XDE is tough to shoot.

[Jeb Stuart]

Understood and agreed with that you should train with your carry or bug out gun. But a little training is, or at least can be, different from fun and competitive shooting. I just got a damned nice ATI 1911 .45ACP Commander for $329 delivered to my FFL, and I love it. The ATI 1911 also comes in 9mm. For that price you can have a sweet shooting range/competition gun. Sure it is a bit rough around the edges, but it is well fit and very accurate. Trigger is decent and will only get better over time. What's not to like?

P.S. I have spent a few bucks on upgrades already, but they were not absolutely necessary. I spent about $30 on G10 grips, which really dress up the gun. The OEM grips were kind of cheesy, mahogany I think. And being a lefty, I had a Wilson Combat ambi safety installed. Plus I sprang for my standard inexpensive Sightmark red dot and GI 1911 dovetail mount. You wouldn't need to do any of that. Jus' sayin'. Here it is before the new safety.

View attachment 825016
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Nice Robert. Keep posted on this in 45. congrats

 

[Shipwreck]

I bought an XDe the very first week they came out. I posted about it at the time. I ONLY buy DA/SA guns. I too do not care for striker fired guns.

The Beretta 92 is my favorite platform. But, I have lower back and hip issues - I can no longer carry a gun that heavy on my side. My Hk P2000 SA/SA is the heaviest gun I can carry now. It has been my main carry gun for 4 years now.

I also have an HK P2000sk in DA/SA. I had originally hoped the XDe would be a DA/SA version of the Shield. Unfortunate, when carried in the pocket, it basically stuck out just as much as the P2000sk does in the front pocket of my cargo pants. So, I'd rather just carry the P2000sk.

I am also not a fan of fiber optic sights on a self defense gun. The trigger was not bad on mine actually - but I do a lot of practicing of shooting the DA pull on my DA/SA guns. Every range trip, I shoot a few mags - all in DA. The trigger on my XDe was actually very smooth... Pretty much like a D spring on a Beretta 92.

I just found that I had to work WAY, WAY too hard to shoot it well. By the end of my range session, I had tightened up my groups a little - but when I shoot my P2000 or P2000sk - I just point and shoot. With the XDe - I had to adjust the firmness of my grip from how I normally shoot it - And, I had to use a different portion of my trigger finger to work the trigger in order not to pull it.

I also found the single stack grip to be too thin for me. And, I have small hands. I guess I just go so used to double stack 9mms. The only single stacks I seem to like are 1911s.

Anyway, after the very first range trip - I put the gun up for sale. I saw absolutely no benefit over my P2000sk. The slightly thinner profile made no difference on printing in the pocket between the 2 guns. And, the XDe is rather bulky in its dimensions. I realize they have to fit the workings of the hammer, but it is no where near the size of the M&P Shield.

I'd rather just have a subcompact double stack DA/SA 9mm over the XDe.

Since it was largely still unavailable when I got mine, I had no problems selling it. Everyone was still looking for one.

 

[CZF]

Yes, a bit thin in the grip.

Mine in .45 was both cheap at the time and with free mags.

Was able to shoot it a bit before my hand went into a brace.

I couldn't pull a DA trigger and still can't... but found the SA
pull to be very nice, at least for a polymer pistol.


It shot even better than my old XD MOD 2 .45 ACP.

A bit skinny in the grip, but will be fine for capacity when
our looming mag ban hits us here in WA state.

The same for the also sweet as pie XD-S Mod 2 9mm.

However,,,I think that one of those in .45 would be a handful.

Maybe better for recoil when I get my CTS surgery and my hands
get their strength back, but I will not be buying anymore semi-autos.

My XD-S does have a couple 5-round mags when I go visit Oregon.

 

[Tilos]

I don't really have one.
I"m going to shoot it in the weekly USPSA type pistol league at the club. The autoloader guys are clobbering me.

I know the feeling, I've always been a revolver guy and used to shoot in plate matches during the winter months.
It was a man on man elimination type match and with not enough revolver shooters to have a separate class.
I convinced the match director and a bunch of auto shooters to have a match where they would only load 6 rounds and shoot against the wheel gunners.
Having only 6 rounds and no mag changes slowed those "spray and pray" guys WAY down to revolver speed because 2 misses took you're out.
Something like that might get you to shoot your revolver more.
You could dump your brass in your hand instead of chasing range mushrooms.
sorry for the drift,

 

[bluecollar]

Anybody raised up shooting double action revolvers should have no problem mastering the d.a. pull on the xde. The feeling is very close.

 

[D.B. Cooper]

Anybody raised up shooting double action revolvers should have no problem mastering the d.a. pull on the xde. The feeling is very close.

I don't disagree. I think I've already said this though, the DA pull on my Redhawk is farrr better than that of my XDE. (The Redhawk has a lot more pulls of the trigger on it, though.)

 

[D.B. Cooper]

By the way,

I've ordered a kydex holster and mag pouches, and my extra mags are in. Sportsman's had a sale on aluminum cased 9mm ammo, so I bough 1k rounds. So I'm all set up for the next pistol league season.

 

[brutus51]

I've owned a half dozen punybellums over the years, including a Berreta, never could shoot one as well as a 1911 in .45ACP.
Best one and the one I've kept is a CZ 85 combat. Liked it so much I bought a PCR.
Still in all my 1911 in 38 Super outclasses them all.

 

[Kaybee]

I've also prefer DASA guns, I wasn't always that way but I've come to see the sense of them, and there's a few I have really connected with and shoot well.

What turned me off to the XDE, isn't so much the weight of the DA pull, was the length of it. It's way, way out there.
Butttt if you want a *thin* single stack CCW DASA in 9mm its the *only* game in town for current production guns.
I've settled on a bersa cc 380 for now. But I still might go back and give the xde another try.

 

[jonb32248]

I've also prefer DASA guns, I wasn't always that way but I've come to see the sense of them, and there's a few I have really connected with and shoot well.

What turned me off to the XDE, isn't so much the weight of the DA pull, was the length of it. It's way, way out there.
Butttt if you want a *thin* single stack CCW DASA in 9mm its the *only* game in town for current production guns.
I've settled on a bersa cc 380 for now. But I still might go back and give the xde another try.

How long did you have the xde? I don't see the problems other's have said here. I know everybody has their opinion's. Give it some more time, I carry mine ALL the time, as soon as I get dressed in the morning. I've got other's but the xde is my all time favorite.

 

[Kaybee]

How long did you have the xde? I don't see the problems other's have said here. I know everybody has their opinion's. Give it some more time, I carry mine ALL the time, as soon as I get dressed in the morning. I've got other's but the xde is my all time favorite.

When choosing, I rented an XDE alongside a Bersa 380 Combat. Ended up buying the Bersa CC based on that... so not a lot of experience at all.

I still might give the XDE another try. I still think the gun has a lot going for it. I noticed about once a year Springfield Armory does a special where they give away a bunch of magazines with the purchase of a new handgun. Next time they do that I will be tempted!

 

[SwampWolf]

I think I've already said this though, the DA pull on my Redhawk is farrr better than that of my XDE.

You don't hear many people raving about how good the da trigger pull is on a RedHawk, but the da pull on my older Redhawk, chambered in .44 Magnum, is as good or better than any other of the many Colt and Smith & Wesson da revolvers I've owned in the past and/or currently own. Can't say much for the sa trigger pull on my Redhawk, though.

 

[rpenmanparker]

I've also prefer DASA guns, I wasn't always that way but I've come to see the sense of them, and there's a few I have really connected with and shoot well.

What turned me off to the XDE, isn't so much the weight of the DA pull, was the length of it. It's way, way out there.
Butttt if you want a *thin* single stack CCW DASA in 9mm its the *only* game in town for current production guns.
I've settled on a bersa cc 380 for now. But I still might go back and give the xde another try.

How do you figure. The EC9 from Ruger (LC9s) is just what you describe but striker action.

 

[D.B. Cooper]

but striker action.

And therein lies the problem.

 

[rpenmanparker]

And therein lies the problem.

Ach! I read his post wrong.

 

[golden]

I have owned or fired a number of the mini/micro 9m.m. pistols and will not own one because of this experience. I had a KAHR CW9 and fired the GLOCK 43, SPRINGFIELD ARMORY XDS9, S&W SHIELD 9 and RUGER LP9. My own requirements are that I be able to shoot 100 rounds through one of these pistol at a shooting session and none were comfortable enough to go past 50 rounds. My hand was beginning to ache at that point. I could probably make the 100 round mark with the GLOCK 26, but the short grip, made control difficult. The one exception was the RUGER LP9, which was so unpleasant, I stopped at 15 rounds. I have written about this before and had others question my age and health, so you be the judge.
I can shoot 150 rounds including 9m.m. +P in small guns like the SPRINGFIELD ARMORY XD9, but once the grip area gets below a certain area or is too narrow, they become uncomfortable for me to shoot for extended periods.

Jim

 

[D.B. Cooper]

so you be the judge.

OMG, PAUL HARRELL!? IS THAT YOU!?

 

[golden]

D.B. COOPER,

WHO?

Jim

 

[D.B. Cooper]

D.B. COOPER,

WHO?

Jim

Paul Harrell. He's only the BEST gun channel on youtube. "You be the judge" is one of his tag lines.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6QH13V2o68zynSa0hZy9uQ

 

[D.B. Cooper]

I might be getting the hang of this. I went through 50 rounds today doing the dot torture drill at 7 yrds with my XDE and did about as good or a little better than I did with my Redhawk. The XDE is hard to hold on to.

 

[Kaybee]

D.B. Cooper,

I just noticed that the XDE now comes also in two longer barrel lengths. So now it's 3.3". 3.8". and 4.5".

I bet a longer barrel might help with some of the issues in your original post. (in particular flash, loudness, & flip). If you are happy with the gun besides those things might be worth checking out.

To me, a super slim pistol with a 4.5" barrel seems too much of a nitch pistol, but I think a 3.8" could be just right for someone's ccw. The slimness and handle hasn't changed so it shouldn't be much harder to conceal in a waistband. Thanks for keeping us updated on your progress I am still very interested in this little pistol.

 

[Kaybee]

You know what?! That seems great. I'm gonna pick one of those 3.8"'s up when they have another sale.

 

[D.B. Cooper]

I'm not really sure what benefit an extra 1/2" has to offer.

 

[SwampWolf]

I can't imagine how much an extra half inch would make any practical difference.

 

[cfullgraf]

A longer barrel does not fix how the hand fits the grip.

I like my XDe but the DA let off occurs at a place that is uncomfortable for me. The grip needs to be a little longer or the let off needs to occur a bit sooner.