So i went down to GS in hopkins today and check out some 1911's.  I really liked the Kimber TLE .45 and then for shits and giggles i asked to handle a springfield xd tactical .40.   I was really impressed with the fit and feel of the gun.  It was light and came up perfectly for me every time.

here is what i'm thinking right now. someone chime in with input.

I like the kimbers because of the all metal design and the weight should help with recoil.
it had night sights.
The kimber felt like it had a better grip in my hand.
the xd felt alot better in terms of it being formed to my hand.
was lighter and would be probably easier to carry.
everty time i drew down with the xd it was dead on.   the kimber was pretty dang close to doing the same.



i haven't shot either kind and i'm pretty new to the pistol area.  I do currently own a S&W .22A for a target gun.

The new one would be use for  carry and target.

sorry for the scattered thoughts, just looking for feedback on what experiece people with XD have had.  Anyone with and XD and 1911 chime in please and let me know your likes and dislikes of either, and which one you seem to grap first when you head out.

Now back to searching for the forum for more info.

Quoted: hells bells son, no contest......KIMBER

assuming you carry a model 1911, have you shot an XD?  if so whats your take on it.

seeing alot of XD'S for sale in the EE.  don't know if thats a good or a bad sign  yet.

I have an XD-9sc I use for a daily CCW... I have yet to have a single issue with it. I went with the duel tone silver over black to cut down on noticable holster wear and corrosion issues. I have had it a little over a year and have yet to find a spec of rust on it. the down side is that it is indeed a 9mm... I am currently looking at getting a Para Warthog as a CCW gun for the .45 aspect .... Its as small if not smaller then the XD-9sc, it holds 10+1 of .45 ACp and so far all reviews seem favorable with the exception of weak mag springs ( easy fix) and a small grip for guys with large hands. I however have fairly small hands and the Warthog seemed to fit pretty good.  The Xd Tacs are nice but if your looking for a full size gun id go with the 1911 Kimber, springfield, or Para .... Of course you could always go all out and buy a HK Tactical like I did lol........ Id love to have a Warrior but cant justify haveing two full size .45 acp firearms at the moment...

1911

trigger pull beats xd's

and its .45acp--dont like shooting .40sw as much

so the biggest complaint with the XD's is its trigger.  to long of a pull?  not a crisp enough break?  whats the scoop.

they didn't have any snapcaps redily available at the gun shop or i would have tried out the triggers.

the cal isn't a restriction since XD's also come in  .45 cal's , just not in the tac version.

GET BOTH!



Then you tell us wich is better.

Let's seee.....<looks in safe>

There sits 3 Kimber .45's and a Kimber Rimfire. All three .45's have been back to Kimber, one of them 4 times before a total replacement. Only the .22 runs good and has since new. Total damage? $2,300.00.

Wouldn't trust a single one with my life. Oh, and it's worth noting Kimber's CS is quick to blame you for a gun that won't run....even when your crappy cast parts break.

Also seeing an XD 357 in there. Has ran about 3,000 rounds so far, no hiccups or failures, always goes bang, and trigger has been worked to a nice, clean break. Total damage? $450.00


That pretty much sums up my thoughts on the matter.

UUUMMM.   KIMBER!

I own a XD-9 bi-tone service length(4in. barrel). I haven't put to many rounds through it, but I have never had any malfunctions.

The trigger for the internal hammer DAO XD is pretty good(basically the wider trigger of the XD feels better than a Glocks). It's a DAO so comparing trigger pull to a single action only Kimber 1911 is well... a little bit difficult.

The XD has faced some slide rusting issues. GenghisKhan(who posted above me) owns(or used to own, I'm not sure) an XD-9 bi-tone like myself and faced some rusting issues in the trigger grooves of his XD. There are then other people(like viper5194) who have no apparent corrosion issues.

The XD-40  has also seen some isolated reports of guide rod issues. They don't seem very prevelant but an arfcom member(BigBore I believe)  knows of a PD that apparently(the circumstances seemed a little murky to myself) had some problems with them. That is the only report I have read on arfcom, but someone a while back said they read 1 or 2 reports of it on HS2000(the pre Springfield Armory & European version of the XD) web forum. This guide rod issue is apparently have not appeared in 9x19 versions of the XD. I don't know much more on this topic, but it seems to affect a extremely small portion of XDs.

The Kimber apparently has even bigger and more prevelant issues than the XD as reported by swingset a couple posts up.

The XD is also half the price of a Kimber.

For carry I'm not sure of your personal preferance but I wouldn't personally want to carry a 1911 for a CCW. There are many who swear by the .45 ACP(I am not one of them). Personally, I would take 15 rounds of modern hollow point 9mm(or 12rds of 40S&W) over 7rds of 45ACP any day.

When it comes down to it, its all really a matter of personal preference, and between your 2 choices, I would take the XD.

Another way to look at it as well... If your gong to use it at any time as a CCW would you rather the police take a 350-400.00 gun as evidence or a 800-1000.00 gun as evidence with the possibility that you may not get it back even if the shoot is justified? The XD works and does so quite well... It functions as flawless as both my HK's and for that reason I carry one daily as a CCW without the minor worry that if I had to use it I wouldnt lose a high dollar firearm to the gun grabbers.. Now If Springfield would make a XD9sc in bi-tone with a OD frame... That would be tits.... Ive considered buyng the OD frame version and swapping the slides to get the look I want , i even email springfield to see if they would make one and was denied ...

Quoted: Another way to look at it as well... If your gong to use it at any time as a CCW would you rather the police take a 350-400.00 gun as evidence or a 800-1000.00 gun as evidence with the possibility that you may not get it back even if the shoot is justified? The XD works and does so quite well... It functions as flawless as both my HK's and for that reason I carry one daily as a CCW without the minor worry that if I had to use it I wouldnt lose a high dollar firearm to the gun grabbers.. Now If Springfield would make a XD9sc in bi-tone with a OD frame... That would be tits.... Ive considered buyng the OD frame version and swapping the slides to get the look I want , i even email springfield to see if they would make one and was denied ...

good point on the gun grabbers taking it for evidence.

anyone of the top of you head know the difference in price per round with acp vs gap ?

I own Springfield G.I. and an XD-40 5". I like them both equally, but do find myself shooting the XD more than the 1911, maybe it is still new? I like the XD, trigger is on par with other striker fired pistols to me, no different than the Glock I had. 1200 rnds, 1 FTF, which was due to the 12 rnd mag being tight and it was the first magazine I ran through the pistol. Since, zero failures of any kind, zero rust, or any other problems for that matter. I have had it wet, muddy, rained on, left in a glove box, in and out of air conditioned vehicle into very hot humid weather and no rust or any other finish issues thus far. I do keep a light coat of RIG grease it on after I clean it(RIG dries and does not leave it greasy by the way).

I think the guide rod problems are with the 3 and 4" models since they have a captive guide rod system, versus the 5" uses non captive, very similar to a Ruger semi auto. It has fed any ammo I have tried to put through it. I love the pistol and highly recommend it, also get a Houge slip on grip for it, does wonders for them in my opinion.

All of this could be said for my 1911 as well, I love my 1911 and will never not buy them. But, the XD is a fine pistol and would/will purchase more of them.

ETA: As far as comfort goes, the XD and SA 1911 are one in the same to me. Which is why I bought the XD, it felt very much like the 1911 but is lightweight, light rail, high cap/doublestack mags.

I don't know if I can help you out, but I'll try.
I've got an XD40 Tactical and an XD40 Sub-Compact.
I've also got a Springfield MC Operator, Kimber Eclipse Pro, and Springfield GI-MilSpec for my 1911's.

I've yet to have a single problem out of any of the above mentioned pistols.  Lucky?  I guess.  Maybe I haven't shot them enough.  Time will tell.

My 1911's give a sense of precision.  Robust flair.  I get the "this is a true weapon" feeling when holding one.  The steel on steel is truly something to behold in my opinion.  The way it was meant to be.  They fit my hand like a glove, point perfectly, and go bang repeatedly sending 230gr man stoppers.  The ability to customize a 1911 seems endless as well.   You can take a precision shooting/carry 1911 and make it fit your own style, function and dress.  Do your research though.  Many companies now have 1911 models out that are sub-par.  

I think my XD's were meant to shoot the snot of them, clean them up a little, then shoot them some more.  Reliability comes to mind first.  Damn, they are good shooters too though.  Easily field stripped as well.  Fit my hand great and point the same.  The light rail is a big plus to some.  The only real "problem" I have with my XD's is that I find myself not depressing the grip safety enough to rack the slide sometimes.  If you don't depress the grip safety fully, the slide will only rack back a couple of inches.  Overall, I love the XD's as they are great, reliable shooters.  They just lack the "awe" of the 1911 in my opinion.  

Price point is a big issue here.  I bought my OD XD Tactical for $440 new.  My Springfield MC Operator cost me $1000 new.  Big difference.  You could get the Springfield GI-Milspec for $400 new, but I compared the Operator because it has the light rail.  

Both the 1911 and the XD are great guns in my opinion.  I think either way you'll win.

i just got nailed for 17mph over the speed limit on friday.  Caught up thinking about the weekend while  following the guy in front of me.  came down a steep hill in minnetonka and a cop had a speed trap setup.  BUSTED.
tried talking my way out of it, but with 17mph over i didn't imagine he would let me off.  I'm guessing it will be about $175 fine.  so there goes the gun purchase for a while.
so much for a clean record, hopefully with signing a differed prosecution form the insurance company won't find out about it.

the wife LOVED hearing about the ticket.

SA GI model, you'll not regret it.    Best thing is if you dont like it you'll get damned near 100% of the purchase price out of it on resale.   ( assuming you dont get hosed on it in the first place)

As the owner of 10 1911s and 3 XD40's, I'm a fan of both.   I use two XDs for competition and the other for home defense, and use a 1911 when I CCW.

The XD is a larger gun than I prefer to carry, so I've rarely toted one around on a daily basis.  The 1911 was chosen because I've been shooting them longest, and because it's easier to carry and conceal.

I've got an XD 40 and a loaded 1911.  Either one of them work very well.  The XD has proven itself as a reliable and accurate performer.  Haven't had any rust issues with it.  No broken parts or malfunctions of any kind.  I did have 2 rounds that failed to feed, but that was my fault as my reloads were too long.  The .40 is a whippy little round, but it is still easy to control.  Granted, I like .45 ACP better since it's a straight back recoil.  I wouldn't touch a GAP.  ACP's not broke, so don't fix it.  The problem I find with the XD is it's a little thick to tote around.  Strong side carry at about 4:00 is pretty comfy.  1911 is easier to carry I think because it's thinner.  MJD

i got the chance to compare a kimber stainless target II  next to the XD 40.  The XD deffinitely felt fatter in my hand and all around appearance was thicker.  Picking up the kimber felt good, didn't have quite the ergonomics that the XD did but it felt really nice non the less.  Plus the kimber was a 10mm version so it means in Minnesota i can hunt with it!!  that is a deffinite +.  

The EAA witness seemed like a decent gun also.  Does anyone know if they kimber or the witness sufferes from slide cracking or any known defects to watch out for?

Get the XD with a stainless slide then save up again and get the kimber. They are very different animals so it is hard to compare them. If you are a double action guy or a Single action guy would help decide it and if you are a .45 or .40 guy would help decide it. When you pull the slide off of the XD you will see the frame is certainly strong enough for it. I have an XD and 1911s and I prefer the 1911 for range shooting and bed side duty and I prefer my XD for carry. It realy is a matter of your personal taste.


Edit: Sorry I did not see 10mm was a factor. EAA makes good pistols for the most part they just are not a gun snobs favorite brand. The EAA certainly will not be as "nice" a pistol as the Kimber would be. I have an EAA on layaway and have owned EAA pistols before and they were fantastic for the money. If I had the money though boy the Kimber would be a nice handgun. If you get the EAA you would most likely need to get the 22lb spring from wolf to make it more reliable on the hot loads. Did not research the 1911s that much because I wanted 15rds. I do not know how much the Kimber is but you might be able to spring the XD and the witness for close to the same price of the Kimber.

Quoted:

HOLY SHIT!!  are you back from AIT??

hate to chime this in here but i had a Springfield 1911(traded for my xd 9) and i have a glock 17.  truely like/liked all 3.  but with that being said, if you are looking at 10mm dotn forget glock.....



as far as kimber vs xd......you need to shoot both and decide what you like better.  the 1911 that i traded had shitty sights and i could trade it off for the xd for less than i could get new sights installed......dont take a scientist to figure that out




Brett

I looked at a glock and didn't like it as much as the eaa or kimber, its not ruled out yet but its at the bottom of my list.

I don't know if wilson makes a 10mm but i'm sure if they did i couldn't afford it anyway.

I've got 1k budgeted.