Springfield XD vs Glock 27 vs Para Warthog for CC

[StrikeFire83]

Hey everybody. My first post here, so please bear with me.

Turned 21 last September and bought my first pistol, a Ruger P345. It’s an excellent gun, easy to field strip and clean, suited exactly to my needs. Ruger calls it a “compact†but I find the P345 to be an unrealistic Concealed Carry firearm. This summer I’m gonna get my CC license and Uncle Sam is sending me my hard earned refund check, so I’m researching a new gun.

On the way to the range today I stopped by my favorite dealer, and asked them to show me some popular, reliable, and reasonably priced choices for concealed carry. After deciding that I don’t want a revolver, he showed me a pile of guns. Everything from .22s to a Walther PPK. I’ve narrowed it down to these three guns:

1) Springfield XD .40 Sub Compact $439
2) Glock 27 - .40 $544
3) Para Ordinance Warthog - .45 ACP $670

Glock doesn’t feel right in my hand. My pinky doesn’t have anywhere to go and curls up under the mag. I think that Glock might be loosing favor. The Springfield XD felt spot on perfect in my hand, and I liked its sights more than the Glock’s. Then there’s the Para Warthog, or “Nighthog†as the salesman called it. This gun felt great in my hand as well, about on par with the XD. Then he told me the Para has a 10 rd mag and shoots .45 ACP. The only things I don’t like about the Warthog are its jagged edges and price tag.

Questions: I love my P345. What do I lose by going to a .40 cal weapon from the .45 ACP? Does anybody own a Warthog? If so, what are your experiences with it.

Thanks in advance for any info yall can provide.

 

[CCW1911]

There are some reports on the net of reliablility problems with the warthog, that would not surprise me as the mini 45 1911's are generaly unreliable. The XD is a decent gun especially for the price. You don't give much if anything up going with the 40, but the XD is going to be available in 45 GAP so have it both ways.

 

[StrikeFire83]

What is the "GAP," I'm not familiar with this round?

 

[StrikeFire83]

Okay, did some reading, GAP is Glocks .45ACP clone.

 

[Sir Aardvark]

I would get the XD.

I've had a couple of the XD's go through my hands, compact and full size, and I liked them; they fit my hand like a glove and they shoot very well.


The Glock 27 was a little too small for my hand, and I had the same pinky problem - a friend of mine solved this by just using the full size Glock 22 magazines instead of the stock 27 ones. You could always get mag extensions, but I have read where they could pop off if you drop them, causing your cartridges to fly all over the place.

Check out the "Glock Hate" thread occuring elsewhere on this forum and I'm sure you'll get everybody's opinion on why they love/hate Glocks.
My main dislike is that it is a negligent discharge waiting to happen if you do not take particular care to maintain proper trigger discipline - I LIKE having external safeties, such as the XD has. That being said I still carry a Glock 30 as one of my CCW guns (it's a .45 ACP).


I too have heard of the ultra-shorty 45's like the Warthog having reliability issues, but I do not have personal experience with them.


As for the .45 GAP:

GAP stand for Glock Auto Pistol - it is a new cartridge designed to be near the size of the .40 and 9mm, but still have the ballistics and energy of the .45 ACP. Pretty much it is a shortened case .45 that can be utilized in the same size gun frames as the current .40 and 9mm, thus increasing profits by gun makers who (in thier dreams) no longer have to manufacture a larger .45 ACP frame.

I'm sure we are all awaiting to see if this cartridge, the .45 GAP, is going to stick around and be embraced by the gun community, like the .40S&W, or do a quasi-death like the 10mm, or become something akin to the .357SIG, which is beloved by the Secret Service, but not much used by others.

 

[Frandy]

No doubt in my mind... XD! The ones I have owned/used fit in my hand well, shoot straight, clean easily... What's not to like?

One guy's opinionated opinion.

 

[Berg01]

I have a CZ 75B in .40 S&W that I like very much. However, with the exception of my CZ, and the Sig P226 and P229, I don't care all that much for the .40 S&W caliber guns (strictly "MHO"). 9mm and 45 ACP work for me; the Speer or Pro Load 124 gr +p GDHPs are terrific 9mm defensive rounds that I carry in my own Sig P228. The Sig P220 or a good 1911 always work great for me in .45 ACP, and I almost always shoot just regular ball ammo.

I like the Glock 19 in 9mm, and the Glock 30 and 36 in .45 ACP.; all solid defensive carry pistols. That Springer XD in 9mm is really neat also.

I would rather have your own Ruger P345 than any of the .40's you mentioned; that is a really nice pistol that is totally underrated and overlooked, like a lot of the Ruger semiautos. I don't know enough about that Para Warthog to comment on it.

 

[Bobby Lee]

The Glock or XD is your better choices. Buy the one that you like best. There is really not much difference in the accuracy or reliability of the two except the Glock may do better in really bad conditions. I say may do better because I have not had the chance to test an XD in such conditions.

Also there is not much difference in the overall safety of the two.

 

[Lobotomy Boy]

Sir Aardvark wrote:

My main dislike is that it is a negligent discharge waiting to happen if you do not take particular care to maintain proper trigger discipline

This is good advice to remember with any gun--if you have a gun that won't discharge if you accidentally pull the trigger, you have a broken gun.

You might also want to consider the CZ RAMI for CCW. If you prefer the .45 ACP to the .40 S&W round, consider the Glock 30 or 36, both of which have larger frames than the 26 and 27 and should not cause the pinky problem. You might also want to look into the Kahrs. There will be a .45 ACP available sometime this summer.

 

[Marshall]

This ones easy, XD.

 

[revjross]

There are a number of tests that have shown that you don't loose anything by going to a 40S&W when using the right ammo. The Glock and XD are both very reliable. I have the XD in the Service model and have a Glock 27 as well. I had the same concern about my pinkie dangling off the bottom of the grip until I shot it and found I really didn't notice it at all. I sometimes shoot it with a mag extension. You can get all 3 fingers on it then, but I shoot as well either way.

The Glock is slightly more concealable than the XD subcompact. Both are very reliable, couldn't go wrong either way. If you want a gun that is even more concealable I also would suggest a KAHR. The PM9 or PM40 are both great "little" guns IMO.

 

[Krag]

I say go with the XD (BTW that price is a ripoff. Shop around). The trigger system is superior to both the Glock and Para as regards safety, especially for a new shooter.

As an alternative and money saver you could use your Ruger 345. With the proper holster it would be easy to conceal under light clothing. I carried a Ruger P90 for quite some time in a Blade-Tech paddle holster.

 

[cfabe]

XD, I have a 4" 40, my brother just picked up a 3" 9mm, no problems with either unless they're really really dirty. Great guns.

 

[Sean Smith]

Any choice of the 3 that isn't the Para should be fine.

 

[sturmruger]

I would vote for the XD. They are utterly reliable and a joy to shoot. I have seen several places selling them for close to $400 so you might want to look around a little before you spend that kind of money.

 

[Bobby Lee]

"I say go with the XD The trigger system is superior to both the Glock and Para as regards safety, especially for a new shooter."

Why do you say this?

Do you think the grip safety really makes that much difference?

 

[Sir Aardvark]

Hi Bobby Lee!

I saw your post over on the "Glock hate " thread and it looks like you fall in the Glock "lover" camp. This is not a bad thing, as I myself actually own a Glock, too.

The reason I picked the Glock I did, which is the Model 30, is that there is not much available that is that small and can hold 10 rounds of .45ACP. I am not really a big Glock fan, but this certain pistol fits a niche for me, which is concealed carry in a proven man-stopping cartridge! (I do like my Glock 30!).

I would REALLY, REALLY prefer an external safety such as the XD has, but XD's don't come in .45ACP yet, so I'm stuck with what I can get.

I believe that a grip safety, which is a proven concept, can only enhance the safety of carrying a pistol, and Springfield chose to go this route with the XD.

The difference between having a grip safety and not having one could be a negligent discharge (which the Glock has a reputation for) and all its attendant horrible consequences.

 

[Shipwreck]

The pierec grips can be added to the bottom of the mag - it gives you a place to have your extra finger. I have it on my Glock 26. Never had a problem with them coming off too. Works great

 

[Bobby Lee]

I saw your post over on the "Glock hate " thread and it looks like you fall in the Glock "lover" camp. This is not a bad thing, as I myself actually own a Glock, too.

I own both a Glock and the XD. While so far my XD has been reliable it still has a long way to go before I can bring myself to trust it like I do my Glock.