[chkMINUS]

Note: Forgive me if some of this information has been discussed at length before. I'm new to the forums and guns in general but have spent many hours reading the forums.

OK, so I took my first trip to the range a month ago. I got to shoot many shotguns, pistols, and rifles. That was a bad idea, because now I'm addicted. I originally wanted an FN Five-Seven but can't afford the gun or the ammo. Recently, I met a guy in the Navy who has done two tours in Iraq and he recommended the Springfield XD. I went to a local gun store and really liked it (though I have yet to fire one).

This will be my first gun. My plan is to get the sub compact. If I like it, down the road, I can get a 4" model. If not, I can sell it and try something else.

Since I'm not too familiar with caliber, though I have fired 9mm, .40 and .45 albeit on different pistols, what would you recommend?

I heard that the .40 SC was "jumpy". But I also read that you can easily convert a .40 to a 9mm and still use the mags that came with your .40. If that's the case should I just get the .40 and convert to 9mm and get practice with both calibers? In regards to the conversion... after it's done will the .40 SC look and function the same as a factory bought 9mm SC? If so, then it's an easy decision for me and I'll get the .40.

Something else I don't quite understand is V-10. What does that mean? Does it have something to do with porting? What is porting?

And for the most important question is, besides locally, where do I buy XDs/guns in general? I see that springfield is offering a nice special kit if you buy their gun. Everywhere I look I see $500 but on the forum I've seen people claim they got theirs for $399. What should I be paying for a .40 SC with the kit?

Thanks to everyone for taking the time to read this post. I look forward to anything you have to say even if it is off topic or inflammatory.

*** I forgot to mention that there's no place locally that rents guns. And I have yet to ask local dealers/shops if they let you shoot before you buy (for some reason I doubt this).

 

[rayikeo2]

Just buy the 9mm and forget about the 40. There is no benefit of buying a 40 Cal and them spending $100+ extra money for a 9 mm barrel. If you do that then you will have to buy ammo in both calibers and spend a lot of time and money trying to decide which one you like the best. In all probability you will end up at some time firing 9mm ammo in the 40 cal barrel and cause injury to yourself. Newbies don't need the extra stress.

 

[slugger6]

Get the XD9SC. You won't regret it.

 

[Perchjerk]

+1 for the xd9sc. if u are addicted like u say, then u will love the xd subby and want to shoot it all the time. 9mm is significantly cheaper than .40 and with good HPs it has plenty of stopping power. i could mabe see getting the conversion barrel for a tactical (5 ") or the service (4 ") cause they are more of the "range gun" but not for the subby. just get the XD9sc and post pics asap!

 

[JhankG]

Get the 45 compact so you can look down on the other calibers with us.

 

[RogueXD]

Welcome to the forum. I am sure you have already noticed that asking which cal is an on-going discussion. It really depends on you and what feels good in your hands!! I like the 40 service because it choose me.. I also have other 40s as well. I carry the 40 Service 24/7 and love it. good luck...

 

[Reborn]

Get the 45 compact so you can look down on the other calibers with us.

+1 :lol::lol::lol::lol:

But seriously, get the 9sc. You can find a box of 9mm for under $10, compared to a box of .45 for $15 (some places $20), with the .40 in between the two. After all, you're addicted now, right? =D

 

[rystineusmc0311]

Personally I would say get a 4' service before you go for the subcompact, but thats up to you.

Caliber, go with 9mm. Cheaper to shoot, great for a beginner like yourself. The cheaper the ammo the more practice you can get, that leads to being more proficient.

 

[BOFH]

Cant go wrong with any of the XD's but I am a big fan of new gun owners going with a decent .22LR as their first pistol. It lets you learn the basics super cheap and you will get a lot of use out of it even after you buy a centerfire pistol. Worth considering.

 

[gunnewb]

I would go with the 9mm as well.

I grew up around alot of different guns but the first hand gun I purchased was the .40 SC and I kind of wish I had went with the 9mm. Either way its a great gun but 9mm ammo is way cheaper and if you really research the balistic qualities off both rounds there is a strong argument that the 9mm has just as much stopping power if you shoot the right ammo. A heavy .40 can have issues expanding on impact in part due to a slow velocity. Shooting a .40 out of a 3 inch barrel doesn't help with the velocity. As a result I try to shoot lighter hollow points out of my .40 SC for carry.

As for the V10 model. Yes this has to do with porting. The V10 model had a ported barrel and two slits down the top edges of the slide to vent the gasses out of the ports. The reason for these ports was to reduce muzzle flip, by redirecting the gasses up and back. Commen sense says this must also reduce muzzle velocity. This was only available in the 4" service model size to my knowledge. From what I understand it didn't reduce muzzle flip all that much and meant more hassle with cleaning since you have gasses being sent into the slide. Also since the vents are shooting out hot burning propelent if you were to fire this weapon at night it has a detrimental effeect on your night vision because of the much larger flash, making this a very poor choice for a defense weapon. One of the old school members [TASF]Overkill had one and he basically indicated it was a fun gun to shoot but wouldn't buy it again. I don't think they make the V-10 anymore.

Below is a picture of a V10

 

[gunnewb]

I also agree that as a new gun owner I wouldn't be messing around with changing out the barrel of a .40 for a 9mm. not only can it potentially put you in an unsafe situation but you also would have to either have different magazines for the 9mm or bend the feed lips of your .40 mags which would esentially convert them into 9mm mags. I wouldnt be bending the lips back and forth depending on which barrel your shooting, thats just asking for malfunctions. Personally I wouldnt bend any at all I'd just purchase 9mm mags. By the time you buy a 9mm barrel and a couple 9mm mags your half way to a new gun.

Just get the 9mm and soon enough your addiction will have you buying some more anyway.

I have purchased 2 handguns and a new AR-15 in the last year, and I'm a "starving college student" thats what this new addiction of yours will do for yah

Oh and as for the FN FiveseveN you mentioned. I am in love with that gun and its mate the PS90. Those two weapons are very impressive. The fact that FN designed the cartridge for a purpose first, and then built the sub machinegun and the sidearm to fire it is impressive. The problem, like you said, is that being that those two weapons are the only two weapons that shoot that round, it is hard to find and VERY expensive.

Not to mention that there is a new bill being put forward to ban the all armor piercing ammunition. Which is what the 5.7 that those weapons shoot is, and is designed for. They have a steel core. The bill specifically mentions banning the FiveseveN and PS90 ammo, I think it even mentions banning the firearms themselves.

If just the ammo was banned I'm sure they would come out with some non steel core ammo for it, but its still going to be expensive.

As for your question on where to buy. You have two choices. 1. buy at a gun shop in the state you are a resident of. 2. buy out of state or online, if you do this you have to have the weapon shipped to a licensed dealer (FFL) in your home state.

If you go with option 2 you will have to pay shipping, and you will have to pay a handling fee to your local FFL dealer for the transaction. Often times if you buy online you don't have to pay sales tax which can help offset the shipping and transaction cost if you live in a state that has a sales tax. It just depends on if you can save by buying online or not, and if so how much. If your going to buy online check out www.glbertsguns.com GunBroker.com Online Gun Auction or AuctionArms.com - Online Gun Auction or wherever else you can find.