[robbyp20]

So I have a question--I'm trying to decide what my first SD carry weapon should be--

I've narrowed it down to a few that I like and that are in my price range. Today I went to the range and rented those guns and a few others to get a feel for the gun.

My question is this--should I be more concerned with how accurate I shot the gun or how well I controlled the weapon.

I shot one of the guns considerably more accurately than the others, but that gun wasn't the one that felt the most comfortable in my hand.

I'm still really new to shooting in general--I got a .22 pistol a couple months ago (my first gun) to get used to shooting and learn some of the basics and feel like I'm ready to move up to a SD caliber. If it helps the guns I'm trying to choose between are Springfield XD9, XD Compact, Glock 19, and Glock 26. I'm not trying to start a "which gun is better" thread--just trying to interpret my range results. (If you really want you can suggest another gun, but I've been looking around for a long time and these seem to be the ones that fit what I'm looking for.

Anyways, any thoughts would be appreciated.

 

[robbyp20]

I shot the XD Compact a lot more accurately than any of the other guns (not sure exactly why it was so different, but I shot at the same 2 distances with all the guns)--but the way the grip felt in my hand and the recoil just didn't feel as good as some of the others. I like the larger grip of the XD9 and the Glock 19.

I also shot the Glock 17 better but I would rather have a smaller gun to conceal. Hope that helps give you a better understanding.

 

[robbyp20]

Thanks for the replies. It seems like it boils down to this: Is it easier to improve accuracy or is it easier to get comfortable holding and firing the gun.

I'm willing to practice--I'm not sure how much is a lot--I've shot about 1500 rounds since the beginning of February. I've been trying to go for about an hour a week.

Anyways, from the responses it seems as though most people would rather shoot more accurately than have a gun fit their hand well. I'm not sure exactly what it was about the XD SC that I didn't like--it just didn't feel as comfortable in my hand both handling it and firing it--maybe just the shape of my hand which isn't going to change. The one I shot had the extended mag so I had a place for my pinky (otherwise I wouldn't have liked it at all). I don't know if there's any more details that would make it more clear. Just that the 5 guns I shot each felt differently in my hand--some better some worse--and the one gun I shot much more accurately than the others was one of the guns that didn't feel great in my hand (the XD SC).

I'm not sure what I'm going to get, but I finally have the approval from my wife so I'm ready to get something!! Thanks for the help.