Rabbit - I have a pair of Ruger Vaqs in .357 I shoot my 38 reloads from. 14 years old now, still work great, Ruger makes some stuff I'll always have, 10/22, 3 screw .22 revolvers, Vaqs, etc.
The new CZ P10C will give the G19 a run for its money. CZ took all the best features of all the popular striker fired pistols and put them into one pistol - low bore axis of the Arsenal Strike One, the grip/angle of the M&P, Glock (custom Glock, but Glock nonetheless) ergos, the Walther PPQ like trigger (4lbs factory, shortest reset of any pistol Guns/Ammo and others have tested out of the box, etc), and so on. It'll be compatible with previous CZ magazines and vice versa as well, with a little change. And it's going to be cheap, $400ish street price is anticipated.
I can't get one here in Canada, the bbl is too short to import it until some aftermarket 106mm+ barrels comes out, or once the full size P10 comes out. Everyone I've heard from that's shot one so far though says it'll be the first true G19 competitor out there for the money. Heard that before, but this time it may be accurate.
Also, what Rich46yo mentioned about tier 1/etc type instructors, I agree with this. Rich has a very hard to find, and accurate IMO, opinion about pistols especially, being l/e in the city with the most pistol shootings on the continent, he's seen what most of us just hear about second hand. So, when he speaks, I listen, and in almost every case agree with what's said. About the "super tac" instructors, I've trained with and worked with at Sig Sauer, some of the more famous and storied firearms teachers out there. I've also been taught and trained with many who were just as good, even a few better, who had absolutely no military experience at all - Ben Kurata from Sig Sauer, and some others, just regular VERY quiet guys, who would be the ones I picked first if I knew I was walking into a gun fight. You can learn from just about anyone, lots of competent instructors out there, and many different tools you can either pick up and put in your own box, or discard. Even between the top 10 guys out there in terms of "fame" and size, they themselves all have dissimilar skillsets and opinions, what one guy likes, another won't even let you do in his course, etc. Some guys swear by the c-clamp grip, others have all kinds of proof showing why they think it sucks. Some will teach you to always carry your rifle/carbine muzzle up, others think that's ridiculous, and think that muzzle down is just as applicable especially indoors or in vehicles/helicopters. IMO these days it's very easy to identify the wannabe/youtube sensations, and avoid them. 18 years ago when I started working in the firearms business, there was only a handful of good reputable schools, certainly no more than a dozen that were spun up and switched on. There are hundreds now, dozens and dozens of places that aren't a waste of time or money.
Lots of variety out there, what's important is to be humble, keep your ears open and mouth closed, and just decide on your own after trying it "their" way, afterwards, if it works for you or not - for everything from training to gear to weapons to ammo.
