RichardS

Just getting into reloading myself. The cost factor to me was just to convince myself that I was not wasting money. For me it looks like I can pay for all of the equipment with my .223 and 9mm ammo savings over the next year or two. So over the long run I may actually save a bit of money. But the real reason I go into this is the added interest/enjoyment/relaxation associated with figuring out optimal loads and being able to do some work with my hands (I work on a computer all day long.)

I bought a ProTac 2L a while back and liked it enough that I bought a few more to keep in the cars/truck. You can find them under $45 if you order online.

I the sparc's on two rifles and they have served me well but I have not had them long - around 1000 rounds through an AR-15 and 500 through a 9mm CX4 over the past 6 months. The 2x magnifier is nice for my old eyes when shooting 100yds or beyond.

I have had an XDm 9mm for quite a while and looked around quite a bit for something smaller to carry. I ended deciding I wanted a similar feel/layout to my Xdm so I did not have to worry about different safeties, trigger feel, etc. between my pistols. So ended up getting an XDm Compact 9mm. Conceals OK IWB, the short grip really helps. Would have liked a little thinner but love the capacity and the fact that the feel/layout is near identical to my XDm other than the grip length. And the day I bought that the XDs was announced, grrrr. XDs is only in .45 now but rumors are that .40 and 9mm will not be far behind. If you can wait a while you might want to delay until you can check out one of those. http://www.tngunowners.com/forums/handguns/67874-new-xds.html

Thanks for the post, got me thinking... I might have drawn in that situation and honestly that may have been the wrong thing to do. I think you did well to let the dude know you were armed without actually drawing and potentially escalating the situation.

XDm 9mm Like others have said, not difficult at all to pass the test. Most places that offer classes also offer rentals so rent something in a small caliber or bring whatever you are most comfortable with. My instructor told us nobody has failed his class due to poor marksmanship, but he has failed some due to unsafe handling of a gun while a the range. So pay close attention to the safety rules and relax for the actual firing bit of the test.

My permit came in the mail today, I sent the application on 12/20. I was pleasantly surprised it only took 28 days given that there had to be some days folks were not working due to the holidays.