I'd like to thank everyone who commented on my first post, which you can find here. To summarize, I'm looking for a new pistol for concealed carry and will be updating on my progress through the research, purchasing and training phases. I currently own a Springfield XDM 3.8" 9mm with the full size grip. It is too big and too heavy to conceal comfortably without printing.I've been looking at single stack nine polymer striker fired pistols, and have been to the range twice now. Details on my first range trip can be found in my first post.All that being said, let's get to the meat of my post: my range report. The pistols I shot are listed in the order I shot them. I've included pictures of the targets for reference. Yes, I know I'm a terrible shot. Keep in mind I will be taking basic marksmenship, CCW and DGU classes as part of this "road to CCW".Glock 43Very small in my handAccurate*Recoil was pretty rough, rougher than I remember the first time shootingTrigger reset a couple times just from recoil - this was my fault and by the end of it I had improved my trigger control.Trigger felt crispAble to get a full grip with the pinky extension, but didn't quite feel like I had a "hold" on the gunPros: Very small, easily concealable, Glock nameCons: Recoil was a bit rough, didn't quite fit my hand right, less gun to get a grip on, crappy sights. On the more expensive side, requires sight upgrade immediately.Summary: The Glock 43 has an excellent trigger pull but the reset was surprisingly short. I got the hang of it pretty quick, and blame this on initial poor trigger control. I think it's a great pistol, but likely not the one for me.M&P ShieldTrigger is niceMore accurate with than Glock*Grip felt natural in handSeemed to point betterRecoil less than GlockEasy sight acquisition (better sights, larger dots)Pros: Great price, highly recommended, felt natural to hold, point, shoot, like most everything about this gunCons: Are there any? Lower capacity than M&P9c, magazines are "loose" even when seated, could see myself "ricing" the shit out of this gun in a few months (ie upgrading everything from mag capacity, to trigger, to sights)Summary: The trigger is growing on me - I know a lot of people complain about the M&P line's triggers, but I like the trigger on the Shield. I really liked the way the gun felt in my hand. One thing I was worried about was the flush fitting magazine being to short to get a good grip, but the Glock 43 actually reassured me about that. If I can get a decent grip with the pinky extension on the Glock 43, then I should not problem with the 7rd mag + pearce pinky extension (or something similar) on the Shield. .Ruger LC9svery smallclunky feelingmag disconnect difficult to manipulateslide stop difficult to manipulatemagazine safety - found this out while dry firingrecoil was the worst on this gun out of all I testedI sucked at shooting it (at first)loooooong trigger pull (comparatively)Pros: Didn't like much about this gun... can't think of any pros for meCons: Manual safety, magazine safety, difficult to manipulate, felt small in handSummary: This was probably my least favorite gun to shoot and handle. As you can see, I was wildly off target (more so than the previous two) going through the first two magazines. After I got used to (what seemed to me) the very long trigger take up, I was able to place my shots a little better. I'm not sure if there's versions of this gun without the magazine safety or manual safety, but even then I'm not sure I'd buy this gun.M&P9cfelt big after shooting the previous 3had to adjust grip to manipulate slide stop & mag releasevery short trigger resetnot noticeably more comfortable to hold than Shieldless recoileasier sight acquisitionmore accurate w/ than anything elsePros: 12+1, less recoil, easier to get sight acquisitionCons: Bigger and heavier than the other gunsSummary: After shooting the M&P9c I really think I've ruled it out as a carry gun for the time being. While I was more accurate with it off the bat, I feel that if I put enough time into learning to shoot one of the smaller guns I could be just as accurate, or accurate enough for self-defense purposes.Walther PPQ & Springfield XD-SAt this point I had pretty much made up my mind about which gun I am going to buy, but I had another 50 rounds or so of 9mm to shoot so I figured why not take a look at the PPS? Unfortunately the range did not have PPS to rent, so I had to settle for the PPQ.PPQ NotesToo big for carry (not in the same class as the others, I understand)very comfortable to hold (surprisingly so)Trigger felt greatI had 3 Failure to FiresExplanation of FTFs: So my first FTF I thought I had simply lost track of the number of shots and the slide hadn't locked back. Upon releasing the magazine, I saw there were still 2 rounds left. Racking the slide produced an unfired cartridge. At first I wrote it off to bad ammo. I discarded the failed cartridge, re-inserted the magazine and fired the remaining two rounds.Loading up the magazine again, I had a second FTF on round 3. I released the magazine, racked the slide and again an unfired round was produced. This time I was a little skeptical. So I proceeded to reload the failed cartridge into the magazine (I know, probably not a smart idea) and attempted to fire it again. The gun fired just fine. Okay so now I figured it wasn't the ammunition that the was the problem. I replicated a second FTF in the same magazine (three total) before giving up on the gun. I returned it to the range officer explaining my difficulties. After a quick inspection he determined that it was most likely due to light strikes, and the gun seemed to be very dirty. He checked the cleaning log and apparently the gun hadn't been cleaned in a while.PPQ Summary: While the gun was comfortable and the trigger was great, it was obviously too big for my carry purposes and even though the light strikes could have been written off to any number of things, including poor maintenance and my own ineptitude (as seen my my awful shot grouping - can you even call them groups?) the failures did not inspire confidence.XD-S NotesAfter the PPQ I had about 30 rounds left to fire off and decided to try the XD-S one last time.trigger is very nice, maybe my favorite among the SS9snot a terrible shot with this gunplatform is very familiarhad a "mag bite" - the extended mag bit my palm when inserting it the first timeXD-S Summary: I had written this gun off due to potential reliability issues. I know they are few and far between, but as stated in my first post, doing a quick Google search shows failures seem to be more frequent with the XD-S than the Glock or Shield. However the XD-S did feel pretty good in my hand, and I enjoyed shooting the familiar platform. That being said, I won't be buying this gun.In ConclusionMy first post was a lament between the M&P9c and the M&P Shield. After doing additional research and this latest trip to the range, I've come to the conclusion while concealable, I don't believe the M&P9c will be as concealable as I need it to be. My worry is there would be frequent occasions where I would be unable or unwilling to carry the gun. With the Shield, I see that being much less likely.Among all the guns I shot, the Shield was by far my favorite. There seem to be a lot of upgrades and improvements to the Shield that I can do after I've become familiar with the gun and am used to shooting it.The next time I post I believe I will be the proud owner of a Smith & Wesson M&P Shield.RoadmapBuy gunBuy gear (holster & belt)Shoot gunTake classesShoot gun moreCarryKeep shooting gun*All accuracy statements are based on my own personal accuracy with the gun. I am fully aware the gun will always be more accurate than I am via /r/CCW http://ift.tt/1XEVtS3
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