help me pick the right handgun

[blarf]

thanks for the help guys. i think i'm gonna go for the 9mm as a first gun.

[jtkratzer]

Originally Posted by Niner4Tango

Start with the 9mm. If you start with a larger caliber and you or your lady have issues with recoil, shot placement, etc. you'll always wonder if you should have gotten the 9mm.

The 9mm Service pistol with hollowpoints, like Gold Dot, is more than adequate for defense. Especially with 16 rounds on tap

You can always expand your collection later if you want to (and you probably will, if you're like the rest of us)

Except they're in California, READ: nothing higher than 10 round magazines.

The best thing to do is simply shoot all three calibers in the gun you want. Call the indoor ranges in your area and see if they have guns to rent. Go try them out. I drove a little over an hour to do this with my wife. It was the closest range that had a 9mm to rent. Or, try to find someone who has what you want and see if he/she will let you try it.

If you're willing to wait until you have checked enough options to get what you want, you'll end up with what's best for you and you won't second guess your decision.

[blarf]

also, what is that melonite finish that some people are talking about?

[jtkratzer]

Originally Posted by blarf

also, what is that melonite finish that some people are talking about?

from wikipedia:

Pre-2006 versions of the XD were protected with a metal treatment called Bruniral. Some who own pistols with the Bruniral treatment have reported significant rust problems - especially those who carry the XD against their skin. Fortunately, current versions of the XD are being manufactured the Melonite brand of Carbonitriding, which is the same process as the Tenifer coating used on Glocks

name for the end result of a chemical bath nitriding process that embeds nitrogen into an iron-containing alloy to create a corrosion-resistant finish that is a dull grey in color and extremely hard. The generic term for this type of process is carbonitriding. Other trade names for carbonitriding include Melonite, Sursulf, Arcor, Tufftride, and Koline.

Glock, an Austrian firearms manufacturer, utilizes this process to protect the slides of the pistols they manufacture. The Tenifer finish on a Glock is the third and final hardening process. It is 0.05 millimeters thick and produces a patented 64 Rockwell C (diamond cone) hardness rating via a 500 °C nitride bath. The final matte, non-glare finish meets or exceeds stainless steel specifications, is 85% more corrosion resistant than a hard chrome finish, and is 99.9% salt-water corrosion resistant. After the Tenifer process, a black Parkerized finish is applied and the slide is protected even if the finish were to wear off. Several other pistols also use this process including the Walther P99 and Steyr M/S series.

[sa-xd9shooter]

I got the XD9 Tacticool first, now I'm lookin’ at one of the XD45s for my next one. Be very careful, you may just catch the dreaded XD disease like so many of us on this forum. How’s it go?…”you can’t just have one”…or something like that. Have fun! Shoot a lot!

[ssgdigital]

well just my .02 worth. I have multiple guns in all three calibers. My personal favorite is the .40S&W. The "snap" is fast and iMO you can get back on target quick because of the fast snap. The recoil doesn't bother me one bit. The Military uses 9mm and have for many years wanted to change that because of the lack of stopping power (given, the military can't use hollow points, but instead FMJ) and i've personally heard of people getting back from Iraq and have put 8-9 rounds in the enemy before stopping them.

Most police departments, FBI, Air marshals, etc.... use the .40 caliber. I feel there is reason for this. given that you can only have 10 rounds per mag, I would want something with a little more stopping power than a 9mm.

HTH,
Shawn

[Niner4Tango]

Originally Posted by jtkratzer

Except they're in California, READ: nothing higher than 10 round magazines.

Jeez, how long they been doin' that?!?






Is that legal?

[orangevol]

I agree with Niner4Tango...go with the 9mm if this is your 1st handgun. The extra recoil of the larger calibers may make you or the Misses uncomfortable...this may discourage you from spending fun time at the range

[Tally XD]

I guess you cannot go wrong with 9mm, .40 or .45acp. Your personal preference as stated before. Just stay away from anything that is .45GAP.

I personally like the .45ACP best. I guess I am just "old school" and like slow and heavy. Like the difference between a hit from a peach (9mm) and a watermelon (.45acp). More moving mass and larger expansion of slug. Even then, this is just my opinion.
9mm and .40 both have much higher muzzle velocities so the actual impact may not differ significantly. I think maybe .45acp is just more intimidating.

Still, any of the three calibers, with the right choice of ammo, will do just fine.

Also, the 9mm might have a slight advantage because you can buy different barrels and change the calibre and effectively have two different guns. Cant do that with the .45 XD (yet).

[Mephis]

If you seriously doubt you'll ever be in a suitation where you'll need to take down a drugger on PCP who wants to kill you, you really wouldn't need 45. If the gun will be shot a lot on the range, you certantly don't want .45, no matter how accurate it is the current price of 45 ammo is INSANE.

That boils it down to 9mm or .40. I wouldn't suggest either over the other because their advantages and disadvantages pretty much weigh them out equally.

The only time I'd suggest 45 is to someone in a combat enviorment or someone shooting for competition.