1st time @ Range (XD45 - 5inch)

[Big Calhoun]

Well, I finally got to take the XD45 out and shoot her a little bit. My normal range is undergoing some repairs so I tried another which I'm thinking about joinging....but the drive, ugggghhhhhh.

Anyway, to sum it up, it's a great gun!! I don't think there were any surprises there. Nice clean groupings right out of the box!!

The ergonomics of the firearm are OK...I'd say average. I'm a big Beretta fan and haven't yet shot anything that fits my hand so nicely. But the ergos on the XD45 are pretty good and it does help to accomodate a comfortable and functional grip. The groove below the slide-lock helps to reenforce making a proper grip.

One of the first things I noticed was that racking the slide took a little bit more effort than on other firearms I own. I've read that the spring is pretty stiff and and requires a heavier pull. I think that along with it being a brand new gun contributed to the harder pulls. After about 56 rounds, it already feels like it may be 'settling in' a little bit and getting easier to pull.

Loading the magazine, I snagged my thumb several times but I do that on alot of guns/magazines that I own/ The magazine itself was pretty easy to load until about round 11l that's when I had to add a little bit more force to get the last two rounds in. Of course there is the magazine loader that was included which makes things alot easier. The 'easy glide' (or whatever they call it) magazine is pretty nifty. Slides right in without alot of scratching or force.

I put 50 rounds through her, standard range ball ammo. Right off the bat I noticed a tighter consistency with my shots. It didn't seem that I had to compensate as much for individual ammo characteristics. Pretty much where I aimed was where the shots landed. She went through all 50 rounds with no problems at all; no jams, no FTF, no nadda. Recoil was barely noticeable. I'd say it had about as much (as little) recoil as my HK USP 45. After the 50 shots of range ammo, I decided to try some +p that I needed to cycle out. Again, very accurate and I found the recoil to be extremely manageable. It actually took me back a little because +p in my HK causes some noticeable kick. +p in the XD was a walk in park.

I've read some reports of 'trigger slap' and I can't say that I experienced that. While it was only 57 rounds, this was after 70 .40 in the Beretta, 50 .45 rounds in the HK, 20 +p rounds ink the HK, then the XD. So I had some mileage on my hands yesterday. I don't know if it's my follow-through on the shots or my grip, but no trigger slap.

One thing I did notice was that I could feel more heat as the rounds were fired, under the trigger guard. This really became noticeable with the +p loads. It didn't seem like the flash was exiting from underneath, but I definately could feel some heat. I also noticed that it seems to have a brighter flash than on my HK, the other .45 I own.

All in all, an absolute pleasure to shoot!!!!