comparison test of 9mm for steel challenge, falling plates

[Ed from Maine]

I have been contemplating trying a 'modern' pistol for my (very relaxed) falling plates and steel challenge forays, and was wondering about A/B'ing a S&W Pro Series (C.O.R.E.) 9mm against a Springfield XD(m) Competition model with the 5.25" barrel.
Has anyone compared the two, and have an opinion?
I should stress that I am not a serious competition handgun shooter, and am just looking for some fun. And the piece will never be carried, so the fact that the Springfield has an adjustable rear target sight is a +1 in the Springfield column for me.

 

[GJSchulze]

I have the XDm and love it. I don't know anything about the S&W, but I have found that if you want to knock over steel plates, 147gr bullets seem to work better. With 9mm you have to hit higher on a plate to knock it off than a .45. Poppers are a little slower to fall, too.

I use my XDm for USPSA, Steel Challenge, and IDPA. It's been very reliable.

 

[jon_in_wv]

I can't speak for you but personally I would be much happier with the S&W. I have a M&P 9C with over 10,000 rounds through it and it has been a great pistol. The biggest difference between the two for me is the trigger. The pull of the XD is crisp and the reset if positive but it is in the WRONG place. When the trigger resets it does so past the sear break so you have to pull up the slack on every shot. The M&P resets right at the break so when the trigger resets only slight pressure breaks the next shot. It takes a lot more effort for me to shoot XDs well as opposed to the M&P line.

 

[browningguy]

I haven't shot the S&W M&P ( although I do have one of their 1911's and a 642). But for comp shooting I use a XDm 5.25 in 9mm. It's been extremely reliable, has good enough accuracy, but I do think the trigger pull is a little long for me. I also like the 147 gr. loads, they run really smooth in the XDm and my older XD Tactical.

 

[GJSchulze]

The pull of the XD is crisp and the reset if positive but it is in the WRONG place

Are you talking specifically about the trigger on the XDm 9mm 5.25 or in general about the XD's? The XDm has a better trigger than any XD.

 

[Ed from Maine]

I had the chance to hold and dryfire both today, and noticed two things about the grips. The length on the S&W had my 3 'holding' fingers squeezed together noticeably (I have large, although not beefy, hands.). The XD(m) had more length, more comfortable in that respect. However, the pattern on those grips was more aggressive than on the S&W. Triggers seemed good on both, with the Springfield having a longer pull. Both have some 'take-up' slack before reaching breakpoint. Don't like the two white dots on the rear carry sights on the Smith, but i guess they could be painted out. The option of having a red dot on the Smith is intriguing, although I have not cottoned to them in the past. The notch on the rear sight of the Springfield could be a bit wider for my older eyes. Did not get a chance to try out the different backstraps on either. Did not think to try ease of magazine ejection/insertion. I went in thinking the Smith would be the clear favorite, left kind of favoring the Springfield a bit. Maybe I need both, and then decide after a season of shooting

 

[GJSchulze]

I found the mag release on two XD's to be stiff until they got some use. The XDm was much better from the start. I opted to install a longer release because I have small hands.

The XDm comes with the middle size backstrap installed, but I don't know if the one you tried hasn't been changed. I suppose if you tried it at a gun store, then it was still the middle size. I changed mine to the smallest one.

If you are going to actual competitions, then putting a red dot on the gun will put you in open class in USPSA and Steel Challenge and cannot be used in IDPA, I don't believe. As it comes from the factory it can be used in all three.

 

[wally]

The big advantage of the CORE series is if you want a red dot optic like the Trijicon RMR, Doctor, etc. since the slide comes pre-milled and it has "suppressor sights" its about the lowest profile red dot you can find.