Firearms - Pistols

All handgun training at Tacfire is based around the semi-automatic pistol; therefore, you need a safe, strong, reliable semi-automatic pistol.  Pistols used in our training classes must be suitable for concealed carry and self defense; therefore very large and very small pistols are not acceptable.  Minimum caliber is 9 mm parabellum (9x19).  Modern pistols manufactured by Glock, Sig Arms, H&K, Beretta, Kahr, and Smith and Wesson are suitable. We prefer Glocks above all other handguns. Unsuitable pistols include Desert Eagles, small pocket pistols, old surplus pistols such as P-38s and CZ-52s, and any pistol with "competition"-type modifications. 

Pistols that use a magazine that is not inside the hand grip, such as the Tec-9 or H&K SP89, MAC or Cobra Ray series pistols, and similar style pistols, are not suitable.  1911-style pistols as well as Browning Hi Power style pistols are acceptable provided they do not have competition modifications.  By "competition" modifications, we mean all the unnecessary add-ons and modifications popular with competition shooters such as compensators, extended barrels, magazine wells, recoil buffers, magazine extensions, ultra-light trigger pulls, tightly fitted actions, sharp checkering, skateboard-grip tape, fragile adjustable sights, optical sights, overly extended levers and buttons and so on.  A fighting pistol must be strong, durable, free of sharp edges, snag free, reliable and field strippable without tools.  The only modifications recommended are as follows:

Fixed metal sights, preferably night sights (All pistols.)
Reliability package (1911 and Hi Powers.)
Remove sharp edges (Many pistols)