Okay, let's get the stats out of the way!
Height, build, weight etc?
Typical attire?
Are you weight sensitive? Ie back problems or knee issues?
If you need light and slick, SIG is not going to be optimal. The polymer Beretta PX4 guns are are going to be hard to beat for a DA/SA platform. They are great shooters, reliable and affordable. You can almost get 2 for the price of one SIG P226 or 229.
There have been a lot of police trade in full size PX4 in circulation and Top Gun Supply may still have some. If so, that price is hard to beat.
A full size PX4 to live at home with a light on it and a Compact to carry makes a lot of sense. I don't think you get much benefit going to the subcompact model. You lose the benefit of the rotating barrel and it isn't that much smaller in reality.
If you have to pick one right now due to budget you have one other major question to evaluate: do you have the budget to buy a. Compact and a quality holster ($50-100)? If so, that seems like a strong plan. If not, I would look at the police trade options on the full size and use the saved $$$ to get a good holster. A full sized holster will fit the compact you will buy down the road if you find you cannot carry the full sized gun due to the grip length.
As to a holster, I would look at so etching like the JM Custom Kydex Universal model and add on a grip tucking RCS Wing. I suggest the Universal as it has a great clip and is very adjustable to function as an aiwb or traditional IWB holster.
Check out the thread in this board called the PX4 compact might be my DA/SA Glock 19. There is a buttload of info on the platform there.
Welcome to P-F! Now go read up.
You're overthinking this.
First, reduce confusion. Your HD gun and your carry gun can be the same thing. They should be as close to the same thing as you can manage unless you use a long gun for HD. Two Glocks is a good call. So is two SIGS, or two Berettas, or two of anything else you listed. Just don't mix action types, because that increases complexity, which creates confusion under stress.
Second, training matters far more than hardware. Every model/brand that you mentioned here is an excellent choice IF you can run it well under stress. The best way to reach that level of skill is by working with good coaches and instructors. Any difference in performance that's inherent to the gun itself won't show up in anything less than a master-level shooter, so focus on becoming that. Start with an introductory level class, then move to intermediate. You can probably find these locally. Once you get dialed in at that level, consider one of the national traveling instructors like Pat McNamara, Ernest Langdon, Larry Vickers, Kyle DeFoor, etc.
Third, pick ONE make/model and stop screwing around with anything else until you've put several thousand rounds through it, NOT counting the rounds you shoot in formal classes. Seriously, I'm talking 5-7k rounds. Depending on how much you shoot, this could take a couple of years, and that's OK. As a senior SEAL put it on another forum,
Clearly, none of us have the ammo budget of a SEAL team, but the principle remains the same: commit.There are much bigger hurdles a guy must overcome than how "comfortable" a particular weapon feels. The basic principles are the same and execution is what is required not "comfort." Any operator can become proficient with today's quality pistol be it SIG, HK, or Glock. You get what you give. With access to weapons and all the ammo you could shoot there really isn't an excuse to not become proficient with a Glock or any other issued firearm.
Okie John
“The reliability of the 30-06 on most of the world’s non-dangerous game is so well established as to be beyond intelligent dispute.” Finn Aagaard
"Don't fuck with it" seems to prevent the vast majority of reported issues." BehindBlueI's
I am vested in Glocks and i would recommend any of their 9mm models. But if Glocks aren't your THING. I'd check out a SIG P 320 (I have shot the P320 in all it's configurations 10 rounds each at a range demo. VERY IMPRESSIVE. The modularity factor really does make this a FUTURE WEAPON !
“There are no dangerous weapons; there are only dangerous men.”
― Robert A. Heinlein, Starship Troopers
The choice of a defensive pistol can be very subjective. The responses you will receive will include our own biases and preferences.
As someone just posted, you can learn and master just about any firearm given time, training, and practice.
If you shot the Smith and Wesson Shield well, then you may want to consider another or the SW M&P 9mm compact. Even the full-size M&P could be concealed easily.
Probably the best recommendation is to find a large indoor firing range and spend some time shooting different models of pistols in order to see what works best for you.
Personally, there are only several brands of pistols that I've come to favor because of first-hand experience in owning and shooting them. HK, SIG, and Glock are three brands that I recommend for a reliable, and accurate pistol.
My first choice for a defensive pistol is HK because they produce very few defective or unreliable firearms.
My list for a 9mm: HK P30, HK P2000, HK P2000 SK, HK P30 SK, HK USP compact/ full-size, SIG 226/229, & Glock 19/17.
Best bang for your buck: Glock 19/ 17, HK P2000 and SK, and HK P30 SK.
"There is magic in misery. You need to constantly fail. Always bite off more than you can chew, put yourself in situations where you don't succeed then really analyze why you didn't succeed." - Dean Karnazes www.sbgillinois.com
As others have correctly pointed out, there is no need for the HD and CC pistol to be different pistols. For instance, my daily primary for duty/work is the G19. It's perfectly capable of home defense as well, no need for a different "HD" pistol. For times when the G19 is too large/heavy for concealed carry, I have a G26, so I only need one kind of holster, magazine pouch, magazine, etc. If I had to, I would be perfectly OK with "defending my home" with the G26 - it's as accurate as it's larger mate in my hands, and really only falls behind the G19 in reload speed.
You don't like Glocks, I get it, neither do I - until I hit the range with them. Sounds like you're enamored of the Beretta, and the 92 is a great pistol, with a fantastic trigger and great accuracy - hard not to like it. As others have pointed out, the new Eyetalion Hawtness is the PX4 Compact Carry - which, again, would be perfectly OK for both concealed carry and HD applications.
For ME, if I had to prioritize one role over the other, it would be carry. Chances are significantly higher that you're going to need you pistol when you're outside your secure area (you do have good lights/locks and a plan for your house, right?). If you're attacked at your home, you're likely to either be at the point of entrance (meaning you'll probably only have your carry pistol with you), or you'll be "bunkered" in whatever safe room you've developed, which means you SHOULD have a real gun with you (i.e. something better at stopping a fight than a pistol).
Again, I wouldn't overthink it. You're likely to end up buying several pistols before you find "the one."
Best of luck and let us know what you decide!
Friendly reminder while we're on the subject to make sure to air-blast your steady-active guns and touch up the lubrication, especially guns that often do double-duty. Took down my G19 and PPS and there was bit of dryness/lint accumulation. Air blast, few dozen Q-tips, and a few new dots of TW-25B, and we're back to good.
Last edited by LockedBreech; 01-22-2017 at 03:16 PM.
State Government Attorney | Beretta, Glock, CZ & S&W Fan
Welcome to the forum!
I do not understand why one's carry gun and home-defense gun should, necessarily, be different. I want my carry gun to be reliable, fill my hand, rather than be too small to hold well, "point" relatively naturally, and to have a backstrap-to-trigger distance that allows my index finger to naturally fall into a proper position on the trigger face, rather than force me to strain to place my trigger finger into a "just-so" position. Good sights are a bonus, but that can be handled with aftermarket sights. I will dress around a good carry gun, within reason, rather than carry something too small. My present carry guns include the Glock G19, G17, and G34, and a couple of Les Baer 1911 pistols. For special occasions, I may carry a G26, but that is usually my back-up weapon while on police patrol.
I am somewhat constrained in my carry guns, because I wear a police badge for a living, and policy requires that I qual with every firearm will be carrying in public places, and might use for defending myself or others in those public places. There are a limited number of slots on my virtual qual "card." At the moment, there are no revolvers on my qual card, but I shoot my GP100 and S&W Model 19 sixguns plenty well enough to love them as carry guns, in good light. (The "good light" part is why I normally prefer to carry autos.)
I want my home-defense handgun to be reliable, fill my hand, rather than be too small to hold well, "point" relatively naturally, and to have a backstrap-to-trigger distance that allows my index finger to naturally fall into a proper position on the trigger face, rather than force me to strain to place my finger into a "just-so" position. Good sights are a bonus, but that can be handled with aftermarket sights. Hmm, sound familiar? The only difference might be that a dedicated home-defense handgun can be larger, as I would not need to dress around it. The sights can be larger, perhaps an optical sight. Indeed, when I can find the time, and energy, I will be trying/testing an Aimpoint Micro T-1, with a ALG 6-Second Mount, on a Glock G17. (I am not allowed to use an optical sight on a duty/carry handgun.) My home-defense handguns include the same guns mentioned as carry guns, plus several revolvers that might be near at hand, at a given moment in time.
If starting from scratch, I would choose a good carry gun, then add a second gun of the same model, or a related model within the same system, because anything can break, then add a long gun to complement it, for home defense. A long gun is not the best tool for moving about inside structures, especially when one is without advanced training, but serves very well for remaining stationary, to defend a fixed position. An example: Glock G19, to start, then Glock G19, G17, or G26, then Benelli M2, or Remington 870. Building a "collection" would come later. This would be my personal progression, based upon what I already know I like, if some disaster forced me to start over. (I am not the world's biggest fan of Glocks, but they work well enough to be a foundation.) Your preferences may vary.
One more thing: If an S&W J-Snub will not work as a pocket gun for you, well, you need better pockets! I learned to buy trousers with pockets that accomodate my favored snub-gun, the somewhat larger SP101. Having said that, pocket carry is tactically weak, for one's "primary" carry gun. A pocket gun is a niche gun, for me. Now that I have mentioned the SP101, I will probably qual with at least one of mine, as summer approaches, and I will be wanting to occasionally fill that pocket-gun niche.
Last edited by Rex G; 01-23-2017 at 10:47 AM. Reason: Grammatical corrections
Okie John made some very good points, as have others here.
Another way of looking at the situation is one proposed often by Gary Roberts (DocGKR). That would be to buy three of the exact same model. For example, buy three Glock 19's. Set up all three the same as far as sights, ect and test all three to ensure they are functional. The thought is that the 1st gun is your daily carry gun. The 2nd gun is your training gun (use it and abuse it) and the 3rd gun is a spare that is set aside ready to go should your carry gun be taken into evidence.
If you are involved in a shooting, your gun will be taken into evidence for a while. On TV, the good guy walks away from a gunfight with his gun in his holster and continues onto the next gunfight, and the next, and the next. Reality couldn't be farther from the truth, even for a LEO. You've been involved in a shooting. A crime scene needs to b e processed and your gun is part of that crime scene. Also keep in mind that the person you just shot will most likely have friends and family that have issue with your decision making process. And they may want to express that displeasure towards you. Walking out of a homicide/CIS unit at 3:00 am after being there for 8-10 hours, is a bad time to have to think about buying a replacement pistol.
This 3rd spare gun makes a great HD/Bedroom gun. It's there, ready to defend the home. But if it need to be pressed into service as a carry gun, the holster, mag pouches and mags all re the same. So is the muscle memory from the training you have been conducting with gun number 2.
For me, guns like a J-Frame, a M&P Shield or a Glock 43/42 are special purpose guns and not primary carry guns. So I don't consider a BUG part of this conversation. I also incorporate a long gun into my families home defense. But like the BUG concept, I consider that a different topic of conversation.