[Spats McGee]

Welcome to The Firing Line, natron20!

We don't mind newcomers asking questions. That's how you learn, and we were all newcomers to the world of firearms at one point or another.

With that said, I'm far from a 9mm expert. I don't own one myself, though I've been considering one for a long time. I'm something of an obsessive-compulsive researcher when it comes to big purchases, and a firearm is a big purchase for me. The first question, though, is: What's the purpose of this 9mm you seek? If it's for CC, you may need something different than if you're looking for a range gun. The second question will be: How well do you like it? There's a saying that says "the .22 that you'll carry beats the .45 that you leave at home." Whether or not you'll actually carry the gun depends, in part, on how well you like it. How it fits your hand, how heavy it is, what's the ammo capacity, does it jam on you . . . all of those factor into whether or not you'll actually carry. If it's a range gun, carry (obviously) isn't an issue.

With my caveat that I don't own a 9mm, I'll fill you in on the information that I have gathered about 9mm pistols. I wouldn't mind having any one of 1, 2 or 3, listed below, as an alternate carry gun. I only exclude the Beretta from that list because I know so little about them.

1) Glock 19 -- One of the most popular 9mms around. Reliable, sufficiently accurate, good capacity. The most common complaint seems to be either: (a) it feels like a 2x4 in the hand; or (b) it kicks brass into the shooter's face, at least initially. Eighty-seven bazillion of them out there on the market, and spare parts and upgrades galore, if you want or need to swap something out.

2) XD -- The whole XD series comes pretty highly recommended. Reliable, sufficiently accurate, good capacity. I've had the opportunity to shoot an XD9, and I like it.

3) Ruger SR9 and 9C -- This one wasn't on your list, but it might be worth a look. Reliable, sufficiently accurate, good capacity. I've held a couple of these, and they feel mighty good in my hand. I'm not thrilled with having a magazine disconnect safety, but that's not a deal-breaker for me. They haven't been on the market all that long, and there have been some reports of barrel peening and, umm, one other issue that I can't recall at the moment. I leave it to you to investigate the seriousness of those allegations.

4) Beretta PX4 Storm -- I've only held one of these at a gun show, but it felt good in the hand. Beyond that, I have little or no information, so I'll leave this one to folks that know better than I.