Glocks are expensive in Canada. A Gen5 Glock 17 will go for $850, and if you want the red dot ready MOS version, they’re $950! So I thought I’d put together a list of Glock alternatives, their current retail prices (Sep 2020, only guns that were in stock), and some thoughts on them. Right now, prices vary wildly between retailers. Shop around.
To be clear, there are too many polymer-frame, striker fired pistols on the market. There’s not much to solve on this style of pistol, so many manufacturers have made their own to bid on the US Military’s modular handgun system and/or to bid on their local military contracts. If you buy into an uncommon platform, you’ll get screwed on parts and aftermarket upgradability. If you get a weird pistol, pick up a Safariland GLS holster, because they’re the fucking bomb and it’ll probably work with your special snowflake Glock knock-off.
If you want the short story: the CZ P10F is the best cheap Glock alternative in my opinion because it has a great trigger, grip, build quality, and the price discount compared with a Glock is fantastic. Concealability is not a concern for Canadian pistol shooters, so who cares if it has a big grip?
Beretta APX: $720
The Italian APX comes in at ~$700 for the regular model, or $850 for an optics-ready variant. They’re kinda spacey looking, the steel trigger chassis is the serialized part, and they come with interchangeable backstraps. Triggers are around 6+ lbs. The firing pin block protrudes from the top, which is kinda weird. Mags are $65/ea.
Springfield XDM: $720
Croatian-made. You can get an optics ready one for $760. They’re too expensive, they have an unnecessary grip safety, mag release is small. Some guys like them. I don’t think they’re price competitive with the other offerings below, but at least there’s some aftermarket support for them because they’ve been around for a while. Extra mags are $50 at the moment.
Sig Sauer P320: $720
The US and German made P320 is pretty interesting. There are already race-versions available (the $1400 P320 X-Five Legion) if you’re into that sort of thing, build quality is great, and because the “gun” part is the trigger assembly, you can swap the whole grip for only $62. That’d be great if you wanted to silicon carbide up one grip for competition and have a regular polymer grip for other shooting needs. There’s also a version that comes with a Sig Romeo1 Red dot for $1050, or an optics ready version for around $899. The bore is quite high over the grip, which isn’t great. Early models had an issue with firing when dropped. Extra mags are $65 each.
Walther PPQ M2: $670
German-made. Pretty decent trigger and was a pretty good alternative for a long time. The P99 is similarly priced. Magazines are pretty pricey at $70/ea.
S&W M&P M2.0: $660
Made in USA. With the 2.0 version, S&W really cleaned up the trigger. The 1.0 had a very quiet reset that was hard to feel for. Comes with several grip sizes and there’s a carry&range kit that comes with a mag pouch and holster. You can also still find the original v1.0 M&P9 for around $550 new. The M&P is the most popular Glock alternative, has been around a decently long time, and has lots of aftermarket parts available. This is the original cheap Glock alternative. Extra mags are $55.
Used Glocks: $650+
Used Gen 4 Glock 17’s start at around $650 on CGN, but there’s some negotiation you can do, and sometimes used guns come with added accessories. Glocks will stand up to decades of hard use, so buying one for hundreds of dollars less on the used market, where it has been taken to the range and back, is a better idea than buying new.
IWI Masada: $600
For $600 ($680 for the optics-ready version that comes with 4 plates), you get an Israeli-made pistol with 3 grip panels, and 2 mags. Fairly new, so aftermarket support is bad. Extra mags are only $38.
CZ P10-F: $545
Made in USA and Czech Republic. CZ always prices their stuff really competitively for the Canadian market. Case in point: their excellent P10F is right in the middle of the value segment when it’s much better quality than its price rivals. Some users complain that the grip is a bit too tall, but if you have large hands, this pistol is for you. I feel like this pistol is the best cheap Glock alternative today. Extra mags are $44
FNH FN509: $530
An upgrade of the FN FNS that I really liked for the price, the US-made FN509 has great build quality. Trigger’s a bit dumpy at 5.5-7lbs but you can either get an M*Carbo spring kit for $20, or a full apex trigger kit for $225 if you want to go all in. The trigger mechanism is overly complicated. Magazines are way too expensive at $70 each.
Ruger American Pistol: $500
Ruger’s got a great name, but this pistol was pretty late to the game. It comes with different grip modules and 2 mags and uses a trigger chassis system like the P320. Non-pro versions come with a manual safety that is completely unnecessary for this style of pistol so get the same-price pro version. Some people have complained about the wide grip being harsh on their thumb knuckle. Mags cost $55.
Canik TP9 SA: $500
The Canik TP9 is a popular Turkish-made clone of the Walther P99 and comes in a wide variety of models, colors, optics ready, and competition-ready variants. They come with 2 mags, backstraps, etc and some models come with a crappy holster and mag pouches. The TP9 is DA/SA, while the TP9 SA is single action only. Oddly, a decocker button is on both models. The trigger pull on the SA model is supposed to be really great. There’s an optics-ready TP9SFx that’s only $719. Extra mags are $47/ea.
Stoeger STR-9: $500
Made in Turkey, with parts that are very similar to Glock. The price on these needs to drop in my opinion. I was not able to find pricing on magazines, that should be a warning sign that parts and aftermarket are poor.
Ruger SR9 (9E): $479
Why is this pistol even around now that the Ruger American is in the same price bracket? Mags are getting hard to find, expect to get bent over on price.
S&W SD9VE: $440
These used to be cheaper. They deserve to be in the $330 range, not around $450. The trigger is dogshit and the guns themselves scream cheap, but at least there’s a cheap Apex trigger spring kit ($40) that’ll reduce the pull weight by 2 lbs. Extra mags are $50
Walther Creed: $416
Made in Germany. Though it’s technically hammer fired, I thought I’d include the Creed. Strictly speaking, it’s a pre-cocked, shaved hammer that’s SA only. Extra mags are $57 each
Remington RP9: $370
Tara TM-9: $340
Made in Montenegro, definitely needs some work out of the box. Not really any aftermarket unless you can figure out parts from other guns that might fit on it. Extra mags are $40.
Girsan MC28: $330
Made in Turkey, comes with 3 grip panels, can be modded to run the same mags as a CZ Shadow, its mags can be used in a CZ Shadow. There’s an optics ready version for $460. Some reports from users that dry firing can cause firing pin breakages and some users have reported the sights falling off. I’ve got a review over here on it. Not really any aftermarket unless you can figure out parts from other guns that might fit on it. Extra mags are $40.
