newby here! and im scoping out a few guns :)

[dreydin]

long story short, im 23 and have no guns but something clicked recently and heres what im considering for personal protection @home and while traveling long distances...

Glock 30
a bit plain, no? i want my first gun to be reliable and clean looking. while this does the trick for reliability and being clean cut, ive seen nicer looking guns for the same price.

Springfield XD 45
what can i say? this gun looks friggin' SWEET! i hear the trigger has a cleaner pull but is harder to break down/clean compared to Glocks.

Beretta Px4 40
not sure i want to drop down in caliber, but the gun is so nice! i hear theyre making it in a .45 sometime? either that or ive heard some wishful thinking =/


any sort of input would be greatly appreciated! i also have a few more questions...

1) what is the difference between .45(ie. the Glock 30) and .45 ACP?

2) how much are these green sights? what are they called? i LOVE THEM!


3) what does "porting" a gun do? and how much is it, usually?

4) what is on the front of this XD 40? some sort of extended barrel? does it increase distance/accuracy? and is it legal?


5) what is the extender on the bottom of this clip called? i really like how its angled


like i said, im a newb! but im trying to learn the basics before i just grab and buy any pistol

[jtkratzer]

Originally Posted by dreydin

long story short, im 23 and have no guns but something clicked recently and heres what im considering for personal protection @home and while traveling long distances...

Glock 30
a bit plain, no? i want my first gun to be reliable and clean looking. while this does the trick for reliability and being clean cut, ive seen nicer looking guns for the same price.

Springfield XD 45
what can i say? this gun looks friggin' SWEET! i hear the trigger has a cleaner pull but is harder to break down/clean compared to Glocks.

Beretta Px4 40
not sure i want to drop down in caliber, but the gun is so nice! i hear theyre making it in a .45 sometime? either that or ive heard some wishful thinking =/


any sort of input would be greatly appreciated! i also have a few more questions...

1) what is the difference between .45(ie. the Glock 30) and .45 ACP?

2) how much are these green sights? what are they called? i LOVE THEM!

3) what does "porting" a gun do? and how much is it, usually?

4) what is on the front of this XD 40? some sort of extended barrel? does it increase distance/accuracy? and is it legal?

5) what is the extender on the bottom of this clip called? i really like how its angled

like i said, im a newb! but im trying to learn the basics before i just grab and buy any pistol

Check out the XD45 compact...gives you a 4 inch barrel and a compact grip. The caliber in the Glock 30 (.45 acp) is the standard .45 caliber cartridge for semi auto pistols. I wouldn't get a .45 GAP (Glock Automatic Pistol).


The sights are TruGlo TFOs (Tritium Fiber Optic). They great for day time, the fiber optic collects light and glows bright and the tritium makes them glow at night. Excellent sights for a defensive firearm.

Porting is supposed to help reduce muzzle flip (where the barrel jumps up after firing a round) by sending the gases out of directed holes in the top of the barrel to push it back down. You don't need these for a self defense gun. You don't want those gases burning you should you have to fire holding the gun at your hip.

The grip extension is a Pierce Grip. It's a piece of plastic that goes on the end of the magazine to give your pinky finger a place to rest on compact/subcompact short magazines.

That is an extended barrel and it's ported. It's more for competition shooting than for defense. Ported barrels are legal, but if you're going to do competition shooting, check the rules of what you're allowed to do to your gun before making any changes. Some leagues require stock guns.


I'd recommend shooting a few of the guns you're considering and see which one feels the best in your hands. Both guns are easy to field strip.


By the way, welcome to forum. Ask lots of questions. There's lots to learn. Do your homework and you'll find something that works for you.

[rockerz71]

Welcome to the forum. Get the XD

[dreydin]

Originally Posted by jtkratzer

I'd recommend shooting a few of the guns you're considering and see which one feels the best in your hands.

stupid question, but if i dont know anyone with an XD... how could i fire one before purchasing? lol

Originally Posted by jtkratzer

By the way, welcome to forum. Ask lots of questions. There's lots to learn. Do your homework and you'll find something that works for you.

okay, incoming questions then...
1) does the grip safety on the back of the XD ever bother any of you? ive heard it can cause irritation and sometimes inhibit you from firing in crutial monements? (i heard this from a Glock person who said they heard this from an XD person)

2) magazines... on the XD 45 Compact, is it 10 in the clip or 9? when i look on the website it says 1 - 10. im trying to gauge this next to a Glock. the 30 seems to have a bit more capacity than the XD without an extender, which i do not want.

[whitenoise]

some guns ranges have guns that you can borrow to try shooting before you buy


no idea on the grip safety: dont have an XD quite yet

the compact's short magazine holds 10 rounds and then 1 in the chamber. so the capacities of the glock 30 and XD 45compact are the same.

[bkelm18]

Originally Posted by dreydin

stupid question, but if i dont know anyone with an XD... how could i fire one before purchasing? lol

okay, incoming questions then...
1) does the grip safety on the back of the XD ever bother any of you? ive heard it can cause irritation and sometimes inhibit you from firing in crutial monements? (i heard this from a Glock person who said they heard this from an XD person)

2) magazines... on the XD 45 Compact, is it 10 in the clip or 9? when i look on the website it says 1 - 10. im trying to gauge this next to a Glock. the 30 seems to have a bit more capacity than the XD without an extender, which i do not want.

No the grip safety is not a problem. It takes almost no pressure to press it in so it's not really an issue. You wont notice it when you hold the gun. Don't listen to Glockies when they bash the XDs, they usually don't know what they are talking about. Secondly, they are called magazines (mags), not clips. And the 45 compact mag can hold 10.

To shoot an XD, call around to your local ranges, many of them rent guns and may have an XD.


To answer your earlier questions: Both the Glock 30 and the XD45 shoot .45ACP (Automatic Colt Pistol), there's also a .45GAP (Glock Automatic Pistol) but guns that fire it are more rare.

Yes, ported barrels help reduce muzzle flip, leading to faster reacquisition of the target, but they are bad for a defense pistol. They are extremely loud and if you fire it in the dark, the resulting flash coming out of the ports will likely temporarily blind you.

Those green sights will likely cost anywhere from $50-$100.

[VaGunNut]

Originally Posted by dreydin

stupid question, but if i dont know anyone with an XD... how could i fire one before purchasing? lol

okay, incoming questions then...
1) does the grip safety on the back of the XD ever bother any of you? ive heard it can cause irritation and sometimes inhibit you from firing in crutial monements? (i heard this from a Glock person who said they heard this from an XD person)

2) magazines... on the XD 45 Compact, is it 10 in the clip or 9? when i look on the website it says 1 - 10. im trying to gauge this next to a Glock. the 30 seems to have a bit more capacity than the XD without an extender, which i do not want.

1) I never notice the grip safety in use but it adds a measure of safety to the pistol.

2) The XD Compact mag capacity is 10 rounds but it also comes with a 13 round mag. Because of the reduced grip size with the 10 round mag it is easier to conceal but your back up magazine is 13 rounds. Or if you don't find it a problem concealing the longer mag then you can carry with the 13 round mag.

Like the ad says 14 rounds (13 in the mag and one in the chamber) never felt so good in your hand.

[xdfan80]

The grip safety should not cause any problems. Like others have said, you dont even notice it, It takes hardly any pressure to press it in.
I have only had my XD a few months, but dont have a single bad thing to say about it.
Get one!!!!!

[Grip]

you cant even feel the grip safety..its takes very little pressure to depress it...basically the weight of your limp pointer finger will depress it.

i would look into Trijicon sights....springfield armory sells XD's with them allready installed from the factory(may be a special order item)

if you get the XD 45 compact, i think it comes with a 10rnd mag and a 13rnd mag + the grip extension(im not 100% sure on that package though so i may be wrong)

[Sirius1963]

Originally Posted by dreydin

stupid question, but if i dont know anyone with an XD... how could i fire one before purchasing? lol

Rent them. It would probably be worth it to find a range where you can try them out. There is a range here that will let you swap out as many times as you like. If you wanted, you can buy a box of ammo and shoot 1 shot from every pistol in that caliber. (of course that's not much fun, but you could)

Originally Posted by dreydin

okay, incoming questions then...
1) does the grip safety on the back of the XD ever bother any of you? ive heard it can cause irritation and sometimes inhibit you from firing in crutial monements? (i heard this from a Glock person who said they heard this from an XD person)

Never noticed mine. While I don't put thousands of rounds thru it in one outting, I forget it;s even there. Glocks are know for going "bang" when you pull the trigger, sometimes to the chagrin of the handler

Originally Posted by dreydin

2) magazines... on the XD 45 Compact, is it 10 in the clip or 9? when i look on the website it says 1 - 10. im trying to gauge this next to a Glock. the 30 seems to have a bit more capacity than the XD without an extender, which i do not want.

First, stop calling it a "clip" or you will really get razzed!
I have the .40S&W, it holds 13 plus 1 in the pipe. Dunno about the .45

I would try really hard to shoot both before you plunk down any ca$h, make sure you get the one you really like, not the one someone told you was better.