Want to hear Good and/or Bad on XD9 SubCompact

[JohnMcD348]

I took the wife to the GunShow yesterday to look around at different pistols so that when we start tacking aour Tactical Pistol courses she'd have something a little more beefy than the PPK/s. I had her hold a few different types and the one she seemed to gravitate to the ost was the SA XD SubCompact in 9mm. I had her look at the 40 in the same package but she decided the XD9 felt right.

OK, so now I just wanted to hear from you folks out there who have that model to let me know the Good, Bad and Ugly on the package. I know everyone who has had the XD's so far have had nothing but good to say about them but they were all Full size XD45's.

Thanks

JTMcD.

 

[basicblur]

I had her look at the 40 in the same package but she decided the XD9 felt right.

Can’t help you with the XD-9 SC, but I do have an XD-40 SC (with LaserMax, which is my primary CCW). Sorry, but I don’t think I’ve ever fired a 9mm although I now own a couple as I’ve been tending to move downward in caliber over the years as ammo has improved. I often wonder if I shouldn’t have bought the 9 myself…
If your wife likes it, I’ve seen no problem with mine, although I thought the 40 in such a small gun had a bit of muzzle flip-I’m assuming it shouldn’t be a problem with the 9mm.
Only modification I “had” to make was installing a Pearce grip extender on the standard magazine, as my pinky was lost in space without it (may not apply to your wife). http://www.pearcegrip.com/springxd.htm

When I took my CHP class, it was the first time I’d fired a 40 S&W, and the first time I’d fired such a short barreled gun, and was very satisfied/surprised with the accuracy.
BTW…just bought Springfield’s XML light off eBay from some dealer in Ohio ($60) that has a bunch to clear out, and it’s just cute as hell (and functional)!
http://sporting-goods.search.ebay.com/XML_Hunting_W0QQ_trksidZm37QQcatrefZC12QQfromZR40QQsacatZ7301

 

[Tempusfugit77]

I bought a XD9 SC for my girlfriend and we ended up selling it. Functionally it was a great pistol. The main reason we sold it was that my girlfriend had trouble racking the slide and recoil was a bit snappy for her. We replaced it with a full size M&P. The XD9 was ok, but I much prefer the M&P. However, if your wife prefers the feel of the XD9, I'd say go for it. It will be a reliable gun.

 

[Butter]

John,

Depends on your wife. I have the subcompact in 9mm and can shoot it fairly accurately one handed and weak handed. For my wife, fits her nicely...recoil is not a problem...but she can't functionally rack the slide as well. But then again, she can't rack the slide on .380s either...Sigs, PPKs or any of that ilk. So she shoots revolvers. BTW, my wife is 5ft 2" and fairly small.

If your wife can handle it and she can shoot it well, you're good to go. No functional problems with it and I consider it a fine gun.

 

[wrench]

I'm female, about 5'2". I have a SC9, and I think it's a swell pistol. No problems with function, ever, in several thousand rounds. Kind of chunky to carry, but shoots accurately, and ultra reliable.

 

[ozarkhillbilly]

Had mine for several years now and it works like a champ, no complaints what so ever. I carried it CCW to chuch to day.

 

[skinewmexico]

My primary carry pistol is an XD9SC. Love it. I have two other XDs that I really like. I'd buy another.

 

[possum]

there is nothing but great things to say about the xd line, i had the service model, and thought it was the best and then i bought the sc, and i feel in love all over again. the sc is an awesome, accurate, reliable pistol and i happen to carry one everyday as my ccw. iwb as a matter of fact. i did have to put a pearce grip extenstion on the 9rd mag and that is it. and out of my preference for defensive sights i put a set of xs 24/7 sights and it is the greatest ccw package that i could ever imagine.

 

[JohnMcD348]

Hows the recoil and muzzle flip on the SC model? One of the biggest reasons she said she liked the way it felt in her hand was that it didn't seem as "muzzle Heavy" as the other pistols she'd held.

 

[Butter]

John,

I would say muzzle flip is relative to something else and your expectations for it. I actually think the muzzle flip is fairly moderate in the SC9. But that's because I am actually a fairly small person and can wrap both my hands around the gun well enough to accomodate the recoil.

When shooting the .45 XD, I notice it has much more muzzle flip, but find the .45 service extremely accurate.

If your wife can shoot a snubby .38 special, she'd probably have no problem with the XD SC9. But everyone is a bit different in there appreciation of how a new gun handles and will have to get used to it. I will say though, that if she finds it comfortable to grab on to, you're probably more than halfway there.

 

[biscuitninja]

I introduced my wife to my H&K USPc (9mm) and my Compact 1911 (Rock Island) she loved them. She did try the XD-9 in compact and liked the heft and it works for her small hands, but she LOVED the H&K, but she also likes the idea of the 1911 .45 rounds. Not as many rounds available, but if you can hit them with a round or two, its a good bet they won't be bothering you.

But that's her and I've given up trying to convence her of anything, I just present the facts, present the choices and let her go with what she wants.

Good luck
-bix

 

[possum]

Hows the recoil and muzzle flip on the SC model? One of the biggest reasons she said she liked the way it felt in her hand was that it didn't seem as "muzzle Heavy" as the other pistols she'd held.

i have the service and the sc in .40 and i seriously can't tell a difference in the muzzle flip of either one of them and they are both very managable, and i am able to shoot just as fast and accurate with the sc as the service model for the most part.

 

[Crimp]

I have both the 4" Service and 3" Sub Compact in 9mm. I actually shoot the SC better than the 4".

The slide does seem tight to rack, but not unmanageable. Reliability has been 100% through quite a few boxes of WWB, Blazer Brass and many, many reloads, hot and mild. It has become my wintertime ccw.

It would be good if you could have her fire one to be sure if it fit her, but I wouldn't worry about the reliability and operation of the pistol.

 

[jonboynumba1]

My best friends wife carrys the stainless slide 9mm compact XD I've had occassion to shoot it several times. I'm not a big compact fan (big hands and small guns don't mix well usually) but as compacts go I liked it...with the extention grip mag I liked it more (at that point I'd just get a 4" service...which I've shoot several hundred rounds through...very sweet shooter!) All the XD's seem to shoot well. The new M&P compacts are a force to be reckoned with in smaller guns as well so let her feel those as well to compare.

The downsides of the XD to my mind are:

reguardless of what anyone on the internet says...the finish sucks and it will rust...mine rusted the ONE day I carried it to the range. If the new ones have a finish that is any different it certainly doesn't look it. Bud's wife's duotone has help up well though...only the slidestop has seen any corrosion and it wipes off with regular cleanings...so if I bought one it would be a duotone or get refinished down the road (always thought a XD with a OD slide would look mighty cool anyway...and you could get the small parts to)

Complicated design with rollpins...it's a good design but less modular and service friendly than GLOCK to say the least. May not be an issue for most owners though...SA has good service for them. Bud went through the armorers course and was not impressed by the end at all. Left alone they will probably be as tough as anything. I hate the way several parts takedown (past field stripping..which is actually wonderful) I hate rollpins...that applies to the M&P series as well though...also great shooting and feeling guns whose general construction I dislike at several key points. These are knit-picking though...the average owner will never see these things.

overall though the XD and M&P sub compacts are probably two of the nicest ones to come along in years. If larger capacity is not an issue also check out Kahr polmer frames guns. Not cheap but very good with very decent triggers.

FWIW my buds wife LOVES her XD compact 9...I guess that is the most important thing at the end of the day.

 

[atomd]

reguardless of what anyone on the internet says...the finish sucks and it will rust...mine rusted the ONE day I carried it to the range. If the new ones have a finish that is any different it certainly doesn't look it.

Regardless of what anyone says on the internet, XD changed the finish in 2006 on all the models but the .45. The .45 only came with the new finish. The new one is the same type of treatment that Glock uses and it won't rust like the old ones do (really). Granted, they should have used that in the first place. Doesn't take anything away from the newer models though.

I shouldn't really use the word finish because it's really more of a treatment than a finish (it's not the black outer finish). You also can't tell by simply looking at it. Even if the black finish wears off, the metal underneath is still protected by it. You'll need to check the date it was made to verify that it's one of the ones with Melonite. Melonite and Tennifer are both trade names for basically the same process.

 

[76shuvlinoff]

RE: post 13, that mag extension for the pinky (or one just like it) made a helluva difference on my own XD40sc in both initial accuracy and followup shots..... for me.

.02

 

[Rock_Steady]

I have the 9sc, it is my primary carry gun. From a fat guy's point of view (6'3", 280 lbs)

Fills the hands nicely for a small gun. The finger extension for the 10 round mag is necessary.

The gun feels VERY unbalanced when not loaded with a full mag. Feels topheavy. Helps with muzzle flip. A buddy has the .40 sc, says he thinks it flips too much. Very snappy when compared to the 9mm.

Very "chunky". Prints worse than my 5" 1911 on my frame. The thickness of the gun is the biggest problem - it sticks out on my side. I have a semi-crappy holster for it, as I wanted something very thin - didn't want it to have any more bulk. Carrying OWB might be a better idea for someone like myself, if I could be very sure of retention.

As it is, I like it - but if I had it to do over again, I would get a longer barrel. Accuracy with the 3" tube is good, but I know that I shoot much better with a longer barrel.

just my $.02. The gun has never failed to function, I would feel safe with the 10 rd mag and an extra carried weak side. I use this as my IDPA stock pistol.

 

[gallo]

I have the dx9 4". My wife can rack the slide without trouble. Not sure if the xd9 SC is tighter, but the 4" seems very manageable especially when compared other guns like the CZ and Ruger.

 

[JohnMcD348]

Good info folks. I really appreciate it.