I Need Advice...

[Stressfire]

it will only be a short time before you realize you have no idea what you are even talking about

I suspect that might be why he posted the question in the first place.
I would also caution against depending on a .22, but at the end of the day a .22 bullet is still a bullet and is still capable of providing defensive ability provided that you are well-practiced. Shot placement is your friend, I'm not a great shot, so I alternate between a double stack 9 and a 45 As jimbob said, there are better options.


Out of those suggested so far, I'd say find a shop with a range and try out aaron's recommendation of the Bersa 380, pilpens' of the Kahr CW9, but also, as Nocturnus suggested, perhaps find a good holster for your Glock. However, if you are uncomfortable carrying it, and not likely to ever warm up to the idea, just enjoy the shopping experience and find what works best for you

 

[AH.74]

I plan on carrying it concealed. I already have a Glock 27 but I am not comfortable carrying it because it doesn't have a safety. I want to be able to carry one in the chamber and I don't want to shoot my foot off in a situation. I don't mind carrying any of the three calibers that I mentioned.

You already own a very good CC weapon.

Learn to get comfortable with the gun. As long as you do your job and keep your finger off the trigger, the gun won't go off by itself and you won't shoot yourself.

Sure Glocks have a hair trigger but if carried in a good holster you need not worry about it.

Glocks do not have a hair trigger. You need to apply direct force to disengage the safety lever, and more force to take the trigger up, and yet even more force to break through the "pressure wall" to make the trigger fire the gun. This will not happen if you keep your finger off the trigger.

 

[microman]

I am mostly interested in 22LR, .380 Auto, and 40 S&W.

This is all apples and oranges.

If I just wanted to learn shooting skills, just go with a good .22lr

If I was starting out and wanted a duty caliber then I would go
with 9mm hands down. It's so much cheaper than .380 or .40

I do know I will only have $600 to spend on it.

$250 New S&W .22a

$250 New S&W Sigma 9mm

There that leaves $100 for range and ammo fee's

 

[TheNocturnus]

Glocks do not have a hair trigger. You need to apply direct force to disengage the safety lever, and more force to take the trigger up, and yet even more force to break through the "pressure wall" to make the trigger fire the gun. This will not happen if you keep your finger off the trigger.

LOL! Ok, Ok no hair trigger LITERALLY.

But compare it to a Kel Tec P11 and then you will say the trigger is like melted butter in comparison. Trust me, I've had a Kel Tec P11 and the trigger on that gun was horrible.

 

[raimius]

@ Nocturnus--Yeah, and a Ford F350 is a lightweight compared to a Mack truck!

For the OP, Lost Sheep had a great point.
If you are worried about the Glock's lack of a manual safety due to your abilities, the cure is to fix your skill level. ANY gun is dangerous, if the user can't keep their finger off the trigger when they don't want to shoot. If you are planning to carry, take the appropriate class to get your license, AND take a defensive pistol course. CCW courses are good for providing legal info, but are not the best at teaching pistol handling and accuracy.

If you have enough experience to know that you want a manual safety, which type do you prefer, up or down being "fire?"

 

[flcjinflorida]

You need advice. We need information in order to give you advices that you will find useful (and accurate).

Do you shoot handguns already? If so, what types? Please describe what your level of expertise is. You won't find a lot of judgementalism here, just people who will tailor their advice you what we perceive as your needs.

For example, your preference for a gun with a manual safety will lead some to a conclusion. Or, rather one of two conclusions. 1) You are not quite comfortable with firearms in general or 2) you are quite knowledgeable about firearms ad have evaluated the shortcomings of the Glock "safe-action" mechanism and decided against it. Each conclusion lead your readers to widely disparate conclusions about your advice needs.

The more you tell us, the more we can advise you.

Lost Sheep

The first thing I want to say is I think that a 22 can be just as useful as a 40 as long as it is used properly. I don't like Glock's "Safe-Action". I have been shooting for about a year now. I am pretty accurate with my Glock, but I don't want to have to worry about shooting myself in the foot in a stressful situation.

I have ruled out the Glock, not because I don't have a good holster, but because I just don't feel comfortable carrying it with one in the chamber. My holster is solid, and there would be no way for me to accidentally hit the trigger as I am removing it from the holster.

I want something with a safety so that I don't shoot myself. The sheriff's office that I work for has changed from Glocks to XDM 40's. That way you can carry two of them, but in the two different sizes, and the magazines are interchangeable with either gun. They have a thumb safety. I really like the thumb safety and I want something that has one.

 

[AH.74]

I am pretty accurate with my Glock, but I don't want to have to worry about shooting myself in the foot in a stressful situation.

I have ruled out the Glock, not because I don't have a good holster, but because I just don't feel comfortable carrying it with one in the chamber. My holster is solid, and there would be no way for me to accidentally hit the trigger as I am removing it from the holster.

I want something with a safety so that I don't shoot myself.

Why are you so afraid that you will be unable to properly handle the weapon if under stress? Have you ever come close to pulling your trigger when you did not intend to?

If there is no way for you to hit the trigger as you unholster, what exactly are you concerned about? Reholstering? Being able to exercise finger control?

 

[NCFlyGuy]

I'd seriously consider a Makarov as an alternative to a .380 like a PPK, Bersa, or Sig. I have a PPK/S and a Mak, and while I love my PPK, if my life were on the line and I could only pick one of the two it would be the Makarov.

In theory its stopping power is between the 9mm Parabellum and the .380, but in practice it seems its closer to the .380 with most readily available ammo. It's simple and reliable as hell, with only 20-something parts, and I think they can be found fairly easily in the $250 range (got mine from a buddy 11 years ago for $80).

 

[pilpens]

Now that we are definite about having a safety, then let it be a HK USP Compact.
I think It has the best safety system of the medium sized pistols. Safety can be engaged/disengaged while in DA or SA mode. Safety is in a good easy too manipulate spot on the frame. Safety is also a decoker. See also the slightly bigger HK P30s.
The other pistol Iam thinking of maybe an FNP/FNX but I think this is slightly bigger than the USP compact and there maybe some issues with the mag/mag release design.
I would not trust a .22 for SD not because of its size or power but because I feel that .22 ammo is unreliable compared to the regular centerfire ammo.