I'd urge you to consider the S&W M&P in .40. The XD is going to be tougher to find parts and accessories for and they have had some issues in the past.
Help me pick out a Hand Gun!
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Walther PPK/S is not available in 9mm. .380 and I think .32 (which was the original caliber of its progenitor the PPK).
I've seen many Hi Points and they all seemed very cheaply made. Fit, finish and accuracy are all sub par. Beware.
I have a Kimber Super Match which I love because of its accuracy, but if I carried a gun it would not be my first choice (large, heavy, cumbersome). If I did carry, I'd probably go with a Ruger .357 so I have the flexibility between .38 special and .357 magnum loads.
I've seen many Hi Points and they all seemed very cheaply made. Fit, finish and accuracy are all sub par. Beware.
I have a Kimber Super Match which I love because of its accuracy, but if I carried a gun it would not be my first choice (large, heavy, cumbersome). If I did carry, I'd probably go with a Ruger .357 so I have the flexibility between .38 special and .357 magnum loads.
Glock 19. Never leave home without it.
Here are some thoughts on selecting a handgun.
selecting a handgun
Here are some thoughts on selecting a handgun.
selecting a handgun
I love my Springfield GI 1911. In .45ACP, of course. They make models with more bells and whistles but this one feeds FMJ and JHP with ease. Being a mortician, I have the opportunity to see the results of shootings. I keep SPEER Gold Dot HP ammo in mine. They perform very well. It's only 7+1, single stack, but if 8 rounds of .45ACP aren't enough, I shouldn't be carrying a firearm anyway. The narrow width of the weapon helps for carrying concealed, too.
Lawrence, I saw the same training film, I think. If I remember right, what finally incapacitated the guy was a .12ga bean bag to the kidney at point blank range. He also shook off pepper spray and a couple of taser hits. He survived the incident, too. That provoked a lot of Sheriffs depts to start using .357 revolvers.
That said, there have been vast improvements in performance of the 9mm cartridge in recent years, so I wouldn't fret about a 9 anymore. Anything .380 and up is great. For super concealment I carry a NAA .22mag revolver in a pocket holster that looks just loke a wallet to the average observer. Doesn't sound like much but a .22mag at point blank from a 1.5" barrel is pretty damn fierce, hot and loud! Id say out of the GSW bodies I see, most die from 9mm, shotgun or .22 at close range. Something to think about.
Lawrence, I saw the same training film, I think. If I remember right, what finally incapacitated the guy was a .12ga bean bag to the kidney at point blank range. He also shook off pepper spray and a couple of taser hits. He survived the incident, too. That provoked a lot of Sheriffs depts to start using .357 revolvers.
That said, there have been vast improvements in performance of the 9mm cartridge in recent years, so I wouldn't fret about a 9 anymore. Anything .380 and up is great. For super concealment I carry a NAA .22mag revolver in a pocket holster that looks just loke a wallet to the average observer. Doesn't sound like much but a .22mag at point blank from a 1.5" barrel is pretty damn fierce, hot and loud! Id say out of the GSW bodies I see, most die from 9mm, shotgun or .22 at close range. Something to think about.
Home defense, I use a Mossberg 500A Nothing compares!!
When confronted inside your home of course you want all your bullets to hit the target but if they don't you certainly don't want a stray bullet to kill someone next door......well at least most of us don't want to kill our neighbors. That's why I will always go with a shot-gun for home defense.
Concealed carry, Ruger LCP 380. Why? because it's a extremely lite firearm that you can carry no matter what you're wearing. My LCP 380 in the front pocket of my shorts is much better than a heavy 45 cal in the gun cabinet at home. I call it my "get the hell off me gun"
A sometimes carry during cold weather when I wear a vest or coat. Springfield XDM 9mm w/laser.
Wallaby
When confronted inside your home of course you want all your bullets to hit the target but if they don't you certainly don't want a stray bullet to kill someone next door......well at least most of us don't want to kill our neighbors. That's why I will always go with a shot-gun for home defense.
Concealed carry, Ruger LCP 380. Why? because it's a extremely lite firearm that you can carry no matter what you're wearing. My LCP 380 in the front pocket of my shorts is much better than a heavy 45 cal in the gun cabinet at home. I call it my "get the hell off me gun"
A sometimes carry during cold weather when I wear a vest or coat. Springfield XDM 9mm w/laser.
Wallaby
For me there are two types of handguns; ones you carry, and ones you leave at home. The ones Ieave at home are the full size .45's and 9mm. Now for the ones I carry I carry something comfortable but something I can forget I have on me, but the highest power as well. Majority of your "compact" pistols are not compact in my book. just because you shrink the barrel doesn't mean its any more compact than a full size. You have to shrink the width as well. The 2 guns I carry on a regular basis as of now is either a Karh pm9 or my Kel-Tec pf9. I would recommend 1000% the Kel-Tec. Even though I love my Pm9 its just too damn expensive for an almost identical Kelt-Tec pf9. These are the two lightest pocket 9mm, but are comfortable to shoot, accurate, and extremely thin so you can carry IWB and forget you even have the thing on.
I'm planning on picking up a used 1911 of some sort as soon as I turn 21 (4 and 1/2 months!) I'm going to be taking my concealed carry classes in just a few weeks, so I'll be hot and ready to trot the instant I manage to find an affordable weapon.
I'm hoping maybe that there will be a used Kimber. I got a chance to shoot a Kimber the other day...my god, it was the sweetest handgun I have ever fired. We MELDED into one being.
I'm hoping maybe that there will be a used Kimber. I got a chance to shoot a Kimber the other day...my god, it was the sweetest handgun I have ever fired. We MELDED into one being.
If I can ever get a carry permit in Maryland (I'll likely be shot, appy - denied, shot again, approved is the way it works here...) it would defintely be an LCP. However, they are no fun to shot at the range. My buddy is hold the LCP he bought for his wife. Three shots and she never touched it again. But, that will be my gain eventually.
I own a number of Rugers, including a 3" SP101 in 357. But, even that is too big for comfortable carry, for me.
I own a number of Rugers, including a 3" SP101 in 357. But, even that is too big for comfortable carry, for me.
I really suggest buying used or after trying a rental at a range. Our local range sells former service weapons and other good trade ins. I bought a Taurus .38 for myself and I was really surprised how much I liked the Taurus line. I bought mine used so I was able to shoot it before I decided. Glocks were ok but I don't much like the safety design. It's true you could poor sand down the barrel and still fire it, but I'd rather have an extra safety. Bootleg thinks all my guns are too small but they'll take down a bad guy no matter which one of us is behind the trigger.
I also found that I don't do well with automatics - I can't pull back the slide correctly and when slide comes back after the magazine empties it cuts my hand. I kept flinching on the last shot and screwing up my aim. Another thing I had to take into mind was the availability of ammo. It needs to be cheap enough that you can spend money on target practice. Dad has a few guns where ammo is about $5 a bullet. The .38 hollow points are still ridiculous, but they're available. I always try to pick up a box or three when I see them at Wal-Mart or Dick's. Then again, like pipes, if you put cheap ammo in your guns it's going to clog up the machine. Some of the target practice reloads are very dirty to fire.
I also found that I don't do well with automatics - I can't pull back the slide correctly and when slide comes back after the magazine empties it cuts my hand. I kept flinching on the last shot and screwing up my aim. Another thing I had to take into mind was the availability of ammo. It needs to be cheap enough that you can spend money on target practice. Dad has a few guns where ammo is about $5 a bullet. The .38 hollow points are still ridiculous, but they're available. I always try to pick up a box or three when I see them at Wal-Mart or Dick's. Then again, like pipes, if you put cheap ammo in your guns it's going to clog up the machine. Some of the target practice reloads are very dirty to fire.
A Kimber .45 custom in a Milt Sparks IWB for every day carry, yes I am a big fellow, or for something a bit lighter a CZ 85 9mm in a Bianchi shoulder rig, very comfortable. It's my understanding that the CZ out preformed the Beretta 92 hands down in the Army field trials, but for the lack of being American made it was rejected. I'd also recommend as someone has also stated, a Makarov 9mm for those with smaller hands or just like to carry a well made bit of history (mine is an East German model, can't comment on the other countries craftsmanship).
juvat - It was a ridiculously big gone he had gotten a hold of. The thing will knock you on your ass and leave bruises up and down your shoulder when you fired it. Bootleg does a little better with it - my Dad is only 5'7" and 180 lbs - but Dad is more accurate. Not like it matters when it leaves a 3" hole in the target. I forget what caliber it was being I just call it "the hand cannon."
Also, bullets were hard to find until this past year around here. I'm in the middle of Redneck, USA and when Obama was elected there was a run on everything larger than a .22. It was even hard to find .25s. Dad orders from Cheaper Than Dirt and some other catalogs when he can but he accidentally got signed up for the NRA from one of the orders.
Also, bullets were hard to find until this past year around here. I'm in the middle of Redneck, USA and when Obama was elected there was a run on everything larger than a .22. It was even hard to find .25s. Dad orders from Cheaper Than Dirt and some other catalogs when he can but he accidentally got signed up for the NRA from one of the orders.
Oh - one thing I didn't see mentioned was home storage. GA has a weird code (I don't know if its a law or only subjected to foster/adopt parents) where the gun has to be in a locked safe. The ammo has to be in a different locked safe in a different location. I know it's meant to keep the kiddos away from loaded weapons but it's inconvenient for a personal protection firearm.
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