Does any one here have or have shot one of the Springfield XD hand guns? I am considering purchasing one of their 4" service models in either 357 Sig or 40 S&W in OD green and black.

If any one has one of these let me here it. Good, bad, or indiferent.

Hi bigbulls,

My brother-in-law purchased one of the 4" in .40 S&W. We......him, his wife, their daughter and son-in-law, my wife, and I (whew).......went shooting at an informal range. We put several hundred rounds through that gun collectively, (plus many more rounds....through a number of other guns). Everyone liked his XD so well that he went and purchased another 4" XD in 9mm for his wife's "house gun". She had a KelTec P-11 before but didn't like the recoil of the little gun.

A month or two later we (basically the same group plus another or two) went out again and had the new XD along this time.....as well as the older one. Pretty much the same story all over again. Collectively shot hundreds of rounds through the 9mm XD....and everyone agreed...it was nice! The 9mm recoiled even less and the women liked it even better! Plus we put another couple hundred through the .40 again.

Both pistols functioned well. I think there was one or two failures to completely eject an empty case. But you have to remember, these were both brand new pistols....never fired before. And a large number of people were shooting. Some more experienced and some less experienced. Once we explained that pistols needed to be fired without "limp wristing" the grip.....the problem stopped! I don't think the pistols were the real source of the problem.

Personally, before I'd put either of these pistols into service as defensive weapons......I'd personally fire 300-500 rounds minimum (but I do that with all guns meant for protection). Half of that could be inexpensive practice ammo. (Actually I might fire 500 rounds of just inexpensive ammo to facilitate break-in.) And I'd follow with 200 rounds minimum of the ammo I intended to carry. If I experience any operable reliability issues with either the pistol.....or later the carry ammo...I continue to try different ammunition until I had something that I knew would function. Failing to find that.....I'd look for another gun!

But I think both of these pistols are going to be just fine! And have no qualms recommending them, (with the caveat.....that I'm basing that on the limited experience I just described).

Good luck with your decision!

Dave

Have the 9mm and would not trade it for anything. Cleaned up all my other semi-auto's and put them in the safe.

www.hs2000talk.com

A friend has the 40 S&W in the 4" model and liked it so well that he bought the 2" model with the lights and nite sights in 9 mm . I was surprised how well it shot with the short barrel .

I think I just might have to purchase one of these here real soon. Great site 454. And a great informative story there AK.

I might have to rethink the green though. It might clash with some of my wardrobe. Black goes with anything.


Thanks guys.

I have two of them. One I carry on the job, the other is a personal carry pistol. Both of my pistols are the same 40 S&W XD-Tactical model. I first trained with them two years ago. The department got a good buy on them, I am glad they did. They are a great pistol. I personally shoot better with the tactical model than I do with any other model.

I went to Cabela's today in an attempt to buy an XD40 4"......(2 local dealers have one in stock but I was the Fortunate recipient of some Cabela's gift cards.)
Anyway, long story short....they didn't have one.[:@] Only a 9mm Sub.

Everyone cross your fingers for me as they are calling to their other stores in an attempt to locate one.

Everything I have read and heard about these XD's has been overwhelmingly positive.
This is going to be my carry gun as well as vehicle/home. (I can see an M3 tac light in my future as well)

Akbound,
If you don't mind, you seem to be pretty well versed in the defense gun subject. This will be my first .40........Any recommendations on a good defense load for this particular model? (Also a nice cheap plinker style round to get a feel and help with break in before I trust it fully.)

Wolf killer,
What rounds are you carrying on the job?

Come on Cabela's......find one.

Hi Matt/PA,

An easy local source of relatively inexpensive plinking/range ammo is Winchester "white box". Most WalMart's carry in bulk pack 100 rounds for about $10. for 9mm, $15. for .40 S&W, $20. for .45 ACP. This is newly manufactured commercial ammunition. (You can usually buy former Eastern Block ammo cheaper.....but it tends to burn dirtier....usually has steel non reloadable cases....and of course you need to be aware of quality control....or lack of!) You can also shop around for bulk prices that sometimes are better "by the case". But for most people the easy way to get reliable practice ammo is the "white box" bulk at WalMart.

As for effective carry ammo......there have been books written on that subject alone. The .40 S&W is quickly establishing itself with a good record of "stopping" during shootings. The first criteria for any "carry load" for your particular gun is that it is absolutely functionally reliable. Probably most commercail hollow point (and specialty ammo for defense) will function reliably in the XD. But I wouldn't trust any brand in any of my guns until I'd put a minimum of 200 or 300 rounds of it through the gun without any hitches. And that means check each and every magazine you intend to use or carry. Frequently semi-auto funtioning problems are directly related to individual magazines! (In the premium ammunition brands.....that can get expensive. But it is infinitesimally cheaper than the alternative!) Their are numerous brands of ammuniton that have garnered reputations for providing "good records during actual shootings". No matter which I'd name....I'd be sure to miss a few. But having said that I will mention most of Corbon's dedicated to defensive situations and Federal Hydra-Shok® have reasonably good records. Speer's Gold Dot and the other major manufacturer's have ammuntion with defensive applications and are becoming major players in the that market. (Another good alternative is to check what your local and or state PD are carrying.......and mimic them. Considerable thought has gone into what the LE community carry's these days and it will prove easy to defend it's use in court if heaven forbid....you actually ever do use it!) But in the end.....whatever you carry for serious purposes....make sure it functions well in your gun!

Hope this helps!

Dave

My wife had one and loves it?! I have to ask for her permission before I can shoot it.

It is a great shooting gun. We have never had a problem with it at all. I love the feel of it much more than a Glock. I like the safety features, how easy it is to break down to clean, and it just fits right in my hands.

We primarily shoot the Winchester white box stuff from Walmart and it shoots liek a dream.

Matt