Looking at purchasing a hand gun...

[HondaRider07]

I'm looking into purchasing my first hand gun. I own rifle/shotguns and bows, but this will be my first handgun. I've been looking into the springfields, and like the feel and look as well as how they fire. My dad and brother have the XD 45 ACP and XD 9mm, and they both like them. I friend of mine who is a cop also has the XD 40 ACP as his duty pistol and likes his. I was considering the XD(M) 40 S&M with interchangable backstraps, and the price I found locally was $630. Does anyone have any experience with this gun, and would you suggest it. Price seem good? Any input would be great! thanx!

[trolloni]

one word glock

[magnum mike]

The $64 question is what are you going to use it for? Is this a personal defense / carry gun? Is it for plinking? Would you consider hunting with a hand gun?

In my younger days, I owned several handguns from .22 to .44 mags and almost everything in between. I grew tired of all of them except the .22. It was the only pistol I owned for about 15 years.

With the recent developments in proposed legislation appeared I decided to get another hand gun that was a little bigger. I finally settled on a S&W .44 mag. While it is not terribly economical to plink with all day, it can serve all the purposes I listed above.

I have friends that were in the same dilemma you find yourself in. My advise would be to think it through but don’t overlook a good quality .22 as an option.

[firstimer]

I just purchased a 45xd not to long ago and i love it. I shot the 40 xdm and its a really nice gun to shoot, the feel on it is very nice, only problem with the higher caliber is the cost of ammo its not getting any cheaper. If your looking to go plink with it go with a 22, but if its for home then the 40 is fine. If you can go rent one and try it out you'll know right away if its right for you. When i was looking for my 45xd i looked all over and the cheapest places i found was at Sportsman in coon rapid and Gunstop at minnetonka

best of luck on what you get

2 hands=2 45's

[HondaRider07]

I won't be plinking much. It's a home defense and eventually PTC(permit to carry) as well as carry in the woods for protection during preseason scouting or summer camping trips....

[SmilinBob]

I loved my XD45, but I sold it because it is a big, heavy carry gun, especially with a loaded mag. Now I carry a Colt Defender, but I sadly miss the XD. I replaced it with a Beretta PX4 storm in .40, but the jury is still out on it, not sure about the trigger. The XD was amazingly accurate, I could hit a clay pigeon at 40 yards (stationary of course, and not always on the first try). The XDm is an XD upgraded to match grade barrel, meaning machinged to tighter tolerances and better finish on inside of bbl, and reshaped slide. I also believe it has an inproved trigger pull and finish there. Very nice guns. If you like it, get it. As a dealer I can tell you that $630 is not bad at all.

[HNTNBUX]

If you are looking for a carry gun I would personally go smaller than a .45 or .40cal. Things to think about such as weight, ability to conceal, number of rounds(most people don't carry an extra mag), etc. I have shot a Springfield XD tactical 9mm in competition for several years and have never had a failure in approximately 15,000 rounds. If you like the XD I would look at a compact 9mm, more rounds, lighter weight, easy to conceal and cheaper to practice. It is not the mans gun when everyone is bragging about there .45 c****d and locked but I personally carry a smaller 9mm that is effective for what I would use it for.

[Archerysniper]

The xd is a great gun I love mine but thats me. Try to shoot as many as you can talk to freinds that have them most people will be happy to let you shoot them, find one you like and can shoot well and buy it. Check out the 10mm or 45 thread hear we wrote a little on the XD's there

[Here-Kitty-Kitty]

Glock ='s Oops I just shot myself in the leg!!!!!!!!

I would say a Kimber 1911 or Raptor. Colt has a really good line up also.

[WaveWacker]

I love my XD9mm.

[Neighbor_guy]

Glock ='s Oops I just shot myself in the leg!!!!!!!!

Do you speek from experience? If so please share.

I have been shooting glocks for years, and carry a glock 23 IWB every single day. My glock has over 10,000 rounds threw it without a hickup. I have never had a failure to fire, failure to eject, failure to return to battery, or an accidental discarge. (which you refer to) And trust me, I have tried to get it to fire without pulling the trigger, it wont happen.

A glock is like a double action revolver, pull the trigger, it goes bang. If you dont, it wont. If you are going to make a blanket statement like that, why not comment on Kahr's as well, or mabe even Sig's. Keep your finger off the triger untill it is time to fire. That is all the "safety" anyone needs.

Shoot what you want, if my life depends on it, I want a glock in my hand.

[norm]

Glock ='s Oops I just shot myself in the leg!!!!!!!!

Keep your finger off the trigger while you are drawing the weapon and you wont have any problems

[McGurk]

XD40 here, but a 9mm will be chaeper to fire. To "M" or not to "M" is up to you, I think either way is OK. I am a lefty, so the other choice I was looking at was the S&W M&P in a .40 due to its ambidextrous features. The XD has been fine, though. If it is for carry purposes, look into a subcompact. I didn't, and now refgret it. Make sure it comes with the extended grip clip for target shooting and the small one for carrying. The XD gear kit should come with one of each.