[CobraMan]

My FIRST POST....


I've shot a couple dozen rounds in an XDm-9. Loved it. But, after talking to a law enforcement friend of mine and doing some research on the web, I decided to purchase an XDm-40.

I can't get to the range for a few days. Can someone who has experience with both guns tell me what I should expect in terms of the relative feel of the gun, recoil, etc. between the -9 and the -40 ?

I'm expecting more recoil - but don't know how much. (I recently shot a S&W Airlight .38 special and did not enjoy the experience - too much recoil.) I'm also expecting the balance to be a bit different between the -9 and the -40.

Can someone tutor me in advance of my first session at the range ?

Thanks for the help. Looks like this is a fantastic forum....

 

[mr1incred1ble]

My FIRST POST....


I've shot a couple dozen rounds in an XDm-9. Loved it. But, after talking to a law enforcement friend of mine and doing some research on the web, I decided to purchase an XDm-40.

I can't get to the range for a few days. Can someone who has experience with both guns tell me what I should expect in terms of the relative feel of the gun, recoil, etc. between the -9 and the -40 ?

I'm expecting more recoil - but don't know how much. (I recently shot a S&W Airlight .38 special and did not enjoy the experience - too much recoil.) I'm also expecting the balance to be a bit different between the -9 and the -40.

Can someone tutor me in advance of my first session at the range ?

Thanks for the help. Looks like this is a fantastic forum....

I have the XDM-40. I'm not anything resembling an expert, but I've found even with a full frame pistol, the .40 S&W is a round that takes a lot of practice because of the violent recoil, but it's very satisfying once you do. I've only shot the XD9 compact in 9mm XD's, and it was extremely easy to shoot compared to my XDM40 and especially my XD40 sc or my old Glock 27.

The trick to shooting it accurately IMHO is to do a lot of dry firing in between magazines, and finding the sweet spot in the grip strength, which is firm enough to let the weapon reliably cycle, yet soft enough to let the recoil be absorbed by my wrists and snap back on target. It's also easy to let it snap back well below where you are aiming, then have to bring it back up again, but with a lot of practice I think I've got it down. However, even today my shot groups were spreading out again, so I rented a Walther P22 and shot a couple hundred rounds through it. Then I shot another 100 rounds through my XDM, and it was all good again.

If I didn't have the time nor inclination to tame the .40, I would go with a 9mm or .45. Much less frustration IMHO.

 

[stainone]

well i have a friend that has the 40 we shot for a few weeks un till i got the 9mm. the stainless steal guide rod seam to smooth out the recoil on the 40 and shoots great. in the last 3 wks i have put 600rds in the 9 with the same ssguide rod that is made for the 40 and even befor it not much recoil but the gun feels differnt than the xd i have shoot for the last four yrs. or so shoot ,shoot then see i love the feel of the xd(m)will it work for me ?i don't know yet ?take ur time feel them out one thing is sure they are great guns.

 

[D_Fence]

well i have a friend that has the 40 we shot for a few weeks un till i got the 9mm. the stainless steal guide rod seam to smooth out the recoil on the 40 and shoots great. in the last 3 wks i have put 600rds in the 9 with the same ssguide rod that is made for the 40 and even befor it not much recoil but the gun feels differnt than the xd i have shoot for the last four yrs. or so shoot ,shoot then see i love the feel of the xd(m)will it work for me ?i don't know yet ?take ur time feel them out one thing is sure they are great guns.

 

[D_Fence]

Can someone who has experience with both guns tell me what I should expect in terms of the relative feel of the gun, recoil, etc. between the -9 and the -40 ?

With a proper grip and technique you shouldn't have problems with the 40. One of the reasons I continue to carry a 9mm, despite being perfectly comfortable shooting larger calibers, is needing to shoot one-handed in a self-defense situation. A perfect grip and stance at the range is unlikely on the street. In compromising situations, I shoot groups with the 9mm better than the .40.

 

[565Customz]

i have shot 115 grain hollow points with a little less powder in them and they were almost 9mm like (actually pretty damn close or even less than a 9mm) and hollow points will take care of business.

pretty much every polymer pistol i buy ends up with a tungsten or ss guide rod, laser and sometimes a heavier spring. that pretty much kills the recoil. if your worried about the recoil i would do these mods before you shoot (or do the low power loads) i just havent got mine in the mail yet :grin:

 

[VetteVert]

I can't comment on the XDm-9 as I haven't handled one, but you should have no trouble with the .40. To me, the grip has a lot to do with it. Since it is full length and high grip friendly you can really hold onto it. I was expecting much more (I'm new to the caliber...most of my others are .45s) after reading on the opinionweb, but was pleasantly surprised how mild it was. Granted, this was with BB & WWB, no hot loads.

For referece, I noticed no recoil difference between it and my all metal Sig P226 .40.

VV

 

[scooter123]

I think the 40 is very managable, however it can be load dependent. With the 40 I notice more "snap" when shooting a full power defense load with a light weight bullet, such as a Speer Gold Dot 165 grain. When I shoot with 180 grain rounds it's a slower push without much snap at all. While I haven't shot it, I have heard that the 135 grain Corbon rockets are actually a bit unpleasent to shoot.

As for why the heavier rounds are easier to shoot, it's simple Physics. The lighter the bullet, the faster it will accelerate and since F=MA, a higher acceleration of the bullet will deliver a harder, shorter impulse to the shooting hand. The net force applied over time will be basically equal but lighter rounds will have a snappier feeling recoil.

As for the 9mm 40 caliber comparison, I did not have any issues with recoil when I moved up to the 40 caliber. To be honest I think the 40 S&W is a rather easy round to shoot.

 

[field]

comparing 180g factory 40sw to 124g factory 9mm i would use the phrase.. ''more solid shooting''

 

[1911XD]

Edit: WOW! This thread is a year and a half old...

This is just my opinion...but. If you have a 9mm, you are comfortable with it, why do you feel the need to also buy a 40 of the same gun?

In my opinion, you would be much better served buying some ammo and going to a quality training class like, Front Sight or Thunder Ranch. You may even have some good local classes you could attend.

Get a good holster, shoot some IDPA etc.

The fact is, a kill shot with a 40 will also be a kill shot with a 9mm and vise versa.

Shot placement is much more important than caliber, always has been and always will be.

WARNING EXTREMELY GRAPHIC
This is an FBI report :
http://concealedcarryholsters.org/wp-content/files/FBI-Analysis-on-PA-Police-Shootout.pdf

The results of this FBI analysis really reinforces the importance of shot placement if you are ever forced to use your gun against an attacker. Police fired a total of 107 rounds at the single suspect and it took an M4 rifle to finally incapacitate him. The suspect was able to fire 26 rounds from his .45 caliber handgun and even reloaded from a box of loose rounds.

Subject received approximately sixteen .223 rounds, thirteen of these rounds went completely through. One round struck his hip and completely shattered it. Another .223 round struck his aorta and another pierced and collapsed his lung. Both of these rounds lodged themselves inside the subject. The Medical Examiner stated that the .223 rounds caused massive internal damage.

 

[maddawg5777]

40 does not have that bad of a recoil, its just a bit snappy. I found that shooting 155grn bullets felt the best out of mine. With a little time and practice you wont notice the recoil at all.

 

[XD(m)]

i just bought a .40 in the 3.8 model and the recoil is not bad at all...in fact this is the most fun 40 to shoot..... i shoot the american eagle 180 grain for target and i dont even notice the recoil....once you train yourself to slowly squeeze trigger without thinking about the recoil youll love it........the funest .40 ive shot though....recoil is nothing and im only 5'10" and 145lbs im a little dude with small @$$ hands