Totally new to ownership...what now?

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jimmi979

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I just bought an XD45 ACP for home defense mostly, but I know I'll enjoy taking it to the range. I'm looking to take the safety class at the local pistol club, but I have to wonder...will it really take two saturdays to teach me not to point the gun at anything I don't intend to kill? I know how to strip it...still need to learn how to clean it, and basically I just have it waiting to be fired. I've never shot anything beyond your kiddie bb/pellet guns, and a couple .22 rifles. I'm assuming I need to get myself a good cleaning kit, and more mags will always be fun.


Also, has anyone had experience with the ridiculously cheap lights and lasers on ebay? They seem to be a deal if I'm not using them on a regular basis.
 
congrats on ownership and welcome to thr. great choice on the xd, i own 2 and i love em. one has over 8k and the other over 2k through them w/o a hitch.

don't go cheap when it comes to defense, no cheap lights, lasers, magazines, and no cheap defensive ammo. what is your life worth? that is what you should think when you are making purchases with defense in mind.

i say you should attend a training course if at all possible, your state is not listed so with that i could help you out more. but i reccomend tactical response, (just finished up 4 days with them), blackwater (they have 3 locations in the us.), and tdi ohio. there are many other great ones out there but that is where i have been, and will continue to attend courses at.

learn how to clean and properly lube the gun, find someone at the range that knows what they are doing or someone you trust and get them to show you the ropes. lubing is easy just lube where there is metal on metal contact, i use grease, wilson combat form brownells is awesome, or you could save the money and pay half and get a 1lb can of high temp lithium wheel bearing grease. a little is alot and you don't need much on a handgun. that is the exact stuff i run on my xd''s and all my guns for that matter and i find that it is best.
 
jimmi979, welcome to THR, I'm relatively new myself. As far as a handgun course goes, I just finished the NRA basic pistol course a couple of weeks ago. I do have some experience shooting guns, but decided it couldn't hurt to take the class. I'm really glad I did. You really do learn some new things, and even though you probably know the basic safety rules, the class is a good way to really get them embedded into your mind. Also for me, it was a great opportunity to handle an array of revolvers and semiautos. Happy shooting.
 
A class on gun safety and handling is a good start. Learn some of the basics of gun safety like the following by heart:
1. Treat every firearm as if it were loaded.
2. Never allow the muzzle to point at anything you are not willing to see destroyed.
3. Be sure of your target and know what lies behind it.
4. Keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are aligned on target.
5. Be sure your guns are never accessible to unauthorized or untrained individuals.


Practice how to shoot your gun at the shooting range. Don't make it a "safe-queen". In other words, use it at the shooting range to improve your skills. Join club-shoots and competitions. Attend classes to further improve your skills.
 
The XD-45c is my favorite gun in my favorite caliber. Unfortunately 45 ammo costs a lot as do all center-fire calibers.
You need a 22 to go with it for thousands of affordable shots to learn to shoot pistols...tricky but very interesting pursuit. A beat-up revolver will do fine for starters...just be sure it's easy to reload for lots of shooting. An auto can be finicky on feeding problems(22s are often jam-prone) and many of them are as different from your XD as a revolver. The Bersa Firestorm is probably the closest, most reliable and among the cheaper ones.
The XD forum is your best source for XD info and most makes have one or more forums aimed at their brand. These are generally very good and have odd, helpful things specific to that kind of gun.
Ask a hundred shooters what to clean and lube with and get a hundred answers. I use a Gunslick cleaning kit from Outers. $8.95 at local gun shop. If you get it in 22 all you need for other calibers is another brush of the right size...couple of bucks. Add paper towels and an old toothbush or two and you're there.
After it's cleaned and lubed you can break it in by dry firing about 300 times(dry firing is bad for some guns but okay in XD.) Work the slide back and forth a couple of hundred times...lots of work but much cheaper than shooting. After all this the trigger will be smoother. Really it's like breaking in a new car. Finally you need to shoot a couple of hundred rounds through it...
not necessarily all at once...might intermix with 22 shooting if you have one.
It's most reliable to use round nose 230 grain ammo from reliable makers. you don't need "expanding" bullets because it's already a 45 and those sometimes hang up at "inconvenient" moments. DON'T use gun show reloads or strange stuff of any kind. The only good reloads are your own if you ever get into that.
Best of luck from one XD shooter to another. :)
 
hey if ur looking for a good deal on 230 gr FMJ .45 acp ammo check out Walmart (im sorry i know its bad). they have 100 rd boxes of Winchester .45 FMJ for $30 no joke. Normally i would never send people to walmart to buy anything especially guns/ammo but ammo these days is just too expensive. i found that for 100 rounds walmart was about $7-8 cheaper then everywhere else. it adds up. enjoy your .45, i love mine!
 
This was extremely helpful. I was worried about having to drop a lot of cash on the recommended 250 round for the safety class until I saw these at wally world.

As far as "real" ammo, and by that I mead defense, what's considered the best? I currently have a clip and a half of horandy's.
 
If you get them I use Remingtom Golden Sabers in 230gr weight. Gold Dot or Federal HST will work too. Your gun store should have them. If you're looking at Walmart only I'd get the remingotm 230 Gr JHL.

Key thing is to (my opinion YMMV) use non +P 230gr hollowpoints.
 
Congrats on the new firearm, Im quite fond of my XD9.

You can never practice too much. But incorrect practice wont help get any better with the weapon. Take the class(es), it will really wake you up and give you some great tips on pistol handling and practicing.

I was worried about having to drop a lot of cash on the recommended 250 round for the safety class until I saw these at wally world.
Click to expand...

Haha...wait till you take a some classes with 1,000rd requirements. Even tho most classes you won't come anywhere near using the amount of ammo you were asked to have on hand. I took a class a month ago with a 1Krd requirement and I only shot about 350rds.

I was carrying Hydra Shoks, but after seeing some bad reviews Im switching to Speer Gold Dots. You will want to practice(minimal) with carry ammo to know where your gun will shoot it. But cheaper FMJ is intended for long practice sessions.

Stick around here, these guys will teach you a lot about guns, and soon you will have a "collection" started. lol
 
Safety is a learned response just like many other daily activities, don't think it comes naturally. Practice safety constantly.
For cleaning I like a plastic rod with internal threaded end for brushes and a patch loop. Take it easy on cleaning, don't get too rough.
Grease for areas that slide/rub together and oil for pivot points. Easy on the lube also, just a little will work better than too much.
Training should be an ongoing thing, formal and informal. Get with people who know what they are doing and learn from them. Mentors are great and can teach so much not found in training classes. Formal classes are good but many of us can not afford them or to take time off for them.
Cheap can turn expensive when you have to make multiple purchases or the things you get do not last very long. Good ammo also costs more but it is for your life, is it worth it?
Did I mention safety is number one in the firearms learning experience?
SAFETY first, last and always!!!
 
Practice picking up the gun without putting your finger on the trigger. If you can put it on the couch next to you, unloaded, while you watch TV. Pick it up ever minute or so. Don't point it anywhere, just get a good grip on it with your finger off the trigger.

I'd bet 80% of the NDs we see on here are the result of somebody putting their trigger on the finger when they shouldn't.

Fix the default behavior of picking up a gun with your finger on the trigger and you'll be a good long ways down the safety road.

I'd actually hold off on taking a class until it becomes automatic that you pick up guns with your finger off the trigger. Shouldn't take more than a day or two though.

You'll know you've got it right when you pick up a bottle of Windex with your finger indexed along the nozzle. That's the kind of automatic response you should be looking for.
 
ND?
Good tip. I think keeping my finger on the side of the trigger guard came naturally...I hardly ever touch the trigger when I'm handling the gun.

Could anyone point me to a diagram of where to oil my xd?
 
get some "Snap Caps" (dummy ammo), load a few mags w/ 2 or 3 each, and while you are surfing the net/watching TV, practice loading/unloading, checking and clearing, drawing and holstering and dry-firing.

Keep in mind, you should still be SURE of your backstop- I have a nice line on the edge of a archway that I use- if I do have a ND (Negligent Discharge) (I will, someday) instead of punching right through a few walls side to side, it will (hopefully) stop safely going in the long way...

will it really take two Saturdays to teach me not to point the gun at anything I don't intend to kill?
Click to expand...

my shooting buddies and I have years and years of experience- and we still have a running game/bet- anyone that sees someone else doing something unsafe calls 'SAFETY!' and the offender owes him a box of ammo. Last time, I came home with 2 boxes of .45acp - but I have paid as much after a trip, too. Learning to handle weapons with competence is a life's work.

Ramone
 
Jimmi,

I would also say that it is a very good idea to get competent instruction. And congrats on the XD in .45ACP. Good gun and own one myself. :)

BTW, a class may seem to give you all the basics that you already know, but do you know how to check for malfunctions and cure 'em. Know a jam when it comes about? How about weak hand shooting, shooting prone? Angles and lines of fire so your missed shots don't go where they might hurt others? Correct presentation from a holster so you don't shoot your other hand, let alone someone else?

And yes, you'll need a holster even if you don't use one for home safety. Can't haul a pistol around during a class without having somewhere safe and close by to put it. Don't go cheap on holsters either, though I don't mean buy the most expensive thing out there. Given enough time you'll notice a difference in what you pay for and what you get.

There are so many fundamentals being taught in a basic pistol class that one, it may oddly seem to be less than what you thought. But simultaneously also seem a lot more that just makes sense once you're shown it. And you probably won't get it all in just one class, even structured over two days.

Good luck and have fun!
 
Jimmi,

Per the holster, not really, but I have seen people use them. I would spend the extra money and get a Kydex holster from Blade Tech or similar. Leather's nice, but will lose it's shape eventually and isn't the best material when exposed to rain or snow. That is, if you want something that you can bang around lots during classes and even some competitions--- and are not wearing it as a CCW holster. If that's the case, I'd get something similar to a Blade Tech Stingray. But if you want a leather holster or some other, go for it. Only you can decide, really. But there are better options than what come with the XD.

Also there are other brands besides Blade Tech that are probably just as good, but cheap you will feel after you've been exposed to a few holsters. And I didn't like the feeling of that particular "bikini" holster that comes as a freebie.
 
Safety

+1 on what highorder mentioned about no accidents only negligent behavior.

on your question about a 2 day class consider this:

the Army's program of instruction for basic pistol marksmanship is 12 hours by the manual on top of the 40 to 80 hours Soldiers are receiving at initial entry training.

two days of firearms training is not a stretch by any means.

stay safe

-Paul
 
You bought a lot of gun to learn how to shoot. Don't worry about lights and lasers now. You are going to have a big enough expense feeding that .45 acp.
 
As far as "real" ammo, and by that I mead defense, what's considered the best? I currently have a clip and a half of horandy's.
Click to expand...

Hate to tell you this, but you'll need to spend some money on self-defense ammo to make sure your XD will like what you like. XDs are GREAT guns, but every gun has its idiosyncricies - yours might not like Golden Sabers, or Hornady, or Speer, or Hydra-Shoks. You'll need to try a couple boxes of a brand - or two - to make sure it'll run in your gun.

It may take a little time - a box of 20 is $25 or more. Buy a box this month, and another next month, etc.

Until then, you can be almost 100% certain 230FMJ will function. I would rather carry that in my pistol with complete confidence than untested, uncertain "high performance" ammo.

Q
 
Quo...,

Excellent advice! :) The one thing I think people forget is that they buy a good gun and think that's it. But if you are going to use it well and safely---and have fun with it. You will spend more in ammo, even with reloads, than you will have spent on the price of the gun. And that can be within the first year of owning it. Or at least you should think of the gun as the minimum investment in time and money in whole of the educational process of learning how to use it when compared to everything else you will need to pay for.

Think of it this way, if you spend $5,000 on a nice stereo and speaker combo because you like music, would you only have $100.00 dollars worth of CDs? If a guy had a library of 5,000 CDs, on the other hand, and a $1,000 stereo, then I'd consider him to be funding the right part of the equipment issue.

Getting a gun, depending on where you live is the easy part. Using it well, paying for training and practice as well as getting the proper accessories to help you practice, well that's going to cost you lots more than the gun...and one should be aware of that from the get go.
 
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