistols (WWAZSD)

#25

Post by BigNate »

blasternaz wrote: May 6th, 2022, 5:48 pm Well? Range report, sir!! Please???
https://www.arizonashooting.org/forum/v ... 25&t=17001

:-)
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