Which XD?? help

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cdcmj

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Ok, I turned 21 last week and I am ready to go home to MD (sigh, i know) to put in for my first handgun. I go to school in Pittsburgh, but still have an MD license. So, i started out by being convinced that I wanted the .45, then i shifted to the 9x19 due to ammo price, and now im thinking the .40 as its in the middle per say. I am lost. FYI ive decided on the 4inch service model, but the caliber is up in the air. I need a do it all, since im a poor college student and cant start a collection. Thus, targeting, home defense, and soon (getting a FL non-res permit to carry in PA) concealed carry, are my uses/needs.

What do you XD owners, with the 4inch model, think of your caliber. Pro's and Con's?

p.s. I dont know many gun owners, and the one decent place to rent only has the 9mm sub-compact (which shot nicely). So ive already settled on the fact that I wont be able to test out each caliber in the 4 inch model that I want!
 
Daaayum

:rolleyes: Lookin back ... I thought my 4" XD40 was a fine weapon and carried well. I traded it for the XD45 when it first came out. That was more fun to shoot and indeed a buttload of firepower but I did not like carrying it, I am not a big guy so I sold that one and got an XD40 subcompact I'm tweakin out.
 
Glockman, thank your for propogating the conservative stereotype. By all means, dont answer. Please stay in your 'set-and-proper-ways' next time, and dont post to attack, thanks.

Please, everyone else, XD pro's and con's for calibers-- Thanks
 
I am not to conservative so I will give it an answer.

I myself am a fan of the .40 S&W as I feel it is an excellent balance between power and capacity. Some people feel it is an answer to an unasked question. I do not. I feel it is the perfect caliber for carry on the street as it is a good size bullet and it is pretty fast.

The round has a good track record as evidenced by the large amounts of LE departments issuing it to their officers. It is best in my opinion at 165 gr and 155 gr.

Take it for what it is and for how much you paid for it.

I am also a college student by the way and I know the cost of shooting can get expensive. For this reason I might suggest a 9mm as it will allow you to shoot mroe and it is not a bad caliber for self defense. Its a little smaller but it is very effective. However I prefer the .40 as a carry round.
 
what are the price differences currently between 9 and .40 ammo? Also, is it true that the .40 has a snappy recoil on it, that some people may find less then desirable?

On a small side note..does anybody have a link too or have the time to quickly reference the different styles of ammo and there usual purpose...i.e HP- defense, etc

Thanks guys
 
cdcmj said:
what are the price differences currently between 9 and .40 ammo?
Click to expand...

Using WWB as an example, a box of 100 9mm at my local Wal-Mart is $15 while a box of 100 .40 is $22. 100/.45 is $28, so it is roughly twice as expensive as 9mm with the .40 S&W landing pretty much right in the middle.

cdcmj said:
Also, is it true that the .40 has a snappy recoil on it, that some people may find less then desirable?
Click to expand...

IME, yes, but a lot of it is what gun you're firing it out of and how you perceive recoil. I have only fired two .40 caliber guns but tend to prefer 9mm and .45. I agree with Tecumseh in that the round isn't useless...it generally gives you more power than the 9mm and higher capacity than the .45. Just like the price, it's sort of a compromise or trade-off. I have, and still am, considering getting a .40 for a carry gun eventually. But I didn't fall in love with the recoil, and I don't like its reputation for being harder on guns due to the high pressures. In a carry gun that probably won't matter, but if you wanted to put a zillion rounds through a range gun it might.

The fact is, some people are severely turned off by the recoil while others aren't bothered by it. Supposedly, the CZ 75B, P229, M&P 40, and Beretta PX4 are all quite good at soaking up that recoil. I hope so, as after firing the USP in .40 it certainly didn't make me fall in love with the round. Could have been the gun too, I suppose, but some people think you're crazy if you think there's anything wrong with H&K.
 
I was in your same position a little less that one year ago (poor collage student and buying first handgun) I was sold and set on buying the service XD in .40 s&w. and I liked it it felt good. but I was not sure how long it would be before I could buy another gun so I wanted to make this one a good one, shoot I wanted the best one.

So when I went in to make my purchase my dad came too (just for kicks he is a firearm knolage-ed man) I told the clerk and the gun shop my intent and he and my dad and I all talked for a bit. then I made the choice to go for the .45 acp. but still could not choose between the Service model and the Tactical. I finaly chose the Tactical the 1911s were orginaly 5 inch that was the choice of John Moses, so it must be right for .45 acp. I did not have any need to carry and if I did I am not a small guy, I bet I could conceal that beast if needed. Go Big or Go Home.

Bottom line, I went all the way for an XD in .45 acp in the 5 inch Tactical, and I am not in the least bit sorry about my choice. My dad likes it second only to his Sig P220.
 
I have the 4 inch in 9mm .. I love it .. I shoot it more than Glock hands down (Sorry Glock lovers) ..
 
you could get a .40 and get a 9mm conversion barrel. You'd save about $5 for every 100 rounds of 9mm vs. .40. You could have the 9mm for plinking and the .40 for carry and sd/hd. (Of course, you should practice with the .40 too, but you can save some $$ by shooting 9mm as well)
 
I own 2 xds and they are both .40 one is a service and the other is the sc. i love em. i like .40 for many reasons. and i believe that sa did a great job with the xd in the .40 offereing. some companies make certain models better in calibers like .40 and .45 and some makers weapons to me don't add up to the greatness of others. for example, the xd and the h&k usp's are some of the nicest .40 handuns out there. however glock .40 handguns are unpleaseant for me to shoot and just a pain.

i like the 9mm because of cheap ammo , i like the .40 because of the .40 diameter and more capacity than the .45 models, but with modern advancements in ammo 9mm is doing pretty darn good and they are putting up numbers that are pretty darn good and compare pretty well if not better than some of the bigger bore rds.

btw that is pretty darn dumb to have on your siggy!
 
the .40 recoil in teh xds don't bother me even my sc is easy to control. .40 is generally known to be a snappy type of recoil with muzzle rise more than say .45 and 9mm, while .45 tends to push back in your hand.

don't forget as the conversion barrels are concerned you can get the .357sig conversion which is an awesome defense rd.
 
All I can tell you is there is only one gun I've sold I dearly wish I hadn't: an XD .45ACP Tactical. Great shooter, rock solid. Live and learn.....
 
I couldn't decide between the XD .40 and XD .45 in the service model. I rented both and spent many weeks thinking it over. I decided on the .45 ACP, both felt good to me, but 13 rounds in .45 was what finally sold me. I think whatever you decide will be a good decision. Take your time.
 
Of all my guns that I've bought and sold, I regret selling my 4" XD .40 the most. Something about that gun..so many good things to say about it. I've owned(and sold:)) an XD.45 service as well, but IMHO the .45, being a bigger and fatter gun, wasn't as much fun to shoot as the .40 was. The .40 really does shine in this gun.

I agree with the fact that some guns are just better in certain calibers from the get-go. My Walther P99 AS .40 didn't impress me much. I swear those P99s are just meant to be 9mms and shoot much better when they are. I also like the Glock in 9mm, but not in .40 after owning both. 1911 needs to stay .45, and Sig gets away with being delicious in any flavor from 9mm to .45acp.
 
I have a XD45 Tactical & a XD45 Service. Preformance wise, the Tactical is a little more accurate, but the 4" pistol is just about as good. They both work very well.
 
Go with 9mm if you really want an XD. Personally, I would steer clear from an XD completely. My father had one in .45 and I shot it a lot (few hundred rounds). I hated the bloody thing. The grip felt all wrong and the sights seemed really different from what I was used to. Plus I don't really like polymer guns. Luckily, he sold the thing and got a Kimber instead.

I would recommend a CZ or SIG instead. And stick with 9mm.
 
i like the 9mm.i know its limitations so for defense i purchased a larg quantity of fed 115jhp loaded to +p+ preasures since i use a glock i dont worry.

check to see if the xd of your choice can use such ammo.i belive xd's to be as strong as glocks but check with the to be sure.

for practice i use win white box ball and a advantagearms 22lr conversion kit.

you xd guys need to pester aa to make you kits for your guns.

nothing saves money like shooting 22s out of your carry gun for the first half of a practice session.i pop 100 tbolts and then 50 rds of 9mm ball.
 
I currently have a 9mm conversion ordered for my XD40sc
It will take a lot of 9mm rounds to payback the price difference but the main reason I'm getting it is to get my wife comfortable shooting it.
 
My first one was the XD9 service. It will fulfill the roles of range gun (ammo is cheaper), CCW (with good holster and belt), home defense (with appropriate ammo). This kind of versatility is what I believe you are looking for... until you graduate and can afford the XD45 and the ammo for it. I have the .45, too, and really enjoy shooting it. But, as it has already been mentioned, I shoot the 9mm more when money is tight.

I would love to have a .22 conversion kit for it!
 
I have an XD-40 4" as well and like the other folks have mentioned here, its an awesome pistol. The XD in 40 cal is sweet. I totally enjoy mine and feel that it is one of the best purchases I have made. To me, the ergonomics of the XD-40 go a long way to softening up the "snappy recoil". I don't find it to be unpleasant at all. One other plus, the XD chambers are among the best in the industry for support, they are very tight.
 
XD 9MM if you want to be able to shoot much cheaper, wether buying or reloading. If not, either the .40 or the .45 based on which fits you better.

I am a big .45 fan, but the .40 is a great little round as well. I sold my XD .45 in favor of my 1911's because it was a touch to big to suit me and the extra capacity did not matter to me. I have an XD SC .40 and really like it a lot, a whole lot.

The 180 Gr. loads are not nearly as "snappy" and much more pleasent to shoot than the hotter (faster) 155 and 165 Gr. loads.
 
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