Perfect Gun for Carry and Beginners Competition

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wyyup

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I will be purchasing a pistol Monday. The price is less than $600 including tax.
I want a pistol that will be good for carry purposes. I live in Tennessee so concealed vs. open to me does not matter. I plan on carrying OWB anyways.

I would like recommendations on a gun that would fit into both of these roles. I really like the Springfield XD9 SubCompact. I like that it has both the compact grip and a magazine with extension. Would this be a good gun to start some competition shooting with?
 
The Glock 19 came first to my mind, since I've owned one since 1998 with complete satisfaction. It is probably the most "size-efficient" (i.e., the most compact that still holds 15 rounds in the magazine) handgun out there. It is eminently suitable for IDPA SSP, and, being a Glock, you can shoot in GSSF matches as well. I can also endorse the S&W M&P and (based on the quality and performance of the M&P) SD9. There is nothing wrong with the XD; I just don't like it as well as the the others. The shorter slide of the subcompact has a shorter sighting radius, making it less forgiving of sight alignment errors. It would be no harder to OC the full size gun.
 
I think the XDM Compact is perfect for what you're looking for. With the extended mag, it's perfect for competition, and with the shorter mag, it's perfect for carry. I'd take the XDM Compact over the XD Subcompact, but they're both good choices.
 
Well, if you're dead set on buying something on Monday... I'll agree with the others and go with a Glock 19. Reliable, concealable, and will work well in competition shooting.

I would advise against going with any sub compact if you plan on competition shooting. Sub compacts in general have poor ergonomics (mainly in the size of the grip) and the only way to fix that, as you noted, is the sleeve that goes on the bottom of the mag. That means you'll have to buy a sleeve for EVERY mag that you plan to use in competition which could be 5 or more, and when you start buying those in quantity, it really adds up. Mags are expensive enough without buying an extra $10 part for each one. Then, something you won't always hear, is that mag changes are more difficult with those extensions. The heel of your hand catches on the bottom of the empty mag and sometimes holds it in place. Not something you want happening when you're trying to do quick mag changes. You can change your hand position every time you want to swap mags, but that gets annoying and takes time that adds up if you're really counting.
Then with the sub compact, you're also loosing sight radius and barrel length. Both are negligible losses in overall performance, but every bit helps when you're talking about competition.

I would also advise that you spend more than one or two days picking out a gun. Stop and take some time and think about exactly what you want the gun to do, and then look at what requirements you have to have in the gun, and what you want but don't absolutely need. Things like size, caliber, trigger, capacity, weight, and mag price are all important factors to look at and will play into your decision. For example, I love the Sig DA/SA trigger, I think it is the smoothest DA I've found in an auto and the SA is very accurate, however the constant trigger pull on my G17 is good enough accuracy wise and in my opinion is a bit faster and doesn't require either the transition from DA to SA or to be decocked upon holstering. Because of these differences, I use a Sig 228 for CCW where I won't have to quickly holster and I like the better trigger, and use a G17 for my "go to war" rig with a Safariland holster where I like that I only have one trigger to get used to (as opposed to both DA and SA) and I don't have to decock it when doing transitions between pistol and rifle. What you plan to do with the gun and how you want the gun to do it is very important when choosing a gun you plan on using a lot.

I know I've gotten a little off topic for this thread, but to get back to the point, if you're absolutely getting one by Monday, I'd recommend a G19, if you have time to wait and find a deal, I'd probably look for a Sig 228/229/226. In your price range, it'd have to be used, but Sigs are very durable and a used sig won't be a problem if it was cared for properly. I'd also recommend you stick with 9mm as it is effective enough for defense and has low recoil and is cheaper than most other centerfires which will be good for practice and competition.
 
For competition something with a little longer barrel would help. The G17 is only .5" longer than the G19. Would make a better competition gun- the G17.
 
The XD in any variety is a great gun. I have three of them including and SC and all of them are accurate and reliable. If I ever buy a 45 it'll be an XD too. If I had one gun for carry and competition it would definitely a XD9SC. If you want something larger, the service XD is great as well. Both mine carry well, and are easy to conceal with a good IWB or OWB holster.
 
Browning Hi-Power in 9x19mm
Glock 19
HK USP
SIG P229
SIG P228
FNP
S&W M&P

...and about 100 others.

As for competition shooting...anything larger than "compact" is probably fine for beginning work.
 
Glock G23 (.40 S&W) in a Comp-Tac Paddle (OWB) and a Galco Tuck-N-Go (IWB) on a Looper Leather (Looper Law Enforcement) belt. Join GSSF and get the LEO price on the Glock, about $100 off. Think buying about some tritium night sights with the savings. All this will probably go to about $700 but can be accumulated over time.
 
You're carrying OWB and don't care about concealment then scratch everything compact off the list - particularly if you're planning on using it for competition. Compacts are all about compromise, and it sounds like based on your situation you don't need to compromise.

With the scenario you mention I'd go up to a Glock 17, or one of the 4.25"+ M&P's, XD's, or the SR9.
 
I'll put in a vote for a Glock 19 as well. I like my NY1 spring but I also have a 3.5lb connector. That brings the overal pull back down to about 5.5~6 pounds while giving a nice consistant trigger pull unlike the stock mush.
 
Thanks for all of the replies! My brother has a Glock 19 and I hate the way it feels. I have not found any model of Glock that feels good to me. I will take a look at a 4" XD and see how it feels. I do know that so far Springfield has been the best feeling in my hands.
 
My brother has a Glock 19 and I hate the way it feels. I have not found any model of Glock that feels good to me. I will take a look at a 4" XD and see how it feels. I do know that so far Springfield has been the best feeling in my hands.

Well then you've found your answer. Personally I can't stand the XD series - they don't feel right in my hands and I don't like the trigger - but I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them to anyone. They're great guns, just not great guns for me.

Another to consider is the S&W M&P series. I don't think you can go wrong with an XD, but it's nice to have options.

Disclaimer: I'm a Glock guy myself.

R
 
My brother has a Glock 19 and I hate the way it feels. I have not found any model of Glock that feels good to me. I will take a look at a 4" XD and see how it feels. I do know that so far Springfield has been the best feeling in my hands.

Yet, as a new shooter, you're unqualified to say that. You really don't know what you want because you don't have the experience to know what features work and do not work for you under different shooting circumstances*. I used to be a total SIG P-Series guy and had the similar feeling about Glock. I changed my mind about Glocks after I became a proficient handgun shooter. Then again, I also approached proficiency from the angle of being able to shoot any handgun well.

"Feelings" are all well and good, but they're not indicative of performance. Performance comes from you and which guns "feel good" will change over time. Learn to run a gun first. It doesn't matter which gun you choose so long as it is a self-defense grade firearm. The XD will be just fine in that role as a learning weapon.

Once you have achieved proficiency, then branch out into competition. The reason is sometimes competitions develop certain skills and bad habits for shooting activities outside that particular competition. You won't know what to avoid (or at least minimize) while you are learning the fundamentals based upon your shooting goals. For example, IPSC teaches techniques that are terrible habits on a two way range. Reloading while running to the next station is a good optimization for lowering your time, but doing so when someone is shooting at you is extremely dangerous.


* Example: Shooting single shots for a tight, five round group at 15 yards is very different than firing double taps at seven yards. The interaction between your gun, hand, arm, and eyes is very different between the two shooting activities. You may find the XD to be an excellent gun for slower fire, but dislike it for rapid shooting. I found the SIG P220 had too much "roll" in the recoil and I could get faster follow-up shots with other handguns in 45 ACP. However, I did work hard at mastering the SIG and was able to improve my times.
 
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Glock 17 or 19. I don't own either and I am not a hater or lover, they just fit what you want perfectly. Plus, they are so easy to customize in the future if your needs change.
 
I recommend a Walther P99 series or a PPQ.

Don't let the MSRP fool you; I routinely see them for $500-$600 NIB at Gun Shows.

The only drawback is the price of magazines. I went ahead and sprang for Walther mags, but I've read here on THR that the S&W M&P mags work in the Walthers as well. YMMV.

A current THR Thread on the PPQ.

I have the P99 AS, and it just may be the last 9mm I'll ever buy. It's that good. Feels natural in my hand, the trigger is awesome, accurate, and reliable.
 
Yet, as a new shooter, you're unqualified to say that. You really don't know what you want because you don't have the experience to know what features work and do not work for you.

This is exactly the kind of arrogant attitude that sends so many new female shooters out into the world with an S&W Airweight revolver. "You're not qualified to decide what you want. I'm qualified to decide what you want."

BS.

OP, get the gun you like. If you don't get it right the first time, you can always buy something else later.

R
 
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