I've been racking the slide and dry-firing the XDS and I can't believe how sharp the serrations are on the rear of the slide. They actually hurt my hand and I've got calluses. And the grip is mighty sharp as well. Just holding it while racking the slide leaves an imprint in my hand. Guess I'll be grabbing a used tire tube or maybe I'll spring for the Hogue Jr. Just concerned that anything I put on the grip may cause my cover garment to ride up.
In terms of the material(s) you use to cover the grip and how that may interact with your clothing - it's just that: what
you choose, and
your clothes. This is just something that you'll have to work out as you go, and that you have to realize is very much "ongoing."
A lot of newer concealed-carriers come into the fold expecting there to be definitive answers/solutions, and for those answers to never change. The truth is that there are *A LOT* of variables, and many of these are unique-individual concerns which, just as your body and your clothes (and even your gun/gear) changes over time, you'll have to review again and again.
Many instructors will tell their students to check the way their day's chosen wardrobe interacts with their day's chosen concealment method before loading up the gun. Understand that different textiles will behave differently, so it's worth that extra couple of seconds or even a minute of your time as you get ready to step out in the morning to check that you're not printing excessively with movement, that the gun doesn't hang on the draw, etc.
My best shggestion is, since while carrying it you won't be handling it often enough for this to become a problem. While practicing go buy some shooting or mechanix gloves with the trigger finger cut out. Then you should be fine.
and
I only mention this because it is my first XD firearm. I will shoot it at the range, probably with grip tape to give the grip some width.
Making the gun more comfortable for extended range-practice sessions or even a high-round-count training class is never a bad idea.
However, one must be careful and understand just how any such temporary concessions may affect one's actual capabilities *without* those same considerations in-place.
If you go with gloves or decide to install a slip-on sleeve only for range-sessions,
Gottaluvaredstate, at least practice a few times completely without so that you can see just how long/how many rounds you can successfully go/shoot without any such concessions - so you have an idea of your "worst case scenario."
Similarly, realize that as you shoot more, you will "toughen up" (in more ways than just those callouses on your fingers and hands) - and no matter how tough those surfaces and controls seem to be right now, that they'll also, as many here (both
Gigantore and
unclejed, for instance) have said, the gun will break-in.
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Also I am left handed so releasing the slide is done with my right hand over the slide while depressing the slide release.
?
Can you explain your technique a bit more in-detail, please?
With anything but an empty magazine, you should *either* be using the slide lock/release or retracting the slide fully to the extent that the recoil spring will allow (thus allowing the slide-stop to drop out of the way).
If you are practicing with an empty magazine in-place, then yes, you will need to also disengage the slide-lock/release lever.
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If your magazine is full you shouldn't have to touch the slide release, just pull all the way back on the slide and let it go. Really thats what you are always supposed to do, the slide release is really only for releasing the slide when the gun is empty (and for holding the slide open of course).
That's definitely how some see it - that the slide lock/stop is literally that.
However, actuation of that control surface for the purpose of releasing the slide is nevertheless a valid technique for sending the slide home.
No matter how this action is accomplished, there are compromises, and it is left to the individual shooter to determine what is the best compromise for him/her.
In terms of this thread, specifically,
Gottaluvaredstate's concerns for his hands and the various suggestions to help him with the issue, using gloves to make practice or training sessions more bearable likely will have the biggest impact on the viability of the technique(s) used to release the slide. On M4C.net, SME Jack Leuba (
Failure2Stop) described failures he noted when glove material would get caught on the slide or even inside the ejection port as trainees (no, not average-Joes/Janes...rather, some of our nation's top-tier ninja-killers and door-kickers) accomplished manipulations using the then-popular/dogmatic "overhand powerstroke" technique, which then led him to re-train these individuals to other techniques.
Gottaluvaredstate will need to be sure that whatever technique he chooses on the range, given his modifications towards his comfort/usability in that context, will transfer successfully.
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It will get easier as the slide loosens up. Make sure it's lubed well. I had mine in the freezer to check clearance after my prp trigger install. The condensation made it difficult to get a good grip. So those edges are that way for a reason.
Gottaluvaredstate, it's important to remember that the surfaces on your weapon should be made so that they resist slipping when wet/compromised. This may well mean that it can be harsh on your hands otherwise!
It's OK to take steps to make your training or practice sessions more enjoyable, but don't lose sight of why they're so murderously rough on your hands to begin with.