My search had me looking closer at the Glock. I happened upon a pretty good deal on a Glock 19 with three fifteen-round pre-ban magazines. I took the deal with the idea that if I didn’t like it, I knew that I could make a hundred bucks by selling it to some poor guy who didn’t mind carrying a plastic gun.
I shot it and liked it. I didn’t want to carry it on the belt, but still wanted to be able to conceal it when necessary. I sent off for a Galco Miami Classic shoulder holster with a double magazine pouch. It proved to be a comfortable, reliable rig. The gun shoots every brand of 9mm ammo that I have tried in it, along with a couple of different handloads that I had worked up for another gun. The frame and slide are smooth and rounded, like a used bar of soap, and don’t have any sharp corners to hang on clothing or slow the draw. I added a good set of tritium night sights for low-light shooting. It had a good balance of weight, firepower, concealability, and shootability. It was a good defense rig.
MORE ON THE GLOCKs (good link too) http://www.google.com/cse?cx=004750609532512547279%3Aajbsworgcos&ie=UTF-8&q=Glock&sa=Search
This was from 2004: The Smith & Wesson SW9VE is a reliable weapon that is well suited for personal defense or police work. It is accurate enough to fulfill its intended purpose, and feels great in my hand, and to those others that tried the weapon. The last great thing about this pistol is its price. The suggested retail is just $369, but I have seen this gun retail for around 280 bucks. That is about half the price of a new Glock. The Smith comes with two magazines, a lockable hard plastic case, instruction manual, a cable lock, and Smith & Wesson’s lifetime warranty.
http://www.gunblast.com/SWSigma9.htm
Good luck with your choice.
“This was from 2004: The Smith & Wesson SW9VE is a reliable weapon that is well suited for personal defense or police work. It is accurate enough to fulfill its intended purpose, and feels great in my hand, and to those others that tried the weapon. The last great thing about this pistol is its price. The suggested retail is just $369, but I have seen this gun retail for around 280 bucks. That is about half the price of a new Glock. The Smith comes with two magazines, a lockable hard plastic case, instruction manual, a cable lock, and Smith & Wesson’s lifetime warranty.”
I would keep clear of the SW9VE. It’s half the gun at more than half the price. Lousy triggers, not very reliable. The early versions had LOTS of problems. Do a thorough search on them if you consider buying. In my area you can get a used glock for less than $300.