'The' Gun Thread (Page 14)

All sorts of options out there. What caliber do you want? How much do you want to spend?

I have been really happy with my Springfield XDm.

My wife loves her Walther PK.

And I have had good luck so far with a Sig P938 for EDC.

All depends on what you want and how much you wanna spend. But I will confess I am not the biggest ruger semi auto handgun fan. They make a good gun and they are cheap, but they just don't feel great to me and aren't my favorite to look at. Kinda like Glocks, hate the feel of a glock and they are butt ugly IMO, but they are great guns. 

I window shop that one about once a week and decided that's the one I want but can't pull the trigger (no pun intended).

You have the 9mm, .40 or .45?

If I didn't care about ammo cost, I would get the .45 but if I plan to use it a lot, the 9 seems a little more cost effective.

I would be interested in what you think.  Here or by PM.

I have the 3.8" compact version of the XDM .45 and I love it.  It hits what I'm aiming at, and I really like the ability to go with 9+1 if I want it to be small on my waist or 13+1 if I'm less interested in portability/concealment.  I have not shot the same weapon in 9mm or .40, so I can't make any comparison.

It's handled every kind of ammo I've put through it.  We'll see how it does with my first batches of handloads.

Have you looked at ammo cost lately?  That's if you can find 5.56, 9mm, 40cal, 22lr, 7.62 or 12ga slugs.

I'm a big fan of the XD series.  I've got an XDm .40 4.5", a XDm .40 compact 3.8", and an XDs .45 3" for EDC.

I'd like to have more rounds on the XDs, but it is by far my favorite of the group.

Oops: New York Governor Wants to Repeal Own Gun Control Law

I have the XDm compact 3.8 in .40.

There are as many opinions on caliber as they are armpits in the world but my reading lead me to go with the .40, also the only options when I bought were 9mm and .40.

According to my reading the .40 is just a better round as far as stopping power than the 9mm. You get a few more rounds in the mag with the 9mm but if you can't do the job with the 16 rounds the extended .40 mag holds, put in a new mag.

The other thing I like about .40 over .45 is as far as my knowledge there is no law enforcement agency or military that standard issues .45. A lot still use the 9mm but many have gone to .40. This means in the future zombie appocalypse I will be able to raid the local cop shop for ammunition. That and price difference has me happy with the .40 over the .45. Sides I want a 1911 so the fact that I don't own a .45 now will help when it comes to negotiations with the wife . 

I really like the versatility of the 3.8 compact. It is small enough to winter carry with the standard mag, but it can also feel like a full size gun with the extended mag. You lose a bit in barrel length to the standard 4.5, but not really enough to make a huge difference IMO.

So yeah I think it is a great all around gun and if you are only going to have one gun that is the one I would get. I have found it is a bit big for EDC which is why I got the Sig P938, it is the size of a .380 but has the extra punch of the 9mm. Smallest 9mm I could find that I liked other than the Kimber Solo which cost too much and is picky on ammo.

I looked at the XDs that Tony posted about but to me I can't really see the use of the thing. When I took the measurements it is not that much smaller than the compact 3.8. It's main selling point is that it is thinner, which it is, but the other dimensions are so close it doesn't make sense to me to have half the rounds for the small gain in carrying ability.

The Sig P938 is much smaller than the XDs, holds the same number of rounds albeit 9mm vs. .45, but the ease of carrying is what is important for EDC, and the dimensions of the XDs just didn't look very easy to carry. I will admit I have never shot one, just looked at dimension and weight online. Also I don't think the XDs is versatile enough for a duty weapon or a one gun to own weapon. I know it is cool because it is a really small .45, but to me it just doesn't justify owning one.

Prices are still decent on the XDm's and they seem to resale well. I'd find a range that'll let you rent one and see for yourself if you like it, or come to Idaho and shoot mine. If it doesn't feel right to you there are lots of Glock options out there. But like I said, Glocks feel and look like crap to me.

I pretty much agree with all that.  I went with my XDm .40's for the exact same reason and really wanted the XDs to be in a .40.  The XDm's are a little too fat for EDC, which is why I went with the XDs.  With the crossbreed minituck holster it's pretty much invisible, even with a standard polo tucked or un-tucked.

I'm not entirely sure what it is I love about the XDs, but it's still my favorite.  Perhaps it's that I get all the bells and whistles of the larger XDm's in a form factor that I can actually carry.  It is fun to shoot as well, so I'd recommend you take a look at the 9mm and the .40 version when it comes out.

I do also agree that the XDs is a purpose build EDC gun, it's not the best choice for a one and only gun.  I'd get a full size .40 for that (or better yet, a shotgun).

I originally went with the Ruger because of price and that it has always been a consistent product for me.

I try to be brand loyal, but not obsessively so.

I think that I want to start with the 9mm to keep my wife's ability to shoot with me.

However, I may look for a larger round in the future.

If you aren't looking to carry but to have a good all around gun and you like Ruger's then a P95 would be a good gun to have. Easy to shoot, good all arounder.

If you wanted to go up in price a bit I would look at the Springfields we have been talking about before you buy the Ruger. Gonna spend about $200 more but get a much nicer gun IMO. Or you could probably find a used Glock in the same price point as the Ruger or maybe even a used Springfield XD in the same price point. The XD was the predecessor to the XDm, lacks the ergo features of the m but is still a very nice gun. 

Not lately lately.  Maybe about 3-4 weeks ago I was on the Bass Pro Shop web site looking at the gun and price comparing ammo again.

I know it's a gross generalization, but looking at the same quality rounds in different caliber from the same manufacturers, 9mm was half or a little more than half the cost of .45.  .40 was just about right in between, but less to choose from.

I just love the good old American .45 slug for some reason.

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Police Departments Beg And Barter For Ammo While DHS Buys Up 1.6 Billion Rounds In Past Year

Thanks for the advice guys.

I also have a couple of hundred rounds of 9mm left over still.

I bought 1000 rds mail order once.... oh, the mailing lists you get from that!

I would recomend CZ but they are all sold out till the end of the year around here.

Thanks for the reviews.  You probably have me convinced on the .40 now.  Good all around choice.

I sometimes worry about the "all around" choice of anything because they are generally good at everything, but great at nothing.  It may be different in this case.

Thanks again.

If anyone is in need of ammo check out gunbot.net.

Keeps a running list of places and prices that currently have ammo in stock. Easier than manually shopping around. 

Glocks are funny that way, seem to be a love it or hate it kinda gun. 

I don't like the Glock grip too boxy.

DUDE, YOU'RE MY HERO!!!!

I've been trying to find Hornady TAP .223 for a couple months now and it was the first one on the list.  I just picked up 5 boxes. 

See this is exactly why we need a local Federal Police State Force. Our local LEO's don't even plan ahead and won't be able to protect us from the Bad Guy. We must expand Jumpin Janet's power and embrace Homeland Security as our protector.

 I used to LOVE them.  Probably because they were the new hot thing and I loved the simple polymer frame, sleek design, etc.  But that look is what, 20 yrs old now?

I'm more old school and like the classic look.  I want to add a 1911 eventually.