New Pistol

[bionic_one]

Ok, it's looking like the Glock compact or the Springfield XD compact in .40 More likely the Glock since they have a more thorough track record.

Where can I get the best deal? Glock 23

EDIT: What kind of concealment options are available for this weapon?

[Bodofish]

Excelent choice on the 23! You can hide it just about anywhere, very compact. As far as holsters go, look for one you like, there are many, many different ones. For deals...... I believe the FFL is comming in about a week and I should have pricing on any gun or accessory. I also have a 21 all slicked up for comp, it makes me smile when I shoot it. It's not a 1911 but it holds a lot more.

[tommytitan08]

I myself prefer H&K USP pistols. They have compact models in 9mm. I used to have an xd 40 but wasn't a big fan as far as accuracy. My USP is way more accurate in the same caliber with 30% less recoil.

[wolverine]

If its a Glock that you want, here's how to get the best deal if you're not in LE. Join the Glock Shooting Sports Foundation. It costs $35 to join for the first year and $25 each year after. When you join you ask for the coupon that gets you the LE price on any Glock. You only get one coupon per year and it allows you to buy at $398. Beats the crap out of the $499 to $650 that the dealers are asking. Only caveat is that you have to order from select dealers. Kesselring on the westside and I know the other dealer is in Spokane. All but 1 of the 5 Glocks that my son, daughter, and I have bought came this way.
Glocks are good. They are butt ugly but always go bang.

[Kfisherman]

I got a Glock 21, 23, and soon to be a Gen 4 glock 17. They are great reliable guns.

[mav186]

Lee, you may go to a well established firing range (indoor) and rent a couple of your final choices to see how they feel and shoot to YOU.

[Mossy]

Lee, you may go to a well established firing range (indoor) and rent a couple of your final choices to see how they feel and shoot to YOU.

+2. I like XD's and glocks but I like how XD's feel. Just bought a .40 compact friday but I've shot them before. The best way to figure it out is to shoot as many as you can, check reviews with what you like and then find the best deal.

[Bscman]

Having owned both glocks and XD's...I'd pick an XD first...

XD has more slide to frame contact area than glock (more strength).
XD has a steel guide rod, glock is plastic (not a big concern, though).
XD has two passive safetys, your finger has to be on the trigger and your hand on the grip in order to get it to fire...which means it is that much harder to have an "accidental" discharge. Simply snagging the trigger on a shirt button could cause a gun with only a passive trigger "safety" to go off.
XD has more chamber support than glock--search "glock kboom!" and you'll see why this is a concern. Brass will live longer, reloading will be safer, and in the rare even you get an over-charged round in the gun, the XD and your hand will be safer than with a glock.
XD has traditional rifling, glock is polygonal. The glock will give you slightly more velocity, but from my experience they don't like brass-jacketed bullets (which are getting more and more common!) and shooting cast leade bullets is not approved.
XD has steel sights, the basic glocks have plastic sights front and rear which will wear with holstering.

But, the glock is generally lighter in weight and is very reliable. Then again, between myself and my father we have owned six different springfield XD's and never had a single malfunction of ANY KIND (and we shoot on a weekly basis).

If you're looking at a glock, I'd recommend you check out Summitgunbroker.com or any of the major online retailers, as there is a HUGE market for law enforcement trade-ins. I got my first glock, a like-new G19 9mm with night sights, for $324.60 out the door.

I'd steer clear of Taurus--they make mediocre firearms with VERY poor customer service.
Stoeger now makes the Beretta Cougar, using berettas actual tooling, for around $400 new.
Smith and Wesson Sigmas are cheap, but the triggers are aweful and don't have the best reliability history.
The M&P series has a lot to offer--and S&W often has additional rebates so check their website.
Bersa makes some great, reliable pistols for low prices (380's for $230, 9mm and 45's for $360). They are traditional DA/SA with decocker, but the triggers have a lot of creep. I love my thunder 380, though.
Look for the "baby desert eagle" or "Jericho" and you'll find a VERY well made, reliable, steel frame pistol...often under $400...easily one of the best buys right now.

My personal recommendation would be sig. Certified Pre-Owned (refinished/certified used guns) can be had around $500-530 in all the popular sizes and calibers. Some eurapean police trade-in's are available around the $300-350 make in excellent condition. If you want accuracy and extreme reliability, and you don't care for striker fired pistols, the sig 229 can't be beat. The Sig 250 can be had new for $525...you get reliability and quality, in an ugly package...LOL

Best of luck on your endeavor. There are too many to choose from, with too many differing opinions, and too many good and bad stories on the net...so take it all with a grain of salt.

[Bass Woody]

Glock is the gun for self protection and carry. subcompact glocks fit anywhere that is comfy. fire it underwater, rub it in sand, drop it, throw it, run over it, bla bla bla and it really does keep working!

[bionic_one]

Ok, I want easy concealment. How short can I go before I compromise too much on accuracy and increase recoil to unhappy levels?

4.5"
3.8"

[G-Man]

If your looking at a short barrel for concealment, any power/accuracy loss should not be that big of an issue. By design, that type of pistol was not made for target shooting, rather it was made to engage a hostile in close proximity to you. I have a SIG 230 with a 3.6" barrel and have no problems hitting my target out to 50 feet. Sure I won't be entering any competition shoots with it and it jumps a bit more than a full sized pistol but I'm a small framed guy and I can't conceal a full sized weapon unless I'm wearing a parka. This is definitely something that is user dependent as a larger fellow can more easily conceal a larger framed weapon.

I think it's been suggested before but bears repeating, try out a few at an indoor range like West Coast Armory or Wade's. As much as I dislike Wade's, they have a huge selection of pistols from which to rent and are probably your best choice.

[bionic_one]

I think it's been suggested before but bears repeating, try out a few at an indoor range like West Coast Armory or Wade's. As much as I dislike Wade's, they have a huge selection of pistols from which to rent and are probably your best choice.

Definitely. I'm just trying to eliminate what I can prior to that.

[bionic_one]

Went with the Springfield XDm 3.8" in .40 S&W

The weapon is very well balanced. I found the recoil to be even more manageable than my M9. Re-Acquiring the target with rapid fire was nearly instant, and holding a tight shot group was no problem at all.

Thanks for all the input folks.

[racfish]

Wades Death Range!!!! Scarey place.. the crowd there is a strange crowd.I seldom shoot there anymore.They do have a nice selection to rent and shoot from.

[gpc]

I always said I would never own a 9mm or a Glock. After testing quite a few guns/calibers I went with the Glock 19. I would prefer something with a little more stopping power, at least a 40 cal. but when it boils down to it, a .40 cal is only a 10 mm. So just a little bigger, but more expensive and not nearly as common. And the other calibers are even worse in price. And with Glock (well most 9mm) you make up for the smaller caliber in clip capacity. Very light and compact and is one of the easiest guns I have ever taken apart. There is quite a few accessories, and Glock makes extended clips. Not the Butler Creek after market clips, that are only a 50/50 chance, some of their clips work great, but most dont. But Springfield is another make that gets my approval.

[Goneshootin]

Remember the important point in gunfighting is to HAVE a gun.I no longer live in Washington,I now live in Montana where people dont wet themselves over the possability of seeing a gun.In Wa if your gun prints or if it accidentally flashes you are in a heap of trouble.I see you have decided already on the Springfield.I have no experiance with these but have heard good things and if the quality of my M1a or my Garand is any indication then I'm sure they make a damn fine pistol.
My point here is that more important than some mythical stopping power rating or having 20+ rounds at your disposal is to have a gun you will carry with you ALWAYS.The 44 mag in your truck won't help you now.As far as stopping power goes,I witnessed in my youth black bear killed with a 22 mag pistol (treed with hounds) and may or may not have been directly involved in the killing of a number of deer with 22lr.It is far more important that each round hits the bad guy than what caliper you missed him with.Every round that does not hit the bad guy is a potential prison term for you.Practice,Practice,Practice!!!Dont practice with range ammo,practice with the $25.00 per box of 20 rds ammo you intend to carry.Your life AND your freedom are at stake here.
I have concealed carried for for almost 20 yrs now.I have probably owned 10 or 15 pistols that were purchased to be my primary carry weapon.YOU need to find something that is comfortable for YOU to carry.For myself I never felt comfortable carrying a 1911 cocked and locked no matter how small it was.Glock safe action trigger was one step below the 1911 to me the same for kahr or any other pistol without a decocker(although with the the kahr you could do serious damage just by dropping it on the assailents foot!).The only solution for me would be to not carry a round in the chamber.A pistol without a round in the chamber is known as club or a rock depending on how you choose to deploy it.I would be fine carrying any of these 3 in a holster on my hip with a round ready to rock.
I think you will find that no one pistol will cover all your concealed carry needs(be sure to have your wife read this as it will mandate puchasing even more guns!)You need to consider body type.If that is your real pic in your signature then you could probably carry sawed off Browning auto 5s inside the waiste band.If you are like me(5'9") then which season
and how you dress will factor in.I have tried carrying commander size 1911s as well as a full sized sig p220 and full sized glocks.Even though I dont like carrying Glocks or 1911s cocked I would need to wear a sleeping bag to conceal them!
Around here there are approx 8 months of winter with 4 months of summer.During the colder months I can reliably conceal my Uzi Baby Eagle 40 s&w.It holds 10 shots with post-ban mags and is very accurate.During the warmer months I can conceal my S$W Cheif special. in 38 special+p just fine.I also carry 5 more rounds in a speed loader.When wandering the woods Without a rifle I always carry my Ruger Blackhawk in .357 mag.
Please remember that to even be in a gunfight you must have a gun.A handgun is a poor choice for gunfighting(my carry pistol is what I plan to use untill I can grab my Rossi 38 sp/357 mag out of the truck).You must find a pistol or combination of pistols that you will carry one every time you leave the house.You need to practice,practice,practice and then practice some more with your carry pistol and ammunition.One misguided round here could cost you your freedom.

[bionic_one]

Yes, that's actually me in the photo. Well, it's me last July. I upgraded the kayak and gained ~6 pounds since then.

I'm able to conceal the XDm 3.8" very easily in my lower back. I picked up an inside the hip left hand carry, which serves as a small of my back right hand carry. Holds the weapon snug, but not so snug as to get stuck.

As far as practice goes, I've been shooting guns (including handguns) since I was 5 and have fired thousands of rounds from handguns. I've only fired about 40 from this particular weapon, but it's very easy to control (I used 16 rounds of cheap stuff and 20+ rounds of the good stuff)

I intend to shoot a lot more, just haven't had time.


My dad was really into guns - a little too into them. We'd shoot from the couch in the living room of our double-wide when I was growing up. Hear banjos yet?

[Rich McVey]

Great thread. Im about to pick up a new pistol and had the same questions. I REALLY like the SA XDM. Not sure what Im going to get yet.

[Amx]

Don't forget I have 3 rifles for sale. I think I'm going to keep the pistol and rifle that matches it.

[Mike Carey]

I have a Glock 30SF and then got the .22 conversion kit for target practise fun. It'll be my hiking companion this year. Especially considering the amount of broken glass I see at some of those alpine parking locations, I thought it would be the prudent thing to have along with me.