good to see you taking action, but in my opinion its better to start with a glock or XD type weapon. much easier for your first gun to be simple to use. My XDm-9 has no manual safety, but rather a grip and trigger safety that get disabled when using a proper firing grip. From my understanding the military had the choice between the sig and beretta bc of cost and production capability.
You also cant beat a glock or XDM for reliability, my XDm-9 is my comp. pistol and has eaten several thousand rounds so far with NO malfunctions.
You're planning to carry the Sig? thats a pretty bulky pistol for everyday carry, it will cause you alot of discomfort over time, and also will not conceal as well. For concealed carry look into Kahr pistols. especially carrying a sig with an extended mag? that'll be big. if you want unbeatable training for a lower cost, get in your range time, then look into IDPA competition. IDPA stands for international defensive pistol association, and its 100% geared towards training you for a defensive situation. Its also a hell of alot of fun :wink:
I don't want a poly frame. The 226 isn't but slightly larger than the 229 and it fits my hand perfect. The 15 round mag isn't extended and being a bigger guy, I should be able to tuck it away. I went with something that has been proven and will last. In testing, the Sig shot 5,000 rounds flawlessly without being cleaned. To be honest, I just stopped at the gunshop to look around and held the XD's, Glock, Taurus, Berretta, and the Sig. I knew little to nothing about any of them, but the Sig was just more refined, balanced, and felt better in my hand. After doing some research, I finally decided on the Sig.
A shotgun may be better for home, but this is an all around weapon. It will be used at the range, for carry, for home, and my wife will be using it as well. So since all that fits in the budget for now is one, this was it. And according to the charts, with Shockwave's JHP or Gold Dot's JHP, the numbers and resulting damage are very close to a .45 with comparable ammo at 25 yrds. Most defensive shots are at 10 yrds. or less and at that distance, the target will go down with a couple rounds. If not, there are 19 more to follow.
I'm not super experienced, but that will change. I shot a Ruger 9mm at a 18" x 24" target from 30 yrds. and hit it with every shot. We were doing defensive shooting, so there wasn't any aiming, just pointing and pulling the trigger. So I think I can improve with practice.
I appreciate everyones opinion and experience. I will look into the IDPA.