XDM vs PPX

[Chetc]

i want to take my wife to a gun shop and have her feel the XDM wth the 4.5 barrel and the Walthers PPX, question i have is are these guns comparable in producing similar groups at 20yds target shooting. any pros and cons of each that i am not aware of, of the 2 which would fit a ladies hand better, she does not have big hands, she wants to do some target shooting with me, she now has a Ruger LC9S she carries with her most of the time she shoots it well,

Chet

 

[herrwalther]

Given those two options the XDM is the far better firearm. I am a huge fan of Walthers but the PPX does not sit well with me. Doesn't look like any other Walther in the line and is a poor attempt at being a "budget" firearm. A XDM compact with the 3.8" barrel might fit your wife's hands better.

 

[Plan2Live]

Is your wife skilled at shooting longer distances?

Does she intend to shoot at those distances or is this your parameter?

Try it before you buy it. Go to a rental range or find someone with those pistols and let HER try them out. I am helping a lady search for a home defense firearm and so far the only model she is confident racking the slide on is the Walther (no S) PK380. That would not have been my first choice for her but it is the one that so far she feels most comfortable with.

 

[Chetc]

OK let me explain with more details, only reason i chose those 2 guns, is because people i work with say they are good guns, so maybe true, i want to get her some thing in a 9mm that she will enjoy shooting with accuracy and not too large a grip for her, and one user mentioned if it's for 20yd target, yes this is what we shoot 95% of the time, she has a few other guns as well the Kimber 1911a custom target and a few revolvers in 38 and 357 ect, she shoots her 1911 well and my new Glock 17 she shoots it well too, but grip is big for her. i think she would enjoy an accurate 9mm. so what are some choices to check out, don't want another 1911 type gun in 9mm. she does not have strong wrist, and i got thinking after i posted the topic, if the high bore axis type guns will hamper her shooting, someone mentioned the CZ75B in single action on one of my other post, that one is a thought also.

Chet

 

[Sam1911]

I don't have any experience with the new Walthers. They could be good guns, I just don't see any in my shooting groups so haven't had the chance to play with one.

(And they are very "aesthetically disadvantaged" to the degree that I have no real desire to go seek one out for myself. Ugly's in the eye of the beholder, but I'm just trying to be honest about my own prejudice.)

The xDM 9mm I shoot in competition and practice has been utterly fantastic. I've had it about 4 years I guess and put a lot of rounds through it. It has never broken or failed to fire, and the only malfunctions I've had were pretty obvious ammo or shooter-induced.

As for the size? I'm losing my competition gun more and more often to my 12 year old daughter who has adopted it as her ultimate favorite firearm, bar none. She wants to start shooting IDPA with me this year and she just flat out loves the xDM. (She's tried a number of other autos, and I thought a G19 would impress her, but nope. xDM is it.)

Don't be too hung up on overall size and think that a woman or other smaller shooter is going to like or dislike a gun based on that. Things like the trigger reach and grip circumference and other subtle mysteries are where one person finds happiness and another does not. Gotta try each one and let HER decide.

 

[cluttonfred]

I have no personal experience with those guns to share, but you might want to take a look at the S&W M&P Performance Center models as another possible option, 4.25" or 5" barrels with or without porting.

 

[railroader]

I don't have an XDM but I have owned a couple of XD 9s and I have a Walther PPX and a CZ75 sa 9mm. Both the XD and the CZ had replacement sights and trigger work. The PPX is stock. Accuracy and ergonomics wise the CZ wins. The Walther is a big gun that looks a little odd but it runs well. The trigger is very smooth and almost is too light for a gun with no external safeties. The XD trigger isn't quite as good but I like the fact that it has a grip safety. On rating the 3 guns I would go CZ 1st, XD 2nd barely and the PPX a very close third. If you decide on the PPX CDNN investments has them for $279 right now.

 

[herrwalther]

Don't be too hung up on overall size and think that a woman or other smaller shooter is going to like or dislike a gun based on that. Things like the trigger reach and grip circumference and other subtle mysteries are where one person finds happiness and another does not. Gotta try each one and let HER decide.

Sure enough. After a few years of pocket sized .380s, trying to find a good carry piece for my wife. She decides full size Berettas or a Stoeger Cougar fit her hand better. I even have to keep my 1911 under multiple locks so she doesn't abscond with it.

OK let me explain with more details, only reason i chose those 2 guns, is because people i work with say they are good guns,

Walther is a good company. And the XDm line is hard to compete with. But that is what your co workers are suggesting. Wives can vary widely in what they find comfortable.

 

[Sam1911]

OK let me explain with more details, only reason i chose those 2 guns, is because people i work with say they are good guns

I guess that's a good start, and the pool of guns available to try out is very large and possibly intimidating. Having some method of narrowing it down is not bad.

But honestly (and even though I do quite like my xDM) your co-workers picked two somewhat random choices out of that big pool. LOTS of companies make very good guns. To only go look at those two brands or models is rather absurdly limited, when your wife might just LOVE the Glock 19 she passed over to pick up that PPX. Or that S&W M&P she skipped in order to look at the xD.

It seems like you're looking for a polymer framed, full-sized auto in 9mm.

If she likes her Ruger, I'd start with a Ruger. Their SR9s are very popular and well-made.

But you're going to see a lot of different guns in that size and price range that all have roughly equal quality and accuracy reputations. Off the top of my head, you'd probably be very happy with a selection from any of the following:

xDM
S&W M&P
Ruger SR9
Glock
CZ
SIG
FNH
Beretta
Walther
Kahr

It really wouldn't take long to put one or two models from each of those manufacturers in her hands, at a well-stocked gun shop.

 

[GLOOB]

For some reason I really want to buy a PPX. It looks about as ugly and indestructible as a Hi Point, but it is locked breech and double stack. It costs about the same as a S&W SVE, except the PPW has, by all accounts, a sweet trigger. I've often been tempted into buying cheap guns for value, but they sit at home, because they're not fun to shoot. This gun looks like a shooter.

Check Hickok 45's review on Youtube. He claims he shoots it better than his Glocks. I never saw him hit so many of the chickens in a row, lol. He also shows the difference in slide thickness between this gun and a Glock. Holy cow, this thing is a brick.

 

[TomJ]

I have the XDM 4.5 in both 9 and 40, as well as the 3.8 40. I've yet to have one malfunction, with thousands of rounds through them collectively. Keep in mind that it comes with 3 different backstraps, making it easy to adjust the grip.

 

[cluttonfred]

For some reason the 3.8" XDM with its long grip and short barrel and slide appeals to me -- a whopping 19 rounds and interchangeable backstraps for different hand sizes. If U.S. military sticks with 9mm (or .40 or .45), a U.S.-made 3.8" XDM full-size would make a great next-generation service pistol to replace the M9, maybe with the options of the compact model for CID, aircrew, tankers, etc.

 

[jelloburn]

I own a PPX in 9mm and absolutely love it. The trigger is phenomenal, the felt recoil is quite low, and the grip is extremely comfortable (if not really funky looking). It supposedly has a 6.5 lb. trigger pull, but it feels more like 4-3.5, which means if you're looking for a target gun, the trigger hopefully won't be to blame. I've had no FTFs or FTEs with mine, and most people I've talked to online haven't had issues either. As a bonus, the gun is easy to rack due to it's heavy slide and feels very solidly built.

Don't let the looks turn you off from this gun. Rent it if you can and decide from there. CDNN currently has them for $279.99 + $14.99 shipping. At that price, in my opinion you can't go wrong.

 

[JWH321]

For an inexperienced shooter, the Walther trigger may be too light. Its a great shooting gun, but the trigger would worry me.