Something nobody has mentioned yet: grip angle. Glocks (and possibly Glock clones like the PSA Dagger) have a more raked grip angle than pretty much every other pistol on the market.
This is one reason it is HIGHLY recommended to find a range that rents and try before you buy.
I started on pistols with a SiG P220 and the M9 (Beretta 92), then got a Kimber 1911 clone (this was in 2000, before Kimber got super popular and had some QC issues.)
The grip angle on Glocks annoys the heck out of me. It just doesn't 'point' naturally for me. This is especially obvious when using a red dot. (I own a Glock because I had to carry one at work as a cop.)
I've carried an M&P for over a decade, and used a competition version in 3-gun and Run-n-Gun for almost as long, and had no issues. One thing I like about the M&P is, IMO, it has the best swap out size adjustment grip inserts of any pistol on the market. I have big hands, and I like the fact that the large grip inserts actually swell out a little and make the grip rounders, instead of just making it a deeper rectangle front to back.
That said, it's hard to go wrong with a polymer frame, striker fired 9mm from a major manufacturer these days. Glock, S&W, SiG, CZ.
Another option might be, before you buy, find a training class where the instructor will provide a gun if you don't have one. Then talk to the instructor(s) about what they recommend. Instructors have seen tons of different guns, and they know which ones hold up and which ones don't. (Any gun they provide will be on the list of ones that do, because those see REALLY heavy use.) Also, students who bring their guns will generally be happy to show you theirs and at least let you coonfinger it, if not shoot it.
This is one reason it is HIGHLY recommended to find a range that rents and try before you buy.
I started on pistols with a SiG P220 and the M9 (Beretta 92), then got a Kimber 1911 clone (this was in 2000, before Kimber got super popular and had some QC issues.)
The grip angle on Glocks annoys the heck out of me. It just doesn't 'point' naturally for me. This is especially obvious when using a red dot. (I own a Glock because I had to carry one at work as a cop.)
I've carried an M&P for over a decade, and used a competition version in 3-gun and Run-n-Gun for almost as long, and had no issues. One thing I like about the M&P is, IMO, it has the best swap out size adjustment grip inserts of any pistol on the market. I have big hands, and I like the fact that the large grip inserts actually swell out a little and make the grip rounders, instead of just making it a deeper rectangle front to back.
That said, it's hard to go wrong with a polymer frame, striker fired 9mm from a major manufacturer these days. Glock, S&W, SiG, CZ.
Another option might be, before you buy, find a training class where the instructor will provide a gun if you don't have one. Then talk to the instructor(s) about what they recommend. Instructors have seen tons of different guns, and they know which ones hold up and which ones don't. (Any gun they provide will be on the list of ones that do, because those see REALLY heavy use.) Also, students who bring their guns will generally be happy to show you theirs and at least let you coonfinger it, if not shoot it.
