[IrishIron]

Hello All,

I am brand new to this site and have a couple of questions. I am very exciting about purchasing an XD Service Model in 9mm or .40 cal. I am a brand new gun owner and will be using this for concealed carry.

Would you suggest the 9mm or 40 cal?

Also the gun shop is ordering one of each in black. It will include the package deal that everyone is talking about. The price is $500 for either one. Is this reasonable?

One more question for the experts. What ammo do you guys prefer to use in either caliber?

I know there is a lot in there but I am just trying to get all my info right.

Thanks to all you experts I appreciate your help.

IrishIron

 

[one-eyed-fatman]

Welcome to the board. 9 or 40...9 or 40... 9 or 40... where have I heard this before. 9MM's cheap 40 isn't so cheap. You can read everything on this board and then you will still have to make up your own mind on that one. Price wise I would say 450.00 max including tax, shipping, etc would be a good price. Some here have done better deals than that.

What ammo do you guys prefer

You'll get another earfull on that one too. In the end you will once again have to make up your own mind.

 

[The Grand Pooh-Bah]

They sell for $399 at my local gun store and $469 with the XML attached. I just ordered a .40 based on personal preference. Not that the 9mm isn't also an excellent choice.

 

[tommytrauma]

Irish, I bought mine in 9mm last year 'cause 9mm is so cheap to shoot. I found out later that, if I'd gone with .40 instead, I could have bought a 9mm barrel and been able to shoot both calibers. If I had it to do over again, I'd go that route.

 

[BigBob68]

Hello All,

I am brand new to this site and have a couple of questions. I am very exciting about purchasing an XD Service Model in 9mm or .40 cal. I am a brand new gun owner and will be using this for concealed carry.

Would you suggest the 9mm or 40 cal?

Also the gun shop is ordering one of each in black. It will include the package deal that everyone is talking about. The price is $500 for either one. Is this reasonable?

One more question for the experts. What ammo do you guys prefer to use in either caliber?



IrishIron

First and foremost, know your firearm and classes are probably a good idea. If this is your first handgun TAKE A CLASS. If you are using this as your CCW ask yourself this question, Am I willing to take someones life.

Personally I think the 40 is the best choice since you can swap barrels and turn it into a 9mm if you so desire. There has been mentioned on this forum that winchester 165 grain in 40 s&w "T" series is the new black talon. I personally like winchester 165 grain lawman which I think are about the same, six petal design.

Price of $500 is very resonable for the package deal. The 40 has been a joy to shoot and I dont find it unmanageable in the least. As far a caliber anything with a 4 in it is good. IMO

By the way, I am in no way an expert and I'll be the first to admit it.

Good luck and post some pic's

 

[UP ST NY TRANSPLANT]

I just bought my first XD on thursday.
9mm service in black w/o the special or extra stuff just two high-cap mags and the normal plastic case.
I paid $398.99 before taxes.
Bi-tones were $425.99 but had a long wait before they got any in stock.
They even had the 9mm tactical for $449.99
i had to do some looking around to find these prices but $500 seems a bit steep.

 

[BigBob68]

Hey transplant. I wish I lived in GA. #1 Walk into gunshop #2 Pick out XD #3 Background Check #4 Pay for and leave with gun.

Sounds like prices are much cheaper there to. Missouri has them priced at MSRP $489 and up w/o the package and are selling the heck out of them.

 

[Burn]

.40 vs 9mm seems to be all about personal preference. Get the one that appeals to you more, you can always pick up an after market barrel in the other caliber and swap them out whenever you want.

Ammo wise, for plinking ammo it seems that the Winchester ammo is a popular choice here. Seems to be both cheap and reliable.

 

[xdron40]

But I'm not sure that you can put a .40 bbl in a 9. You can put a 9 bbl in a .40

 

[The Grand Pooh-Bah]

But I'm not sure that you can put a .40 bbl in a 9. You can put a 9 bbl in a .40

You are correct.

 

[hobocircus]

If you are using this as your CCW ask yourself this question, Am I willing to take someones life.

The question to yourself should be, "Am I willing to protect myself and those around me?" :?

 

[Burn]

But I'm not sure that you can put a .40 bbl in a 9. You can put a 9 bbl in a .40

You are correct.

My bad, since I have a .40 I never even looked to see if you could go from a 9 to .40. I guess that would be a potential + mark on the side of .40.

 

[manygunner]

They go for about $409 here in my part of WA state for the 4" service model. I used to won both a XD-9 and XD-40, now I only own a XD-9. I found the XD-40 was giving me FTF problems and was less accurate than a XD-9. Decided to keep the XD-9. It is less expensive to shoot, has better accuracy and I can shoot faster with it. Someone mentioned swapping the barrels, that may be a good idea but I wonder if hte point of impact wil not be much different. ALso if you practice with a 9 and then carry it as a 40 you may not be ready for the difference in felt recoil, could cause a big flinch. Also as the XD system was origianly designed for the 9mm rouns I wonder if the heavier cartridges do not cause excessive wear on theh frame, especially at the polymer rear rail area. For a beginner I would suggest the XD-9 as it is a better gun to learn on. Once you are experienced the 40 may be a choice. Personally to me the slight difference between 9mm and 40 is not enough to keep a XD-40.

 

[manygunner]

I forgot, as to ammo. I use only Federal Hydroshock or Speer GoldDot JHP rounds for defense loads. Another good source of what ammo to carry is to ask local or state police what they are issued. Then if you need to use it, it is defensbale in a court of law as it is what the police use . Change it out regularly ever 4 to 6 months. Also be sure to use at least 200 rounds of your chosen carry ammo to prove it as reliable in your gun, this avoids some nasty surprises when you need your gun at most.


Hope no one here ever has to fire a shot in self defense.

 

[BigBob68]

The question to yourself should be, "Am I willing to protect myself and those around me?"


hobocircus you are correct. My bad.

 

[retired]

I bought the XD subcompact 9mm for 2 reasons. I waited 8 months for the 40 and was tired of waiting. Price of ammo.

I use Winchester 147gr Ranger Talon. This is le ammo only, but I have been told on another site that Ammolab sells it. Don't know the cost. I buy it thru my former dept. range now that I'm retired.

I will apologize in advance if you can't post other sites to go to, but I didn't see that posted. Go to www.tacticalforums.com to read excellent info re performa... direction on doing it right please. Thanks.

 

[metalfiber]

Hey guys. OKay, to answer the question....9mm or 40 cal. I'll begin first by saying that I had the chance to shoot the XD-40 today as I wanted to see what the hype was about. I have been studying the 1911's for the past eight months and had decided on saving my pennies for the Kimber Custom II TLE/RL when I spontaneously switched gears to give another "polymer" a chance. I own a AR-15 configured as a sniper rifle (1" groups at 200 yards), a Sig P239 and the venerable HK USP 40 Compact. My weapons are flawless, accurate and well chosen. Their configurations, however, have always been pricy. The Kimber TLE/RL would have been in that pricy catagory as well. Anyway, I initially rejected the XD-40 a year ago, by sight only, as it looked like a Glock. I have fired thousands of rounds in five different Glocks from five different sources and have never liked them. That is not to say they are poor weapons. I am simply stating they are not for me. Obviously the shooter must feel comfortable with the weapon he/she shoots. Here in lies where the XD-40 was surprising. After no more than fifteen rounds, I was shooting it with the accuracy of my HK USP 40. It was easily comfortable to maneuver. To answer the question about 40 and 9, well I have to say to go with the 40 because you can always buy the barrel for the 9. Additionally if you are using this as a home defense weapon, the 9mm will not incapacitate the threat soon enough. I am not speaking from statistics, but from experience. My Sig is a 9mm, but I used to carry my USP 40 for the simple reason that the 40 performs better and I can carry 12+1. That's a lot of bigger rounds. That is also the reason the Kimber did not completely sway me. 7+1 just doesn't sound like it's enough (and boy....I'll hear those guys who say, "all you gotta do is hit your target"). Trust me...16 rounds ON target with a 9mm is the minimum you should fire for effect. A N D I am certain we can continue this debate further, but I am only going on my opinion based on experience. I hope this helps you to choose...since I, too, have my weapons for home defense. I simply want to retire my 9mm Sig since I am convinced the 40 is a better combat round. In addition, it isn't that much more expensive than a 9mm round. Anyway, I hope this helps.

For me.....I will be buying the SA XD-40 Ported version.

 

[1of2]

Sure you can put a 9mm barrel in the40 but as I understand it the aftermarket barrels are not quite as accurate as the barrels fitted into a 9mm gun. This should also be taken into serious consideration.

 

[metalfiber]

Perhaps that is the finding. Perhaps it's true that the 9mm aftermarket barrel is not as accurate as the 40. All I am saying is that the 40 is "BIG and FAST" so the ability to incapacitate is better than the 9mm (at least that is the accepted norm according to tests presented in many forums). In any case, I believe the gentleman was looking for a defense weapon and that is the main reason for my opinion edging toward the forty. My understanding of the XD-40 is that you can also fit a 357 barrel on it. I believe the 40 makes for an effective projectile while staying within reasonable cost for effectiveness. Like the XD, a "less expensive polymer" that packs a lot of goodies, the 40 caliber fits the profile of a projectile that is less expensive than a 45, a 357 or even the 10mm, yet is quite capable of effectiveness against a threat. My logic in the answer involved a real life scenario where a 9mm simply fell short as a defensive weapon. Obviously we know that head shots would most definately take down a subject, but training does teach that the larger "center mass" target is the logical choice of a "point and shoot" combat scenario. In addition, if he wanted to switch to a forty cal or 357, he would no longer have that option unless he bought another one. Just a thought for the gentleman trying to decide on the 9mm and 40 cal.

 

[BeardXXXd]

if this is ur first handgun i would suggest 9mm.. that way u can practice and practice and feed ur addiction at $11 per 100 instead of $16 per 100..

9mm is a great round.. with proper defensive roundsu can drop a man just as easily..

later down the road if u still need .40 or .45 go for it. but 9mm is a perfect first handgun..

got my .40 for 439.00 on dec 6th and im sending my 6.95 in to SA for the clip and holster
Gander mountain around my parts was 449.00