TexasCHLforum.com

Thanks to everyone here for the great words of encouragement. I had kind of made my mind up already that if she feels comfortable with it then she will want to shoot it more. That means better control and well placed shots so we will both feel better and she'll like going to the range with me more often. Win, win situation. Great fast response and thanks again to everyone.

I would feel quite comfortable with a 20 shot long barrel 9mm by the bedside.

Mine likes the Beretta 92, thats the one she shoots the most. So that makes it the best nightstand option for her. Nothing wrong with using a large gun for night stand, I can't carry my G24 but would have no issue with it on my nightstand (other than the cops taking it if I had to use it). No one can say what gun is right for you or her.

UPDATE: Just received a new 5.25 in 9MM yesterday for my wife. Thought she would be a little mad because she knew what they cost. To my surprise she saw it, hugged me then asked "What time does the range open tomorrow!" She's a keeper. Thanks to OLD CANNON for the great FFL transfer.

yogihat wrote:UPDATE: Just received a new 5.25 in 9MM yesterday for my wife. Thought she would be a little mad because she knew what they cost. To my surprise she saw it, hugged me then asked "What time does the range open tomorrow!" She's a keeper. Thanks to OLD CANNON for the great FFL transfer.

Thanks for the kind words, YogiHat! I like making things as easy (and cheap ) as possible!

yogihat wrote:I have people telling me it is made for competition only and not a good choice. Any suggestions or comments would be appreciated.

The theory behind statements like this is that "competition guns" are, according to the theory, tuned for accuracy above reliability. The thing is, a lot of the competitions are timed, so a gun that was accurate but failed all the time would be near useless. AFAIK, XDms in any configuration are considered to be reliable, safe, and accurate guns.

Re: OP's subject line question:
XD = Springfield Armory = high quality pistol. Check.
5.25" barrel = longer sight distance = better accuracy = wife's best groups. Check.
9MM = About 20 rounds of Speer Gold Dots will spoil any BG's day, even multiple BG's. Check.
On the nightstand? Sure. Check.

What the single men in the forum want to know is this: does your wife have a single sister? :-)

SIA

Dave2 wrote:

yogihat wrote:I have people telling me it is made for competition only and not a good choice. Any suggestions or comments would be appreciated.

The theory behind statements like this is that "competition guns" are, according to the theory, tuned for accuracy above reliability. The thing is, a lot of the competitions are timed, so a gun that was accurate but failed all the time would be near useless. AFAIK, XDms in any configuration are considered to be reliable, safe, and accurate guns.

Sorry, I don't know of a single USPSA or IDPA shooter that thinks accuracy comes above reliability. A pistol that has a stoppage on a stage and forces a clear is a useless pistol. I'm not saying accuracy is irrelevant (hardly), but these aren't folks that are trying to hit the X ring at 25-50 yds. Perhaps that's the type of "competition" you're referring to?

yogihat wrote:UPDATE: Just received a new 5.25 in 9MM yesterday for my wife. Thought she would be a little mad because she knew what they cost. To my surprise she saw it, hugged me then asked "What time does the range open tomorrow!" She's a keeper. Thanks to OLD CANNON for the great FFL transfer.

What a great post-Christmas present! I'm sure she's going to love it.

A final note about the XD(M) being a "competition" gun. With action shooting sports continuing to grow in popularity, and with Rob Leatham on their advisory team, Springfield decided they wanted the next generation of XDs to be a gun someone new to the sports could, right out of the box (well, after sighting in and a little practice time) take out to the weekly match without paying a high price for customization and without being at too much of a "gear" penalty.

The XD(M) 5.25 is marketed as "competition grade," but make no mistake, it is still a production service pistol for all intents and purposes; it is not a finely tuned race gun. The differences from a regular XD(M) aren't "competition only": a 5.25" barrel rather than 5" for the "tactical model; fiber-optic front sight and adjustable rear; a little different grip checkering; a molded, but very slight, mag well. But that's about it, to my knowledge. The barrel is manufactured the same way as the other XD(M) barrels (the extra length and sight radius help improve accuracy) and I believe it is essentially the same trigger. The one I felt seemed to break at five pounds or just a hair over, and seemed to have about the same reset length and positivity as my regular XD(M); good trigger, but no SA 1911.

I would say this is a fine pistol for the nightstand, with the only exception that it doesn't have night sights. So long as the house isn't a really dark one, the fiber optic front will help accommodate. In that vein, see if your wife might prefer the green insert in the sight, rather than the red. The green performs better in low-light conditions, IMO. In my house, there is enough ambient lighting from the street that a fiber-optic front and black rear sight work just fine.

The other big plus is that you have now bought her a pistol that is perfectly serviceable for IDPA competition! Watch for Comp-Tac and similar companies to come out with molds for the new XD(M) 5.25, and make the next gift an OWB Kydex holster and a double mag carrier. If she was that excited about getting the pistol, she'll love getting involved in IDPA. A monthly trip to the women's program at PSC will give her a nice, smooth introduction to the sport.

You did good!

Skiprr wrote: The other big plus is that you have now bought her a pistol that is perfectly serviceable for IDPA competition! Watch for Comp-Tac and similar companies to come out with molds for the new XD(M) 5.25, and make the next gift an OWB Kydex holster and a double mag carrier. If she was that excited about getting the pistol, she'll love getting involved in IDPA. A monthly trip to the women's program at PSC will give her a nice, smooth introduction to the sport.

You did good!

Legal except for SSP. I'm hoping IDPA changes that. If you can use a Glock 34 in SSP (or M&P, etc.), you _should_ be able to use the XDM 5.25, but the "single action" designation of the XD series kills it for SSP. Not that big of a deal, but it's important to know.

OldCannon wrote:Legal except for SSP. I'm hoping IDPA changes that. If you can use a Glock 34 in SSP (or M&P, etc.), you _should_ be able to use the XDM 5.25, but the "single action" designation of the XD series kills it for SSP. Not that big of a deal, but it's important to know.

Yeppers; but don't look for IDPA HQ to change that anytime soon. When the XDs first started to become popular, there was a member push about the issue--after all, the XD and Glock triggers, while they do feel different, don't feel like SA vs. DA different--but that little nuance of the XD mechanical action that pre-loads the striker earned it the ESP or CDP designations only, and HQ hasn't budged since. I have a first gen XD tactical 9mm that was worked-over by Canyon Creek Custom, and it almost feels like an SA ESP gun.

That said, new IPDA shooters, in my opinion, don't pay a lot of attention to the divisions or classifications. They just want a new, active way to practice shooting and gun handling. My point was that ya can't shoot .380 pocket guns in IDPA--or, effectively, a Ruger Alaskan 2.5" barrel .44 Magnum--but the choice of this XD(M) gives yogihat's wife all kinds of choices for additional, future practice. I think that's a nice plus.

OldCannon wrote:

Dave2 wrote:

yogihat wrote:I have people telling me it is made for competition only and not a good choice. Any suggestions or comments would be appreciated.

The theory behind statements like this is that "competition guns" are, according to the theory, tuned for accuracy above reliability. The thing is, a lot of the competitions are timed, so a gun that was accurate but failed all the time would be near useless. AFAIK, XDms in any configuration are considered to be reliable, safe, and accurate guns.

Sorry, I don't know of a single USPSA or IDPA shooter that thinks accuracy comes above reliability. A pistol that has a stoppage on a stage and forces a clear is a useless pistol. I'm not saying accuracy is irrelevant (hardly), but these aren't folks that are trying to hit the X ring at 25-50 yds. Perhaps that's the type of "competition" you're referring to?

Oh, no, I agree with you... I was just explaining where the "logic" in such statements comes from.

surprise_i'm_armed wrote:Re: OP's subject line question:
XD = Springfield Armory = high quality pistol. Check.
5.25" barrel = longer sight distance = better accuracy = wife's best groups. Check.
9MM = About 20 rounds of Speer Gold Dots will spoil any BG's day, even multiple BG's. Check.
On the nightstand? Sure. Check.

What the single men in the forum want to know is this: does your wife have a single sister? :-)

SIA

Sorry single guys, no sister

Well, you can't go wrong with a Springfield. I own a full-size XDM 45 as my night stand gun, and an XDM Compact 9 as a nightstand/carry/range gun. They make excellent guns.

I've handled the 5.25 and I love it. I think it would be fine for night stand. My only concern would be with having the lightening cut that everyday stuff like dust, lint would drift into it, but it might not affect it at all. As long as the wife is comfortable with it, then it will be as reliable as she can be.

Great purchase. I can't wait to get one myself.

Matto79 wrote:My only concern would be with having the lightening cut that everyday stuff like dust, lint would drift into it, but it might not affect it at all. As long as the wife is comfortable with it, then it will be as reliable as she can be.

Um, only if you leave it out in a sandstorm . It's safe to say that the cutout won't be affected by normal household dust, etc.