I've got somewhat of a dilemma here.

R

roach4047

New member
I've been married for going on 6 years now and the last pistol I purchased was before I got married. So it's been a good while. For the past 3 years the wife has asked me what I want for Christmas and I've consistantly told her the same thing... a new pistol. Well this year she finally for what ever reason decided to grant my wish. The pistol has to fall into the $550-$650 range which is what I quoted her all along each time she asked how much it would cost.

So now that she has given me the go ahead my brain is all over the place thinking about what I want out of my next pistol. What ever my final decision is will have night sights and be of a compact and light weight nature to serve well as a CCW and home defense.

Glocks pretty much make up the list. I'd love an H&K USP 45compact but that's not in the price range. I wouldn't mind an XDM but would rather have a glock and the prices are comparible so a glock it will be. Now I just need to narrow it down to which specific glock.


The following have at one time or another been given heavy consideration. In no particular order.

Glock 30SF
Glock 29
Glock 32
Glock 33

Obviously it's going to be chambered in either a 45ACP 10mm, or 357 sig.

I'm leaning more towards the 45 since that would be the cheaper ammo for the most part but. The 357 Sig holds a place in my heart from previously owning a Sig P229 that was simply a dream. Back then I was getting FMJ 50 counts for as little as $13/box and JHP for as little as $23/box..... hahaha... if that was still the case I'd get either the G32 or G33 without hesitation but prices have gone up since then. Should I concern myself so much with the price of the ammo? I've found that at least as of the past 4-5 years I don't tend to get in the amount of shooting that I'd like so the cost of purchasing ammo has been limited to what ever I shoot during my limited trips to the firing range of once maybe twice a year max.

Just thought I'd share the good news ... and the welcome delima.

What do you guys think for a CCW pistol out of the models that I've listed here...?


Roach
 
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Having two of the four mentioned I will chime in with:
G29.

If ammo costs are not truly your concern, the 10mm auto will give you a lot of bang for your buck; and as someone who has owned numerous 10s since the beginning, in my opinion the G29 is really manageable in the recoil department.

If further down the road you find that you want to shoot in large volumes, either reloading for the 10 or getting a .40 S&W set up/barrel for the G29 and your factory ammo availability and prices are now in your favor.

I personally like a win/win situation.

Enjoy this Christmas!
 
"and as someone who has owned numerous 10s since the beginning, in my opinion the G29 is really manageable in the recoil department."


I keep reading that same thing over and over so far as how surprizingly manageable the G29 is whereas it's recoil is concerned.

It there such a thing as a drop in 40 S&W barrel for the G29? Are there any other Drop in barrels for the G29 other than the 40 that you're aware of?

Roach
 
Help us out

What do you have already and what kind of wants and needs to you fulfill with your existing inventory and your new pistol?

We are shooting in the dark (and having our recommendations colored by our ideas about what you should use your guns for) without that information.

Have you considered something that could get your wife interested in the shooting sports?

Consider this: If your spouse shares your hobby, your stable of firearms is likely to double, or even more.

Lost Sheep

belated congratulations on your nuptials.
 
http://www.glockmeister.com/G29_G29SF-KKM-357SIG-Match-Grade-Conversion-Barrel/productinfo/G29C1/

Do a little research, and you will find (probably) more choices of barrels than you want to consider.

My G29 was my favorite CCW for over seven years before I found something that I liked better, before that it was years of .44 mags. Recently I have been favoring Colt 1911s; including my "original" non-enhanced Colt Delta Elite in 10mm auto of course. I currently have three Colts in my carry rotation, two of which are .45 acps; Government, Commander, or Officers depending on where I happen to be heading on any given day.

I highly recommend the G29, it also takes the G20 mags, and there are aftermarket triggers/parts to make them a lot nicer.
 
I favor the .45ACP 30SF, from your list, my own choice? Glock 19, with TruGlow night sights (fiber optics) love my 9mm. TruGlow's will go on the 30 SF as well.

First 6 years? Just completed my 18th, second Wife. Your Lady sounds like a keeper! Merry Christmas.
 
At this point the only other pistol that I currently own is a Kahr MK40. Nice pistol but I'm not overly impressed with it so much. It's all metal and moves around in my hand. Just not an overall good fit and I don't care much for how it balances in my hand when drawing it. My previous G21 I didn't care much for how it gripped either but I shot damn well with it. It was like aiming a bar of soap it seemed. Years ago had a Sig 229 357 which was amazingly accurate but too big and heavy for what I would consider an ideal concealed carry weapon and it's double stack magazine made it a wide grip. Sig 220 45 had a great grip and was well balanced but that pistol had problems with both FTF as well as some FTE so it had to go. Old Colt 70 series kept stove piping. I should have simply sent it to a smith but instead I sold it. That was a commander and was a really nice fit that was well balanced but a bit heavier than I figured I wanted to carry around.

The G32 appeals to me due to it's fit, size and wt yet the G30SF appeals due to ammo cost and it's over all appeal.

Decisions decisions.

I'm not soo much wanting guidance here as I was wanting to hear from others what attracts them to their weapon of choice. I'm interested to hear what interests others and why they're attracted to what they're attracted to. Sometimes by gathering that sort of info I'm introduced to certain ideas that maybe I hadn't initially considered. That and just it's simply interesting to engage with others that share similar interests. After all that's why we're all here to begin with.

Thanks for the input.

Roach
 
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I have a 33 and had a 30sf (one of the few guns I've sold). The 33 is my daily carry and probably my favorite gun. It's the best semi-auto that's ever fit my hand. It's very concealable. But, the beauty IMO is its ability to be a 3-in-1 gun. With just a barrel and a glock 26 mag it becomes a 9mm, and just a barrel it becomes a 40 (the mags are the same between the 27 and 33). My son and I go to the range, on average, at least twice a month. I shoot with it a ton in 9mm for cheap practice. Then I'll occasionally shoot it in 357 just "remember" that little extra bit of recoil. We regularly shoot our 44magnum though, so it honestly feels like a pussycat regardless of 9 or 357. I LOVE having a lot of power in such a small package.

I liked the 30sf, but it's more expensive to shoot and I never carried it. So I didn't see much use in keeping my 45s.
 
It seems to me the .40 SW works really well in the Glock from my poring over the forums. Although I'd never get one I admit their popularity. I guess between the .40 and the .45 I couldn't decide.
 
From that list, I'd go with the G30. Ammo for the .45 will be cheaper than 10mm or .357 SIG which means you'll be able to practice more.

What I'd recommend would be a G19 in 9mm...ammo is cheaper still and you'll mostly likely shoot it better due to less muzzle-flip.
 
Seconded on the G33. I EDC it as well and it's a great little gun, carries and conceals very well.

It's a better handling gun than you may think. I switched to it from a 229/357 and was expecting it to have much more felt recoil. Not the case, it shoots well. The baby Glocks just work for me, fit my hand in an excellent way.
 
Thanks everybody for the feedback. You guys are making it tough on me. I used to consider the cost of ammunition higher in my list of priorities when I thought I'd be saving a lot of money when it came to shooting my pistol of choice but over the past five years I've realized that I don't get to shoot nearly as much as I'd like to; maybe once every 1-2 yrs if I'm lucky has been the established frequency over the past 10 yrs if that much even. I would shoot much more if it were a simple matter of walking out my back door and blasting off a few rounds but given my busy life style and the fact that I live inner city that's simply not the case. Given that my next home purchase will ideally be some where out of town that's far enough away as to not disturb the neighbors and can freely fire my weapons at will.

So now that I've established that I won't be firing my pistol of choice more than once every year or two it won't matter much the cost of which round I finally decide upon. I used to give a lot more consideration as to how much it would cost to feed my weapon when I thought I would get much more practice in than I actually do. I don't think that way so much any more.

Those of you that have recommended the Glock 19: That is a fantastic pistol and I'll own one again someday for sure but for now I'm moving on to something that I've yet to experience. Anything chambered for the 40 S&W is likely not going to be considered. I'd rather have something in a 45ACP, a 357 Sig, or a 10mm. I really like the idea of going with something like a G32 since it fits like a glove, and is easily converted to both a 40 S&W as well as a 9mm. If a G29 were a simple barrel drop in conversion to a 45 I'd highly consider going that route as well.

It's good to hear from everybody what their thoughts are when it comes to these glocks. I used to be very much against glock pistols back in the day. I figured that they were the latest fad that would soon pass. I avoided them simply because everybody raved about them. Then I shot my first glock, my cousins G21 the first day he purchased it and was amazed by how accurate his pistol of choice was. The same day he purchased his G21 I purchased a Sig P220 45 ACP. We both used the same ammo in the indoor range. We both fired each weapon which were both purchased the same exact day and we both performed far better with the G21 than we did with the more expensive ($300) P220 Sig. From that day on I've never again questioned what was so special about a glock pistol. Perhaps more range time with the P220 would have leveled the playing field. The Sig felt much more comfortable in my hands and was certainly more appealing in appearance but when it came to performance of the pistols the glock simply out shined the more expensive Sig. The glock ran flawlessly where as the more expensive Sig had difficulties with FTF, FTE and the overall accuracy of the Sig didn't compare to that of the glock.


I'm a glock fan for life.... so far. I don't expect that to change much.

Roach
 
Okay, let's throw a **** in the punch bowl!!

I won't buy a Glock. Glock is considered the "Coke" of all handguns. You want a soft drink, most folks order a Coke. I'm not saying that Glock, or Coke, aren't quality products. They are indeed!! However, there are millions of Glocks out there and this will prevent them from being an investment gun.

Following the facts that most people who purchase a firearm for protection will never use it for that leads me to purchase guns not sought by the "Coke" of firearm masses.

My favorite pistol is the Walther P99. They break down for cleaning great, the company has been making high quality weapons since before WWI, they are strong, superb guns, and they will appreciate in value (especially if you find a good used one).

Every Glock owner who has ever shot one of my Walthers has ended up buying one. Nuff said.
 
I don't know where you live, but I would HIGHLY recommend trying to find a rental range to rent a bunch of guns and see what you like. We have a tendency to form our opinions based on what we read and maybe see perusing the stores, but until you actually hold and fire a weapon and when maybe try to think of how you will carry it, you just don't know.

For example, I was pretty much set on carrying a kahr CW9. They looked great on the web, they are thin and light and small, and I love them, love, love, love them. Then I rented one and I realized that the grip just didn't work for me. As much as I would love for this gun to work for me, it's just going to feel uncomfortable when I fire it.

I was also set on picking up a bersa thunder 380 or ppk or sig of the same type. That was until I actually had a few in hand and realized that since I'm left handed and the safety goes the opposite way of other guns, and the safety on the ones I tried is actually quite stiff, I wouldn't feel comfortable carrying it and having to disengage the safety on one of those.

I love the glock 19 - I really do, but there's no way I'm going to carry that all day every day - it just isn't me. I didn't realize that until shooting and being around one for a few times.

For me the list goes on and on, and one day I will find a gun, or a few guns, that will fit me for ccw, but if I had not tried out a bunch, it would not have worked for me, and I would not have been happy carrying. So, do whatever possible to rent or somehow fire the weapons you intend to buy first. You never know - you might find that an LCR is your favorite, most carried piece. :-)
 
Iron man,

I've never fired a Walther but have read many great things about them. You've certainly sparked my interest.



Tet4...

An LCR... That's an interesting alternative. Nice little revolver. Does the 357 come available with the laser grip?

I appreciate the advice of seeking out a range to actually experience shooting potential weapons that I'm considering though I've already covered that ground for the most part. That's how I came to own my first Glock. As I've mentioned I never intended to own a glock until after I actually fired one. If it weren't for actually firing a Glock 21 I would have never purchased it to begin with. I was amazed at how accurate I was with that pistol. I would have never imagined that I could possibly shoot so well with a G21 by simply holding it in my hand. But given the opportunity and actually firing the pistol I was imediately able to see the benefits of the pistol. It was truely an eye opening experience. It was like holding a bar of soap but damn that pistol allowed me to place a tight group.

Roach


Roach
 
So, do you think you can carry the glock 100% of the time? If so, great. If not, maybe consider selling your kahr (the one you don't like very much, iirc) to fund the purchase of a smaller gun as well. That way, you will have options.
 
Roach,

Don't buy a new Glock. There are too many really good inexpensive used ones out there. Watch local pawn shops and some good gun stores that carry used guns. I'm seeing them around here selling for $250 to $350 with holsters, extra mags, and night sights. For what you want to spend you could get a Glock AND a Ruger LCP. The LCP can fit in a wallet holster giving you a conceal weapon you can carry while wearing shorts or light clothes.

I own fifteen Walthers and am picking up two more before the end of December, so I highly recommend them.

The P99 is such a good gun that Kahr Arms (who bought Desert Eagle) now imports the P99 as a Kahr MR40 and now the P99 is rebadged as the Baby Desert Eagle. Smith and Wesson also rebadges the P99 as the SW99. Needless to say, the name Walther is just plain sexy.
 
You said you loved your 229 but was bulky, have you looked at some of the single stack sigs like a 239? FNH makes some great affordable handguns too, but if you want a 45 it may be too bulky for every day carry. As someone mentioned, walther is a good idea as well (I am considering one right now for my fiancé). How about even a makarov? Someone else already mentioned the s&w m&p series, different flavors and sizes for you as well, but I don't recall seeing anyone mention the beretta px4 storm - may want to take a look at this as well. Never shot one, but never heard anything bad about a CZ and they are definitely in your price range. There is also the ruger SR9s to look at, again I have never shot one (never even held one) - but I wouldn't rule it out as a candidate either.

You love glocks and thats fine, I just don't enjoy shooting them like I do other guns - as you said it was like trying to shoot a bar of soap. They shoot great, they just don't feel good in my hand. There are a lot of GREAT guns in that price range that aren't just glocks. I would go to the gun store and hold some of the guns mentioned and see what feels good, then pick 2-3 and go to a range that has them for rent to try them out. If it ends up being a glock at the end, so be it - great for you! I have a feeling based off your soap bar comment it might be something else ;)
 
You should really try and find a xdm 45 and shoot it before you settle for a Glock, but then again I too am not a Glock fan.
 
Everyone is going to recommend what they have...it's just natural.

I've had both the Sig 220 and now my new(ish) 21SF.

Given your criteria, you may want to consider the 21SF. The 30 is nice, but unless you plan on carrying it every day, there's really no reason to get the smaller version with it's abbreviated grip and fewer rounds.

It's also my understanding you can simply swap barrels/mags and have it shoot 10mm, although there may be minor parts changeout. Just something to consider.
 
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