XDm as Handgun of the year?

[wbwanzer]

Before anyone thinks I bashing the XDm, I'm not. I'll be picking mine up this week and I'm looking forward to it. What I'm wondering though, does the NRA really think that highly of the XDm, or has Springfield spent enough advertising dollars with 'American Rifleman' that they are rewarding Springfield? I'm not trying to put down the NRA either. Just wondering how much 'business' has to do with their picks for products 'of the year'.

What do you guys think?

 

[Guillermo]

If my XD45 is any judge, I am sure that it is a good gun.

"handgun of the year" is probably like Motor Trends "car of the year" that is chosen by the advertising department.

 

[DeepSouth]

I love reading the American Rifleman, but I honestly never pay any attention at all to the gun reviews in there. It is so obvious what is going on it is pathetic. The issue that had an entire article (not adervisement) about the new dodge truck a couple years ago was what took the cake.

The XD's are no doubt good pistols, quite possibly even real 'Handgun of the Year' material, but if it is in the American Rifleman just take it with a grain of salt.

 

[wbwanzer]

As the OP of this thread, I should maybe add that I did not purchase an XDm because it was 'handgun of the year', but I did take notice of it because it was 'handgun of the year'. I had not been thinking about polymer pistols. Then I though I should at least take a look at what American Rifleman thinks is the 'handgun of the year'. I liked it and everything that came with it.

 

[TheWarhammer]

I, too, am seriously considering picking up an XDm .40. However, this is due to my own research on the gun, not due to any "awards" or magazine articles. Most of the mainstream gun rags have never written an article about a gun that they didn't like. The same holds true for motorcycle magazines, sports car mags, etc... Who would want to read an article about a gun that sucks? G&A will never put a picture of the "Worst Gun of the Year" on their cover. These magazines are entertainment, not journalism. As DeepSouth said, take it all with a grain of salt.

 

[usp9]

Handgun of the year?

I'll admit; it made me look. I haven't bought... yet... but I have looked.

 

[Jim Watson]

Didn't you ever notice that the "handgun of the year" ("rifle of the year", "car of the year", "truck of the year", "TV of the year", etc.) magazine writers awards go to the "NEW MODEL handgun (or whatever) of the year". They never pick a last year's introduction, the advertising tie-in just isn't there.

 

[Fishman777]

Well...

They won that award three out of the last six years for the XD line of firearms.

I think that they deserve the honor.

The XDm is the highest capacity .40 s&w gun on the market.

It has incredible ergonomics.

I also has a fully supported, match grade barrel.

It has the shortest trigger travel and reset of any stock polymer gun.

Grip safety, loaded chamber indicator, USA trigger, and striker indicator.

Melonite finish is also pretty nice

 

[Guillermo]

Fishman...nobody is saying that it is not a good gun.

 

[sokygunner]

Gun magazines, American Rifleman included, are probably one of the worst groups for handing out awards and crap to specific manufacturers and products based on that manufacturer advertising in their magazine. I put no stock in any of their reviews. For instance I read a review of a new Kahr pistol in one of the big magazines about a year ago. The article of the in depth review stated that the gun kept malfunctioning and went on to state that after about 3 trips back to Kahr for warranty repair Kahr replaced every part of the gun except for the frame...they even replaced the slide. The gun was a piece of crap, but the article went on for a couple of pages stating how great the quality and performance of the Kahr was and how great the customer service is. Think about this...How great can the quality be if they had to send it back three times to get the gun to function correctly? How great can the customer service be if it TOOK THEM 3 TIMES TO FIX IT?!?! At the end of the article they summed it up as one of the best pistols they have tested in a long time...even after it failed to function during the entire test and the company had to have 3 cracks at it to get it even close to right and replace every part of the gun. But, on the inside of the back cover of the magazine was a big full page ad for Kahr. Yeah all the XD's are good guns, they deserve praise for what they are and I have had one, and yes Springfield is a great company to deal with because I had to send my XD back twice to get it to work, it was one of the first ones out on the market. Great guns, great company, but that NRA award isn't worth the paper its printed on. (And yes, it always seems to go to a new model...like one time I think motortrend gave the Honda ridgeline truck of the year award...I have a friend who has a ridgeline and it won't do anything that any of my half ton chevy/dodge trucks I have owned over the years can do like pull a trailer, go offroad, or take general abuse while on a farm or working...rides good though and the Honda Nav system is fun to play with, but not exactly truck of the year material, but at the time it was a new model so yeah it got it over the other trucks that had been in production for a few years...good point, glad some one brought that one up)

 

[The91Bravo]

They won that award three out of the last six years for the XD line of firearms.

I think that they deserve the honor.

The XDm is the highest capacity .40 s&w gun on the market.

It has incredible ergonomics.

I also has a fully supported, match grade barrel.

It has the shortest trigger travel and reset of any stock polymer gun.

Grip safety, loaded chamber indicator, USA trigger, and striker indicator.

Melonite finish is also pretty nice

fish,

I have heard more than a few folks say 'highest capacity' referring to the XDm in 40, and have never typed a response.

My HK USP V1 LE came from the factory with the 16+1 magazines, and I have been carrying 49 rounds with me every time I carry her.

I have had theat USP for a few years longer than my XDm.

Not bashing, just correcting ;-)

 

[CPshooter]

I've owned a couple of XDs in the past, and while they are great guns for the money, I don't think they deserved handgun of the year 3 times. Just my opinion, I suppose. The XDm actually feels worse in my hand than the regular XD. I don't know if it's the grip texture or what, but it doesn't feel all that great in my hand like the older ones do. The 16+1 rounds of .40s&w is obviously better than the previous capacity of 12 rounds, but it's nothing new in the handgun world. Like 91Bravo already mentioned, a USP w/ a factory 16 round mag has been available for who knows how many years now...

I can think of a few newly released handguns that IMHO deserve the title more, but obviously the other manufacturers couldn't compete w/ Springfield Armory when it came down to marketing their product

 

[neverjeg]

It is ususally true that you just follow the money. Springfield pays a lot in advertising and I'm sure that comes into consideration. However, XDM is a awesome gun. I sold mine to fund my HK, but IMO the XDM was a better gun - just too big for carry.

Replacing the XDM is the next purchase.

 

[kanewpadle]

I have shot XDM's in both calibers. Most accurate polymer frame gun I ever shot. Wainting for one in 45 ACP.

 

[wilkersk]

I have an XDM9 that I bought new a couple of months ago. I've put about 1,000 rounds through it, hoping I would adjust to it and be able to shoot it as consistently as I do with my other pistols. I haven't yet.

I have 2 full-size custom 1911s, an XD 45acp "tactical" 5", a Ruger Security Six .357 magnum, a CZ75B 9mm, and a beautiful old High Standard .22lr. I am very consistent out to 15 yards with each of these pistols. Not so much with the XDM 9. To me it seems this pistol is just too loose. I don't feel that the barrel locks up consistantly. And the trigger just doesn't feel as predictable as on my other pistols.

And heaven forbid I should drop a mag in the dirt and need to clean it. Why would Springfield design a pistol with hard to break down and reassymble magazines that was marketed with an eye toward the IPSC "Production" division?

I'm thinking of selling it to raise money for a new trap gun.

 

[Taurus_9mm]

I'm strongly considering an XDm in 40 S&W also. If it's anywhere near as good as my XD .45 ACP Tactical, I'll be extremely pleased.

www.gunnerforum.com

 

[raz-0]

The xdm is a nice gun. I went with an M&P a couple years ago, but had the XDm been around, that might not have been the case.


The real question is what group of guns is in the running? When is the timeframe which things start counting and stop counting? No idea.

Glock has some new grip texturing.
every 1911 manufacturer has something in a different color or different grips, or nothing new.
S&W has nothing new on the auto side of the house.
H&K has nothing new.
beretta has nothing new tha I can see.
Can't remember when EAA refreshed their lineup.


Of the top of my head:

-ruger LCR kind of late to the party, does it count? Would you give it the nod with the LCP, SR9 and MKIII all having safety recalls pretty much out the gate?

-ruger LCP? Is it the right time frame? Being recalled for safety pretty much takes you off the list.

-walther pps? right time frame? seems to have a reputation for jamming.

- SIG 250

- SIG p238 got recalled.

-taurus 709

-taurus 738

-taurus 2045

- kahr p380 (if you can find one).

- STI GP6

- STI perfect 10 (same old gun, new caliber)

-STI rogue ( I think). which is still just a compact 1911 with a neat treatment of the slide.

-CZ sp-01 phantom, i think.

Given the list, the XDm holds up pretty darn well I'd think. Ad dollars aside.

 

[Sapper771]

I picked up a XDm in 9mm last week. I like the XD line of pistols, just didnt like the trigger. I started reading a bunch of reviews on the XDm pistols and the majority of the reviewers liked the pistol. I had also heard of it being handgun of the year, but I try not to put too much faith in that sort of title. I went to several shops and looked at them.
One shop had one for $679 and another shop had one for $769. I started getting the bug, you know, the want to buy another pistol bug. I went to the shop that had the cheaper price and this time I really took my time going over the XDm in 9mm. I stripped it down , fondled it different ways, did some sight acquire drills , some one hand drills, and had several conversations with the shop's customers about the XDm. I asked the owner of the shop what kind of deal he could make me on it. When he told me $589, I told him that I would take it. That was cheaper than the prices I had seen online.
I took the XDm from the shop to the range with 150 rounds of 9mm. The XDm is accurate, I was consistently shooting 1.5" groups at 15 yards with WWB. I am sure it would get better with better quality ammo or some good handloads. The trigger still needs some work, it is better than the XD , but no where near where it needs to be. I guess I will be sending it off to Springer Precision sometime soon, when money allows.
Overall , I like it. I like the grip texture, the interchangeable backstraps, the sights, and the 19 round magazines. The paddle holster that comes with it isnt too bad, but I only played with it for about 30 minutes. When I got home from the range to clean the XDm , I changed out the medium back strap for the small backstrap and it made a big difference in my hand.

After seeing how this XDm performs, I too am waiting for the XDm 45 to come out.

The XDm, awesome pistol , wouldnt hesitate to carry it with some good HPs, but as far as it being pistol of the year I dont know. It has the ergos and a mean look to it, but I am sure that there is another pistol out there that has it beat, but not by much.

 

[KBintheSLC]

I dont know the true motive... those awards tend to have many strings attached. However, it seems as good a choice as any. I am a pretty devoted Glock guy and don't own one. But they are great guns at a great price. I assume there are better guns out there (at a greater cost). But for $600~ the XDm package is very appealing.

I would camp out overnight in front of the gun shop if they came out with a 10mm Auto version.

 

[Conqueror]

The Taurus Judge was handgun of the year too. That should tell you everything you need to know about the meaning of that particular award.

 

[Marcus84]

What's a striker indicator?

 

[Ughh]

Indication of striker position in either normal or "pre cocked" position. Regardless most striker fired pistols are still double action (only) even if it is pre cocked. Taurus's pistols are one of a few companies that have double action/SA on a striker fired pistol.

Hope this helped

 

[Sapper771]

Marcus84,

The striker indicator on the XD's and XDm's is the shiny metal pin that protrudes from the rear of the slide. When the pin is visibly sticking out of the back of the slide, it indicates that the striker is cocked ( or charged, or read to fire). If you dont see the metal pin , then that means that the striker is not ready to fire, and thus the weapon needs to be cocked or charged.