Sidearms & Scatterguns Why Not an XD?

[Major Wader]

I grew up on 1911's and revolvers. XD/XDM does point well. We own several.

Glock pistols don't point naturally for me. I have never owned a Glock for longer than it took me to sell it, and won't ever own one long term.

 

[Simonsza1]

Interesting hearing the thoughts here. Like I said earlier in this thread the xdm 5.25 has been a perfect out the box comp gun for my wife. I failed to mention my comp gun is a built out G34 on its second barrel and still runs like a dream come true. We also have an original 20 in the safe but here I am trying to talk my wife into a hellcat for her edc and my edc is a shield performance center. So what I’m trying to say is as gun guys there’s a lot of them that are awesome and we all like different things about them, someone said earlier to buy one and try it and you may find out you a xd fan or still a fan of something else or may end up with dozens of pistols like most of us and love them all!

 

[Basher]

I carried an original XDM9 for several years and actually really enjoyed it. The grip felt great, the trigger was decent, it was smooth recoiling (despite the high bore axis), and 19+1 on top is hard to argue with (plus another 38 in spares)! I took two 4-day classes with it, and ultimately put north of 5,000 rounds through it with only a single stoppage that I attribute to the ammo (WWB).

However, I switched to Glock for a few reasons. For one, they're MUCH lighter. A G17 (direct comparison, size-wise, to the XDM) weighs almost 8oz less. Second, I can completely bench strip a Glock with just the armorer's tool, and that's it. With an XD/XDM, you need actual tools (punches, hammers, etc.), so the simplicity was hard to ignore. Add in the fact that I got a really good deal on my G19 as an LEO trade-in (and it's an early two-pin Gen3, which is kind of cool!), and I couldn't pass it up. Lighter, smaller, fewer parts, easier to work on. I put in a (-) connector and some AmeriGlo tritiums and had a local guy stipple it, and I've been rocking it that way for a decade, though a nice G48 recently replaced it as my EDC.

In short, if the XD/XDM works for your, run it. I've heard the stories about failures, and I can't discount them since I hear them from credible sources. But they're not incredibly frequent. I'd own another if I found one at a good price.

 

[stilesg57]

I carried an original XDM9 for several years and actually really enjoyed it. The grip felt great, the trigger was decent, it was smooth recoiling (despite the high bore axis), and 19+1 on top is hard to argue with (plus another 38 in spares)! I took two 4-day classes with it, and ultimately put north of 5,000 rounds through it with only a single stoppage that I attribute to the ammo (WWB).

However, I switched to Glock for a few reasons. For one, they're MUCH lighter. A G17 (direct comparison, size-wise, to the XDM) weighs almost 8oz less. Second, I can completely bench strip a Glock with just the armorer's tool, and that's it. With an XD/XDM, you need actual tools (punches, hammers, etc.), so the simplicity was hard to ignore. Add in the fact that I got a really good deal on my G19 as an LEO trade-in (and it's an early two-pin Gen3, which is kind of cool!), and I couldn't pass it up. Lighter, smaller, fewer parts, easier to work on. I put in a (-) connector and some AmeriGlo tritiums and had a local guy stipple it, and I've been rocking it that way for a decade, though a nice G48 recently replaced it as my EDC.

In short, if the XD/XDM works for your, run it. I've heard the stories about failures, and I can't discount them since I hear them from credible sources. But they're not incredibly frequent. I'd own another if I found one at a good price.

You’ve laid out exactly why I like Glocks in theory — I think it’s a superior design overall (though I do like the 19+1 capacity of the XDM). But I just can’t shoot them for some reason and I’ve never been able to. So it’s Springers for me.

That 5.25XDM is the one I bought for IDPA SSP division. It’s got all the PRP internal goodies and shoots REAL well, though honestly the trigger in my Canik TP9SF is a little better (if a little heavier). It’s been serving nightstand duty in 2020, I probably won’t shoot any matches until next year.

 

[Basher]

Yep, that’s the thing, you have to use what works best for YOU. Sometimes you can train enough to adapt and teach your mind/muscles how to work with things, and sometimes you can’t.

For me, the XD grip feels better overall, and I also shot very well with it. The Glock took me several hundred rounds and numerous hours of dry fire and draw practice to learn the grip angle, trigger feel, etc. I did feel strange at firstc but with time I came to enjoy it and now shoot Glocks great. Are they a finely tuned single action like on a 1911 or worked over revolver? Nope. But they’re entirely serviceable triggers. I’m not trying to cut out a single hole in the x-ring when I carry, I’m trying to have a reliable, light, easy to carry system that will work when I need it to. If I can keep my groups smaller than a fist at 10y during a rapid fire drill, I’m happy. The way I see it, more holes equals faster hydraulic failure anyway.

But yes, I like Glocks. A lot. If they don’t work for someone though, I do my best to steer them to a reliable and proven platform that DOES work for them. Glocks are fantastic tools. But not everything is a nail, so it’s wise to have more than just hammers around.