Re: Looking for a Conceal Carry
9mm works fine, is probably the best caliber to own and practice with, if you're only going to have one. Glock is great. The Springfield XDs are great too, but a tad bit bigger than the G19. But I've but 10k rounds through my XD without a single malfunction other than a bad primer. Far as Glocks, when you get smaller than a 19/23, they get a lot harder to shoot well. But Glocks in general have a long proven track record, they run forever, feed everything, with the exception of some of the 40 cals when you put a tac light on them. Basically, there's a reason everyone owns Glocks--esp the 19's and the 17's.
Get the Gen 3. It works great. Gen 4 will probably be solid, too, but they changed the recoil spring setup and the jury is still out. Why be the beta-tester on a brandnew product--this thing is a tool, afterall.
Another great one is the Kahr p9. It's more expensive but way smaller, and it's the only compact gun I've ever shot that shoots almost like a fullsize gun. I carry it way more than my G19, because it's much more narrow, more comfortable--you don't have to worry about people seeing it. That said it's more finicky and if you're only going to have one, the g19 is a better choice.
One thing is immediately put night sights or some kind of steel sights on whatever Glock you get--the plastic ones break, shear off, etc, if you use them hard. And the profile sucks.
As for 9mm vs 40 vs 45, I worked in a trauma unit for two years and I've seen people shot with a lot of different pistol calibers--didn't seem to matter which one, what really mattered was shot placement. Good shot placement (heart or spine)--those people went straight to the morgue. Anything else, it didn't seem to matter too much. 9mm ball is as underwhelming as people say it is--but it still kills plenty of people. Much as the gun magazine writers say otherwise, I couldn't really tell any difference between people hit with 9mm JHP or .357 mag JHP, or .40 cal JHP. None of it is magic. The holes that handgun bullets make are all pretty small, to be honest. A sixty caliber hole is better than a forty caliber hole but guess what--they're both still way under an inch. The only hole I ever saw that was really impressive was from a 12 gauge with birdshot at 15 or so feet--fist-sized, for real.
IMHO, you're a lot better shooting a 9mm like a laser, because you can practice 50% more for the same ammo costs, and because it's mild recoil doesn't make you flinch. If you flinch that 40 or 45 bullet three inches or four inches low and left, the only thing reason that dude is gonna stop is he doesn't feel like getting shot anymore. You can dump your mag of .40 or .45 wonder bullets into a dudes lungs and abdomen, but unless you clip the spine or heart (or--in the case of a head shot--actually destroy the brain), if he decides to keep coming at you, he will.
On that cheerful note, good luck with yer purchase.
