.40 S&W pistol suggestions

[dr_hunt]

I would suggest renting the Glock, Sig, and XD. See which one feels the best to you. The more comfortable you are with it the better you will shoot. I have an XD45 and absolutly love it. I don't care for glocks in general but the shells eject straight up and bounce off my head half the time. The SIG is overpriced and heavy. It all depends on you, everyone has there personal preferences but you actually shooting them will make the right decision for you.

 

I agree, the glock kind of sucks in the ejection dept. Doesn't feel the same as the XD either. I'd take the XD over the glock any day having shot both.

[JMortensen]

Got another idea. On that ebay type thing that Forrest linked to I saw that they have some SWEET deals on the regular XD. So another thought is to buy a compact XD for about $400, then save up some real money and get a 1911 for accuracy later on. I saw a ported XD compact with a 3" barrel for $404 or something like that, full size and the tactical (extra full size) was the same price.

 

Most of the people who have shot the XD and reported on it really seem to like it. The main gripe with those that don't is the trigger, and there are kits to fix the trigger for about $60.

[JMortensen]

Oh, and I went to the gun store and they were closed. They must be at home watching the election...

[Z-Noob]

I actually own an xd as well, I did not mention it being it was not one of your options. I like the xd alot (5"). It has never had a "ftf" in over 3k rounds. It will fire any ammo you put in it, its cheap, has good ergo, light, and fairly accurate. Great firearm for the $$ Get one.

[Brad-ManQ45]

I'm gonna have to weigh in with Grumpyvette here -= for fun and a good value try one of the EAA pistols.

 

They come in a variety of calibers (.40 S&W) being one, and you can get a barrel/slide conversion kit to another caliber.

 

I bought my first - a .45 in their Wonder Finish and liked it so much I bought a 10mm.

 

What's funny is that I am more accurate with the 10mm despite the greater recoil!

 

I paid less than $300 for mine, but that was about 3 years ago...

 

These feel great in the hand and are very accurate.

[JMortensen]

Pick up an xd, then take your finger with the slide closed and try and wiggle the barrel. It will move say, .050" side to side, and up and down.

Checked this on three XDs today, two normal XDs and one of them was an XDm, and the barrels did not wiggle with even a pretty good push. Trigger felt acceptable to me. Still need to find some time to get to the range to actually get some experience with them. Felt good in the hand though...

 

On a side note it seems that some people are just not keeping up with the times. The local shop was about $250 more expensive than what I've found online. When I brought that to the sales lady's attention she said that there was no way that they could possibly be selling a new gun for that amount. She then went into how I should support local businesses (I didn't want to argue, so I didn't mention that I have a mail order business and do most of my business out of state). Then I commented on the trigger, and how I had heard complaints about it and she said that the person who was complaining about the trigger was probably a plumber and didn't know what they were talking about. I thought that was a nice sentiment. I guess by that logic I wouldn't know my ass from a hole in the ground about anything but dogs and doors since I sell doggie doors. Needless to say I won't be going back to that store.

[capt_furious]

I'm gonna have to weigh in with Grumpyvette here -= for fun and a good value try one of the EAA pistols.

 

They come in a variety of calibers (.40 S&W) being one, and you can get a barrel/slide conversion kit to another caliber.

 

From one caliber to another, or from one slide / barrel length to another? If I can make a 9x19 Witness PS a .45 ACP Witness PS with just a slide / barrel assembly and a few mags, that's impressive!

[johnc]

On a side note it seems that some people are just not keeping up with the times. The local shop was about $250 more expensive than what I've found online. When I brought that to the sales lady's attention she said that there was no way that they could possibly be selling a new gun for that amount. She then went into how I should support local businesses (I didn't want to argue, so I didn't mention that I have a mail order business and do most of my business out of state). Then I commented on the trigger, and how I had heard complaints about it and she said that the person who was complaining about the trigger was probably a plumber and didn't know what they were talking about. I thought that was a nice sentiment. I guess by that logic I wouldn't know my ass from a hole in the ground about anything but dogs and doors since I sell doggie doors. Needless to say I won't be going back to that store.

 

I've had similar experiences at gun stores. My guess is that a lot of people open gun stores because they like guns and have little to no knowledge about running a business, customer service, or providing a positive shopping environment. Dressed in leather and looking pissed at the world is only good if you're selling S&M.

[TravRMK]

Checked this on three XDs today, two normal XDs and one of them was an XDm, and the barrels did not wiggle with even a pretty good push. Trigger felt acceptable to me. Still need to find some time to get to the range to actually get some experience with them. Felt good in the hand though...

 

On a side note it seems that some people are just not keeping up with the times. The local shop was about $250 more expensive than what I've found online. When I brought that to the sales lady's attention she said that there was no way that they could possibly be selling a new gun for that amount. She then went into how I should support local businesses (I didn't want to argue, so I didn't mention that I have a mail order business and do most of my business out of state). Then I commented on the trigger, and how I had heard complaints about it and she said that the person who was complaining about the trigger was probably a plumber and didn't know what they were talking about. I thought that was a nice sentiment. I guess by that logic I wouldn't know my ass from a hole in the ground about anything but dogs and doors since I sell doggie doors. Needless to say I won't be going back to that store.

 

Do you have a Sportsmans Warehouse where you live? That is where I bought mine, and they had the best price I could find localy. I bought mine when they first came out, and all they had were the 4" regular ones. My barrel and slide are tight, and so is the 5" tactical that a buddy of min bought a couple of years after me. The trigger is OK, not anywhere near a good 1911 trigger, but it is acceptible. If you want to feel a terrible trigger, check out a Walther P99. I bought one of those, and tried to like the gun, but couldn't get past the trigger. It felt like you had to pull it 6" before it would fire, and it was stiff! I sold that gun, and haven't regreted it one second.

[JMortensen]

Closest Sportsmans Warehouse looks to be about 50 miles away on the other side of Seattle. The deal I've found online looks to be pretty much unbeatable, so I think I'm going to go shoot some guns just to be sure, then find a local dealer willing to do the transfer.

[Mikelly]

Guns are like everything else... Everyone has their favorite. Go to a range, rent a few and shoot them...

 

I prefer the glock, and I've shot both as well...Funny, I've never had brass hit me on the head with mine.

 

Mike

[MoNkEyT88]

For some reason I thought when I started to read your analogy it was going to say;

 

"Guns are like women, you've got to try a few out before you decide to pick just one."

 

Which also works.

[dr_hunt]

You'll like the XD, I am sure it's not going to be what you really really want, but you will like it just the same. Buddy of mine has one and I shot it again today. Like my Colt better but it shoots pretty good out of the box.

[~KnuckleDuster~]

Figured Id post some gun porn My xd45 beside the sig mosquito

 

[MoNkEyT88]

Sig Mosquito suppressed.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4BE0x4gFRE

[JMortensen]

Man am I ever glad I shot the guns before making a decision! None of the guns I shot was horrible. The accuracy ranged from tolerable to really good. My shooting skills need some work, it's been about 10 years since I've fired a pistol, and a couple times I really felt myself flinching badly. Smooth trigger pulls were hard to come by. I'm definitely out of practice.

 

I tested all the guns at about 20 yards. The resounding winner was the Sig P226. It blew everything else out of the water. My very first shot with this gun hit the bullseye almost direct center, and the range worker kinda laughed when I said "Hoollllllyyyy Shiiiiiiiiiit!!!" Then the rest of that clip (12 rds) went into 1 5/8". They wouldn't let me bench rest, so I leaned on the side of the lane, and they said that was OK. I think accuracy would have been a bit better had I been able to bench rest the gun, and had I not been so flinchy... I'll need to get some snap caps and work on that for sure.

 

The XD was a real let down (sorry guys who own them). Not a horrible gun, but my best group with a full mag was about 3". The XDM shot worse, but that was probably as much a function of the 4 more shots in the clip as it was the accuracy of the gun itself.

 

The worst gun I shot was a Browning Hi-Power. I think it had never been shot before though. They said it was brand new, and I get the distinct feeling I devirginized that one. I could barely keep it within the rings. It might have been better with more use, but it looked weird, felt weird, and shot weird.

 

I didn't actually shoot a .45, but I did shoot a Para-Ordinance 1911 in .40. It was almost as accurate as the Sig, but freakin huge. Too big. On the other end of the scale was the tiny pocket Sig with 7+1 capacity. Not accurate enough for my wants, but certainly would be good if someone were looking to carry a gun in a pocket.

 

Ammo was the range standard, 180 grain CMC. I ended up shooting 200 rounds, and I tried the following guns:

 

Glock 22 - surprisingly good. Accuracy was in the 2.5 inch range, better than I thought it would be, I remembered the trigger being worse.

Springfield XDm - disappointing

Sig 226 - OH YEAH!!!

S&W M&P - I actually shot this one pretty well, but hated the Nerf trigger

Sig tiny little gun - too small, not accurate enough for my tastes

Browning Hi-Power - I think it would have been better had it been broken in, but it was funky and I didn't like it regardless.

Para Ordinance Todd Jarrett edition - Nice gun, too big. I couldn't reach the slide release with my right hand. Had to grab the grip with my left to let the slide go.

XD - again, a disappointment.

 

I really wish they had a USP that I could have tried, but at this point I have no reservations buying the 226. Some targets (if you see flyers, they are definitely my fault):

 

P226, 12 rds

 

P226, last 30 rds of the night

 

S&W M&P:

 

Para Ordinance, 16 rds,

[jt1]

The Para Ordnances double stacks do have a large grip. They don't work with everybodies hands, and makes them difficult to CCW if that's a requirement. They do make some single stacks, but I think they're all 45. Was it a single action or a LDA?

 

jt

[johnc]

You'll be very happy with the SIG. I also have a SIG P226 in 9mm and its a nice shooting gun and would be my carry gun, if I carried. Its the gun we take on camping trips because my wife can shoot it with smaller hands and its a no brainer, "Honey, point it at the bad guy and pull the trigger 15 times."

[JMortensen]

The Para Ordnances double stacks do have a large grip. They don't work with everybodies hands, and makes them difficult to CCW if that's a requirement. They do make some single stacks, but I think they're all 45. Was it a single action or a LDA?

Single action. Trigger was much stiffer than I expected it to be for a more target/race type pistol.

[1 fast z]

I always have my doughts when someone says a gun is accurate like the guys who own XD's that were posting in here. I shoot tens of thousands of rounds each year through dozens of guns, and you get a feel for what is accurate and what isnt, just like you did during your testing. The xd is a great gun that wont jam, but is stops about there for me.