XD variants

[LDB415]

S-A has a special going that with any purchase you get 3 additional magazines plus a magazine carrier. There are quite a few reports online of how well it points, etc. making it sound like a good carry option. There are just so many to choose from.

I've thought about pocket carry but that means no access when in the car and less access when sitting elsewhere. Taking away the pocket carry option suggests looking past the smaller XDS and smallest XD. That still leaves several options. I'm only considering 9mm. So,

You guys (generic) with an XD(x) which specific variation do you have?

How well and naturally does it point for you?

How much do you carry it? (as in is it your 100% carry gun or what)

How long has it been your carry gun?

Knowing what you know now, if you had it to do over again would you go with that exact model? If not, which XD(x) model would you go with? If not a different XD(x) model why not?

Thanks for any and all input on this.

[LeakyWaders]

I had similar questions prior to my purchase. Here are my answers to your questions:

You guys (generic) with an XD(x) which specific variation do you have?
XDM-45 compact in bi-tone

How well and naturally does it point for you?
I found the DXM-45C to point more naturally than my dedicated carry gun. My DCG is a Sig P938 with black rubber grips and extended magazine. I have found it to naturally point lower than the 45.

How much do you carry it? (as in is it your 100% carry gun or what)
I don't carry the XDM much because of it's weight and because I have not purchased a good holster for it yet. For now it is my bedside table home defense primary weapon. When I do carry the 45 it is in the SA paddle holster it came with and it it typically during the cooler months of the year. During the summer the Sig 9mm is so easy to carry in a Hidden Hybrid OWB holster I don't even think about the 45.

How long has it been your carry gun?
N/A

Knowing what you know now, if you had it to do over again would you go with that exact model? If not, which XD(x) model would you go with? If not a different XD(x) model why not?
Before I purchased the XDM 45 Compact I shot the full size version of the XD and the sub-compact version both in .45 cal. The full size was just too big for me to consider for CC and the sub-compact was just too snappy for me. I found it difficult to get back on target easily and quickly for the second shot. Once I decide on a OWB holster I expect the XDM to become my winter DCH. Knowing what I know now I would purchase the XDM-45 Compact if I had to do it in hindsight.

Hope this helps.

[cyphertext]

I've thought about pocket carry but that means no access when in the car and less access when sitting elsewhere. Taking away the pocket carry option suggests looking past the smaller XDS and smallest XD. That still leaves several options.

Why do you say that you have no access when in the car? Granted, it isn't as fast of draw as while standing, but I can draw my Sig P290 while seated in the car. But when I am in the car for any length of time, I typically do not keep the firearm in my pocket or on my body. More comfortable for me to put the firearm where it is still concealed, but accessible. That is one of the advantages of pocket carry... just slip it back in my pocket when getting out of the car. Nobody will notice.

[CC Italian]

Unless I am at the gym (p32) or my job (illegal to carry) I always have 2 on me. If you wear pants a lot you will love ankle carry. It is easy to access in the car that way. Also, a lot of people always talk about pocket carry but a j frame or something tiny like an lcp is great on the ankle. I have at times carried my p32 in the pocket and .38 bodyguard on my ankle. This works great on days when I can't carry on the hip.

[The Annoyed Man]

S-A has a special going that with any purchase you get 3 additional magazines plus a magazine carrier. There are quite a few reports online of how well it points, etc. making it sound like a good carry option. There are just so many to choose from.

I've thought about pocket carry but that means no access when in the car and less access when sitting elsewhere. Taking away the pocket carry option suggests looking past the smaller XDS and smallest XD. That still leaves several options. I'm only considering 9mm. So,

You guys (generic) with an XD(x) which specific variation do you have?

In addition to my XDS-45, I also have a XD(m)-45 Compact 3.8. I like it a lot. With the short magazine in place, it is roughly the same size and width as a Glock 19. I think the 9mm version is roughly the same size.

How well and naturally does it point for you?

It points very well. Again, I compare it to the G19 because of size, but I think the Springfield has much better ergonomics. The ergonomics..... in terms of grip angle, etc, are like a 1911's.....which is about as good as you can get. Of course, being a double stack it is a bit wider, but not a ton wider. The XDS's ergos are just as good, although the trigger is a little bit heavier.

How much do you carry it? (as in is it your 100% carry gun or what)

I carry my XDS probably 95% or more of the time these days. The remaining 5%, I carry the larger pistol most of the time (I have other guns too, but the XD(m) is my #2 gun without a doubt). However, before I got the XDS, the XD(m) was my primary carry piece. It carries really well. It is a superb pistol.

How long has it been your carry gun?

I got my XD(m) in June of 2012, and I bought the XDS almost exactly 1 year later, in June of 2013.

Knowing what you know now, if you had it to do over again would you go with that exact model? If not, which XD(x) model would you go with? If not a different XD(x) model why not?

Thanks for any and all input on this.

Yes, all things considered I think I would have probably chosen those same two models, and probably in the same order. I bought a set of Trijicon HD sights for my XD(m) not long after buying it, so the sights are simply superb. The trigger is just outstanding, for a striker fired pistol. It is very accurate, and it is softer shooting than both my full-sized M&P45 and my Springfield "Loaded" 1911. It is softer shooting than any other handgun I own.

I bought the XDS based on my XD(m) experience, and I was NOT disappointed. Having been a 1911 guy for a long time, I really appreciated the idea of a relatively light single-stack .45. A few months before the XDS came out, I had purchased a Kahr CW45 for exactly the same reason; but while the Kahr is a pretty good pistol, it just isn't quite as nicely put together as the Springfields are, and what can I say? I like nice things. I also appreciated the grip safety on the XD/XD(m) line of pistols, which the Kahrs do not have. In the end, I traded the Kahr plus some cash for a NIB XDS. I have no regrets at all. And what with hot weather and all, the XDS is easier to carry than the larger pistol. I usually carry it with one 7 round spare mag. I have two spares, but typically only carry the one. I appreciate capacity as much as the next guy, but I also have urgent business elsewhere if bullets start flying, so I am comfortable carrying that way.

You ask what other pistols I might consider in the XD/M/S line..... I am a .45 guy at heart, but I occasionally carry a 9mm (the G19 or a Kahr PM9), and if I were to get another Springfield from the the polymer line, I would consider an XD(m) 9mm Compact 3.8, an XDS9, or, just for grins, an XD(m) 5.25" Competition in 9mm. Of those three, I'd probably get the Compact 3.8.

Hope this helps.

[LDB415]

Thanks for all the replies so far. They are very informative and helpful.

[jimlongley]

I have an XD(S) .45ACP that has become my most often carried gun. I bought it because of my pleasant experience with the XD9 that I used to own, which my wife has co-opted for her own. I like the XD(S) for the way it fits in my cargo pants pocket, and fits my hand, and fires.

Somewhere in the distant future there is another XD in .45ACP but it's down the list.

[troglodyte]

Which Variation = XDSC 9mm

Pointability = I find it points very well. As TAM pointed out the ergonomics are good for me and mimic a 1911.

How much do you carry? - Pretty much all the time. I do have a 1911 that is great to carry but for convenience I carry the XDSC most of the time.

How long have you been carrying it? For about five years.

Would you do it again? Absolutely! I have actually bought 5 of them, all XDSC 9mm. One for every member of the family. Will be buying a 6th when my youngest son gets married. Everyone likes shooting them. I'm looking at the XDS but honestly the XDSC suits me just fine. Besides, I have a 1911 Defender so I don't really gain much.

[Blindref757]

I have the XDs9 and an XD9sc. I carry the XDs a lot...DeSantis Nemesis pocket holster. No issues drawing it. I carry the XDsc in a Tucker IWB. Fits like a glove and I never give concealability much thought after I get dressed.

The XDsc shoots like a dream. It has a fantastic trigger and I can always get 50 shots in the 8-ring shooting a CHL qualifier. I've done IDPA with it and while it isn't the greatest for that type of shooting, I'm confident that in a self-defense situation, I could take care of business.
The XDs is a great gun, but it takes more time to get it back on target for follow-up shots and the trigger (upgraded) is just not as conducive to accuracy as you might like. The sights are fantastic.

If I had it to do all over again--and I can because buying, selling, and trading guns is half the fun...I would trade my XDsc for an XDm in the compact version...and I would need to shoot it, but I think I'd like the XDs in the new 4.0 version. A longer sight line might really help that gun and it wouldn't change the concealability at all. But that all being said, if it all hit the fan today, I'm very confident in both guns and recommend SA guns to everyone. They are superb pieces of equipment and the price is usually right on.

[RJGold]

I carry an XDm 9mm Compact (3.8").

I carry it most of the time in an IWB CompTac MTAC Hybrid (i.e. it's my main carry weapon).

It points naturally and is very accurate.

I would buy it for carry again in a heartbeat.

I have not looked in to the XDs models as the size improvement is not worth the reduced round capacity in my opinion.

You probably already know, but the XD models don't have the "match grade" barrels like the XDm models do. I know a couple of guys who shoot XD models and they are excellent weapons as well (and a little cheaper than the XDm models).

My two cents.

[karder]

I bought an XDs to be a small carry option and I like it a lot. My wife liked it too and confiscated it. It is now her CCW and she carries it 100% of the time. She found that it is the best mix of easy to use, easy to shoot, good accuracy, and soft recoil of any gun she had tried, and I am prone to agree. As gun enthusiasts, we are blessed to live in at a time where there are a fair number of really good pistols on the market and the XD series is right up there with the best of them. To me, it points well, shoots straight, and handles recoil great. I will be in the market for a full-size 9mm soon and the XD series is going to be strongly considered along with M&P, Glock, FN, and Beretta. There are so many good choices, there is no longer a "go to gun" in any category, which is pretty cool.

[The Annoyed Man]

I'll add something else about the XD/M/S series.... they are ridiculously easy to take down for cleaning.

I own a M&P and a Glock. Both a very good pistols. Both take down relatively simply, but......

• The simple rotating lever on the side of the frame of the M&P makes removing the slide assembly very easy......BUT..... it also requires the use of a tool to reach down through the ejection port and push down on a lever which hinges on the rear aspect of the magazine well, which (I think) disengages the sere, and which has to be rotated downward and forward before you can disassemble the gun. A screwdriver or small knife or pen will probably suffice, and there is a tool built into the grip (the retaining pin for the interchangeable backstraps), but most people would find it impossible to get to with their fingers. And having to manipulate that lever in order to do a simple field-stripping is one reason why I would not recommend this gun as a combat pistol. It would be fine in a civilian gunfight, but if you ever had to go to war with it and actually fix a problem under fire......well, field stripping an AR15 is probably easier and quicker.
• The Glock has those ridiculously tiny little "pull down" button-thingies on the dust cover that are A) independently sprung, and therefore B) have to be pulled down together to release the slide forward off the frame. Unless you've got bony claws for fingers, good luck with that. My bratwursts can't get it done. I just can't get a good enough purchase on those buttons; and so it requires a fair application of fervent and aromatic profanity to lubricate the process.
• Unlike the two pistols above, the XD(m) is easy peasy...... by far the easiest pistol to disassemble, in my (perhaps limited) opinion.
  
  1. Lock the slide back.
  2. Rotate the disassembly lever (located on the left side of the frame) upwards 90º.
  3. Keeping the slide under control, release the slide-lock and slide the entire assembly forward off of the frame. UNLIKE the Glocks (or the XDS), you don't have to dry-fire the trigger before sliding the assembly off. The process is easier even than stripping a 1911. There's no lining up hash-marks on the frame and slide, and holding the spring tension by hand to keep the marks aligned, while trying to do something else with your other hand.

The other two—the M&P and the Glock—are still very good pistols, but the XD(M)s just make better sense to me; and they come in enough calibers and configurations to meet almost any handgunner's needs. I really like my XDS as an EDC, and in fairness, no double-stack pistol is going to be as easy to conceal as a single-stack. But if I had reduce my carry guns to just one, I'd go with an XD(M) and just put a little more effort into concealment. And of the XD(M) line, I think that the Compact 3.8" guns are the overall best simply because they are more versatile than the other models.....even though other models (like the 5.25" 9mm Competition model I referenced previously) might be better in a specific niche.

[RJGold]

I'll add something else about the XD/M/S series.... they are ridiculously easy to take down for cleaning.

I agree with this 100%...

[Superman]

I carry an XDm 9mm Compact (3.8").

I carry it most of the time in an IWB CompTac MTAC Hybrid (i.e. it's my main carry weapon).

It points naturally and is very accurate.

I would buy it for carry again in a heartbeat.

I have not looked in to the XDs models as the size improvement is not worth the reduced round capacity in my opinion.

You probably already know, but the XD models don't have the "match grade" barrels like the XDm models do. I know a couple of guys who shoot XD models and they are excellent weapons as well (and a little cheaper than the XDm models).

My two cents.

This ^^^ for me too.

I carried a XD sub-compact 9mm for about a year (and still have it), but now I carry a XDm 3.8'' compact. I swapped them out because I wanted to consolidate my holsters and mag carriers and all that. The XD and XDm do not match for holsters. I also have a XDm 4.5'' and love them all. I also swapped to the XDm 3.8'' compact because the XD sc was only compatible with 2 weapon lights (I think) and could not use my weapon light (Inforce APL).

I've had no problems carrying the XD sc or the XDm compact...both are great all around.

[C-dub]

Well, this is just great! I thought I was getting close to picking out my first 9mm when I caught wind of this little XDs 9mm 3.3" gem and then I saw one in a shop this afternoon. The problem is that they also had it in .45 and the 4" versions. And then I come back to this thread to read about the XDm variants. I still think I might like the XDs variants for better concealability. I've even been picking up some 9mm ammo in anticipation of getting my first 9mm, whatever it will be. Now, I'm confronted with this nice little .45 for the same price that is also lighter than the 9mm.

Do an of you wise sages have any opinions on the choices in front of me? I also hear that the muzzle energy is only 10 pounds different between the two and favors the .45. So, it sounds like the only advantages the 9mm has over the .45 is that it holds two more rounds and the ammo is cheaper.