Your opinions are valued, XD or M&P

Y

Yankee Traveler

New member
So the wife and I visited a couple of ranges over the past couple of weeks and we sampled a few pistols and I was looking for a few opinions to bolster mine (or not...).
The first visit was my wifes first visit to a range or a gun shop, and her first time shooting a pistol of any kind. We handled a few pistols and conversed with a couple of the proprieters who immediatly asked my wife if she had ever shot a pistol. After she had hefted a number of them, one of the fellas offered her a Lady Smith .38. She basically said comfortable and balanced but no safety, only six shots, reloading with a clip seems faster...
So we rented a Walther P22 just to get her used to loud noises and holes in paper and went down stairs with a few boxes of .22 LR. I was chivalrious (sp?) enough to load the clip and work the slide for her usually but not always. Nice little gun and cheap fun.
Then we decided to take it up a notch and went back and traded the Walther for a Glock 19. Both my wife and I found the pistol very uncomfortable to shoot, load, rack and just handle.
Weekend #2 and a different range/gunshop as we were looking for a vareity of choices (I was looking for 1911's to rent for one thing) and it was immediatly a different atmosphere. The guy behind the counter (much more derogatory phrases come to mind) was asked if he had an XD9 for rent As a buddy had recomended it and we had already tried the Glock. He immediatly said women can't shoot automatics because they can't operate the slide. Girls need something like this Lady Smith .38 because they are simple. Because women will get emotional when shooting and not know how to operate a safety and they are not strong enough to operate a slide.
I pressed for an XD9 which he avoided and when I asked about a 1911 for rent (not brand or caliber specific) he proceeded to tell me what a cannon HE was carrying (and displayed his) and that they were hard to handle and not for everyone. If WE needed something bigger then a 9mm what most women need (for some reason fixated on my wife) beside the bed is a Mossberg 500 with a pistol grip, just hold it against your hip and keep working the pump...(*** dude???)
So back at range #1 we discovered they didn't have an XD9 to rent but here is an M&P in 9mm or a sig 226 in 9mm. The wife didn't care for the balance of the Sig so we took the M&P down to the range and put a few hundred rounds through it. GREAT GUN! Smooth Balanced. Both my wife and I could easily put 17 rounds in the clip, and work the slide. Recoil was also easily managed by my wife (not a big lady by any means either a fit 5'4" @115lbs) so I kicked it up agian and swapped the M&P for an XD45. Another great gun, a little tougher to get the 13th round in the mag, and just a hair tougher to rack the slide but nothing she couldn't handle, and she said she really didn't notice a difference in the recoil, but it was louder. Again, couple hundred rounds later...

A couple of questions to those who have shot both guns in either the same caliber, or all calibers. The XD45 seemed to be a little top heavy and not as balanced as the M&P 9 like the distance from the top of my grip to the centerline of the barrel was much greater, is it the same with the XD9 or is that simply a result of the larger shell casing? Therefore, does the M&P in .45 have a lower bore centerline like the 9mm or is it higher due to the larger caseing? Unfortunatly I was not able to compare apples to apples or oranges to oranges. The XD45's extra flip seemed to come from the added distance then from the caliber itself. I am looking for a HD handgun that we can take to the range and have some good cheap fun (!!!) The 9 will be cheaper but in which gun? I prefer the .45 and my wife liked the XD as well how does an M&P 45 shoot?

He did have 3 Gold cups for sale but none for rent, she thought it was heavy, I thought it was heaven.
Opinions and thoughts please, and thanks for letting me rant...
 
K

Keltyke

Moderator
Sounds like you both have done your research well. Ignore the guy who said women can't shoot a semi. Racking a slide doesn't take strength, it takes knowing how. Shooting a small, lightweight snubbie takes practice, and many women don't like the sometimes sharp recoil when using +p or .357 mag. in one. I'm not partial to the .357 mag. snubbie myself.

The only XD I've shot is the XD9SC, and I fell in love with it from the first time I picked one up. It's a sweet piece.

All that being said:

The "best" gun is the one YOU like, not anyone else. It will be a compromise of:

1. Fit - It should fit in your hand like you were born with it there.
2. Reliability - It should go BANG about 99.8% of the time you pull the trigger.
3. Accuracy - In YOUR hand. It's how well YOU shoot it.
4. Concealability - It should be comfortable enough to wear and easy enough to conceal so you won't leave it laying on the dresser at home.
5. Cost - You don't want to scrimp on your "life protector" weapon, but you probably don't need a $1,000 Kimber, either.
 
W

Wrothgar

Moderator
It took my wife, who is 5' 105 pounds, 10 seconds to rack my XD 40S&W sub compact.

Maybe I should give my PPK/S to her when I get it back...
 
C

chris in va

New member
Honestly, the easiest to use firearm I've handled so far has got to be my CZ 75. Mags have a lighter spring, and the recoil spring in the gun itself makes it a snap to rack.

All steel really cuts down on recoil too. Might be worth a look.
 
S

supergas452M

Moderator
If you are going to get an XD get a XDm, if they aren't making it in the caliber you want just wait a little bit. I own an XDm and two M&Ps, I highly recommend either/both.
 
N

N.H. Yankee

New member
I might suggest going to XDtalk and smith-wessonforum and see whats being said and how people like them. I have both M&P 9mm and I love the XDm 40cal, very accurate, 100% reliable evn with reloads, very nice trigger. I haven't shot the M&P enough to give a evaluation as far as accuracy, nice balance and trigger is pretty good also. I wish XD would offer the same options on a smaller XD for concealed carry as the XDm can be hard to carry concealed. I had an XD40 when they first came out and had zero problems, shot well, reliable, but I just had a hangup about the recoil rod sticking out past the frame. Not a problem today as you can get aftermarket rods, back then there was nothing as it just came out.

Comparing a 9mm to a 45 as far as gun weight and balance isn't equal. I would try an XD 9mm compared to a M&P 9mm and 45 compared to 45 and see what shakes out. 1911's are usually nicely balance, but depends upon barrel length abd flat or arched grip makes a difference in feel also. As afr as maintence an XD or M&P will be easier to take apart and reassemble. You could also try a SIG P239 or P228 9mm as they balance better for some people than the larger P series. The P239 is great for smaller hands but is a single stack so if Hi-cap is a must this won't do it. CZ makes a fine line of guns in the 75 series as well but I may stay away from the newer polymer model until it has a proven performance record.

I had problems with the M&P new out of the box, fired cases would not extract. I got it back late yesterday ( 10 day turn around ) from S&W, they had to replace the extractor and remove tool marks from the barrel's chamber. I managed to fire 20 rounds before the mosquito's drove me back inside. So far it functions OK, but I have many S&W's that have been problem free. I hope to do more shooting with it today. Both companies seem to have a good repair policy though I have never had to use Springfield's.
 
Y

Yankee Traveler

New member
"Comparing a 9mm to a 45 as far as gun weight and balance isn't equal. I would try an XD 9mm compared to a M&P 9mm and 45 compared to 45 and see what shakes out."

I agree whole heartedly. Unfortunatly, an M&P in .45 was not available nor was an XD in 9mm.

"I managed to fire 20 rounds before the mosquito's drove me back inside."

Yeah, I miss that about the Northeast Kingdom. And the black flies too.
 
V

verti89

New member
The XDm is the same as the XD but with ported barrels. I have not shot the XDm but own and love the XD45 and the XD40SC, my coworker has the XDm and says the recoil is noticeably lower with it but his problem with them is that the gas flying out the top can put stuff backwards towards the open chamber and cause the gun to be dirtier than others. I will add that the SC .40 has more snap than I anticipated, but still very easily managed for me. I shot my buddies M&P 9mm but its the only 9mm I have shot recently so I can't really compare it to anything since trying to compare any brand 9mm to any brand .45 is just not reasonable. But like what others have said it is about what YOU like.
 
T

That'll Do

New member
verti89 said:
The XDm is the same as the XD but with ported barrels.
Click to expand...

Last time I checked, the XDm does not have a ported barrel.

The Springfield XD V-10 does have a ported barrel though. Maybe that's what your friend has.
 
G

golfnutrlv

New member
i have an M&P Full size 9mm. Its great! I use it for home defense, occasional carry, target/range use, and for competition. Its great on all accounts. The trigger smooths out after a while, sights are great, easy to use. I love it.

I had a chance to try an XDm in 9mm a couple days ago and I loved that too! Putting that on my to have list! Seriously try the XDm if you can. My first 20 shots were ridicously accurate, having never pulled the trigger on it before, I was just amazed. 1 minor flier, but one of the more impressive 15' groups I have shot.

Have fun with searching! Enjoy!
 
H

hdawson228

New member
I compared the M&P and the XD side by side, both in 9mm. I chose the XD9SC. Unfortunately I sold it, but it was perfect in every way. I will soon be buying the XDm9SC and expect it to be at least equal to the XD I had and probably better.:cool:
 
S

SavageMOA

New member
I have a full size M&P40 that I've put over 1,000 rounds through. I haven't had a single malfunction, whatsoever.

My regular shooting buddy shoots an XD, but we both prefer my M&P because of the lower bore axis which results in a lower felt recoil.

I give my full recommendation towards the M&P
 
T

Texpass

New member
Yankee Traveler, I have bought my wife several guns to find the one she likes. I did by her an XD-40, a very-good gun. But it was heavy with a full load, so we tried some other things. My wife is real sensitive to recoil, so we found that the K-frame S&W's were much more to her liking. She now carries an S&W Model 19 with 38+P. The gun is heavy, put not that heavy...but it does tame the recoil which get with a light weight revolver. She does like the Bersa 9mm UC and also my S&W 6906. I liked the XD, but it was very hard for me to carry it concealed, so I sold it.
 
R

rsxr22

New member
my girlfriend recently purchased an xd and after owning it for a few months traded it in on the new walther pps. She enjoyed shooting the gun, but it was too bulky for her to carry. But she enjoys shooting some of my guns more than the xd. The HK P30 is one of the best feeling handguns ive ever held and shot, but it comes with a pretty hefty price tag unless you can find one slightly used. My only gripe about the m&p is the amount of plastic used. Compared to the glock and springer, the s&w uses even MORE plastic and in some places on the slide that i believe should be steel, but they do feel amazing in the hand
 
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