New pistol advice

[Jpmiller]

Also am I seeing correctly that a .38 special and 9mm shoot the same bullets? I have a ton of bullets lying around for my .38 and it would be great to standardize as much as possible.

I would never shoot different calibers in the same gun without a conversion barrel.
As for your previous statement about 9mm glocks, they are great. I know many who love their Glock 19 for carry it is compact. But if you’re going for subcompact people with the “baby Glock” Glock 26 is a great 9mm Glock that’s a bit beefier than the single stack glock 43.

I was speaking strictly from a bullet standpoint not the entire cartridge. I got a couple hundred bullets when I bought brass and primers for my 38 and if they can share some reloading components I think that will point me in the 9mm direction.

[Bofire]

Go some place you can rent guns and shoot a bunch.
CArl

[Jpmiller]

My friend spent a lot of time shooting various hand guns here.
https://themarksman.store/
Then shopped around for the best deal. Best way to do it really!!

Anybody know if the staff here is knowledgeable? This is pretty close to me

[Alchase]

My friend spent a lot of time shooting various hand guns here.
https://themarksman.store/
Then shopped around for the best deal. Best way to do it really!!

Anybody know if the staff here is knowledgeable? This is pretty close to me

I do not know them at all, I will say as others have, it is rare to find good handgun knowledge at the gun counters of most stores.
I would trust getting information from an "internet hunting forum" before a salesman at a gun counter. If someone in an "internet hunting forum" tries to BS you, chance are someone will call them out and add the correct information.
 

[CAMPMEAT]

Go by the 21 foot rule on gun fights and see what caliber has been used the most to kill someone in self defense. I can bet you a dollar, it's a 9mm or a 40 cal that LEO carry, hands down. All the internet experts on here or any other forum have no experience at killing someone and with zero statistics to prove so. I don't.

[Jpmiller]

And I'm hoping to stay in the camp that has no experience in a gunfight lol but I do want the option should a gun fight be thrust upon me.

[KFhunter]

For Every Day Carry (EDC) don't discount revolvers, I really like them.   

I really like a button hammer revolver in .357, a snub nose airweight is great for EDC and you can run .38s in it too, even if I wanted to just shoot the .38 I'd get the .357 for resale.

It's harder to peel it from your grip, won't go out of battery if you shove it someones guts and start yanking on the trigger fast as you can, and it won't tangle in clothing and stop the slide. 



When to use it is another discussion.

[Alchase]

For Every Day Carry (EDC) don't discount revolvers, I really like them.   

I really like a button hammer revolver in .357, a snub nose airweight is great for EDC and you can run .38s in it too, even if I wanted to just shoot the .38 I'd get the .357 for resale.

It's harder to peel it from your grip, won't go out of battery if you shove it someones guts and start yanking on the trigger fast as you can, and it won't tangle in clothing and stop the slide. 



When to use it is another discussion.

Revolvers are so 1980s

Obviously just kidding 

[Jpmiller]

For Every Day Carry (EDC) don't discount revolvers, I really like them.   

I really like a button hammer revolver in .357, a snub nose airweight is great for EDC and you can run .38s in it too, even if I wanted to just shoot the .38 I'd get the .357 for resale.

It's harder to peel it from your grip, won't go out of battery if you shove it someones guts and start yanking on the trigger fast as you can, and it won't tangle in clothing and stop the slide. 



When to use it is another discussion.

I've thought about carrying the revolver but I like the option of having more than six shots and a faster reload. It will still be my companion while I hunt but I like the versatility of holding potentially double the shells.

I don't see anything romantic about a semi auto though and I do love shooting the wheel gun.

[slavenoid]

I went up to my dad's after work to handle a couple of his semi autos. The smaller ones felt a little too light to me. Is it worth having a little extra weight for better control or does it get cumbersome carrying around and trying to conceal?

I already forgot what he said it was but I did like the feel of his 9mm Glock but he didn't seem keen to let me test it for a couple of years to see if I liked it   

If the pistols were unloaded it's normal to feel light. Some guns hold a lot of lead in them when fully loaded. Glocks are fantastic guns. The people who hate them do it for silly reasons. If you like quality tools but don't need em to be fancy or shiney glock is a good choice.

I don't hate Glocks, and I have owned a few of them. I choose not to shoot them any more. I have found other pistols fit me better then Glocks do. They are still very good pistols.
Discounting peoples likes or dislikes because they are different than yours really takes away from your own statements.

Perhaps I should have said Some people who hate them do it for silly reasons. You run something else cuz it's better for you that's awesome.

[Lincoln4]

To answer some of your questions...

I've rented pistols from, bought a pistol from, and used the range at the Marksman.  All a few years ago.  They used to require you attend a brief safety class before using the range.  So call ahead to make sure you can get the class done and then shoot.  I did in the past find their pistol prices higher than I could find other places.

Once you find a pistol you like, I've been happy with prices and service at Blacktail Arms in Buckley, and Brad's Guns in Lake Tapps.

https://blacktailarms.com/

http://www.bradsguns.com/

[jaymark6655]

How do you plan to carry it? I personally like the Glock 42. I have carried a 1911, a Glock 23 and a Glock 27 and nothing was a small and easy to forget that I was carrying it as that 42. It can go in a pocket holster and be carried in place of my wallet without peaking out of my back pocket and it slim even compared to the Glock 43, not by much but think how little is needed to make your wallet feel too thick. I can say I have to fired any other weapon of that size in that caliber that shoots anywhere as nice as it. IWB it can be carried without a belt depending on your pants. Since I almost always wear a belt with pants, I can usually carry something larger without feeling the weight too much.

[CAMPMEAT]

For Every Day Carry (EDC) don't discount revolvers, I really like them.   

I really like a button hammer revolver in .357, a snub nose airweight is great for EDC and you can run .38s in it too, even if I wanted to just shoot the .38 I'd get the .357 for resale.

It's harder to peel it from your grip, won't go out of battery if you shove it someones guts and start yanking on the trigger fast as you can, and it won't tangle in clothing and stop the slide. 



When to use it is another discussion.

\




I used to carry a Lou Horton Special about 30 years ago when KF was a little pup. It was a 3 inch, 44 mag wheel gun. Shooting it was a dream too..    Go big or go home as they say.

[biggfish]

Also am I seeing correctly that a .38 special and 9mm shoot the same bullets? I have a ton of bullets lying around for my .38 and it would be great to standardize as much as possible.

I'm guessing you're referring to reloading here, the answer is no you can reload the same bullets between .357 mag and .38 but not 9mm. .380 acp, 9mm luger, .38 special, .357 mag, etc. are all in the 9mm family but the bullets are not interchangeable when handloading. Also just a word of advice don't use reloads as carry rounds, lots of advice on the internet steering people away as a lawyer may paint you into a corner as to premeditation.

Sent from my LG-K425 using Tapatalk

[Cab]

So I was in kind of a similar boat as you. I spent around 5-6 months doing research, reading forums, youtube videos and everything I could. Here is what I found which is subjective as I am not experienced as other on concealed carrying.

-9mm is the cal most like simply due to the fact that 9mm ammo prices are affordable and that means you'll practice more.
- Single stack 9mm are popular for a reason right now and thats because they are so comfortable for most to conceal in multiple ways. If it's not comfortable you won't bring it. One of my buddies picked up a pocket single stack 9mm because he can put it in his pocket and its comfortable. He carries a very high % because of this and that's key.
-A good Holster will make a world of difference so with that in mind it might be good to look at how available holsters are for those pistols. Not a huge deal but still it can make a difference. This also goes for aftermarket parts if you think you might want to upgrade sights etc.
-Weight the options of Striker fired vs DA pick one and that will narrow it down.
-If you can try and rent some to try them out.

In the end I bought a Walther PPS LE in 9mm which came with 3 mags a flush fitting 6, extended 7 and 8. The only downside for this pistol is the options for holsters but it just means I have to order online. A good resource is Paul Harrell youtube channel as it's straight forward and insightful. Best of luck