Weapons Semiautomatic Handguns Are Among

Weapons

Semiautomatic handguns are among the most popular personal firearms on the market today. With the wide range of choices available to the consumer, selecting the appropriate weapon can be a daunting task. Each gun handles differently, feels differently, fires differently, and is made differently. Cost might also be a key factor in the decision to purchase a semiautomatic handgun, as might other factors such as durability, safety and concealability. Two of the leading manufacturers of quality semiautomatic weapons, Smith and Wesson and Glock, make 9mm semiautomatic handguns within the same basic price range. Comparing the Glock and Smith and Wesson models offers a clear and broad comparison of two different yet similar weapons. One of the most notable differences between the Glock and the Smith and Wesson 9mm semiautomatics are their users: Glocks tend to be used mostly by law enforcement officials, whereas Smith and Wesson 9 mms rank on the top ten list of the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms for guns used in crime. However, Smith and Wesson has made weapons for American law enforcement professionals since the company's inception in the 1880s, whereas Glock is an Austrian company incorporated in the 1960s. Therefore, law enforcement professionals should ignore current market trends when making the decision to purchase either a personal firearm either for home use or for use by entire law enforcement departments. Corporate profiles of Glock and Smith and Wesson aside, the 9mm semiautomatic pistols made by these two top-notch gun manufacturers should be mainly compared and contrasted for use in law enforcement in terms of their make (including materials and ammunitions used); shooting accuracy, speed, and recoil; their ergonomics; their safety features, and their overall ease of use and feel.

In terms of materials used in manufacture, the Glock and Smith and Wesson 9mm semiautomatic pistols share much in common. Both are finished with a black-colored polymer shell that encases stainless steel barrels and slides. Thus, neither would pass through undetected at a security point check, but both also boast supreme durability, weatherproofing, and ease of maintenance and cleaning. Therefore, in terms of overall workmanship and quality, the Glock and Smith and Wesson 9mm semiautomatics are nearly identical.

However, in terms of ammunitions capacity, the Glock reigns supreme. Models 17 and 17c of the 9mm semiautomatic pistols use a seventeen-round magazine, a very high capacity, double-stack package. The Smith and Wesson, on the other hand, do not accommodate such large magazines, but rather use two eight-, nine-, or ten-round magazines, depending on the model. The Glock might be a better option in law enforcement, when situations might demand minimal reloading.

The Smith and Wesson 9 mms make up for their average carrying capacity in other ways, though. For example, unlike the Glock 9mm models 17 and 17c, the Smith and Wesson models can generally handle larger-caliber bullets than the Glocks. Glock bullets are interchangeable only between models of the same caliber. Furthermore, the Glock's cartridges lack the potential for pure firepower, as they generally take the standard full metal jacket loads. Takedown power on the Smith and Wessons is stronger, with the potential to use a wider range of different types of bullets. In terms of use for law enforcement, pure firepower might not make much of a difference, and in fact can be a hindrance. For instance, an overly powerful bullet might pass through the intended object and hit innocent civilians behind it. Both the Smith and Wesson and the Glock models of 9mm semiautomatics can be trusted in terms of their level of accuracy as well as their overall shooting speed, controllability, and recoil, and in fact, neither stands out above the other on any of these key specs.