I would lean towards a Glock 19, or 26 with 12 round extension. But there are plenty of other guns in that class. A sexy but underrated choice is the HK P2000 (available in DA/SA or LEM). S&W M&P, CZ, etc. You have one billion choices.
I would lean towards a Glock 19, or 26 with 12 round extension. But there are plenty of other guns in that class. A sexy but underrated choice is the HK P2000 (available in DA/SA or LEM). S&W M&P, CZ, etc. You have one billion choices.
That's the problem..
I wish manufactures would list diameter of the grip in the middle and distance to the trigger from under the tail. Ive never owned a pistol, and assumed all double stack 9mm's would have considerably larger grips than the DW TCP or G48.. But I'm mistaken because the 92X's grip isn't much bigger than the 1911 I'm told and I found a 92x performance 1 hour away..
And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.
a sig 365xl with a wilson combat grip module is just as long or longer than a g26 isnt it? I think the 365xl set up is one of the best carry guns for a civilian ever... I have tried everything and the fact that I can go from 12+1 for gym shorts carry to 15+1 with an actual belt, with a red dot in both set ups, is something I have come to finally be content with. It truly is the most versatile gun I have every owned. Helps that it shoots like a much bigger gun helps also.
Am I understanding you correctly? You have never owned a pistol, and you are trying to make a purchase decision by how it feels in the gun store?
Free advice alert: I have learned the hard way that "how it feels" is the absolute worst way to chose a handgun. Back when I didn't have a clue about handguns (I'm not all that much better these days, but still) I bought and sold quite a few, based on "how it feels in the hand". Since I picked up a pistol for the first time in my life in 2014 at age 55, I have bought and sold *checks notes* 14 handguns.
It can be an expensive journey. If you are prepared for that, great. If not, I highly recommend you at least try and find a rental range near you and start by actually shooting your chosen gun before you buy it. Some guns look fantastic but end up having features which make them less than desirable after actually using them.
Good luck. I've owned a Walther PPS M2, HK P30SK LEM, Glock 43X, Glock 48, Glock 26, Sig P365, P365XL, P365X, and I think the P365X is the best slim 9mm handgun on the market today, for a multitude of reasons.
I'm not sure if the 365xl wilson combat grip modules make the grip longer.. Kind of doubt it. If there was a longer higher capacity mag that had a extended contour of the grip, yeah, that might work.. But the local store didn't have one. Pistols are still flying out the door and many are out of stock.
You got it.. I'm prepared to spend money.
This god forsaken liberal town doesn't have a range, let alone one that rents pistols. All of my old friends have either passed, or I had to block them because there drunks. I'm basing my search because of my experience in basic when the first time I picked up a pistol I almost scored sharp shooter because of the first few shots. But the power of the 45 and diameter of the grip slowly dropped my score to marksman. Plus I have screws holding my elbow together and a rotator cuff injury now after jumping off the deck of cutter evergreen through a rotten dock when no one met us to moor.
And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.
@spazatak I found two shooting ranges less than an hour from Iowa city where you could rent some different guns and probably find instruction as well. I think that investing a day going to one of those ranges and renting a few guns would be well worth your while. Please don’t take my recommendation for training as an insult, anytime we don’t do something for a long period of time some refresher training is a good idea. That’s especially true if it’s something that could have fatal consequences if we make a mistake. I doubt you would want to get in a plane piloted by someone who hadn’t flown in 25 years.
The first is Midwest Shooting supply. They’re located at 1490 Ketelsen Drive, Hiawatha, IA 52233.
Website: http://midwestshootingsupply.com/contact/
Google maps shows it’s a 35min drive from a not exact location of Iowa city.
https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Iowa...f232ca9105!3e0
Here’s a link to their intro to shooting class. I bet it would be well worth the $89 to take, and you could even use a rental handgun if you decide to take a class before you buy something.
http://midwestshootingsupply.com/cla...l-the-trigger/
The second location is Davenport Guns. Their address is 3701 Mississippi Ave. Davenport, IA 52807
Website: https://davenportguns.com/contact-us/
Google maps shows that it’s about an hour from where you live.
https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Iowa...06dfeafab6!3e0
Davenport Guns also offers a range of beginners classes that start at $25 for 3.5 hours of instruction including live fire.
https://davenportguns.com/project/tr...read-me-first/
Last edited by Caballoflaco; 08-21-2022 at 08:27 AM.
I walked away from 1911s as defensive pistols decades ago because I felt that while they were magnificent for shooting, they weren’t the best threat management tools. Since that time I’ve become more comfortable with them again, to the point they are back in carry rotation. I may come to the point where I walk away from other choices for carry because I recognize carrying multiple diverse guns is far from optimal.
If I were in your position, I would be looking at the following guns in this order - and I would try really hard to shoot them first.
1) SIG P365XL or P365X, manual safety version - you could also get a smaller optional grip module and magazines if desired
2) Glock 26 with SCD - preferably the new MOS version
3) Glock 48 MOS with SCD
4) Glock 43x MOS with SCD
You mentioned above that your past service experience with the size of the 1911 grip was bad, so I’m leaving them off the list.
Ken
BBI: ...”you better not forget the safe word because shit's about to get weird”...
revchuck38: ...”mo' ammo is mo' betta' unless you're swimming or on fire.”
I'll add to this. Sometimes you may buy a pistol and take it to the range only to find out you struggle with the trigger. That's the 2nd thing one has to figure out. Actually shooting a pistol is the only way you determine if you can actually shoot it well. Personal experience. I had a P-239 that I picked up for not much and struggled with the trigger for awhile. I was about to sell it then I realized I had only fired about 200 rds with it. So I decided to knuckled down and devote some serious range time with it. After about 500 rds I decided I could shoot it. After about 1000 rds I decided I could shoot it quite well. So instead of selling it I bought another one. Triggers matter. I still have my LEM P-30SK but don't carry it. The reasons I still have it is for the utility (light), it's a nice street trigger and would be great to train a new shooter. Not for the average 1911/revolver shooter. Drives them batshit crazy.
In the P-F basket of deplorables.