Posted: 2/20/2013 3:55:58 PM EDT
| Hey guys I've been looking at the XD and the xdm 9 for a while now and i was hoping to get some advice from some of you owners. Do you recommend the 4" or the 4.5" barrel? Im looking to use it as a range gun and a CW. Also the 4" is the XD and the 4.5" is the XDm. Any help is appreciated! |
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People can carry big guns, it’s done everyday but you will find it more difficult to CCW a full size gun because it is bigger and also from the comfort standpoint. The reason you are having a problem deciding is because you are trying to do two different and opposite things with one gun – range and carry. The fact is for a range gun, the longer the barrel, the better as it has a long sight radius and heavier for lower recoil. For carry, a shorter gun is the best because it will be easier to conceal and also especially one with a shorter grip is going to dig less into your side when you sit down. My advice is to prioritize what is most important to you and get the best gun for that use and later buy a separate gun for that less important use. I personally shoot a 5.25 XDm for competition and carry a 3” barrel XDSC for CCW. |
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Quoted:
People can carry big guns, it’s done everyday but you will find it more difficult to CCW a full size gun because it is bigger and also from the comfort standpoint.
The reason you are having a problem deciding is because you are trying to do two different and opposite things with one gun – range and carry. The fact is for a range gun, the longer the barrel, the better as it has a long sight radius and heavier for lower recoil. For carry, a shorter gun is the best because it will be easier to conceal and also especially one with a shorter grip is going to dig less into your side when you sit down. My advice is to prioritize what is most important to you and get the best gun for that use and later buy a separate gun for that less important use. I personally shoot a 5.25 XDm for competition and carry a 3” barrel XDSC for CCW. I agree. Dont go in between if you dont have to. I have a XD 5 inch tactical for my range gun, and a glock 27 for my carry gun. |
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In general, it is true that it is easier to shoot a full size gun but the XDSC actually is very easy to shoot despite the short 3” barrel and being called a sub-compact. The reason is unlike something like a Ruger LCP, the XDSC is actually pretty heavy. I shot my XDSC last October in our IDPA bug-gun match and was down only 5 points for the whole match. Don’t get suckered into buying a carry gun that is very small and light unless you absolutely need one because of the way you have to carry it (i.e. inside a pocket vs. IWB or OWB), the light guns kick a lot more and you will not want to shoot it. Something like an XDSC has about the same recoil as my XDm 5.25 and you can shoot it almost as good as a range gun with slight disadvantage of shorter sight picture and a fixed non-adjustable rear sight. The former is only a slight disadvantage as I can hit an IDPA target 25 yards away with this gun and the latter can be fixed by putting in something like a Dawson Adjustable sight. You will be amazed how accurate this "little" gun is. |
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Will this be your first handgun? I'd highly recommend a full-sized pistol prior to a carry for your first, the full-sized will allow you to hone your skills at a much more enjoyable pace, compared to some of the compacts/sub-compacts might. It will be my first pistol but I have been shooting pistols for around 5 years now. Also, I'm stuck between the 16 rd and the 19 rd mag. Is there a significant difference in the size of the grip? |
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Quoted:
In general, it is true that it is easier to shoot a full size gun but the XDSC actually is very easy to shoot despite the short 3” barrel and being called a sub-compact.
The reason is unlike something like a Ruger LCP, the XDSC is actually pretty heavy. I shot my XDSC last October in our IDPA bug-gun match and was down only 5 points for the whole match. Don’t get suckered into buying a carry gun that is very small and light unless you absolutely need one because of the way you have to carry it (i.e. inside a pocket vs. IWB or OWB), the light guns kick a lot more and you will not want to shoot it. Something like an XDSC has about the same recoil as my XDm 5.25 and you can shoot it almost as good as a range gun with slight disadvantage of shorter sight picture and a fixed non-adjustable rear sight. The former is only a slight disadvantage as I can hit an IDPA target 25 yards away with this gun and the latter can be fixed by putting in something like a Dawson Adjustable sight. You will be amazed how accurate this "little" gun is. One of the reasons I was weary of getting a compat or sub-compact was the quality of shot. I've heard stories of people having a hard time getting accurate repeated shots at 10 yards because of the kick. Is the handle of your XDSC full sized? |
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You are right in being worried about accuracy when shooting a small carry gun; this however does apply only to small light guns like the Ruger LCP and other mouse guns like that. This DOES NOT apply to the XDSC. What I would suggest is for you to go to a large gun store like Cabela’s and take a look at the difference between the XDSC and the mouse guns and you will see what I mean. With the XDSC, whether you can hit a man size target at 10 yards is really up to your shooting skill and not the gun. The recoil again is a function of the weight of the gun and the XDSC is not light and so you will have no problem with recoil but of course it is heavier to carry. It is not a good pocket gun because of its weight but an excellent IWB gun. The grip is shorter but you can fix it by putting on the Pearce grip which will allow you to grip your gun with all your fingers. |
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Quoted:
You are right in being worried about accuracy when shooting a small carry gun; this however does apply only to small light guns like the Ruger LCP and other mouse guns like that. This DOES NOT apply to the XDSC. What I would suggest is for you to go to a large gun store like Cabela’s and take a look at the difference between the XDSC and the mouse guns and you will see what I mean. With the XDSC, whether you can hit a man size target at 10 yards is really up to your shooting skill and not the gun. The recoil again is a function of the weight of the gun and the XDSC is not light and so you will have no problem with recoil but of course it is heavier to carry. It is not a good pocket gun because of its weight but an excellent IWB gun. The grip is shorter but you can fix it by putting on the Pearce grip which will allow you to grip your gun with all your fingers.
I'm going to take your advice and go to a large gun store. Unfortunately I'm no where near cabela's so I need to find one. I'm also trying to find one that even has springfields in stock, it seems like springfield stopped sending out firearms because they are out of stock everywhere i Look. |
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It’s a tough time to find firearms…. In the mean time, one thing you can do is to go to the website of the manufacturers and look at the weights of the guns and their dimensions. Just remember higher weights means less recoil, easier to shoot and you will see what I mean. Obviously too heavy is bad for carry and so there is that sweet spot you are looking for where there is enough weight and small enough for carry. This way you can narrow your search which will make finding your gun easier. The XDSC is a very good gun since it is light and small enough for carry, recoil close to the full size guns, and you have the 13+1 capacity even with the short mag. Last and not least is their reliability which is top tier. The nice thing about this gun for you is that it is not new and sexy like the XDS and so people are not just buying it up for the sex factor which should make it easier for you to find one. Maybe a used one is a possibility. |
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I've fired both the XD 4" 9mm and the XDm 4.5 9mm.
Both are great firearms, however I do prefer the ergonomics and magazine capacity of the XDm. As for carry, I've been carrying my XDm 4.5 daily this winter (in a Crossbreed Supertuck) but I don't think couldn't get away with it wearing just a T-shirt in the summer. 
I don't know if the 4" XD would be much easier to carry concealed. I'm 5'11" 190ish. |
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Quoted:
I've fired both the XD 4" 9mm and the XDm 4.5 9mm. Both are great firearms, however I do prefer the ergonomics and magazine capacity of the XDm. As for carry, I've been carrying my XDm 4.5 daily this winter (in a Crossbreed Supertuck) but I don't think couldn't get away with it wearing just a T-shirt in the summer.
I don't know if the 4" XD would be much easier to carry concealed. I'm 5'11" 190ish. Great to hear! I'm pretty sure im going to take your advice along with others and just go for the full sized xdm 9. I'll probably go for a CCW later on in the year. I think im going to stick with Springfield for both! XDM. Would you happen to know if there is a big difference in handle size between the 9mm with the 16 rd mag and the one with the 19 rd mag? Would I lose the ability to have all four fingers in the grip? |