new to the forums, so first off to introduce myself my name is Carl, I am a 21 year old firefighter/EMT from TX. I am looking at buying a gun to qualify with durring my CHL class. My father and brother are both military/inspector and I have been shooting a few times, but I would still consider myself a newbie if you will. I am looking at getting either a compact or a sub compact to carry with me, and I am considering a .40. I have narrowed my search down to I believe two weapons, a glock 23 or 27 in the .40 or the XDM, which only comes in a .40. I know they offer the XD series in a 5", 4" and subcompact, but does anyone know if the 4" is similar to the glock compact? I have yet to decide if I want to go with the compact or sub compact yet. I hear some people complain about the glocks not being safe cause they have no manual safety, and the argument is that if you pull your weapon and have your finger on the trigger then you shouldnt be needing the safety anyways, cause the only time you would pull with finger on the trigger is if your going to have to shoot someone in defense. but I have heard of accident shootings when trying to draw the weapon from IWB. I like the fact that the XDM has the added palm safety in the grip, but in realty when pulling the weapon from IWB your going to grip it and disable the safety, which at that point would be the same trigger safety as the glock. I do like how the Springfield offers the chamber indicator and the hammer indicator as well. I am just looking for some feed back as a new member to the forums and CHL in general.
Welcome to the forums. My opinion on Glock vs. XDM is you will be fine either way. I have shot the sub compact Glock in 40 and the kick was there but manageable with practice. I shot the compact XD in 9mm and it shot very nicely. If possible I recommend hitting a gunshop that would let you put on a holster, and try each out. Walk, jump, twist, turn, bend over, crouch, kneel and anything else you can think of to se how it feels.
I have handled and shot various models of the Glock as well as versions of the XD series by Springfield.
When I finally purchased one, I decided on the Springfield XD-40 Sub-Compact.
To me, Springfield has taken the design by Glock and improved upon it tenfold.
I feel that the XD fits a lot better in my hand. I really like the added passive grip safety. The chamber and hammer pins are wonderful. The XD is very accurate and I like that you can get extended mags which allow for a full-length grip during practice sessions.
You really should try to shoot and at least handle all you are considering before making the investment. But, I believe you will choose the Springfield series after trying them out.
I have a Glock 19, my cousin has an XDM 9MM. I like the feel of the XDM in my hand better, It's a more comfortable grip. I shot better with the Glock but not by a whole lot. Be that said.....I'll still take a 1911 over either one.
I'll agree, I like the feel of a 1911 much better than my Glock 20 (10mm), but the cost of getting a new 1911 Dan Wesson in 10mm is rather prohibitive.
So, I've got a Glock. I'll add a Colt Delta Elite in the future, hopefully...or a DW...but it'll be a 10mm
The reason I didn't go with an Xd or a S&W is feel. The Glock felt better than the other two to my big old hands.
And, neither Xd or S&W offers a 10mm in the $500-600 range...or a .357SIG option, either, IIRC.
With the Glock, I can change barrels & mags and party with a WIDE variety of ammo
I have a S&W M&P 9 and a XDm .40S&W and currently am keeping my best friend's Glock 17 and 19. I like the S&W the most, the Glock 17 next. I really don't like the XDM at all. I despise grip safeties as they do nothing to make the XD/m safer and they feel weird to me. I also don't like the fact that it's very noticeably heavier than the S&W which is in turn noticeably heavier than the Glock 17. I'm comparing the full size models of each, but given than the "compact" versions of all of them are just the full size with length and height cut off, it translates on down. With this being said, I consider all makes too thick in any configuration for me to carry comfortably. I'm not a big person and I don't have any fat to hide a pistol of that size, so not only are they uncomfortable and get heavy, they also print pretty noticeably on me. I'm a big fan of single stack 9mm for concealment. A good +p self defense load will do the job very, very well. That being said, if you're set on a .40 S&W, there are a few good single stack choices out there that are thin and light enough to be a good carry option. You're just going to have a fun time with the snap of the recoil.
And on the subject of recoil, even though my XDM is quite a bit heavier than the Glock 17, the recoil and muzzle rise is about 150% what the 9mm 17 is. Translate that down into a smaller package, and you have a hand full. I personally will never buy a .40 S&W that small.
I'm going to steer this a different way and suggest perhaps a Revolver, maybe in .38 or .357mag. A revolver is a great option for someone new to firearms. It is difficult to have a NG (Negligent Discharge) with a revolver. They really only go off if you mean for them to.
Revolvers are easy to clean.
Revolvers are a bit more simple and less likely to fail in the hands of someone with less experience.
They come in all sizes and weights and are easy to conceal.
Carry it for a year or two and then if you want to move up to a SA (Semi-Auto), do it. I'm pissed at myself for selling my revolver. But, oh well, a good reason for me to buy another one. LOL Don't get me wrong, I love my little XD-40SC, but when you hold a blued steel revolver in your hand, it just feels great.
Here is one I am looking at for now (Rossi .357mag)
I have a glock 19 and 26. I have shot a friends XD 40 and it is very accurate. What it basically boiled down to me was weight. Both shoot very accurate and both great guns. But for carry which is what I use the 26 for, loaded the 26 weighs the same as the XD unloaded. So that is what put me over to glocks. And I havent looked back. Love both my glocks and would like to get another.
I trained with a G17 going through the academy and probably shot close to 1000 rounds through it. That being said, it did take me a little practice to get used to the grip/cant of the gun. But I did get pretty proficient with it.
Taking all that in. I like springfields better . My wife has an XD in 9mm that is fun to shoot and she absolutely loves it. I just recently purchased an XDM in .45 and it is my new carry gun. When it comes to handling them I will choose a springfield every time because it just feels better to me.
My suggestion go to a range and shoot each one and see which one feels better to you.
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Nothing wrong with the XDM's by Springfield, but I'm a Glock guy. I prefer the grip angle, and more importantly to me is the availability of after market parts and how easy they are to do basic gun smithing on. Another big reason I like the Glock over the Springfield is because Springfield doesn't make a XDM in 10mm. If they did I'd probably buy one.
In regards to the regular XD..I sold my XD45 Compact because I didn't care for the amount of vibrations felt in the grip when fired. The Glock 30SF I bought afterward felt much more solid.
I went ahead and got the glock 23 compact .40. I shot the 19, 26, and the xdm .40, and i shot the best with the glock, i dont like the grip frame angel as much as i thought i would on the springfield. now my next two objects in mind are what ammo to use (FMJ, JHP, grain?) and what holster to use, I plan on IWB
I went ahead and got the glock 23 compact .40. I shot the 19, 26, and the xdm .40, and i shot the best with the glock, i dont like the grip frame angel as much as i thought i would on the springfield. now my next two objects in mind are what ammo to use (FMJ, JHP, grain?) and what holster to use, I plan on IWB
135-155 gr. JHP loads seem to do best according to Massad Ayoob.
I went ahead and got the glock 23 compact .40. I shot the 19, 26, and the xdm .40, and i shot the best with the glock, i dont like the grip frame angel as much as i thought i would on the springfield. now my next two objects in mind are what ammo to use (FMJ, JHP, grain?) and what holster to use, I plan on IWB
Congrats on the G23! It's a very nice carry weapon. I have a Gen 4 G23 for times when I want something smaller than my G20SF. So far I have only fired 135gr, 165gr, and 180gr in mine. They all grouped fine, but the 180gr was the tightest. Try a few different bullet weights and brands of JHP for defense to decide what you shoot best. FMJ is just fine for the range, and it will save you some money.
Bro I'd go with the Glock 27. Fantastic pistol, LOVE IT! I'm not a Glock fanatic, but I really do love this pistol. I'm sure you will too.
Both are great guns (Glock/XDM series), just pick them both up and buy whichever feels better.
The Glock 27 fits nicely into a ''Crossbreed Supertuck'' IWB holster'' and is quite comfortable. Glocks are also insanely customizable and proved to be reliable (the XD's are also reliable).
Did a lot of research and finally decided on a Glock 19 for concealed carry.
The deciding factors for me were several. First of all the weight and thickness of the gun which is only 1" making the gun very easy to carry and hardly noticeable.
Also the Nitride finishing process on the Glock is different than the Nitride finish on the Springfield. The Nitride finish on the glock is a Ferritic Nitride process and has a 65 Rockwell C rating and the Nitride finish on the Springfield is only a 55 Rockwell C rating. A 65 Rockwell C rating is 85% more durable than hard chrome finish and is 99.9% impervious to salt water. A nearly indestructible finishing process.
As far as accuracy goes......there is not a nickles worth of difference between the two.
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. My wife has an XD in 9mm that is fun to shoot and she absolutely loves it. I just recently purchased an XDM in .45 and it is my new carry gun. When it comes to handling them I will choose a springfield every time because it just feels better to me.
Glock finish 
