PKendall317
Expert
All good choices. Wish I could say I own them all. I do have a P99 (similar to the PPQ), a Glock 23, & Sig P226. All are chambered for .40 S&W so pretty easy to draw a comparison. I have shoot the M&P and XDm as well.
Walther P99 - Very accurate! Excellent styling, cool "Walther factor". Good contruction. Mine has the anti-stress trigger which I like a lot. I think the PPQ is more like a Glock. Bore axis is high so the gun tends to torque in the hand. Some complain the trigger will pinch the finger. Holsters are hard to find and mags cost twice as much.
Sig P226 - Nice single action trigger. The grip is big for me and the gun is heavy. Mine is older. The newer models with the E2 grips seem to fit me better. Heavy gun translates into low recoil. Most of these are double action for the first shoot and then single action afterwards (Unless you get a DAK model). I feel it is too big for CC but serves well as a home defense gun. Keep it clean or it will lay down on you.
Glock 19/23 - Overall a very versatile gun. Small enough to carry, big enough to shoot. They are ugly, soul less chunks of plastic. Ultra reliable and easy to teach people to shoot. People complain about the grip angle since it makes you push your wrist forward. This and the lower bore axis I find actually helps with recoil. I understand people not wanting the drink the kool-aid, but they are a tool that does the job well. The Glock is my choice for carry adn would be my first choice for a working gun.
I will let the M&P or XD guys talk about their guns in more detail. Quick opinion:
I like the M&P. Feels great in the hand. If I did not already own Glocks I would probably jump on the M&P bandwagon.
I like the slim grip and trigger of the XDm. I also like the higher capacity. But I don't care for the grip safety and blockiness of the slide.
Thanks for the info! Now I do have a quesion about safety. I know that Glocks don't have a mechanical safety, but what about the others? I live with my parents and my 20yo sister and we don't have any kids, but we do have nieces and nephews and some young cousins who come to visit fairly often, and I'd like that extra layer of protection if Heaven forbid they found my guns and somewho managed to actually get to them.