Purchasing first Carry Weapon (first handgun at that)

[Guest Schafer503rd]

My suggestion would be the Colt mustang pocketlite  (comes in .380 which is pretty light on recoil)  or the Springfield Armory XDs if you didnt mind the .45 ACP

[Guest RonB]

If you're worried about width of the frame and yet i see you don't like the ruger LC9, Definately look into a s&w shield in a 9mm. 

 

The Shields have an external safety as well as a trigger safety.

I havent held one yet...I am going back and forth on the manual safety as I do have little ones...it is still on the list to see before I make a final decision...LC9, Shield, Glock and XD seem to be the top choices for most people.

[Guest RonB]

For those who help with this decision...thank you...I ultimately decided to get a Springfield XD9...however....

 

http://www.tngunowners.com/forums/topic/57718-welli-went-the-another-direction/

[Aviator]

I have followed your quest, and the XD9SC is one of my favs in my lil arsenal. Good choice, great tool. Now practice with it at a range and learn all about range safety.

[Guest faolan447]

My husband and I also did a lot of research before we purchased our first handgun. We went to Nashville Armory and rented a few different guns and shot a few others of my dad's and his dad's, so we had several different calibers and sizes to get an idea of what was available. We chose a Smith & Wesson Sigma SW9F. I like that Glocks have a reputation for long term reliability including being able to fire it after it's been in dirt, water, mud, etc. One of the guys at Nashville Armory pointed out that the Smith and Wesson Sigma was almost identical to the Glock and just as reliable with a smaller sticker price.  I also chose 9mm because the Hornady Critical Defense ammo does as much damage as the larger caliber rounds, and I knew that we'd be practicing a lot since we're newbies. The regular 9mm is cheaper than most other rounds for target practice. The Sigma is super easy to disassemble and clean, and it's light. Once I get my permit, I'll probably carry it. You mentioned that you didn't like how Glock feels, and my husband was the same. He prefers the feel of Sig Sauers, but after we used it in our permit class now he likes it. See if you can rent one similar to the one you're looking at. I think feeling it while you're shooting it is very different than holding it in a gun shop.