Glock Convert goes to 45 ACP Compact

[GlockConvert]

Hello All,

Thought I’d drop in here an introduce myself. Lets see here. I finally gave up on Glock making a 45 ACP hi cap gun that I could hold on to. Even the 21 SF is a major disappointment. I have been carrying a Glock for about 16 years (usually a Glock 32 in 357 Sig). Been a Glock Armorer for a long time, and know a bunch of guys at Glock corp personally. They are first rate guns and first rate people. They just don’t make a small enough 45 for me.

Going with the 45 because I need to be able to walk into a store and buy a couple of hundred rounds of ammo at a moments notice. Thats tough to do with 357 sig. You haven't lived until you are half way through teaching a defensive handgun course and need to buy 357 in the middle of nowhere

I sent the gun off to Springer for a trigger job and night sights. Got it back in 5 DAYS (including a weekend). That is simply amazing. The trigger is awesome, and the sights are excellent. The break is superior to the Glocks. The reset is softer and will take some getting used to. I took it to the range and dumped 250 rounds of UMC and 50 rounds of Ranger 230 Grain Plus P through it. Flawless. 13 round group at 7 yards about .75 inches. Sub 2 inch groups at 15 yards shooting quickly. The gun is good to go. Accurate, reliable, and soft shooting. I really like it. (I don't like the loaded chamber indicator or the cocked indicator, but I can live with both).


I started a thread on my initial experiences with the XD which started an interesting conversation about loaded chamber indicators…

So other then Glocks, I like AKs, FALs and M1 carbines.

Stay Safe,

Glock Convert in Seattle

[DanTheEldest]

Welcome to the other Dark Side.

I think you'll find that many XD owners here also enjoy Glocks to varying degrees, and there's certainly an avid long-gun community here, so you'll fit right in. Congrats on stepping out and trying something new.

[chupacabrachus]

Welcome aboard. I'm glad you came to the XD side of the tracks. I myself do not dislike glocks. I love them, but I prefer the ergonomics of the XD better by far.

[Kauzi XD45]

Welcome, I am sure you will find plenty to talk to about ALL of your gun likes and choices. I personally dont have anything against Glocks, I just lke the feel of the XD better.

[slugger6]

Welcome to the forum, GlockConvert! I am particulary pleased to have someone with your experience join our ranks. I look forward to reading your posts.

[hellagerms]

Welcome from Tehran!

[AZXD40]

Welcome from PHX,

Just curious but what about the Loaded chamber & firing pin indicator do you not like?..

[GlockConvert]

I put this in the XD 45 forum when I reviewed my gun, but here it is here:

I'm the new guy on his 3rd post, so I am reluctant too climb to high on my soapbox or critique a system that I am just getting ramped up on. My concerns come from being a user and an instructor. As a user, the loaded chamber indicator adds several more moving parts to the gun. It creates something that can go wrong, something that needs to be maintained, and something that offers me little value otherwise. I am just getting started with XDs so that might be over stated. The cocked inidicator is the same. It creates another hole in the gun, another variable, and another potential point of failure. What does it really tell you that you shouldn't already be aware of? As an instructor, I don't want students depending on gun specific drills to determine weapon status. As a wise old warrior says "the gun that gets kicked to you through the puddle of blood and beer may not be your preferred tool." I don't want students thinking to themselves, "I don't need to know how to do a chamber check in the dark, because my XD will let me know when its loaded". I'm a big believer in gun agnostic skills. I had a colleague tell me " I like the loaded chamber indicator because I can check the status of the gun while its in the holster". My answer to that was "why in the world are you carrying around a gun in a holster whose condition you are not sure off".

I am also worried tht the widespread use of loaded chamber indicators will, lead to the implication that guns without loaded chamber indicators are not safe and their users are somehow negligent. Imagine " well sir, the gun you used to shoot someone can't even be sold in California because it doesn't have a LCI. Its clearly an unsafe design".

I also think that chamber checks are administrative in nature. They are done at the beginning or ending of the shift or when the gun is being transferred from user to user. I do one in the morning when I put the gun in the holster and at night when it goes in the safe. There really shouldn't be the need for a tactical chamber check. If you are really unsure of the status of the gun in your hand, I'd recommend slappng the magazine, and racking the slide. This will ensure a round is loaded and is not gun specific. The times I have been scared spitless, trying to figure out what that noise was, or pointing a gun at someone, doing a chamber check, or feeling for the LCI would never have occured to me. If I took a gun off of someone (voluntarily or involuntarily) in the middle of a problem, I'd tap the magazine and rack the slide. I wouldn't look for an LCI or try to determine if the gun was cocked. I might be missing something, but I just don't see what value they add in return for the parts and variables they contribute.

I really try to keep my serious tools uncomplicated, uncluttered, and straightfoward.

[kg4bcn]

Welcome from west central florida----Tampa. I agree with you on the LCI. I check mine each time I holster the weapon. I work nights in a not so good part of town. No sense in carrying a weapon when you're not sure if a round is chambered.