XD line of handguns

Just out of curiosity I'm wondering if anyone has any feedback on any of the XD range of handguns for conceal carry purposes? My department carries H&K .45's as a primary and since my permit will only give me a certain amount of time to purchase I was looking for an off duty sidearm.

Another question I have is in regard to caliber, for off duty purpose. Would you prefer to go with a .45, 40 S&W, or 9mm and why? Looking for recommendations from seasoned folks with knowledge on 'what works'. :biggrin1:

Dave

I have a .45 cal weapon, carry a duty .40 cal, and my wife carries a 9mm. I always have and probably will prefer the .45 cal personally but there is nothing wrong, imo, with either of the other 2. I may very well purchase a 9mm in the near future. I think it has a lot to do with what you are comfortable shooting.

What lew said. My complaint with the XD series is the trigger reset. It is long. Remember they do have a subcompact HK now if you want to stay with a similar operating system. I personally carry a .45 both on and off

H&K for on duty? Never heard of a department carrying them, but have a great deal of respect for their pistols.

I waffle over the .45/.40 debate. I like the big hole and low recoil of a 45, but the penetration and extra rounds of a 40 is hard to beat. I wouldn't be against carrying a 9mm, but would prefer at least a .40 if possible.

Can't say much about the XD's. I've never shot one. Those that own then seem to like them, but not many own them.

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Originally Posted by Drico

Just out of curiosity I'm wondering if anyone has any feedback on any of the XD range of handguns for conceal carry purposes? My department carries H&K .45's as a primary and since my permit will only give me a certain amount of time to purchase I was looking for an off duty sidearm.

Another question I have is in regard to caliber, for off duty purpose. Would you prefer to go with a .45, 40 S&W, or 9mm and why? Looking for recommendations from seasoned folks with knowledge on 'what works'. :biggrin1:

Dave

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Well, we knew it wouldn't be long before I got to this thread :biggrin1:

The XD is a reliable and well made pistol. It's about as reliable and well made as any other brand name gun.

So, that said - I'll cover caliber with my "standard reply" and offer one variable.

Carry the gun that fits your hand in the largest caliber you can reliably control, and never go into a gunfight with a weapon the caliber of which begins with less than "4."

Now, I will offer one variable. If your department is going to issue you practice ammunition in one caliber, it would behoove you to match that caliber. The "why" there should be obvious and involves pulling the trigger a lot so you can do your part when or if the time comes.

I have no idea if I am "seasoned," but I am a pretty good instructor. All of the calibers you listed will do their job if you do yours :biggrin1: but I favor the "4" rule because history seems to support it.

This was excellent feedback...in all honesty the reason why I ask is because more or less the last time I qualified with a handgun was back in the late 90's..military issued 9mm Berettas. Since then a lot I'm sure has developed and evolved.

I was somewhat surprised as well that my department was carrying H&K's...in .45's....in a world that seems dominated by glocks at the agency level I was sure surprised. In all likelihood I will stick with a .45 caliber for off duty purposes as well...I have to check out the H&K compacts and see what they have to offer.

I have the HK USP 45 full size and compact. The compact is similar to a Glock 23 so its really not that small. Their subcompact doesn't come in 45. I would be happy carrying either of them. For a small .45 I would say look at the XD, M&P, or Glock.

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Originally Posted by pgg

I have the HK USP 45 full size and compact. The compact is similar to a Glock 23 so its really not that small. Their subcompact doesn't come in 45. I would be happy carrying either of them. For a small .45 I would say look at the XD, M&P, or Glock.

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The thing I liked about the XD(m) was that it comes with interchangeable grips..meaning I don't have big hands..I'm somewhat curious how the .45 is going to feel..I'm going to have to bite the bullet and take a ride out to one of the local gun shops and 'test drive' a few..

Pgg..do you find the H&K compact suitable in terms of conceal carry? from a weight and size aspect...?

I was able to conceal it. An ex-large T-Shirt covering it was fine for me. It is a very accurate weapon. The HKs are some of the sweetest shooting handguns I've handled. I may catch hell for it but I like them better then Sig

Another thing also is I have the USP series. You may want to try the HK45 series and see if it is smaller

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Originally Posted by pgg

Another thing also is I have the USP series. You may want to try the HK45 series and see if it is smaller

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HK .45 compact looks mighty good but 8 round mag...10 tops..hmmm..I don't know..maybe in a 40SW...

The USP .45 also only has a 8 round mag and you can't interchange them with the bigger gun

just confirmed it today...USP .45's is what we carry on duty...qual twice a year.

We own two of the forerunners of the XD9 before Springfield bought the import rights (called the HS2000 back then. They sold for $289) - I used to use it for steel target matches, and probably put over 10,000 rounds through one of them. I love it, and used to conceal-carry it, but went to a Glock 17 because it used the same holster as my Glock 22 duty pistol did, and I qualified on both of them. That way, I could swap them out on a moment's notice if my dury pistol broke or something.

I still carry the Glock 17 concealed. I like 9mm better, because I'm a little bit more accurate with 9mm than .40, even though I use Ranger 9mm +P+ in it, which are very hot loads. The target rounds are also cheaper when I get lazy and don't reload my own ammo.

I'm also a little weary of reloading .40 ammo, because the preassures are so much higher than 9mm. I've seen several .40 cartridges rupture in Glocks if they're reloaded more than 4 or 5 times, which can cause hand injury - but I've reloaded 9mm up to 15 times with the HS2000, and had nothing more than a few side-split cases occasionally. All that does is reduce the velocity a bit.

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Originally Posted by TXCharlie

I've seen several .40 cartridges rupture in Glocks if they're reloaded more than 4 or 5 times

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RTFM :doh:

The manuals almost always say no reloads, no matter which gun you buy.

Oh and another thing, the Glocks don't like bare lead bullets - may cause them to go kaboom, but the XD9's don't seem to have that problem. I still see people shooting bare lead in their Glocks because it's so much cheaper and never saw a kaboom, but I don't want to test my luck - There's lots of documentation on the preassure spikes it causes after the Glock barrels get a good coating of lead.

Being of the 'hey let's give the officers these new 9mm autos' 1980's era, I'd have to jump ship and agree with carrying a 45. Too many bad guys today carry a big gun. And we all know how lucky they shoot. When the good guys need to stop them, I'd feel better with a 45 and more rounds. I'll carry my 9 because that's what I was issued. So, as suggested by others, I'd elect to purchase/carry a 45. But, that's just an old guys opinion. Stay safe out there.

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Originally Posted by TXCharlie

The manuals almost always say no reloads, no matter which gun you buy.

Oh and another thing, the Glocks don't like bare lead bullets - may cause them to go kaboom, but the XD9's don't seem to have that problem. I still see people shooting bare lead in their Glocks because it's so much cheaper and never saw a kaboom, but I don't want to test my luck - There's lots of documentation on the preassure spikes it causes after the Glock barrels get a good coating of lead.

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Glock specifically prohibits reloads, and tells you not to shoot lead bullets because the damn thing will explode. Polygonal rifling is not for lead bullets, but has specific advantages. It reduces drag on the bullet and reduces copper fouling. Glock chambers also have a sharp transition, which poses additional dangers with lead fouling.

You can take whatever side of how you feel about that you wish to, but "doing it anyway" is stupid.

The XD doesn't have that problem because it uses standard rifling.

The XD40 is our duty weapon. We use two barrel lengths, 4" for admin and CID and 5" for patrol (I think those are correct). Most everybody likes them and we have had good luck with a wide range of users being able to qualify with them.

Personal opinion, stay with 40 or 45 if you can.

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Originally Posted by maclean

Glock specifically prohibits reloads, and tells you not to shoot lead bullets because the damn thing will explode. Polygonal rifling is not for lead bullets, but has specific advantages. It reduces drag on the bullet and reduces copper fouling. Glock chambers also have a sharp transition, which poses additional dangers with lead fouling.

You can take whatever side of how you feel about that you wish to, but "doing it anyway" is stupid.

The XD doesn't have that problem because it uses standard rifling.

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Yep... before I shot bare lead in my Glocks, I'd want to get a Lone Wolf barrel. The Lone Wolf barrels are only about $99 and have both better case support, plus standard rifling like the XD's. Then while on duty, just swap it out with the original barrel. But if you buy an XD, that's $99 you'll save. Meanwhile, I'll only shoot Montana Gold jacketed reloads in my Glocks 22. Already have 2,000 of them, but just haven't loaded them yet. Previously the only ones I loaded were 9mm, .38's and .357 mags.

The reason the manufactures say not to shoot reloads is either the problem you state, plus the lack of a completely supported chamber in the case of the Glocks (which can cause rear case ruptures), plus the fact that there's no quality control - If you put a double charge in a case, that's a good way to explode the gun and get killed or seriously injured. you have to be very careful.

I like the option of using reloads, because I can do a lot more practicing for the same money, even with 9mm's. It used to not pay much to reload 9mm's, especially if you get a Dillion Progressive press (which in my opinion is the only type that's workable for large quantities). But now with even 9mm target rounds bumping $20/box, there's a pretty good cost advantage to reloading now.

Some people I know go through 5,000 rounds a month in practice - that's a lot more than I do, but they simply couldn't afford to practice that much unless they reloaded their own ammo.