WHich one?!

[EMT~SPARTA~]

I've been doing my research for a while now, and I can't decide which one to get...

 

XDM has tons of features that make it a wonderful gun.... But then the glock has the reliability that is crucial in hairy situations...

 

Now I'm not saying the XDM isn't reliable... cause i dont know... So can y'all help me out here. If you are a glock lover please be open minded if possible... Same with XDM owners

 

BTW: I am using the gun for home use/ target practice.. and I would like 9mm

Not carrying it on me.

 

http://www.impactguns.com/store/media/spri...XDM9202HCSP.jpg xdm

 

http://www.soksa.com/assets/publicDocs/use...age/Glock17.jpg glock 17

Edited May 7, 2010 by EMT

[MH6~SPARTA~]

I'm looking for a pistol as well, one that I can also concealed carry next year. So far, I've liked the Sig Sauer P239 best. The Glock 19 would also be decent, but I don't really like Glocks as a whole. Much prefer a Sig.

 

Now, my brother has an XD9 that he got for cheap from a friend, and he loves it. He's also never shot it before, so I'm not sure how he knows he loves it so much. Looks and feel I guess.

 

You could do what I'll be doing this weekend: Go to a shooting range that rents guns and try out the one you want. I'll be trying out a P239, Glock 19, and 1911 (the last of course being for home not carry).

[MedicSN6]

Personally I have shot all three similar Striker fired weapons that I believe are the top guns right now.

They are in no particular order...

 

Glock SF (Short Frame)

Smith & Wesson M&P

Springfield XD

 

I have fired the first two in .45 ACP (Go big or go home, right?) And the XDM in .40. And my personal favorite was the S&W M&P .45 ACP. For a few reasons...

 

But first a little background. The first pistol I ever owned was a Glock 21. I loved it but it was unwieldy and huge even for my man-hands. I couldn't shoot out to 50 yards with any consistency with that handgun. Having been issued a Beretta 92FS (9mm) in the Army and instantly hating that pistol for many reasons, when I got out I decided to get a .45 caliber and use that for everyday carry. So .45ACP is pretty much the only caliber that I like to carry or shoot and I have found that through teaching my wife to shoot, that since she learned how to shoot a big .45 first, she can shoot anything.

 

Anyways...

 

First off you have to look at function, is it single action, double action, or strikerfire? All three of these are Strikerfire, meaning that the firing pin is internal and there is no traditional 'hammer.' So, once you disengage the safeties by squeezing the trigger, the gun automatically disengages the internal safeties and the gun will fire. Each pistol has it's own styles of mechanisms all work very well according to in-depth reviews I have read.

 

You should have the caliber in mind when choosing a pistol because it can determine what the frame of the weapon system will be. Which brings us to the most important function of the weapon (imho), the frame/grip.

 

The glock has a squarish frame but has been greatly improved with the release of the Short Frame style. They have added many customizations as standard and it has been greatly received by the shooting world including law enforcement. As far as simplicity, I believe the Glock is the most simple as far as over all looks and function but the slide lock can be a bit difficult to operate, especially when wearing gloves. They do make an enhanced slide lock but it costs extra.

 

One thing to note is that the M&P and the XDM have some aggressive grooves on the slide in both the front and rear. These are used to get a positive grip on the weapon system to rack the slide. The Glock only has them in the rear and they are not very ergonomic.

 

Also, the functions (Mag release & slide lock) of the weapon on the MP are ambidextrous (reversible), the GLock's aren't and I honestly don;t know about the XDM at the moment. Definitely something to consider of you are a South Paw.

 

The XDM is probably the newest design of them and you can see that they incorporated a few different things from both the Glock and the M&P. The XDM has the interchangeable back straps that the M&P does but not as aggressive a cant on the grip. It also has a decent tang which the glock has none of and the M&P has a slight longer tang which is overall better. The tang will protect your hand from the slide but more importantly it allows you to place you hand as high up on the frame as possible which is probably one of the most important factors in recoil mitigation, this and grip style.

 

I use a zero-void grip with both thumbs forward along the left side of the frame, which allows me to place both hands on it and exert equal pressure on both sides. All three of these frames are designed with a Zero-void grip in mind but the higher the tang well is compared to the bottom of the slide, the more recoil control you will have which translates to getting back on target faster. The Glock is the worst of the three and the M&P has the least distance from tang well to the bottom of the slide, however the XDM is close in second. The problem I had with the XDM was the grip safety. Having shot a 1911 for the past few years, I am used to a grip safety. But I find it weird to apply this external safety to a striker fired handgun, where traditionally, these weapons use a trigger safety and the rest are internal or sometimes thumb safeties like the option for the M&P. Neither the Glock or the M&P have a grip safety and function extremely well without it. So its a toss up, but keep in mind the higher you get into the tang well, the more accurate you can be, make sure the grip safety is A. comfortable, and B. doesn't impede your grip.

 

The trigger and trigger safety are both things you will need to get used to. Both Glock and SF use the the vertical style trigger safety while M&P has the horizontal one. For my shooting style, I slide my finger from the side of the trigger onto the front of the trigger. I use the side a reference point so I can be consistent. For me the vertical safety stopped my finger and I had to shoot it a bit differently than how I have trained. The M&P's horizontal safety allowed me to slide my finger on the the trigger, stop when I was on the pad and the movement of the safety to disengage is slight.

Once you disengage the safeties on any of the triggers they are all easy to shoot and have good resets.

 

The other thing to consider is that while all three have rails for lights/lasers, they all have different distances from the rear of the rail to the muzzle. Muzzle blast can eventually kill a weapon light so keep this in mind. The Glock is pretty much flush and the other two are set back in the frame because of the cant in the grip. Not a plus for the Glock as the rail puts your light far forward of the muzzle.

 

Sights, get nights sights. Period. You will hat yourself if you don't get them and then have to add them later. Also if you can, get the ones that have orange in the front and green in the back. this is far more helpful in stressful situations of you need to use it for home defense or later decide to conceal carry for protection. Of they don't offer them in your area, get the model with regular sights and then upgrade them to multi-colored sights yourself. They are worth the money.

 

Also, invest in a good holster like a Blackhawk Serpa Level 2 as well as a good leather belt to carry on. As far as a slimline rail light, the streamlight TLR-1 or 2 and the surefire 400 are fine lights. I run an Insight M6X and it is just big.

 

Well, I hope this ramble helps you in your choice and gives you some more things to consider. Maybe a whole new pistol.

 

[EMT~SPARTA~]

Thanks medic for all the help.

 

Lol i keep hearing bad news about the berretas. Why does everyone hate them so much. I've never shot one so I have no opinion on them. I plan on going Sunday to a range to shoot some pistols. Hopefully they have an XDM for me to shoot, since I live in the middle of nowhere... I doubt they will... Shootstraight use to, but since people kept killing themselves, they stopped that pretty quick...

[Zathrus~SPARTA~]

I have always liked springfield myself.

what does the xdm go for these days?

[Luggage~SPARTA~]

Sorry to inject a light diversion into this thread, but over here in the UK we don't have the same exposure to the items you are discussing.

 

We do, however, get the option to see quite a lot of your documentary type programmes. A question has come to mind. Has anyone seen the Steven Segal series following him as a Deputy Sheriff, and if so the specific episode where he was helping an officer with handgun shooting?

 

It showed the afore-mentioned Mr Segal managing successfully to put bullet placement very accurately, in one example almost through the same hole. He referred to technique taught to him from his early formative years out east. I found it quite amazing as I have to confess to not being able to take the guy seriously previously. I have no issue with his films but always thought his back-story a little too weird to be true. However this seemed to be some evidence that his background stands up to testing.

 

Discuss please....

[MH6~SPARTA~]

Went to the range today. Tried out the following pistols:

• SIG Sauer P239
• Springfield XD9
• Glock 26
• Walther P99
• Ruger SR9

 

Liked the XD9 the best. SIG was disappointing, Glock lived up to my rather low expectations (not a Glock fan), P99 and SR9 were mediocre.

 

Apart from the XD9, I didn't really like any of the pistols. Next time I go I'll need to try out a SIG P229 and a 1911 though.

 

Oh, I did rent an AR-15 though. Absolutely loved it, definitely buying my own. I just wish I could find a handgun I liked as much.

 

...

 

We do, however, get the option to see quite a lot of your documentary type programmes. A question has come to mind. Has anyone seen the Steven Segal series following him as a Deputy Sheriff, and if so the specific episode where he was helping an officer with handgun shooting?

 

...

 

I dislike Mr. Segal.

 

[Yoshi]

Uhhhhhhh, Guns are bad, Mkay?

 

 

/Mr. Garrison

 

 

ETA: I love my M&P 40. With a Crossbreed Supertuck, I can CCW the fullsize and noone is the wiser. And I'm not a big guy either.

Edited May 9, 2010 by Yoshi

[EMT~SPARTA~]

Well thats good that you got to get your hands on them MH6.

 

XDM is going for around $600 dollars around here in Florida. Most extreme i've seen was 750 I think...

 

Glocks are seeming to be cheaper right now... but thats why I'm weighing my options out carefully. Is what i get worth the extra money? My money means a lot to me and im a firm believer in getting what you pay for.

Now I'm not some cheap douche... Ill gladly pay more for that "extra stuff"

[Haloelite]

glad you tried the m4 great weapon i myself am getting one of those with a few sidearms to have too when i can get the money. but since our fool of a president made the gunpowder last not nearly as long as it once did... idiot.

[Athlon64~SPARTA~]

This one! All that needs to be said.

 

[Ebden~SPARTA~]

This one! All that needs to be said.

 

No, this one.

 

 

I mean the shillelagh, not the fat man.

[Stang~SPARTA~]

I just bought a Sig P226 and added the TruGlow TFO Tritum Fiber Optic Sights

 

If its good enough for the US Navy SEALs, its good enough for me...enough said!

 

40 cal.

 

Beautiful gun, shoots fantastic and fits a smaller hand like a glove.

 

If you want to feel like you're holding a 2 x 4 then buy a Glock.

 

I almost got the Springfield XDM but it felt a little too "plastically" for me.

 

the Sig is ALL BUSINESS.

 

Good Luck

 

 

[OrcFace_McStompYou]

glad you tried the m4 great weapon i myself am getting one of those with a few sidearms to have too when i can get the money. but since our fool of a president made the gunpowder last not nearly as long as it once did... idiot.

 

Umm, you know that's a recurring urban myth right? Everyone said Clinton did the same thing but people are still shooting the powder they bought when he was president.

[Durka-Durka~SPARTA~]

EMT, getting yourself a handgun is like trying to find the right woman. Some may shoot better, or faster, or get tighter groups. There are guys who like the crusty old ones that require putting led balls in them, and there are guys who like to dress theirs up with so many fancy things you wouldn't realize what it was at first glance. Most of the arguments on what's a better weapon is about 55% BS, about 25% bravado, and about 20% really damn good advice.

 

The most important thing, in my opinion, is to find one that is reliable when it gets hot and fits comfortably in YOUR hand and YOUR HAND ALONE. All guns are designed to shoot a projectile out of a small barrell, and that's about all each model has in common.

 

If you want something for the cool factor, go with the 25% bravado advice. If you're gonna use it for home defense, always always always consider what's going to be behind your target.

 

And personally, I like some of the SIGs, and the 1911, cause they feel good in my hand

[EMT~SPARTA~]

Thanks for the advice guys!

 

I was going to go to the shooting range today to try some out, but my douche friend bailed on me, so ill try again next week. But be assured I will shoot every pistol im interested in before i make my decision.