Update:

Got my HSC and did some more research

Glock 17: grip angle is a little unnatural to me. I haven't tried 19 yet. Since its smaller, it may fit differently?

Sig Pro SP2022: on sale for $399 @ turners. very tempting cause thats a good price for a sig, the grip seems a little big for my hand though.

XD 9mm: good fit for my hand and I like the idea of cocked indicator and the safety on the back of the grip. but the backstrap is not changeable.

M&P 9: good fit as well, and i like the idea of ambidextrous slide release, and the mag release can flip to the other side as well. and changeable backstrap means i can fine tune the fit.

so far i am leaning towards the M&P 9. but a sub $400 sig is again very tempting.

i am also consideringt compact vs service size. since CA has 10 rd limit on mag, mag compacity shouldn't be a big concern. The pistol won't be CCW, but its more for weight/handling and comfort.

 

That's a good price on that Sig. I might pick one up before the sale ends tomorrow. I'd opt for the .40 cal w/ tritium sights for $429 though - just personal pref.

 

i thought the sales was good until 4/21?

or is it the XD/M&P sales ends 4/21?

 

I don't know about the M&P and XD - I only saw the Sig on Turners weekly 3/25-3/31 ad:

http://www.turners.com/engage/displayads.php

It would be nice if it's on sale until 4/31, I have to pay taxes before I can buy another gun. Maybe it'll be on next week's ad too.

 

i find all glocks to feel funny. sub-compact, compact, full-size... 9mm, .40, .45... all awkward to me.

good price on the sig, but ive always hated the action on them. i know they are a great gun, but the trigger feels sloppy. i also find the grip to be big, a little too round.

i think the XD is one of the ugliest guns ive ever seen. its like an imitation glock with a giant block on top of it. just my .02

the m&p is hard to beat imho. i own a glock because ive owned it since before the m&p was released, and probably would have bought the m&p if it were out at the time. like i said, ill probably buy one anyway. the grip angle was designed to mimic the 1911, which i find to be one of the most comfortable guns. i love my 1911. m&p i think, is your best choice.

as far as compact vs service/full size. i like the look of compact guns, my 1911 is an ultra compact with a 3" barrel. the differences in performance between compact and full are; accuracy - longer barrel is generally more accurate, your sights on a compact are also closer together, making it harder to line them up perfectly. this wont be a huge issue though, my ultra compact 1911 is extremely accurate. accuracy will mostly come down to the shooter, so if you practice a good amount with the compact, you will be just fine. recoil this will hardly be a noticeable difference in a polymer gun, especially a 9mm. you will probably get a little more kick in a compact than a full size, but neither would be a bothersome amount. in the case of my small, aluminum framed 1911, vs a large steel framed one, i would have much more recoil since there is less weight to hold the gun down.
the other differences will be completely user dependent, pretty much just how it feels in your hand. with the major differences being negligible, the biggest determining factor in compact vs full size should just be how it feels in your hand.

no matter what gun you get, i would recommend getting night sights and a crimson trace laser grip. my 1911 came with night sights, green front and rear, if your gun doesnt come with them, i would recommend getting contrasting front and rear, like yellow front and green rear. the advantage to this is that you can mistake how the sights are lined up in the middle of the night, if you hold the gun cock-eyed a little bit and have all green, you can line up the 3 green dots and and be shooting way off, with contrast you will know to look for a green-yellow-green combo.

crimson trace grips i think are always good to have, you dont have to look down your sighs to be on target, if you need to poke your gun and head around a corner, you dont have to have your head fully exposed and looking down the sights, just an eye around a corner and a red dot on the target. the laser is also useful when learning to shoot, you get a bright red dot giving you instant visual feedback if you make a mistake, ie: anticipating the shot and pointing the gun down before it goes off, messing up your trigger squeeze and pulling right or pushing left... if someone is with you they can tell you what the laser did before the gun went off and you can correct yourself.

a light and laser combo for the tac rail is also a great option.

and a must have: (i do have one for my glock)