I am looking to purchase my first auto-loading pistol. I currently own a s&w .357 mag, and a police issue .32 long s&w from the early 1900's that was my great grandmothers for a while.

The two contenders I am trying to decided between are both relatively newcomers:

H&K P30L  9mm
Springfield XDm 9mm

I would like any and all advice on which to buy, I don't have my ccw permit yet and will not for another year or so. Therefore for the time being this will be mainly used to target shooting, and home defense. On a side note, price is not a factor between these two, not because I have the funding, but because I can get them for around $50
difference between one or the other.

I have also heard that you can not to a trigger job on the XDm type trigger, any thoughts on this? Is the trigger really as bad as I have heard?

If any of yall have experience behind these two pistols, can you speak to the accuracy behind them, or if there is any noticeable difference.

Thanks

If price is not a consideration, the HK, no question.

XDs and XDMs are nice guns, but the only advantage they have, IMHO, over a P30L is price.

Mostly depends on what type of trigger system you want.  

The XD is a striker fired system, the P30L is a traditional DA/SA with decocker setup.

Personally, I feel the P30L is a better firearm and worth the extra cost, others will give you a different answer.

HK without question...The P-30 is about a lightyear ahead of the XDM.. I bought a USP 9mm,recently, and it's a great pistol,It works very well for me, I HAD a XD45... and soon will have HAD a S&W MP45 as well,..Pistols that don't live up to my expectations, go down the road, Dispite all the hype and gushing about them, they did'nt make the cut, So far, the HK has...

Price aside, you can't get any better than the P30. Now, the L has a longer sight radius which helps a bit with aiming, but makes it larger so not as good as a regular P30 if you want to CCW. I would go with the P30L, because the P30 would be too much like my P2000

Rumor is that the P30 with a LEM trigger is supposed to come onto the market this month...

can someone speak to the accuracy between the two guns?

also any insight between the triggers ( i know they are two different types, striker vs. DA/SA)
how do they rate overall, from others I have heard the P30 trigger is not as nice as the others in the H&K line such as the HK45.

I owned an XD9 until very recently, but had to sell it to fund my recent move.  At any rate, I've handled XDM9s, and can officially say that everything I liked about the XD is better on the XDM.  I've never been much of an H&K fan, though they're very well-made weapons.  Were it me, I'd take the XDM without hesitation.

Not sure how accurate the XDm's are, but Hk is notorious for its accuracy.

Basically what I mean is, if you can find a gun that will shoot tighter than an HK in a ransom rest in the same price range, I'll eat my shoe.  They don't get any more accurate than HK.  The Sig 210 might be the only 9mm out there that I can think of that will be more accurate, and frankly, I dont think it counts.

I havenly handled the P30 and XDM in 9mm.  I have a hard time deciding between them.

The XDM has a better trigger and higher magazine capacity; less expensive magazines, betetr sights.

The P30 has a very nice grip and the longer slide. AND it's an HK.

For my purposes––range/home defense, I would probably take the XDM, although I really like the P30L.

I can hopefully help; I have owned a XD45 and now have a HK USp 9mm, I know, two different calibers, but I have a variety of .45's Sig P-220, a older Kimber, and a older S.A. mil-spec, in 9mm's I hava Beretta M9, The Xd compared to the other .45's was less than average at best,(The Mil-spec shot better) The Kimber and Sig are more accurate than the XD was.. The Hk is a little more accurate than the Beretta, (It's by no means a slouch..)
Of my .45's the only one that could match the Hk would be the Kimber I like to plink at pop cans shooting them and seeing how far out I can hit them, 35-40yds offhand is about it for me with the Kimber...The Hk, is about the same. I tried the XD at these ranges a few times, and I could'nt do it with it. The first time out with the HK I could..What's impressive to me is, I could get decent accuracy like this, and until that day I had never shot a Hk pistol before... Food for thought...With the "new" XDM they mention that they now have a "match barrel" installed, If the XD's were accurate to begin with, why a match barrel now??  HK's don't need match barrels....

Wow, that's a bold statement, I hope no one takes you up on that Pepsi challenge, because I for one could not imagine eating shoe.  

I haven't shot either so?
I'm curious also but too many people talking smack without shooting both.

XD and XDm are two different animals so please don't post the "I had an XD trash talk".  Please give us non brand loyal personal experience.

The question is XDm and P30L;  9mm.  Not HK45 with rubber O ring on barrel, Not XD in any caliber.

This.  Both are fine guns, but once you actually grip and fire a real live P30, the questions are over.  I eagerly anticipate owning my own P30 soon.

Try reading.  I openly admit I haven't seen an XDM in a ransom rest.  I don't care what you have shot.  I don't care what I have shot.  Ransom resting removes the biggest variable, which is the human.  

HK's are notorious for doing incredibly well in accuracy tests, from everything I have read, and everything I have seen- this includes 9, 40, and .45.  We all know this is about 9mm, and nobody claimed otherwise.  It is however fair to compair the triggers based on the platform, as the mechanisms between calibers are nearly identical on both the brands.

BTW, its been proven that that little Oring does virtually nothing to increase accuracy.  HK's ransom rest incredibly well regardless of whether or not they have an O ring.

There is no pepsi challenge.  I for one would love to see XDM ransom rest testing, however my guess is that the P30L will quite handily shoot tighter groups.  

Feel free to prove me wrong, I'd love to see the data.  But based on the history of the HK platform used to make the P30, I wouldn't expect to see the XDM shoot better.

The Pepsi challenge thing was a joke, but does not come across that way when written, didn't mean to hurt your feelings.

Comparing history of platforms says nothing for the new model.  Changes have been made.  Nearly identical is not the same.
XD and XDm are different platforms just like HK45 and P30L are different platforms; may look identical but are different.
9mm and 45 pistol dimensions are different and feel different when fired from identical platforms.

It apears as if your comments are on what you read from others, who probably have not shot said pistols in question and simply type the same nonsense; then get offended when called on it.
Try to turn it around all you want.  You tried to provide feedback without actual hands on experience so you should provide the data not cost variation or past pistol model history.

Ransom rest testing has many problems in itself.
How many times do you carry a ransom rest in your back pocket in case you need to shoot?  Know anyone who does?
People will shoot differently for different pistols based on how they interact with the pistol, no matter what the results from a Ransom rest are interpreted as.

No one said HK's were not accurate.
I think I understand what your trying to say that HK is probably a better pistol based on history merits, but a person just never knows until the platform proves itself.
The Browning BDM is a perfect example of what I'm saying.
For a $50 difference, I'd get the HK even if it doesn't group better.

You opened yourself up for scrutiny when you posted on a public forum as did I.
You want data but post assured based on warm fuzzy feelings.

I would like to know which seems more accurate and handles better based on experience not biased opinion.

If I offended you, sorry that was not my intentions.  I just want some feedback based on experience with both platforms.

Someone asked which pistol is more accurate.

If the answer were that simple, everyone would say "go shoot them and find out".  Nobody can predict how he will shoot, so we can't try and factor that in when discussing accuracy, right?  I can't read minds, so I have to assume he wants to know which platform is inherently more mechanically accurate.  Mechanical accuracy doesn't mean anything if you can't shoot it accurately, the only problem is, most/all people know that.  Therefor, when someone asks about the accuracy difference, the best way to compare them is ransom rest results.  There is no scrutiny involved, thats just the way it is.  This is why all relevant accuracy tests are done with ransom rests across the board.  I don't care what some other guy can do, I care what the GUN can do.  The rest is up to the shooter, and no...nobody expects anyone to carry around a ransom rest.  I know what the gun can do, now lets see what I can do.  They are two different things, but only one is valid when discussing accuracy between platforms.  Because like I said, we cannot read minds or predict the future and detirmine how each individual shooter will react to a platform.

He didn't ask "which one will I shoot more accurately", he asked "which one is more accurate".  

I couldn't answer the first one (because nobody can, except him), so I merely said that the P30 series ransom rests very well, better than most.  Even if I hadn't shot the P30, why would I have to to know that it ransom rests very well, which is the only claim I made?

Please tell me where I made an error, sir?

Everybody's experience will be different with either platform..And until YOU(the OP) patricpate by going to a range that rents either, or borrow from a friend, and try either for yourself, you'll never get the answer you're looking for. There are too many variables..asking on a errornet forum is asking for bashing, brand loyality, etc, and that's exactly what you'll get... The only way you'll answer this question is to draw your own critera of what you expect from either, go rent, borrow or otherwise shoot both (if possible at the same time) and decide which meets or exceeds your expectations, Then buy that model...problem solved...

P30L.  I prefer the DA/ SA combo as well as the external hammar.

Thanks for all the replies and advice. As of right now I am leaning towards the P30L, this is after spending way to much time surfing the web and all kinds of sources and reviews. Hopefully I will be able to produce the most out of  the intrinsic accuracy of the P30l, and well the HK brand in general I will probably go back and forth a few more times before I actually make my purchase. I hope this will last me until I get the funds to get a real pistol, a nice 1911.

Once again thanks for all of your input and helping out a new semi-auto pistol owner.