A decision! Well almost...

[SQLGeek]

Some of you may have seen my posts on here agonizing about the decision on choosing a carry gun. I took a trip to the arms room this morning and took advantage of their unlimited rental program. I rented a pile of 9mm guns and the results were a little surprising. I was set on a Ruger SR9c or S&W M&Pc but after today, Glock is the clear leader. I think I hear the 1911 guys gritting their teeth.

I could not get comfortable shooting the M&P 9 and 9c. They felt good in my hand but the trigger wasn't doing it for me and I could not get a good handle on shooting it even marginally faster than slow fire.

I hated the XD pistols, just completely wrong for me.

The SR9c was good, about what I expected. Love the grip and the trigger was smooth but the muzzle flip was worse than most of the others. I'm still not sure about the safety but it was easy to manipulate.

The Glock 19 and 26 both surprised me. I had previously discounted them due to the grip feeling funny but whatever it was, I was shooting them very well. Rapid fire was on target and the controls were easy to manipulate. The Glock 17 was too big for my wimpy hands and I think would be too hard for me to conceal well anyways.

I also tried out the EMP for fun and I loved that one but it's way out of my price range right now. Maybe one day.

So, I'm down to either Glock 19 or 26. Maybe the SR9c but if I had to pick right now, I'd go the Glock 19. Now Gen 3 or Gen 4...oh boy more decisions.

I'm going to rent the Glock 30 to compare .45 to 9mm in the Glock platform.

An interesting...and expensive day. But I think a Glock Fan Boy is born.

P.S. My hat is off to the staff at the Arms Room. They are a good bunch and quite helpful. Larry in the store spent a lot of time going over different guns with me and pointing out some ones I hadn't really looked at. If this range weren't so far, it'd be my regular shooting grounds.

[Excaliber]

Some of you may have seen my posts on here agonizing about the decision on choosing a carry gun. I took a trip to the arms room this morning and took advantage of their unlimited rental program. I rented a pile of 9mm guns and the results were a little surprising. I was set on a Ruger SR9c or S&W M&Pc but after today, Glock is the clear leader. I think I hear the 1911 guys gritting their teeth.

I could not get comfortable shooting the M&P 9 and 9c. They felt good in my hand but the trigger wasn't doing it for me and I could not get a good handle on shooting it even marginally faster than slow fire.

I hated the XD pistols, just completely wrong for me.

The SR9c was good, about what I expected. Love the grip and the trigger was smooth but the muzzle flip was worse than most of the others. I'm still not sure about the safety but it was easy to manipulate.

The Glock 19 and 26 both surprised me. I had previously discounted them due to the grip feeling funny but whatever it was, I was shooting them very well. Rapid fire was on target and the controls were easy to manipulate. The Glock 17 was too big for my wimpy hands and I think would be too hard for me to conceal well anyways.

I also tried out the EMP for fun and I loved that one but it's way out of my price range right now. Maybe one day.

So, I'm down to either Glock 19 or 26. Maybe the SR9c but if I had to pick right now, I'd go the Glock 19. Now Gen 3 or Gen 4...oh boy more decisions.

I'm going to rent the Glock 30 to compare .45 to 9mm in the Glock platform.

An interesting...and expensive day. But I think a Glock Fan Boy is born.

P.S. My hat is off to the staff at the Arms Room. They are a good bunch and quite helpful. Larry in the store spent a lot of time going over different guns with me and pointing out some ones I hadn't really looked at. If this range weren't so far, it'd be my regular shooting grounds.

Congratulations on doing this exactly right by actually shooting a bunch of candidate guns and finding which one works best for you. As I've said many times before, you can't go wrong with a Glock, no matter which one you settle on.

The reason there is no "best" gun is because the many dimensional and handling characteristics of guns interact differently with different peoples' anatomy and preferences. Only you can pick the best one ... or two ... or four... for you.

I'm a 1911 guy most of the time, but I also use Springfield XD's, Glocks, and Kahrs in circumstances where their characteristics best fit the requirements of the situation. On occasion this means I even ... gasp!.... use a revolver. I don't buy new guns all the time - I just use one of the ones I've got that works best in a given circumstance.

Happy handgunning!

[C-dub]

I like the Glocks for their simplicity and reliability.

Funny thing about the grip versus hand size. I don't have really big hands, but they are definitely bigger than my wife's. I shoot my G22 okay, but shoot the G27 better. Now, that may be because it is my carry gun and I practice with it more. However, my wife likes the full size G22 better.

Maybe in a 9mm or with the less snappy recoil of a .45 she might like the smaller grip better .

[AEA]

Good choice. Buy what you shoot best with and carry comfortably.

You might consider some of the Forum Members that may let you try out their 1911's. I would recommend you shoot a Ed Brown, Les Baer and Wilson and see what you think.

By my signature you know I am a 1911 guy. But if Glock is what you are good with then more power to ya!

[Excaliber]

I like the Glocks for their simplicity and reliability.

Funny thing about the grip versus hand size. I don't have really big hands, but they are definitely bigger than my wife's. I shoot my G22 okay, but shoot the G27 better. Now, that may be because it is my carry gun and I practice with it more. However, my wife likes the full size G22 better.

Maybe in a 9mm or with the less snappy recoil of a .45 she might like the smaller grip better .

You might let her try some of the new SF (short frame) models. The frame is marginally smaller from front to back.

I had a chance to fire a Glock 21SF a couple of months ago, and liked it much better than the original 21 which felt like a 2 x 4 in my hand.

[SQLGeek]

Don't get me wrong, I love 1911s. The EMP was a true joy to shoot and I have a hankering to tryout the Springfield Lightweight Champion but most of them are just out of my price range right now. A Glock will fit nicely into my budget and will be a reliable go to gun. I wouldn't mind an Ed Brown one of these years though.

I know the various internet fora are filled with opinions on the 19 vs 26 but I'm curious what you folks here think. I felt like I shot the 26 pretty well, despite the shorter grip and barrel and I bet it would be easier to conceal but the 19 speaks to me just a little louder right now.

[Excaliber]

Don't get me wrong, I love 1911s. The EMP was a true joy to shoot and I have a hankering to tryout the Springfield Lightweight Champion but most of them are just out of my price range right now. A Glock will fit nicely into my budget and will be a reliable go to gun. I wouldn't mind an Ed Brown one of these years though.

I know the various internet fora are filled with opinions on the 19 vs 26 but I'm curious what you folks here think. I felt like I shot the 26 pretty well, despite the shorter grip and barrel and I bet it would be easier to conceal but the 19 speaks to me just a little louder right now.

If you were interested in the .40 caliber Model 22, GT Distributors has some outstanding prices on police department trade ins here.

[srothstein]

I thought I would add this url for GT gun sales: http://www.gtdist.com/USEDGUNBLANK.html. There is a link on the Glock trade in add but it is easy to miss. In addition to the Glocks on the used gun trade-in's, there is a link for some new guns they are marking down to get rid of. There are some good deals in there, and you do not need to be LE to buy one of the demo guns. I will note that the Austin store has one less Ruger Mini-14 than the list says, as of about 12 noon yesterday. The price was about $150 less than Bass Pro wanted for the same rifle.

[cubbyjg]

Welcome to the darkside!! The 19 and 26 are both great ccws. I started off carrying the 26 and will now be carrying the 19 once my holster arrives this week. The 26 is easier to conceal but after carrying the glock 30 for a couple of months, i dont think i will have a problem with the 19. I carry OWB 95% of the time. Both are easy to conceal IWB with the right holster. This will be a tough decision but either one you choose will serve you well (G19!) As far as what generation to get, i have been happy with the gen 3 models. If you shoot the 30, your decision will become harder because the g30 is a sweet shooting .45!

[Mike from Texas]

Congrats on doing your own research and making the gun choose you.

I am an admitted Glock fan, they are great self defense weapons provided they fit you and you can shoot them well and apparently they do for you. As to the G19/G26 debate, I personally prefer a slightly larger pistol, but I carry a Kahr PM9 daily, which is a very small pistol. Anyway, with a good holster and a good gun belt, either will be comfortable and easy to conceal. Just think about your lightest attire that you will wear and keep concealability in mind.

Provided you shoot them equally well, there really is no wrong answer.

Oh, and I recommend the Gen 3. There were some issues with some of the Gen 4 models, that I'm pretty sure have been resolved but a lot of aftermarket accessories are still not available for the Gen 4 guns yet.

One other thing, join the GSSF and you can buy a brand new G19/G26 for $425.00.

[RottenApple]

Let me preface this by saying I've never been to the Arms Room so I cannot say how or even if they take care of their rental guns. That being said, in my experience most ranges don't take very good care of their rental/test fire guns. Bullet Trap in Plano is a perfect example.

I took my wife to Bullet Trap to check out different guns and test fire ones that appealed to her. I noticed that all the guns we handled were exceptionally dirty and not very well maintained. My wife fired a Sig P239 in 9mm on my recommendation (I thought it would be a good fit for her- and it is). I noticed how dirty the gun was and how stiff the slide was. When fired, every 3rd shot was a stovepipe or an FTE. At first I thought she was limp-wristing (and she was a bit) but it did the same thing when I fired it. I called an RSO over and showed him what it was doing. His response was that we were limp-wristing. The next day we went to GPSR with Pawpaw who let her fire his P239. Not a single stovepipe, FTE, or any other problems.

My point is that the feel of a trigger on a rental is probably not going to equal the feel of a well cared for, or even brand new, gun. If you're happy with the Glock, then cool. But make sure you try some friends' different firearms as opposed to just a rental.

Just my 2¢.

EDIT: BTW, according to Pawpaw, the only person who has been able to successfully limp-wrist his P239 is my son William.

[AEA]

[SQLGeek]

That is a point well taken, thank you. There were a few failure to feeds on the SR9c when loading a new magazine but that gun was pretty dirty. The M&P triggers were gritty and that is not unusual from what I've been reading. The rest of the guns functioned flawlessly. I don't know a lot of shooters out here and with time being limited how it was, the drinking from the fire hose approach seemed to work well. I haven't made a final decision yet but I think it is easier.

I am going to give the Glock 30 and 23 a try for comparison sake.

As far as the Gen 3 vs Gen 4, I did more reading last night and it seems that the Gen 4s were having extractor issues due to the new extractor Glock used. It sounds like some of the later production Gen 3s are also having that issue. Swapping in a Lone Wolf extractor seems to do the trick but I'd hate to have to start swapping parts on a brand new gun. The Gen 3 is what I shot and I liked that so I don't know if I need the different sized grips. The enlarged mag release on the Gen 4 was nice though.

I also like the idea of being able to buy a .22 conversion kit for the Gen 3.

[G.A. Heath]

As for the M&P, I own an M&P9 and keep threatening to install an Apex trigger kit because of the trigger reset. So I can say that the only thing I don't like about the M&P line of pistols is the trigger. As for the Gen 4 Glocks, I owned one (G19) and sold it. I think the extractor was the only Gen 4 issue I didn't have fixed. I think what soured me most on that gun was when it experienced a failure to return to battery on the very first shot. After that I really lost interest in the gun. My advice is to avoid Gen4 Glocks in 9mm, pretend they hi-points or something equally bad.

[comp73]

I am going to give the Glock 30 and 23 a try for comparison sake.

Just in case the G30 is a little wide for you, there is also the G36 "slimline". I'm not a big fan of the slimline personally. A friend of mine has one and it really starts to bother your hands after a few mags. His G19 is just the opposite, really fun to shoot and accurate, so much in fact that I am now strongly considering a G19/G23 for myself.