First Gun - Should I get the XD 45ACP?

[Frenchy]

Originally Posted by Son of Norway

2 or 3 hundred bucks.

Every gun nut needs a couple .22's for fun. Accurate, fun, cheap, quiet, I mean hey, what's not to like? When I go to the range I probably spend more time shooting my .22's than anything.

If you like pistols you can't lose with a Ruger 22. They are pretty much the standard .22 pistol on the market. If you really get into it there are a lot of cool accessories out there for them.

I completely agree with Son here. The variety of Ruger .22 semi-autos out there right now is staggering. This would be an excellent choice, IMO.

[Solus]

Alright, just to show you before you make your purchase. This is a good, non-bias, article on caliber. Personally if I were you and I had to choose between the 9mm and .45 it'd be 9mm all the way. And if I had the desire to have a .45 like you then I'd get the .45 after my 9mm.

http://www.findarticles.com/p/articl...26/ai_86704766

Unless you could afford it. It costs me about $40-$50 each range visit with my .40sw and I go at least twice a month. With your .45 it'll cost a wee bit more. That's with range fees and bullets. But not to mention the cost of stupid stuff like cleaner, targets, etc.

[.45shooter]

As read from that article "As a matter of fact, there is quite a bit of evidence around showing a superior 9mm round will often perform as well as, or better than, many popular .45 ACP cartridges. Imagine that." This is back to the old argument that one CAN buy a super-hot loaded, $1.50 per round, 9mm loading that will approach the power of a run-of-the-mill plinking load for the .45 (about 350-390 ft. lbs.). If you want to keep things equal, compare hot loads to hot loads. The Magtech Guardian Golds that I carry in my .45 make 540 ft. lbs. of muzzle energy (all the while making a much bigger hole in the target), the same cartridge in 9mm makes 397 ft lbs. (not much more than a regular target load for the .45).
If cost of ammo is the primary concern, buy a .22 for plinking and buy whatever you really want for your defense weapon.

[[TASF]Maverick]

Originally Posted by .45shooter

So you are saying pretty much everybody is paying too much... Maybe you should take that up with Springfield.

Everybody's not paying too much. Some people have the luxury of walking into a store and paying what is posted, that's all. I research the prices of things before I invest my money into them. When you look around and see new XDs selling for $400ish I consider that to be a fair deal to everyone involoved. When I see one at a store advertised at $499.99 or even $750, I think the people selling it are being greedy as hell and I pass on it.

This is the problem with what happens when a firearm becomes popular and people begin to get greedy. Remember, this is practically the same gun that used to sell to civilians for only $250.

[Frenchy]

I'm going to get at least a year under my belt before I consider one of these. This will allow the problems to be ferreted out, and the prices to get in line.

[Exmasonite]

As still a novice in the handgun world, here is my story:

I purchased an XD .40 service about a year ago. First handgun... i'd been shooting three times in my life. I'd been looking at 9mm but my bro and cuz with military/law enforcement experience talked me into larger caliber.

As a fellow college student, it's pricey to shoot. Walmart has some good deals from time to time but .40 is usually 50% costlier to shoot. I got to be "ok" with it... a clip of 12, i can usually put at least 6-8 in the black center part of the target at 7 yds.
I will say that the cost was prohibitive from letting me shoot/practice more. For about 2-3 months last summer, i fired my buddy's .22 almost exclusively b/c it was so cheap to shoot. When I picked up the .40 again, I was MUCH better with it. I agree that shooting the smaller caliber helped my shooting.

Now, cost being a big concern and your desire to also have a personal protection weapon, i think the 9mm would be the best option. you'll be able to practice a LOT more b/c the ammo is so much cheaper. Honestly... hollow point 9mm will get the job done if you put the shots in the right place. In addition, you can have a much higher capacity... 14-15 rds or more, i believe.

Now, the other option that I'M currently pursuing is to get the .357 SIG or the .40 and get a conversion barrel for 9mm so I can practice more. that's gonna run 150-200 on top of the cost of the gun.

So, a lot to think about. good luck!

matt

[TF106]

Originally Posted by Boma

Dang, now you guys got me thinking about the SA XD9 in Bi-Tone.

I am a college grad student living at home. Funds are short right now.

If I go to the range, I want to shoot alot. I am sure I can't afford to spend 50-70 bucks for ammo and fees everytime I go to the range.

Now that I think about it, I know the impact of going .45ACP will hurt my wallet for sure. That is not debatable. It's hard to beat 100 WWB for $10.

But the impact of a .45ACP versus a 9MM for self defense is debatable. Add good Hollowpoints for self defense and the 9MM is still effective.

Arg. I don't want to regret my purchase.

Under consideration now:
SA XD9 Bi-Tone 15+1
SA XD45ACP 13+1

I am in my junior year of college and I live at home too, so I can relate. I turn 21 in April and plan on buying my first handgun within a year. The XD 45ACP appeals to me as well.

Right now I'm keeping a very open mind, considering everything from .22 to 9mm to .40 to 10mm. Even though I hope to have a job once I graduate, ammo is a huge concern for me, especially since I'm new to guns and will need to practice a lot.

As much as I want to start with a 10mm or .45, the ammo cost is a real downside. As someone put it to me, 7000 rounds of .22 will cost $140 whereas 7000 rounds of 10mm or .45 will cost about $1400. Those kind of numbers are hard to ignore, especially for a newcomer.

The Kimber Rimfire Super is a full-size 1911-style pistol built by their custom shop. It costs about $900, but I'd personally be willing to buy it. If I'm going to go with a .22 I'd like to have something super-nice and unique. Plus, I can always save up again and go with a 10mm or .45 after a year or two.

Believe me, the variety of calibers and handguns out there are making my head spin. Good luck with whatever you decide, and unless you go with something crazy like a .50/Desert Eagle, you should be OK.

[justgotback]

If the higher caliber 45 ACP is the concern, I have read where the recoil in the 45 ACP has almost no difference than the 9mm. BUt as you said (and I agree 100%) it should be the weapon in which you the shooter feels most comfortable and secure.

Originally Posted by Solus

The same.

Do you like the 45 Caliber? Do you like the 9mm? It's not just the size. It's the velocity, it's the recoil, it's the capacity. The 45 ACP is a little bigger than the XD-40 or XD-357. This means it'll be harder to conceal. Also, it'll be heavier. Given yes, the XD45ACP has 14 rounds in the XD, if you could deal with the weight.

The caliber of the bullet also changes your ability to provide accurate rapid fire. Obviously the 9mm will be easier to control under rapid fire. But also concider that the 9mm, being a lighter wieght bullet, is higher velocity and able to "over pentitrate" a target. In other words 9mm's have a rep for going straight through that mugger you were talking about and maybe hitting somebody or something on the other side. On the other token, the 45ACP is a very slow, heavy bullet. You may be able to only rack off one shot, which had better be a good one.

Also if your planning on shooting through anything potentially (like a car) the 45ACP may not be able to produce the proper velocity to clear the obstical or be able to clear it only for you to find out that it was "redirected" during transit. America has this notion that the 45ACP is the ultimate carry bullet. Somehow I'm not too sure. I'm not against it, it just has some drawbacks that nobody seems to care about.

45ACP (or GAP for that matter) to me feels....strange. The larger bullet makes me feel uncomfortable in that it may be a false sense of security? But it has always made me wonder. If the .45 is so glorious, as do most Americans seem to believe, then why do we have 9mm, .357, .40, 10mm, 38 super, .44, .50, 500, .25auto, .22 as well as others?

Most of Europe uses the 9mm as their main police and military caliber. The second being the .40s&w remarkably, being why I picked .40. On any note .45 over there is unheard of. As to why they (as in the rest of the world) haven't picked up this glorious caliber as their main boggles my mind. And it's not because of cost. As far as prosperity goes the American Dollar is third in line with the Euro and the Pound taking dominance. As another note, China decided recently to SWITCH to the 9mm favoring it's ability to penitrate soft body armor. Also, the Russian service caliber just changed to the 9x19 (9mm) after 50 years

In defence of the .45ACP I will note that the US is dropping the 9x19 NATO round (9mm) in favor of the .45ACP...they don't know what will be the new service pistol yet but they do know it will be chambered in .45ACP. Of course that'd be one country. Of course, as stated the only reason the 9mm is being replaced in the US forces with the 45ACP is because the "big, slow...fat, old .45ACP...instilled confidence and respect". That's the only given reason. Don't believe me? Check out Shotgun News Combat Cartridge Trends article.




So it all boils down to....which caliber do you TRUST to save your life?

To be honest for me at least I'm not too sure between the .40, or the 9mm. But I do know that I do not trust the 45ACP. That's me though. Everybody is different. If I could get the .40 to achieve velocities the 9mm achieves I would be much more confident in it. But the larger capacity, higher velocity 9mm intrigues me much more than it should.