XD vs Glock new perspective

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Lonestar

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In the saga of my friend moving from revolvers to a "plastic" DAO type semi auto, I had the chance to shoot a Springfield XD 9mm Subcompact for the first time.

Good points are that the gun is very accurate for it size, the grip is comfortable, and the recoil is slightly less of a Glock 26.

Bad points are the XD SC is a little more bulkier and "top heavy" than the glock 26, and in my opinion the trigger is a lot lighter and mushy-ier then the Glock even though the Springfield web site says the trigger pull is 7.7 to 5.5 pounds (glocks website says their trigger pull is 5.5lb too)?? I spoke to the range owner he says the XD pull smooths out to somewhere between 4 and 5 lb. If this is true the XD definately need a grip safety because the trigger would get unpredictable over time. Also the only way to increase or decrease the trigger pull of an XD is with a trigger job from a gunsmith, costing anywhere from $50 to $100. Glocks' trigger pull always stays the same and seems more flexible with either the standard 5.5 trigger spring and optional 11lb, 8lb and 3.5lb springs, which you can put in yourself at a cost of a few bucks. With an 11lb spring the trigger pull on a glock is very similar to a snub nose revolver (My S&W revolver has the same travel and 12lb of pull). While you should never touch the trigger, 11lb makes it very safe to handle for beginners.

A lot of people recommend XD as a first gun, personally I don't know if that is a good idea. The grip safety is ok, but it is very sensitive. We were able to shoot the gun by holding it as light as possible. That is good for a self defense, but bad if your using it as a safety crutch trying not to put pressure on it while holstering and handling.

Overall I just wished the XD had a more uniform trigger, and the option to adjust the trigger pull weight. I like light and smooth triggers, but a well used XD may be a little to light for beginners.
 
I'm with you. And lets not forget the wonderfully effective trigger saftey which renders the gun useless unless possitively disengadged. Who are we kidding here, those safties almost seem like a joke from the manufacturers so they can say "see, two external safties". :) Even if a person picked the gun up backwards they would still perfectly disengadge themselves. The XD has no saftey as far as I'm concerned neither does Glock. Their wonderfull guns I just tire of talking in political code sometimes.
 
Agreed. The XD is a bit more ergonomical, especially in the 45 models. But their "top heaviness", as you said so well, bothers me. I lean towards the Glock for that reason, as well as their wonderful triggers. The XD fans will fight me to death, I know. And they are magnificent weapons. You can only win with either one, but as it was said-- neither one has good true external safeties. I am a Glock man, personally. But anyone with either of these has a wonderful weapon.

TRL
 
That is what I'm talking about. I would never give a newbie a glock with a 3.5lb trigger spring, yet people are pushing XD that have a 4lb trigger pull saying, the grip safety makes it safer than a standard glock for a new shooter. With the sub compact models there is no way to handle the gun without touching the grip safety. We tried are darnest to try to hold the XD as light as possible to see if the grip safety would prevent it from firing, and it never happened. The grip safety need a very small amount of pressure to deactivate the safety.

Are the XDs bad guns, heck no, they have similar to the reliablility of a glock, and in experienced hands I think they are more accurate. I was tooling along shooting the XD SC, shooting it better than I shoot my G26 almost as well as my G17, then I realize that my G17 is my range gun that has a 3.5 spring and connector while my G26 has the standard 5.5 spring and definately the XD trigger was somewhere in the middle, not the 7.7 to 5.5 pounds the website says. Sure the XD egronomics might have something to do with it but its soft light trigger is definately a plus for target shooting. A light, soft trigger is a experienced shooters dream, but for a newbie, or in a self defense situation a soft light trigger is a nightmare.
 
To me, the bottom line safety is keeping your finger off the trigger unless you're going to shoot. It's as simple as that.
 
I wouldnt say its quite that simple Edmund, Ideally it should be but its not. First off when people are scared and they know there is a threat present and are about to engage in mortal combat, but are not actually shooting at the person yet, their finger is going inside the gaurd. Not saying right or wrong just that it will happen. Second, people with long fingers using guns with small trigger guards will require a second of adjustment while they regrasp the gun after already waiting to react to the perpetrator who gets to act first. A second is a long time in a gunfight and any number of rounds could be unleashed your way by then. Again not trying to argue but if it were that simple all guns would have 2.5lb triggers right? As it is these things are taken into account expecially in guns designed for those who routinely go into harms way, and triggers are usually around 4.5lbs SA for these reasons.
 
The Croation sensation is worth no more than the $250 they sold for before SA slapped their name on it. Aside from the negatives mentioned, the top extractor and loaded chamber indicator sticking out the back of the slide bug me and distract from the sight picture. Then there are the finish problems. Other than that, they're great pistols! :rolleyes:
 
Yeah the fact that the same gun was two bills less before SA took over would indeed be bothersome; but I don't think it's the same gun, at least regarding the finish issue you speak of. XD's are now treated with a chemical equivalent to glock's tennifer.

I will however second the above opinions on trigger, looks, safeties, ergonomics, height of the slide etc. Just not for me. Doesn't mean it's not for everyone though (glocks certainly are not). Plus, although I'll never buy one, they DO have the xd45 tac going for them- to which glock currently has no answer. Though supposedly they are going to release a 5" single stack .45acp, ie 36tac. I'll believe it when I see it.
 
That is good for a self defense, but bad if your using it as a safety crutch trying not to put pressure on it while holstering and handling.
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Follow the 4 safety rules and both the Glock and the XD are perfectly safe. If you need to rely on either of those weapon's safeties to handle or holster a weapon you shouldn't be handling or holstering weapons period.

The Croation sensation is worth no more than the $250 they sold for before SA slapped their name on it. Aside from the negatives mentioned, the top extractor and loaded chamber indicator sticking out the back of the slide bug me and distract from the sight picture. Then there are the finish problems. Other than that, they're great pistols!
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Oh looky, someone making a judgement on something they clearly know nothing about. The "top extractor" isn't an extractor, that's the loaded chamber indicator. The "loaded chamber indicator sticking out the back of the slide" is the cocking indicator. And if you've ever actually shot one you will find that neither obstruct your sight picture. If that tiny shiny dot on the back distracts your shooting, well that's a shooter problem.

And check out SA's website. All XDs made after April 1 2006 have the new finish.
 
Some folks just plain don't understand economics.

Company A sells a product $250 and goes bust. Company B sells the same product for $450 and stays solvent. Therefore, Company B is bad????

In terms of actual materials, it would be interesting to see which is "worth" less. I'd be willing to guess the mark-up for both are similar (though Glock's mark-up might be slightly more than Springfield's).
 
I think the trigger pull is a little bit deceiving if you're used to shooting Glocks. It's not that the XD's trigger gets lighter, it's that it gets smoother. A smoother [essentially] single action pull is of course going to feel a bit lighter than your standard Glock pull. I think the grip safety works as advertised, if you get a proper grip the weapon should fire. I'm not sure if you're expecting to have to give it a death grip in order to deactivate it. :confused:
 
I remember many of these same arguments.....against Glocks....when they were the new kid on the block.

I own both (along with Sigs, Walthers, HK, etc) and I wouldn't be afraind to use any of them to defend my life.

BTW: My right index finger is my safety. When the adrenaline dump comes I'll make a 12 trigger pull feel like 1lb.........so the other stuff is a mute point IMHO.
 
Rust...

I had an XD SC that rusted after about a month. Otherwise I liked it ok. But the tenifer finish onmy Glocks definitely didn't rust. Granted, I'm in Oregon...so LOTS of um...humidity.

Edit: P.s. SA did offer to refinish the gun for free, and had excellent service. So overall, I'd say good experience, and fine gun. Maybe not for the non-tropical rain forest though without a slightly better finish.

N
 
Yep, Springfield has had some trouble with their finishes, but they seem to have stood behind their product (and fixed it).

Of course, Glock has had trouble with their trigger group (slam-fire and going full auto), recoil spring/rod breaking, frame-rails breaking off, runs of bad magazines, etc., but they seem to have stood behind their product (and fixed it).
 
Good stuff!

"The XD45 and all other XDs built after 2005 have a newer Melonite (tennifer)finish. Springfield addressed the finish concerns."

Good stuff. Didn't know that.

Noops
 
The grip safety does serve one really good use.

When you reholster, take your thumb off the trip, and place it on top of the rear sight. That way if your shirt or something else has gotten into the holster, the gun won't fire. I teach the same technique for any gun with an external hammer, DA or SA, as it will either block the hammer from falling, or keep the hammer from cocking.

At my shop we sell probably 4 XDs for every Glock. They are popular guns. I put a Glock and an XD in a customer's hands, and more often than not, they pick the XD now.

Funny, how the XD is a rip off at $450 because it used to be $250, when the Glock is the best handgun ever at $500. (when police departments are still paying $289 in bulk) I think some folk's biases are showing. :) Last time I checked, they are both plastic framed handguns from the same general geographic area.

And on a personal note, as a 1911 guy, I have to laugh when XD fans fight with Glock fans over who has a better trigger. :D
 
I had switched to Glocks about 4 years ago, using a G17 in 3 gun matches. I learned to shoot it fairly well, and about a year ago at a match I won the grand prize, an XD40. I didn't have a .40, so I figured this would be a good intro. As others have stated, I too nothed that the XD40 felt top heavy compared to the G17. And since I wanted to master one type of handgun, I traded the XD40 for a new G19. I have since added another G19, and I don't regret the change at all. I have a .45 1911 that is my most accurate pistol, but I shoot my Glocks extensively. I do recomend any of the XD's though, as they are very nice pistols and they come with some great extras. I think it is one of the best values out there.
 
The Croation sensation is worth no more than the $250 they sold for before SA slapped their name on it. Aside from the negatives mentioned, the top extractor and loaded chamber indicator sticking out the back of the slide bug me and distract from the sight picture. Then there are the finish problems. Other than that, they're great pistols!
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Hell i hope you ain't shooting at a moving target, or even worse a target that is shooting back at you, hate for you to get distracted! especially if a little piece of metal throws you off!:neener:
 
I love Glocks. I think they're great and I love the idea of them. I almost bought a G34 but ended up with the XD Tactical for USPSA Production. There are some things that really annoyed me about the XD, like the bad finish (since fixed), lack of parts from Springfield, and top heavy design. The only reason I ended up with the XD is that it was better for me in the most important categories to me: it was easier to shoot quickly and I loved dry-firing it.

Sounds like a winner for USPSA, but I can't wait to buy a Glock for the hell of it. I'm the type that only buys 2 guns a year, so it will have to wait a while. :(
 
Help me understand the Glock Sophist...

I love Glocks. I think they're great and I love the idea of them.
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Help me out, please. What is the "idea of" a Glock?
 
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