# I need some advice to choose between 2 guns.



## Yosh (Sep 4, 2013)

Hey guys, I moved to live in Guatemala in December and I need a gun. Its a very dangerous country and everybody carries a gun here. It would be a CCW that I will also carry at work. Its also the first handgun I will own and I expect it to be reliable, with a good capacity and also easy to handle. Here there are a lot of gunfights and they shoot so many rounds, yesterday I saw 2 guys in a motorcycle trying to rob a guy who was in his car, waiting for the stoplight to turn green, when he saw them hitting the glass with the gun he started shooting them and the robbers too. They were both wounded. The news said 29 9mm bullets were shot there so capacity is also very important here. The thing is that the options are way more limited than in USA so I have done some research and I have 2 options down here.
I dont want to run into a discussion about which caliber is better but I could use some advice about it too Ive heard 9mm = faster shooting and higher capacity and .40 = more power on each round, my main concern is about the guns. These are my options:

Smith & Wesson SD40VE 14+1 Imported from USA.

XD 9mm which is imported straight from Croatia skipping the Springfield XD labeling so its the newer version of the HS 2000, the army service pistol on Croatia HS 9mm 16+1 you can check it here
HS produkt

They are both the same price, around US$1100.00.. Damn expensive but thats how limited they are here.
I would love a Glock but they run for more than US$ 2000.00.


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## pic (Nov 14, 2009)

Drug cartels are battling like crazy. Guatemala is a very much involved territory.Your in a battle zone.
Get out while you are still alive.


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## MoMan (Dec 27, 2010)

pic said:


> drug cartels are battling like crazy. Guatemala is a very much involved territory.your in a battle zone.
> Get out while you are still alive.


^yep!!!


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## denner (Jun 3, 2011)

Another factor of concern would be ammo availability. I would assume 9mm would be more common than .40cal in Guatemala. Between the two, I'd probably lean toward the XD in 9mm, but either would do.


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## paratrooper (Feb 1, 2012)

+1 on the XD.

And, I'd seriously consider leaving Guatemala in a hurry. Unless you're making in excess of a million dollars a year there, I'd get out. 

Funny thing, the wife likes to watch House Hunters on cable tv. Lots of young couples with kids moving there cause of the cheap living.


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## Yosh (Sep 4, 2013)

I will actually leave Guatemala in January, I also worked for 9 months in Honduras and 6 months in Colombia. The thing is that I work with a mining company that most of the time takes care of us, 1 out of 15 cars here is bulletproof and lots of people have bodyguards, you can get a good one that probably fought in the guerilla not so long ago for about US$300.00 per month. But still it feels like you should have a gun of your own. I might be exagerating with my concern since as I said, we go to guarded areas and move only in certain places but I think I would feel safer If I know I have something to defend myself. Next destination is Brazil also dangerous but less than Guatemala and much less than Honduras.

By the way, 9mm and .40 are both available down here, the thing is that price is almost double and practicing would be way more expensive so if there is really a SIGNIFICATIVE difference in performance I would get the .40SW so I would have an advantage over the 90% carrying 9mm. I heard of .40's being more powerfull than a 45 and both 40 and 45 being way superior than 9mm but I am not experienced in this matter I have never fired .40, only 9mm so I dont know how much more recoil I will feel to put the next round.


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## soldierofchrist (Jul 11, 2010)

Personally I would go for the XD between those two.


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## Cait43 (Apr 4, 2013)

I have and really like the XD 9mm.....
http://i48.tinypic.com/24omwat.jpg


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## denner (Jun 3, 2011)

Yosh said:


> I will actually leave Guatemala in January, I also worked for 9 months in Honduras and 6 months in Colombia. The thing is that I work with a mining company that most of the time takes care of us, 1 out of 15 cars here is bulletproof and lots of people have bodyguards, you can get a good one that probably fought in the guerilla not so long ago for about US$300.00 per month. But still it feels like you should have a gun of your own. I might be exagerating with my concern since as I said, we go to guarded areas and move only in certain places but I think I would feel safer If I know I have something to defend myself. Next destination is Brazil also dangerous but less than Guatemala and much less than Honduras.
> 
> By the way, 9mm and .40 are both available down here, the thing is that price is almost double and practicing would be way more expensive so if there is really a SIGNIFICATIVE difference in performance I would get the .40SW so I would have an advantage over the 90% carrying 9mm. I heard of .40's being more powerfull than a 45 and both 40 and 45 being way superior than 9mm but I am not experienced in this matter I have never fired .40, only 9mm so I dont know how much more recoil I will feel to put the next round.


We all have opinions over what caliber to use for self defense. In my very researched opinion the difference between 9mm, 40cal and .45 in top end hollow point cartridge's is slight. In 9mm I prefer 147's and 124's for SD with at least 12 inches of penetration in gel. Put your bullets where they need to go and the bad guy and the coroner ain't gonna know the difference. It's where you shoot them and with how many that counts. Don't get caught up in this more powerful stuff with these three, I'd really prefer an AR or AK if I were you, to go along with the pistol of your choice. If relegated to hardball I'd choose the 40 or 45, but those 9mm nato's will still get cha. BTW, the ones that are going to have the advantage are the ones that put their rounds where they need to be first, not the ones carrying a 9mm,40, or 45.


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## DJ Niner (Oct 3, 2006)

My choice would be the XD/HS2000.


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## denner (Jun 3, 2011)

Cait43 said:


> I have and really like the XD 9mm.....
> http://i48.tinypic.com/24omwat.jpg


Nice looking pistol, that olive drab looks good.


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## Yosh (Sep 4, 2013)

Thanks to everybody, I think I will go order the XD/HS tomorrow. They said at the store that the gun is the sucesor of the HS2000, parallel to the next models that came under the Springfield name. Its just called HS9. I will post some photos when I have it.


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## shaolin (Dec 31, 2012)

Good Choice out of the two would be to get the XD and I would get the 9mm as it is plenty of power to stop aggression. In a gun fight if you think because you have a 40 or 45 and are therefor going to win the fight by sloppy shooting you better think again. A guy with 9mm ball ammo that practices will fill ya full of holes in a hurry over a guy with a new glock 40 S&W with a 29 rd magazine. It really boils down to who hits who first and then where those shots are hitting that matters more than anything else. Keep it in the K5 and you'll be fine with a 9..............


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## pic (Nov 14, 2009)

If Word gets out that you have a brand new handgun worth mucho $. 
You will increase your chances of needing that gun.
Shoot you, take your gun, make a profit.


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## Yosh (Sep 4, 2013)

pic said:


> If Word gets out that you have a brand new handgun worth mucho $.
> You will increase your chances of needing that gun.
> Shoot you, take your gun, make a profit.


Yeah, definitely. It has actually happened before to some people who bragg about it so I will be as discreet as posible. Anyway if they want it they would have to attack first the security guy who carries the oficial law enforcement pistol here, the IWI Jericho 941 9mm a.k.a. Baby Deser Eagle. Here is Israeli stuff, Uzi, Galil, Tavor...
Thanks for your advice I will be careful.


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## pic (Nov 14, 2009)

Yosh said:


> Yeah, definitely. It has actually happened before to some people who bragg about it so I will be as discreet as posible. Anyway if they want it they would have to attack first the security guy who carries the oficial law enforcement pistol here, the IWI Jericho 941 9mm a.k.a. Baby Deser Eagle. Here is Israeli stuff, Uzi, Galil, Tavor...
> Thanks for your advice I will be careful.


Sounds like you know your surroundings . Automatic Uzi sounds like the gun you want.
What are you mining? What's your position ? 
It's ok if you want to be discreet.


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## Yosh (Sep 4, 2013)

pic said:


> Sounds like you know your surroundings . Automatic Uzi sounds like the gun you want.
> What are you mining? What's your position ?
> It's ok if you want to be discreet.


Well after years dealing in dangerous countries you learn to move around, Yeah Uzi is great I could buy one of the many AK-47 supplied by the communists for US$100.00 but if you get caught you get 5 to 8 years in prison with no chance to get out on bail. And I have no enemys to go that serious, I'm an engineer and I just do supervising representing a mining and commodities company based in California. But people go seriously crazy in this countries! so many stories to tell that I have seen with my own eyes.
So now I just move and live carefully, watching my back and taking extra precautions to avoid all that..


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## pic (Nov 14, 2009)

Yosh said:


> Well after years dealing in dangerous countries you learn to move around, Yeah Uzi is great I could buy one of the many AK-47 supplied by the communists for US$100.00 but if you get caught you get 5 to 8 years in prison with no chance to get out on bail. And I have no enemys to go that serious, I'm an engineer and I just do supervising representing a mining and commodities company based in California. But people go seriously crazy in this countries! so many stories to tell that I have seen with my own eyes.
> So now I just move and live carefully, watching my back and taking extra precautions to avoid all that..


 Good luck with your gun purchase, Guns could be a great hobby, recreational, competition shooting, when the time comes. 
Do you have to deal with much volcanic, earthquake activity?
Humidity might be a factor also when picking out the handguns material.


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## Yosh (Sep 4, 2013)

Hey Guys, thanks to everybody for helping me decide. Finally today I got the HS9-XD9.
I bought an extra magazine and some Magtech Guardian Gold 115Gr JHP 9mm +P.
Gun holds 18+1 with the Mecgar magazine, I attached some pictures.


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## Yosh (Sep 4, 2013)

Hey pic, weather here is actually very good. Its not hot or humid. I received my gun today and got two holsters a paddle holster and a very discreet internal one. I posted some pics below, what do you think?


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## pic (Nov 14, 2009)

Yosh said:


> Hey pic, weather here is actually very good. Its not hot or humid. I received my gun today and got two holsters a paddle holster and a very discreet internal one. I posted some pics below, what do you think?


 Congrats on the purchase, I'm trying to click on the pictures but nothing is happening.
Did you get a chance to do some shooting?


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## pic (Nov 14, 2009)

Paddle holsters are nice if you can get the right fit.
Wore a paddle for years easy on n off access.
I bought a Galco paddle for my 1911, but I think the paddle is to short or shallow, or maybe my all stainless 1911 might be just to heavy.


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## Yosh (Sep 4, 2013)

You cant see the pictures? I thought they were in the message, I can see them like that


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## pic (Nov 14, 2009)

Yosh said:


> You cant see the pictures? I thought they were in the message, I can see them like that


I'm on an Ipad , maybe the issue of not seeing the photos is mine


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## DJ Niner (Oct 3, 2006)

I'm not seeing any photos at this time, either.


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