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Another option:

I noted you found the Glock 17 to be big for your hands. The first semi-auto I had was a Glock 17, and I thought the same thing. Then I found a Browning Hi Power (the original Hi Capacity 9mm), and what a joy to hold and carry. Fit my short little fingers perfectly, decent trigger (once the magazine disconnect was removed), and very flat and sleek, yet still a full sized service pistol. You can get reliable 13, 15, even 17 and 20 round mags for it (in 9mm).

The .40 Browning Hi Power is only a fraction of inch wider in the slide (grip is identical), feels and handles very much like it's slightly narrower brother. Best of all, you can get 9mm, 357 Sig, (and of course .40) barrels for it. The .40 magazines handle the 357 sig round (which is basically a .40 brass necked down to a 9mm bullet).

I've always wanted to go with 357 Sig, but the ammo was fairly pricey even before the big ammo rush.

The downsides of the BHP are 1) it does have a slide safety like the 1911 (it is a single-action similar to the 1911, but the internals are different). You must train to reliably operate that safety under pressure. It can be done of course, but it is an extra step and extra training. 2) Hi Powers out of the box come with a magazine disconnect, so that it won't fire if the mag is removed. I don't like this much either, and I think most BHP owners have it removed, and the action polished a bit while the gunsmith is at it.

It is a steel pistol, so heavier than the polymers, but that also absorbs recoil and the design of the pistol makes it not seem so heavy. I have tested my 9mm BHP along side my .40 BHP with both the .40 and 357 Sig barrels, and frankly I did not notice much difference in the recoil among them. Yes the .40 and .357Sig gave a little more push, but it was not much more.

I also tested the 357Sig barrel in my BHP along side the S&W Model 19 revolver in .357 Mag with nearly identical ammo (Hornady TAP hollowpoints, the .357 Mag was 125 grain and the 357 Sig was 124 grain). I chronographed them and killed some wet newspaper, and there saw no significant difference in the velocities or the expansion of the rounds, but the 357 Sig had much more pleasant recoil (and sound!).

Like Excalibur said, try out as many pistols as possible before plunking down $$. Try a Hi Power while you're at it. They are pricey pistols, but their owners love them (which is why they are pricey).

texanjoker wrote: ...
Most big depts like Dallas, Austin, Corpus, DPS require you to attend their specific academies. ...

I had seen this other places -- LAPD too (at least when i was living out there) will send all its hires, regardless of previous experience, through their own academy to train them in the LAPD manner of business. I expect the big departments would rather hire someone who has been through another academy and/or has some (but probably not "too much") experience in a smaller department as a way to not waste their own academy training and $$ on someone who is not suitable. They use other academies and departments as a screening function, and that previous attendance and experience gives them a track record to examine.

Would be interesting to see some stats on the students/recruits at big city academies and see how many of them had prior cop experience, versus being hired right off the street.

But sending sloppy recruiters out...

nightmare69 wrote:

jmra wrote:

nightmare69 wrote:BTW, where can I find a new glock 17 on the cheap? What are the websites that sell firearms to LEO at a discount?

GT distributors

Sweet thanks. Found out I qualify for the LE discount being a academy cadet. I wanted a gen 3 glock 17 but only see gen 4s.

I would call them directly and ask. When I bought a G19 in December at the Austin store, they had G17s and G19s in both Gen 3 and Gen 4 iterations.

nightmare69 wrote: ... Interesting day, saw a video of a woman beating the poop out of her husband all caught on hidden camera. ...

A policeman once explained to me and some other CHLs that he was much in favor of CHL and in general hoped that if he were in a jam, some citizens would help him out. If I recall his story correctly, he said that when he was a still a pretty new police officer, he was sent on a DV call all by himself, found a little skinny man sitting on the curb in front of a house, I think with some bruises. The officer went to the front door and a HUGE woman opened it, then tried to shut it again. He shoved his nightstick in the door to keep it from closing; she just ripped it out of his hand into the apartment and he didn't see it again until much later. Somehow the door came open again, I forget whether he forced it or she opened it back up, but in any case he ended up in a wrasslin' match with this big fat strong gal who outweighed him...and he was not winning, which he found hard to comprehend at the time. His radio wasn't getting out so he couldn't call for help, and had visions of this not ending well at all. Finally a neighbor or two came over to see what the ruckus was about and he was able to subdue her with their help. He eventually found his nightstick: when she yanked it thru the door, it flew across the room, hit the wall, and fell behind a couch.

He said that really woke him up about reality and was ever after grateful for those citizens' help. Lotsa lessons there.

Good luck!