I have two Glocks and would get a third if I were shopping for another defensive handgun. I have a G23 and a G35, both are ultra reliable. I dissagree about the recoil issue as Glock has the axis of the bore sitting lower in your hand than the others, thus muzzle flip is reduced. One fact of life you can't avoid is the weight issue, when it comes to recoil less weight means more recoil. As for the Springfield XD, I would steer clear of them, and only for personal reasons,as they may be a great gun! Pick up most any gun rag and flip thru it, you'll see from two to four full page adds and usually one artical bragging this thing up, a little to much paid push for my liking. After I talk with real people who own them I may chang my thinking. The Kar may be a great gun as well but I haven't fired one, they tend to resort to negetive advertising more than I like. I personaly have never fired a 1911 of any make that was as reliable as the Glock, a little more accurate yes, and they tend to be more ammo sensitive. I'm a big fan of coked and locked, but not the gun that you use it on. These are only my openions, Glenn