Every First time gun owners queston

[rswgr]

Hello, I have been in the market for a nice carry for about 2 months now. I have been to every gun store in town, and held many, many weapons. I'm having a terrible time trying to choose one weapon. I would like you (the experts, lol) to basiclaly tell me what to buy. I know that if I ask 30 people, I'll get 30 different answers so narrowed it down to only three.

*1st weapon I chose was the new Springfield XDm .40. I liked the look and feel of this gun, and was impressed with the exellent reviews on most every forum. It's dependability, and legendary customer service is very apealing. This was recommended by a lot of the gun stores. Price= $600.00


*2nd weapon I chose was the new H&K .45 compact. I liked the feel of this weapon in my hand. The gun was HIGHLY recommended by every gun store I went to. I havn't read too much on it's reliability, and I don't know too much about thier customer service. Everyone said it was the cream of the crop for the price. Price= $925.00


*3rd onthe list is a Dan Wesson .45 (forgot which one) Again, I liked the feel of this gun, and came HIGHLY recommended from a particular gun store. It felt very tight and "precision made" I liked the bobtail. I havn't seen many reviews on this weapon, and don't know about it's reliability, and accuracy. Price=$1100.00 (est)


So... My inital choice was the XDm .40. I have read so many great things about this gun. It holds 16 + 1, and seems like a no brainer. It does feel natural to point, BUT.. It seems a little cheap in the hand, (It may just be the polymer talking because the glocks feel the same way to me). Im sure it's a great gun at $600.00, but if I can spend 600.. whats 300 more for the HK? Is the HK that good of a weapon to justify the extra $300.00? I really like it, but the price is putting me off a bit. That brings me to the Dan Wesson.. I absolutely love the feel of this gun, it feels very tight, and perfect. But for 1100 I don't see anything to warrant this expense. If someone could explain to me why this gun would be worth it, over the others for 1100 bucks please feel free to elaborate.

All three guns had thier strengths, and weaknesses. I just need to know which one out of the three you would choose and why, so I can make a more informative decision. Thank you for listening to me rant.

[HK4U]

Well you can tell by my name which I would choose although I have the sub compact instead of the compact. As far as I am concerned you can not get any better than an HK.

[rrc1962]

I would go for the XD in 9mm or 45. I'm not a big 40S&W fan. For strictly concealed carry, a 9mm is smaller and has the stopping power to get the job done. I carry a Glock 30 everyday and the wife now carries a Glock 19. The HK is also a fine gun, but the price point on the XD makes it very attractive. I don't think you are getting an inferior gun in the XD.

[toreskha]

I'd say go for the .45 over the .40 - and the XD 45 is a good one as well.

Out of the three you mentioned the HK is probably the best.

[ADJ423]

+1 for the HK from that list.

[Jay]

My suggestion would be to get the Dan Wesson from Whittakers for $863.

Whittaker Guns

I have two of the three.

[DJ58]

I'd say the H+K also. I have never had a problem with mine. take a quick look at the p2000sk.

[DarrellM5]

All 3 of those are good quality firearms. I'd personally take the XDm-40, but I'd be happy with any on your short list.

One thing I noticed is that these pistols have very different shapes. You may want to choose based on comfort in your hand and how well you think you'll be able to conceal each model.

If you get a chance, actually trying out each of these pistols would be a great idea.

[astute]

If price doesn't concern you, It's H&K all the way. If price is of concern take a look at the Taurus 24/7s. My vote would 45 over 40.

[Bullitt]

Originally Posted by astute

If price doesn't concern you, It's H&K all the way. If price is of concern take a look at the Taurus 24/7s. My vote would 45 over 40.

...and if you go that route, look at the PT 24/7 PRO only. It's improved over the "non-PRO" version. Feels different, too.