Got the chance to fire my son-in-law's Springfield XD-9 subcompact and I gotta say, it's pretty sweet. Never fired an XD of any size before and have heard a lot of trash talk about them so I wasn't expecting much. But it was a quite pleasant surprise. Yes, the trigger's mushy, not as crisp a break as my Steyr MA1s, but no more mushy than a stock Glock and I'd say a tad smoother. Handles well and fits well in my hand. I shot it with the full-size 15-shot mag which is shown in the grip. Carry mag at left is 10-shot.
Makes me wish I'd never let my subcompact S&W 669 go. I sold it while I was on my Baddest Tactical Pistol kick going full-size and have regretted it. I've been thinking I need another subcompact 9 or 357 Sig to partner with my G29. For light carry, 10mm might just be a little bit of overkill.
Here's my target with 15 XD-9 holes in the center mass at 15 yards.
The other holes at lower left and right of the head are my attempts to zero a scope with a mount that kept shifting around on my CZ SP01.
I really liked the XD9 subcompact, but I'm leaning toward a S&W M&P .357 Sig, which is one of the few subcompacts you can get in that caliber. I like 9mm, but I love .357 Sig. If only Steyr would unveil a new S357-A1!
I almost forgot. I decided my pocket pistol, Kel-Tec PF-9, had been carried too much and shot too little so I got it out at the end of the range session to check for accuracy, feed and just to get a chance to shoot it. Only shot one mag, 8 rds. of Federal Tactical HPs, at 7 yards, but got a nice, tight little pattern I was quite pleased with. The other holes in the head are the same as the target above, trying to zero a scope without success. The cluster of eight around the number 5 in the center of the head are from the PF-9. Gives me confidence to carry.
The haters can trash talk all they want. The XD fits my hand and fires EVERY TIME I pull the trigger, which is my main requirement for a carry weapon. Admitely when it comes to after market add-ons the XD can't compete with the likes of the Glock. I think it can hold its own in most other ways.
ReplyDeleteAs for selecting a caliber, the .357 clearly packs more punch, but I chose the 9mm for two reasons.
1. I already have my Ruger P95 so 9mm was something I already "stocked"
2. Cost to shoot -- 9mm - 19 cents per round. 40 S&w - 30 cents per round. .357 Sig 56 cents per round. For me that 19 cent trigger pull means more rounds at the range.
I had a great time at the range.
-- Chris (aforementioned son-in-law)