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33 Posts
I havent done much serious pistol shooting for 20 years. I have spent many range hours for rifle and shotgun competitions. The XD was recommended to me be a retired LEO and one of the top IPSC shooters in my area. After watching some of his matches I decided it was time to get reacquainted with pistol shooting. I bought a very slightly used .40 service model. I hadnt shot this caliber, it really came of age after I had stopped shooting pistol.
Choosing between a 9mm and the .40 was pretty much decided by which I was able to find at a reasonable price first. Since I believe owning both is in the future I didnt get overly hung up on the caliber. Way too much discussion on this issue has already occurred.
I have fired about 600 rounds in the past 8 weeks. I primarily use WWB but also a box of CCI and UMC for comparison. Most of the WWB was 165gr and something around 150 rounds of 180gr.
No trouble at all to report. All ammunition performed well. The WWB is a bit dirty but it is priced well for my needs. I can notice a slight recoil difference between the 165 vs. 180, though Im hard pressed to describe it. The best I could say is I feel the 180 pushes back a little harder where the 165 seems to snap a bit more. Muzzle jump or total felt recoil wasnt appreciably different for me.
I had trigger pull issues at the beginning. The amount of pre-travel was quite different than any of my other firearms. Some of my rifles trigger pull was around 2oz. Once I accustomed myself to the trigger my groups became tighter and reasonably acceptable from 10-15 yards. Im still struggling to get good groups beyond 15 yards. Not the guns issue.
Im temporarily using a Fobus paddle holster. I have a Milt Sparks on order and will use it as my primary carry holster when it arrives. The Fobus has worked fine, pretty much what I would expect from a $20 holster. I have Dons guide rod and a 22# spring. I just installed the rod and spring and have not fired any rounds with it yet. I do prefer the lighter spring for manually working the slide. Ill hold my opinion until I have an opportunity to shoot with this setup. I also ordered an I-Shot bag from www.pistol-gear.com. Great bag, Im still looking for an instruction manual on how to pack 
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Decided I was getting a bit bored shooting at the range so I signed up for an IDPA match. Really great people at the match, friendly and very willing to help. The combination of target presentation was a lot of fun. I do wish I had practiced shooting with my weak hand before the match. I still believe the no-shoot target received only a flesh wound and the bad cardboard hoodlum wont be bothering any more innocent cardboardites. Im a bit envious of the younger shooters speed but I did well enough to win in the ESP. Yes Im still smiling.
DeadElephant
Choosing between a 9mm and the .40 was pretty much decided by which I was able to find at a reasonable price first. Since I believe owning both is in the future I didnt get overly hung up on the caliber. Way too much discussion on this issue has already occurred.
I have fired about 600 rounds in the past 8 weeks. I primarily use WWB but also a box of CCI and UMC for comparison. Most of the WWB was 165gr and something around 150 rounds of 180gr.
No trouble at all to report. All ammunition performed well. The WWB is a bit dirty but it is priced well for my needs. I can notice a slight recoil difference between the 165 vs. 180, though Im hard pressed to describe it. The best I could say is I feel the 180 pushes back a little harder where the 165 seems to snap a bit more. Muzzle jump or total felt recoil wasnt appreciably different for me.
I had trigger pull issues at the beginning. The amount of pre-travel was quite different than any of my other firearms. Some of my rifles trigger pull was around 2oz. Once I accustomed myself to the trigger my groups became tighter and reasonably acceptable from 10-15 yards. Im still struggling to get good groups beyond 15 yards. Not the guns issue.
Im temporarily using a Fobus paddle holster. I have a Milt Sparks on order and will use it as my primary carry holster when it arrives. The Fobus has worked fine, pretty much what I would expect from a $20 holster. I have Dons guide rod and a 22# spring. I just installed the rod and spring and have not fired any rounds with it yet. I do prefer the lighter spring for manually working the slide. Ill hold my opinion until I have an opportunity to shoot with this setup. I also ordered an I-Shot bag from www.pistol-gear.com. Great bag, Im still looking for an instruction manual on how to pack 
Decided I was getting a bit bored shooting at the range so I signed up for an IDPA match. Really great people at the match, friendly and very willing to help. The combination of target presentation was a lot of fun. I do wish I had practiced shooting with my weak hand before the match. I still believe the no-shoot target received only a flesh wound and the bad cardboard hoodlum wont be bothering any more innocent cardboardites. Im a bit envious of the younger shooters speed but I did well enough to win in the ESP. Yes Im still smiling.
DeadElephant