How do I figure out which gun, the 17 or the 19, is the right one for me?
Get a coin out of your pocket...
What questions should I be asking myself to find that out?
What is the 80% tasking? The 17/22 frame is easier to grip and control for me- with size 11 hands. The 19/23 is easier to conceal. When I want to shoot a lot I prefer the 17/22. If I am carrying much more than I shoot, the 19 is the better choice. That said, I carry more than shoot, and have sold off the 19/23's in favor of the overall handling characteristics of the 17/22.
What are some things I should be paying attention to?
How easy is it to maintain positive control of the gun?
Depends on what positive control means: Shooting or combatives (gun take away)? I find the 17/22 preferable for control reasons in both categories. My pinky floats around looking for a place to be useful on the 19/23 frame. For someone with smaller hands, the 19/23 might be a great fit, and the extra grip length of the 17/22 would be wasted in their narrower hands.
How good is my grip?
Related to above. But, this maybe the place to talk about the benefits of stippling.
How fast/accurate I am out of iwb/owb holsters?
No, ask how secure of a grip you achieve from these holsters. Speed and accuracy is merely a symptom of that initial grip.
Split times and accuracy?
Up to you. At some point split times don't mean squat. Centering the first two shots out of the holster is the more critical.
Reload times?
There won't be a nickel's worth of difference here. Both platform sizes have identical mechanics.
How concealable each one is for my style of dress?
That is something you have to decide.
If I can do noticeably better with one gun, lets say the 17, than I can with the 19, it may be worth it to me to go with the 17 over the 19, even if I get a slight mechanical performance increase out of the 19. Does that make any sense lol?
If you are suggesting that the slightly decreased concealability is a worth while tradeoff when practical accuracy and general controllability are significantly different between the two options, then yes, it makes sense.
I also wanted to ask for some subjective opinions from
@Longeye and
@Ephraim R. If I read your posts correctly, you both either own or have shot a RS 17. How would you compare the RS 17 to the RS 19 if you don't mind sharing some opinions.