After doing some price checks on Beretta 96, I think I'll pass.  I have read lots of rave reviews about XD's and the Walthers P99; everybody seems to loathe the S&W version.  Any thoughts on how the XD and Walther compare in the .40 caliber?  Which one would you pick?  And don't say Glock as I already have a G23...  Thanks.

XD. Especially for the price. Lot of gun for the money.

I cannot sing enough praises about the XD.

Croation Sensation all the way.

The XD will be less expensive.

The Walther will be a really fine weapon.

Forget the S&W.

XD!  You'll find you like it better than your G23!!  That was my experience between an XD9 and a Glock 19.  The XD trigger is slightly better.  And the biggie, the XD's accuracy was much better by far than the G19!!!

XD, XD, XD......

Walther is backed by/warranty by S&W...

Based on your guys's advice, I handled one at my favorite gunshop.  The XD does point naturally for me.  

Regarding XD mechanics, it seems to be like the Glock, which means same trigger pull per shot and not DA/SA ala the P99.  Is that correct?  Being an old 1911 guy I also appreciated the grip angle and the grip safety.

On the version I handled, I didn't see any decocker, just a slide stop and a takedown lever.  That's fine by me, I just wondered if they are all like that.

Anyway, thanks for the helpful comments and I am going to pursue snagging one of these at the Portland gun show next month.  Do they come in olive drab?  

Yes they are similar to a Glock in that the trigger pull is the same every time. The difference is, a Glock striker is resting at a half cocked position, and the XD is fully cocked, making it more of a single action. Hence its better trigger. Yes, they do come with OD green frames. If you want an all OD gun, then just send your slide to Springfield to have it done in Green Armory Kote.

Another plus is that Heine now makes "Straight Eight" night sights for the XD. Sig night eyes fit as well. I don't have one but my nephew has an XD .40 and he loves it and shoots it very well.

The XD will use any sights that were designed for the SIG 226 and the rail will accept any accessories that fit the GLOCK. Lots of holstermakers from High Noon to SideArmour.

One big benni with the XD 9mm is you buy a few magazines for the 40S&W or 357SiG and you have instant hicaps at regular prices.

The Walther is the answer to all your shooting needs. It is accurate, comfy to shoot, accurate, adjust sights, accurate, RELIABLE.

If you want the XD get the XD. I wanted the Walther, I got the Walther.

Walther P99.40 awesome.

Shot a buddy's S&W P99 in .40 caliber.  Yes, I realize the Walther has a better trigger, but the ergonomics are the same.  

The one strike against the gun is I am a southpaw and having that decocker on the upper left side of the slide makes it tough to decock.  It was either try a funky maneuver with my right thumb where it looked more like I was clearing a stovepipe jam than decocking or release my firing grip and reach up with my left thumb.  Either way it was cumbersome.

Any other lefties out there that have a solution?  Of course my Beretta's solution was rather elegant:  ambidexterous decocker.

XD 40. And it costs less than the rest of them. Sweet shooting handgun.

XD, I have the old HS2000 and if they are making the XD's the same way then jump all over one.

I just broke the cherry on my new XD9.  I see why it was picked as Handgun of the year, I see wy you guys are singing its praises.

Shoots GREAT, feels GREAT in the hand, Always functioned 100% (350 rounds between 3 of us). Hits where you aim it, sits there and even rapid fires well. Cheap hi-caps. Damn!

Gentlemen, this is one sweet ass autoloader. Where have I been all this time? What was I thining? What was I doing? Glad I finally came around. Long overdue.

P.S. I traded a G19 for it. Got cash back and said F/O to Glock! Now to get rid of ANOTHER GLUCK (THANKS GLOCK, YOU DID ME A FAVOR!) and get the XD40....Then another, and another....


Just say NO to Glock

I bought my XD in 357sig last Saturday (02/22)and shot it for the first time today (02/25).  I am impressed!  It felt good in my smallish hands and pointed very well.  The grip fit made rapid fire very controllable.  My only complaint is that mine shot two inches low and two inches to the right.  I will try to tap the rear sight to the right to compensate for the windage.  Not much I can do about the elevation.  I plan on getting aftermarket night sights anyway.  I don't have any experiences with the Walther.  I plan on switching CCW weapons from my Baretta 92 (9mm)to the XD.  By the way, I did not feel that the 357sig recoiled any more than hot loaded 9mm nor did it have more muzzle flash.  I shot Speer lawman 125gr FMJs, 125gr Fed. HPs and 150gr Fed. HPs.  The 150s had the least recoil.  I don't know if gun fit had much to do with it but I do understand that recoil is subjective in nature.  My recommendation is for the XD in any caliber.  If it comes out in 45 ACP, I'm buying another.  While I was examining the XD in the store, two more XDs were purchased, one in 40 cal and one in 9mm.  This gun is a hot seller!

Wait a while before you start adjusting the sights. It will take about 750-1000 rounds for it to settle in. Also, the 357SiG round shoot relatively flat so depending on your distance, the elevation issue may be easy to solve once you add the night sights. Remember, any sights that fit a SiG 226 will fit the XD.

Hi, I got all three the G19, the SA XD9 and the P99 in 9mm.
My XD has been perfect for 1000 rnds, has a very good trigger, the grip angle is very good for natural pointing but it is quite top heavy and considerably wider so IWB CCW takes more room in the belt.  Over all pistol seems to be a verygood shooter and reliable. And with cheap mags it's a good buy.
 My G19 is unusal in that it's jammed alot.  No I'm not limp wristing it, and I've got 3 other Glocks for about 5yrs now so it ain't me.  Anyways it's a great IWB CCW pistol cause f it's slimness and size. And has a very acceptable trigger for striker fired action.  FML mags are very expensive.  Biiggest complaint is the finger ridges don't fit me with a crap, and It dos'n't point well for me.
 The Walther P99 9mm.  Has a great grip size for me, and has three backstraps to help it fit all hand sizes.  It has the XD grip angle and points great.  The trigger is DA/SA and any Glock trigger man can shoot this pistol great. SA trigger reset is Glock quick or quicker.  DA pull is long and heavy as it's intended to be, like ALL DA/SA triggers.  And the triggers smooth out very nice with dry fire trigger work. The decocker works like any decocker, it makes the SA trigger to a DA tigger pull.  It comes with4 front sightes to tune the pistol to your load and rear sights are windage adj.  They seem well made and fairly rugged.  
 Of the three I shoot the P99 the best, accuracy is very very good.  It came with a test target with 5 rnds in 3" @25 meters.  I've shot 8 of 10 shots in about 4" offhand @25yds with Speer gold dots. Good enough for me.
 Also metal full cap factory  mags can be had right now for 70-85bucks.    The Grip is not as long as the XD but about 1"2" longer than the G19,  But it has a rounded lower backstrap, like the Bobtail commander set up and the bottom rear sides are slightly rounded also.  So the grip while longer than the G19 dosn't seem to print as much with a Tshirt carried at 4oclock.
 And the top of the slide is angled off, rather than the flat top slides of the G19 or XD. I believe it is lighter than the G19 and thinner also with the same overall length.  the G19 and the P99 does not feel top heavy to me at all.  And the P99 has the low bore axis, almost as low as the G19.  Or atleast it feels that way as muzzle flip is as mild as the G19 and gets back on target as fast.
The XDs top heavy makes for slightly more muzzle flip and not as fast back on target.  
 Mine as been flawless for about900 rnds now.
 So I highly reccomend the P99 for IWB CCW use.  It is a very high quality pistol and designed by former Glock engeneers, so I can't see any reason for this pistol to have anything but a long service life with tons of shooting.
 And Walther has hooked up with S&W for service and they seem to have a good service dept.
 Also Walther has had a price cut of about $100, so it is priced right in the Glock neighborhood.  I gave $519 for mine last month.
 Arround here the XD goes for $400-495. And G19s for $500-560.

Wile putting several, several thousand rounds in a test through our P99 40S&W someone put a triple charge of powder in one reload.  One big bang.  The gun completly blew up, pieces were everywhere, the gip was the only thing left, it was missing a considerable chunk out of it, but most of my hand was still intact.  Called S&W they said to send it back.  As soon as they guy opened the package he called and was very concerend about us.  Very thoughtful, and geinuanly worried.(Probably so they didnt get sued)howThe handgun shoots extremly well, is quite accurate, and utterly reliable.  When I get a new combat/selfdefense weapon, it gets abused.  ALOT.  There almost never cleaned, thousands of round as a matter of fact, they get slamed, droped, thrown, take a bath in a river, covered in mud and shot that way, shot under water(if its safe to do so with that weapon, sometimes even if its not), abused isnt even the word for my weapons.  I dont own safe qweens.  People that see what we do to them have told us we should be put in jail.  I know how much abuse most handguns can take.  They look horrible, But they go bang, EVERYTIME.

Certian overseas CT units are useing it as an option other than HK's.  That says something.
Gloks and XD's or good to I just happen to prefere Walthers P99.

Thanks everybody for all of the good info.  I will be heading to the Portland gun show next wknd and hope to come home with a new toy.

That XD in 40 S&W sounds extremely appealing.  I just can't get past the decocking hassles of the S&W/Walther 99 when you're a lefty like me.  Who knows, if that XD turns out to be as great as all claim, I might even commit the ultimate heretical act and hawk my Glock 23.  

I have a German proofed 40 P99 and I LOVE IT. It is a super gun. I have 7 high caps for it all made by Mec-Gar (they make the Walther mags). I have had ZERO malfunctions of any kind even being the only ammo I have shot in it to date has been the cheap stuff. I tried the XD trigger and to be honest it was so long ago I dont remember how it was but my P99 is 100x better than the glock and for a polymer gun is very crisp with decernable stages.

I am a member of another web site that has a large number of LEOs and posted a review with pics.
www.crownvic.net/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=UBB20&Number=175395&Forum=UBB20&Words=p99&Match=Entire%20Phrase&Searchpage=0&Limit=25&Old=3months&Main=173196&Search=true#Post175395

I like the XD but like my Walther better. I would buy in this order. Walther, XD, Any other polymer gun but glock, then lastly glock.

SorryOCiffer