Need help deciding which pistol

S

Slottmann

New member
I actually have permission with the wife to buy a new gun and have not gotten it done /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif. I am getting a 45 ACP and have it narrowed to either a Glock, M&P or XD. Out of these 3 which one would everyone recommend? I need to get this done before she changes her mind /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif Thanks in advance for the help.
 
Well just thought I'd muddy the waters for you. I own 3 xds. Great performance and reliability. I own others but these guys are the go to guns for ccw in our family.
 
I think I have average hands and I think the Glock is a big handful. My personal preference of the ones you've mentioned would be the XD. BUT, I don't own any of these guns, only shot them.
Good luck in your choice!
M
 
Thanks guys, I have not actually shot any of these just held them. I have average hands and all of them feel a little bulky in the grip but really like them all. Of the 3, the M&P feels best but have not heard much on those other than a few writer reviews (good reviews but can you really trust what they write). I guess this is a good problem to have:)
 
I own an M&P in 40 S&W, and this is one fun gun to shoot. It feels good in the hands, the interchangable back strap is a very nice feature. My wife is 5'6" and I am 6'2" and we can change the grips to fit both of our hands. This gun points very naturally for me. I enjoy shooting this gun every bit as much as my Kimber. FYI the .40 caliber in this gun to me has less felt recoil than alot of 9mm that I have shot. I have the full size and am in the process of saving some $$$ for the compact version for my CCW gun.
 
If your considering reloading the Glock doesn't seem to be the ideal candidate. Glock does not recommend reloaded ammo and especially shooting cast bullets. Here's a link to check about shooting lead in Glocks.

http://shootersforum.com/showthread.htm?t=47102

You might also look at the new Taurus 1911 clone. Personally if I was going to buy an new 45 I'd get the LDA by Para-Ordance. They have a great trigger.
 
First things first... you are comparing apples and apples! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif That is a great way to start out!

All three are VERY good pistols, with that being said you must find the one that fits you (most comfortable to shoot) the best of the three. My suggestion would be to find a indoor shooting range (if you have one in your area) and see if they will let you rent a pistol. Three of the ranges here will let you rent a pistol to shoot, so you can make a decision on the one that fits you the best. If you can't do that, see if any of your friends have one of these three, if that fails... pick the one that points the best for you.

I like Glock and the XDs, but they do not fit my hand well. The M&P Compact fits my hand like Smith&Wesson built it for ME. I point well with that pistol and I shoot well with it. It will be the next pistol I buy, unless I can find a Kimber Pro Carry for a good deal. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
 
Another vote for the M&P. I have one in 9mm, very happy with it. The XD is also a fine pistol. I'd echo IDBob's comments about the Glock not liking lead bullets.
 
Owned a Glock 23 for a while and ended up selling it. Nothing wrong with the gun, perfect function, simple design, and accurate enough for concealed carry. It was wide in the grip (as are all Glocks that I've handled), but the addition of the hogue grip to it actually helped though it did make it larger to grip. Anyway, I didn't sell the gun because I didn't like it, I just needed/wanted something else more at the time. Now that I'm looking to replace a gun for that purpose (CCW) I'm looking more towards the smaller 1911 such as the Kimber Ultra Carry/Pro Carry, etc. I'll buy another Glock again someday as it was a real solid pistol. I'd trust my life to it.


Mahamari
 

I went through a similar decision process a few months
back. FWIW, I purchased a XD-45 Compact. I could not be
more pleased with the pistol. It cycles my "light" 200 gr.
practice ammo, and my stout 200 gr. XTP loads(1000 fps),
with great reliability. It is surprisingly accurate,
for a 4" barrel, plastic pistol(I am a 1911 junkie).
The M&P was my second choice, but the price, didn't seem
justified, and the grip extended magazine(13 rounds), of
the XD-45, in "non-compact" mode was a nice additional
feature of the XD-45. That and I got the XD gear(belt
holster, belt mag holder, and a speed loader), thrown in.
But the bottom line is get what "feels" best to you.
All three of your choices are good pistols.

Squeeze
 
I own and have carried two Glock model 21's for the last ten years of my LE career. So I am biased, I would strongly suggest the Glock. I have never had a malfunction out of either of mine, that I didn't cause. Yes the Glock will viod your warranty if your shooting handloads and cast is also a no no. But an after market button rifled barrel with a fully supported chamber. will fix that. The Glock has a polyagonal rifleing, they do not like lead, and just like many other semi auto pistols the chamber is not fully supported, that is what lead to the issues with handloads.
A handgun is a very personal choice it has to fit you and your hand. But saying that the department I retired from had fifty sworn officers when we changed from the S&W 686 to Glocks I was one of the officers who evaluated and selected the new issue handguns. The XD was on the market but was a Check import at the time and was not even a consideration. We evaluated the Glock, S&W, Sig, And a couple others. Sigs were just to expencive. S&W has a Magazine safety so the pistol will not fire with the Mag out or even if it is not locked in the pistol. In the end we chose the Glock in either 40 S&W or 45 ACP. I chose to buy two consecutive pistols so I still have them even though I am retired. Out of the fifty sworn officers ten chose the 45ACP. I am fairly big with large hands 6'03" the forty S&W seemed small to me plus at that time the 40 was a pretty new round and I felt it had not been proven sufficiently. Of the other nine officers that chose the 45 ACP seven were average size men, two were small female officers. It still gripes me a bit because one of the females had consistantly better range scores than ANY MALE OFFICERS with her great big Glock 21 45 ACP she barely made the hight requirements to be hired, 4'11" and very small statured. So as far as the Glock being to large you really have to try one. try to get to some place where you can put a hundred rounds through it and any others your interested in. That wide grip has several advantages the main one is a lot less felt recoil. The Glock is the softest shooting full sized 45 ACP on the market. I have thought about getting a G 30 since they came out but haven't because the G21 works for me, but that is me. If you are wanting a pistol for CCW you need to look at your stature and the way you dress normally, and ask yourself if you can effectivly hide a G21? That may or may not be a consideration. For me they worked fine in uniform, a suit, or in casual wear but like I said I am sort of a big guy.
 
The glocks can't be beat for reliabilty.I have owned Kimber, Sigs,Smiths and liked all of them except the Smith.The older Smiths were not accurate for me. I did not like the Glocks at first until I had one for a while.If you shoot a Glock I recommend staying with the Glock because of the very differnt trigger pull.It's hard to be consistant shooting a Kimber and then pick up a glock to shoot next because of the different triggers.Good luck with your decision.
 
I followed this thread because I am in the same boat and am looking at the same guns in the same caliber. Pretty scary, huh?

I've been fortunate enough to shoot quite a few of the semi autos out there: Glock, H&K, Berretta, Sig, etc. and have my choices narrowed down to XD or Glock. I acutally like the XD a little better, but in all my shooting the one pistol I've never seen have a problem is a Glock. Not that they don't, I've just not seen it.

Also, while not telling how I know this, if Glock still chrome lines the barrels that is the problem with lead bullets. While chrome looks smooth and shiney it is really a very stressed deposit that has a lot of cracks. These cracks can give you problems with lead bullets and at least one other type of round that I am aware of.
 
Get what appeals to you for looks, fit & feel. All 3 are good weapons. I myself am a Sig person. I love my P226 9mm & P220 45ACP. Only thing I may add in the future is a compact Sig. I've shot Glock & the M&P. The M&P felt best to me, but that's me. Never fired an XD, but have handled them. Like others have said, it is more of a personal choice.

Good luck,
HS
 
I'd opt for a 1911 style pistol. For the same price as those poly guns you can get a Springfield or Taurus 1911. You won't be dissapointed in either.
 
I just picked up the XD 5" tactical today. I looked at all the same guns you are looking at plus a few others. The XD just fit my hand alot better. Good luck.

Guy
 
out of those three i would pick the glock. however if i were looking for a new 45acp i would buy an HK USP. Springfield has gone downhill since selling out America and moving production out of the country. The smith is said to be a good gun but as with anything that is new it takes a few years to work the bugs out. the glock is a down right shooter and has been for years. i just prefer HK handguns due to the features and the way the releases are configured.here is my USPc in 357sig notice the slide release is just like the 1911 and the mag release is ambidextrious as well.
guns004-2.jpg
 
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I have never herd of the M&P. I really like the XD have shot 4-5 of them. I still perfer a Kimber or Springfield over the XD or Glocks that I have shot.
 
They are all good guns. I've read a lot of gun tests done on them but the XD has had several tests done without jamming in 5000+ ( some of those were with no cleaning ) rounds that's pretty incredible. I've had my XD for over 8 years now. It will feed anything I've tried in it and no jams to date. For a self defense gun that is a real confidence builder I wouldn't settle for less.
 
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