Gun Shopping in Chicago

So I've got a strange problem, and forgive me if this is a little rambly.I live in Chicago. I have a CCL. I have a Springfield XDS 3.3'' 9x19mm that I've been carrying for a year and that I bought without ever so much as touching one.To explain: I'm a broke student. I don't have a car (mostly because I don't need one, being so urbane). Gun prices in Chicago are about $100 more than they should be at most stores, and to get to a store, I have to take a 30 dollar cab ride both ways twice: once to purchase, and once after the waiting period is over, totaling to about 120 of transportation fees.I found a friendly, easy to work with FFL who charges $25 bucks per transfer and is accessible via the CTA. I did a lot of research on a solid single stack, decided that I wanted a XDS, and ordered one.Thankfully, I didn't regret that purchase. The gun isn't without issues that I would have noticed had I gotten a chance to play with it, such as the slide not always locking back on an empty magazine (thanks to my grip), and being a little bit excessive in the weight department...However, I want a new weapon. I'm looking at compact pistols now: something with a little more firepower and that I can conceal during the winter months. I know for a fact that I like Glock 19s: I have a fair amount of experience with them, and would feel comfortable ordering one blind to an FFL. That said, there's a bunch of other compact, striker fired options out there that I want to try out: Steyr S or C, Ruger SR9C and American Compact, M&P 9, etc...Which leaves me with a few options:1) I go to a store, get to try all the things out first hand, and wind up paying $260 more than I should for what should be a cheap, no nonsense pistol.2) I order blind again after doing extensive research and hope for the best (like my XDS)3) I order a Glock 19 and call it a day.Anyone have any similar problems? Solutions? Recommendations?tl;dr: Chicago sucks via /r/CCW http://ift.tt/2lbfbFa