Hello from Newbie - XD9 First Impressions and Some Questions - XDTalk Forums - Your HS2000/SA-XD Information Source!

porkchopper · 01-09-2006, 01:05 PM

Hi to everyone!

I've been away from shooting for about ten years. My wife and I both had a lot of fun shooting together and decided to get back into it recently. I had decided on a 9mm; I wanted something relatively inexpensive to shoot at the range and something that she wouldn't be intimidated by.

We went to the local gun shop expecting to spend in the neighborhood of $600-700 and with HK, SIG, Beretta, Glock and Walther in mind. I had no knowledge whatsoever of the XD9. We went down the line and handled each pistol. Out of everything we looked at, the XD felt the most "right" to both of us. The price was very right too. $399.00 for the ported XD9. I had never owned a ported pistol and was pretty intrigued. As this is a range gun, the flash was not an issue in the decision. Although I had not read anything about the XD, I bought it on the spot, relying on SA's reputation with their 1911's and M-14's.

The quality and craftsmanship of the XD seems to be on par with Glock. The price was definitely considerably lower. I liked the fact that the slide is grooved both forward and aft to allow more options in the way it's handled. I like the dovetailed front sight and the stainless magazines too. This is a lot of gun with a lot of features for the money!

Went to Walmart and picked up some Winchester 115g FMJ at $0.11 per round (best price I found), then hit an indoor range and literally, had a blast!

We put 200 rounds through it. Because it's been so many years since shooting a pistol, and having nothing to compare it to, I can't say how much less flip there is with a ported barrel vs. non-ported, but I did notice that on my last magazine, when I shot rapid-fire, every round hit in the first few rings. I actually shot better rapid than slow fire. The gun was very comfortable to shoot. It was a little on the loud side, I'd say about as loud as a non-ported .45ACP. No biggie. When shooting, you don't see the flash exiting the ports. I only saw the flash when standing a few feet behind Jen watching her shoot. Again, no biggie at all. Not even close to being distracting to other shooters.

The only thing that I didn't like about ported barrel was that the front site is "gone" after about 150 rounds. But, that's easy enough to fix with some clear acrylic.

Overall, I'm very, very happy with my new XD9. My one complaint is the finish. It seems VERY delicate. After one cleaning (using a combination of Hoppes No.9 and Break Free bore blaster. When I got finished, it looked like a gun that's been cleaned about 20 times. Not sure if what I'm using is too harsh or if that's just the way the XD's finish is?!?

What I absolutely LOVE is how easy this gun field strips. It will be a great gun for Jen to learn how to strip, clean and reassemble. If only we had these things when I was in the service!

What do you guys clean with, and is my take on the finish accurate?

Thanks in advance!

Bill
--
www.porkchopper.com

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LTC-USA · 01-11-2006, 04:48 PM

Welcome. I love my subbie.

shipwreck · 01-11-2006, 05:34 PM

Put some oil on a patch and reoil the whole slide and then wipe it down w/ an old towel (soft) or tshirt - that may make the slide look better.

Oni · 01-13-2006, 11:33 AM

Good purchase, I have no complaints about my XD so far after 428 successfully fired rounds. They do field strip easily! I have yet to purchase some oil for my gun and I am still searching for cheaper ammunition than Winchester white box FMJ 9mm luger. Are q-tips suggested for cleaning the harder to reach places of the guns innards?

TomSwift · 01-13-2006, 02:24 PM

I use various cleaners but I always finish up with a silicone coated gun cloth. My finish still looks great after 2 years.

bevis · 01-14-2006, 06:39 PM

oni - there is one place that you can get 9mm ammo alot cheaper
than WWB at walmart.

reload your own

thats about the only way that you are going to beat the WWB price at wally world. i have searched and after you pay shipping, its no deal.

as far as cleaners go - armadillo as seen here

http://www.pistol-gear.com/products.php?cat=10

i have not used any of these products but am going to order them and use them exclusivly. after reading threads on this site and others, it seems to be the best stuff to use.

Jerry · 01-14-2006, 07:14 PM

I own an xd-40. The black finish springfield has a problem there I must admit. O'well easy to get fixed and cheap. I spray it out over a barrel with a solvent the use an air compressor if you want to. I then spray gun slick in the trigger mech. I then use a Q-tip and put 5w-50w castrol synthetic on the slide. Many pros do this. I can shoot many many rounds through the gun take it apart and find it is never close to being dry. Best tip I ever got.

Apdl · 01-15-2006, 02:27 AM

no offence but that sounds kinda like a pain wouldnt you get oil all over your self?
i use the armadillo nice dry protection.
BTW 399.00 is the best price i have ever herd for a new ported XD

good buy

01-09-2006, 01:05 PM	#1
porkchopper XDTalk Newbie Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Ohio, USA Posts: 1	Hello from Newbie - XD9 First Impressions and Some Questions Hi to everyone! I've been away from shooting for about ten years. My wife and I both had a lot of fun shooting together and decided to get back into it recently. I had decided on a 9mm; I wanted something relatively inexpensive to shoot at the range and something that she wouldn't be intimidated by. We went to the local gun shop expecting to spend in the neighborhood of $600-700 and with HK, SIG, Beretta, Glock and Walther in mind. I had no knowledge whatsoever of the XD9. We went down the line and handled each pistol. Out of everything we looked at, the XD felt the most "right" to both of us. The price was very right too. $399.00 for the ported XD9. I had never owned a ported pistol and was pretty intrigued. As this is a range gun, the flash was not an issue in the decision. Although I had not read anything about the XD, I bought it on the spot, relying on SA's reputation with their 1911's and M-14's. The quality and craftsmanship of the XD seems to be on par with Glock. The price was definitely considerably lower. I liked the fact that the slide is grooved both forward and aft to allow more options in the way it's handled. I like the dovetailed front sight and the stainless magazines too. This is a lot of gun with a lot of features for the money! Went to Walmart and picked up some Winchester 115g FMJ at $0.11 per round (best price I found), then hit an indoor range and literally, had a blast! We put 200 rounds through it. Because it's been so many years since shooting a pistol, and having nothing to compare it to, I can't say how much less flip there is with a ported barrel vs. non-ported, but I did notice that on my last magazine, when I shot rapid-fire, every round hit in the first few rings. I actually shot better rapid than slow fire. The gun was very comfortable to shoot. It was a little on the loud side, I'd say about as loud as a non-ported .45ACP. No biggie. When shooting, you don't see the flash exiting the ports. I only saw the flash when standing a few feet behind Jen watching her shoot. Again, no biggie at all. Not even close to being distracting to other shooters. The only thing that I didn't like about ported barrel was that the front site is "gone" after about 150 rounds. But, that's easy enough to fix with some clear acrylic. Overall, I'm very, very happy with my new XD9. My one complaint is the finish. It seems VERY delicate. After one cleaning (using a combination of Hoppes No.9 and Break Free bore blaster. When I got finished, it looked like a gun that's been cleaned about 20 times. Not sure if what I'm using is too harsh or if that's just the way the XD's finish is?!? What I absolutely LOVE is how easy this gun field strips. It will be a great gun for Jen to learn how to strip, clean and reassemble. If only we had these things when I was in the service! What do you guys clean with, and is my take on the finish accurate? Thanks in advance! Bill -- www.porkchopper.com . . . . .

01-11-2006, 04:48 PM	#2
LTC-USA XDTalk 500 Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: UT Posts: 944	Welcome. I love my subbie. __________________ Springfield XD 9mm subcompact-Tripp chrome (2005) Browning Hi-Power (1966) Browning .25 (1966) 1903 A3 .30-06 Jack Russell Terrier

01-11-2006, 05:34 PM	#3
shipwreck XDTalk 1K Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Texas Posts: 1,318	Put some oil on a patch and reoil the whole slide and then wipe it down w/ an old towel (soft) or tshirt - that may make the slide look better. __________________ - Visit: http://www.fnforum.net The ULTIMATE FN site!

01-13-2006, 02:24 PM	#5
TomSwift XDTalk 1K Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Nashville TN Posts: 1,133	I use various cleaners but I always finish up with a silicone coated gun cloth. My finish still looks great after 2 years. __________________ Don't handicap your children by making their lives easy. Get Your Free Targets Here Ultrasonic Gun Cleaning

01-14-2006, 06:39 PM	#6
bevis XDTalk 100 Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 124	oni - there is one place that you can get 9mm ammo alot cheaper than WWB at walmart. reload your own thats about the only way that you are going to beat the WWB price at wally world. i have searched and after you pay shipping, its no deal. as far as cleaners go - armadillo as seen here http://www.pistol-gear.com/products.php?cat=10 i have not used any of these products but am going to order them and use them exclusivly. after reading threads on this site and others, it seems to be the best stuff to use. __________________ SA 1911 SS .45 ACP Milspec S&W 686 SS .357 XD V10 XD .45 ACP Para P-10 SS .45 ACP Kimber Eclipse Custom II SS Kimber Team Match II SS

01-13-2006, 11:33 AM	#4
Oni XDTalk 1K Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 1,544	Good purchase, I have no complaints about my XD so far after 428 successfully fired rounds. They do field strip easily! I have yet to purchase some oil for my gun and I am still searching for cheaper ammunition than Winchester white box FMJ 9mm luger. Are q-tips suggested for cleaning the harder to reach places of the guns innards?

01-14-2006, 07:14 PM	#7
Jerry XDTalk Newbie Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 19	xd-9 I own an xd-40. The black finish springfield has a problem there I must admit. O'well easy to get fixed and cheap. I spray it out over a barrel with a solvent the use an air compressor if you want to. I then spray gun slick in the trigger mech. I then use a Q-tip and put 5w-50w castrol synthetic on the slide. Many pros do this. I can shoot many many rounds through the gun take it apart and find it is never close to being dry. Best tip I ever got.

01-15-2006, 02:27 AM	#8
Apdl XDTalk 2K Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Burnsville, MN Posts: 2,354	no offence but that sounds kinda like a pain wouldnt you get oil all over your self? i use the armadillo nice dry protection. BTW 399.00 is the best price i have ever herd for a new ported XD good buy

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