OK, for those who say get an XD and my Glock urges will go away- that will probably only make them worse! I absolutely love my Taurus PT140 Milennium Pro, and it was supposed to be bought INSTEAD of a Glock. My polymer M. Pro and my polymer Ruger KP345 are now among my favorite guns and have really whet my appetite for the Glock, the archetypical polymer pistol. The XD is also a good pistol, I'll probably really like it, and that will make my "need" for a Glock even more pronounced.
For those who say variations of "go with the ugly but reliable gun", completely unnecessary. First, I really like the looks of my functional, polymer, Taurus PT140 M. Pro and Ruger KP345- polymer does not=ugly. My "pretty" CZ 75B is very reliable and even my Charles Daly 1911 is pretty good. And yes, I actually even like the looks of the Glock.
On 9mm v. .40 (for me), both have their advantages. For a while 9mm was my favorite auto caliber. Right now .40S&W is my favorite defensive caliber. I'm sure it will change again in the future. The advantages of .40, 9mm and .45, are so balanced that it really is hard to pick a favorite in reality. For the advantage of easier ammo selection for the .40 you have cheaper practice with the 9mm, for the extra round in the 9mm you have a little more power in the .40. It is so hard to choose. I think I'm slightly leaning towards the 9mm in the Glock 26 (or 19 if I go bigger) since I have the .40 in the similar sized (about halfway between the 26/27 and 19/23 in size) Taurus PT140 Milennium Pro. Then again, there is the advantage of ammo interchangability with my PT140 if I go with the 27 or 23
By the way, I see you're in Columbia City. Is there a gun shop there now (gasp! In Columbia???)?
Also, since you're looking a a CCW gun, do you have a Maryland permit?
Nope, there are no gun stores in Columbia. However, there are several nearby (some within 10min or less of Columbia).
As for the CCW permit, no I don't have the ever rare MD permit. I just like concealable guns. Part of it is in anticipation should MD law ever change (or the more likely event that I should move). Primarily it is that I just like these very practical sized guns. Also, it is occaionally possible for me to carry when out of state (the FL non-resident permit is good in PA where I do go on occasion).