[aldronus]

Question on which would have a better mechanical accuracy, either an xdm 9 or a berretta 92a1 with rail? I ask as a friend is trying to figure which one he would like to have a home defense to go along with his 12ga and also for his wife to shoot with at the range. He has some exp with my xd 45c. any information is greatly appreciated, thank you.

 

[KenW.]

"mechanical" accuracy? What's that?

I shoot my XDs better than I shot the M-9 when I was in the military.

 

[John9mm]

"mechanical" accuracy? What's that?

Same thing I was wondering..

 

[John9mm]

Human accuracy is where it's at. My buddy cant hit the 10 ring at 15 yards with his rossi .38 revolver. The first time I tried the gun out I put a small glass jar of french dip out at 30 yards and hit it on the fifth round I had ever fired out of that gun. Was the gun inaccurate? No it was the shooter.

 

[infectednite]

I think either gun would be just fine for home defense. I can't imagine any of his shots would be at a terribly far distance. I'd say have your friend go with whichever one feels better in his hand as well as which he shoots better.

 

[mtnshikaku]

I think either gun would be just fine for home defense. I can't imagine any of his shots would be at a terribly far distance. I'd say have your friend go with whichever one feels better in his hand as well as which he shoots better.

+1 to this. I'm going to interpret "mechanical accuracy" as to mean which one groups tighter out of a Ransom rest, all variables of distance, rounds used, etc being equal, which won't translate to anything all that useful unless you're friend's planning some kind of strange home defense set up . . .

As infectednite said, it's much more important how the gun shoots for him, that is going to determine which one is more effective for him, and ultimately allow him to be more accurate. Barring some mechanical defect, they're both going to be more than precise enough for HD applications.

As far as for his wife to shoot with at the range, he'd be wiser to involve her in the fit and selection process (i.e., have her shoot a few) to ensure she gets a gun that works for HER, rather than picking a gun for her that HE likes, which may not necessarily end in her wanting to shoot it. Or being comfortable with it as an HD weapon. Is it a sidearm for HD for him, or a gun for her at the range? (Best solution, buy two! )

Can't count the number of times I've heard or read "shoot as many as you can to find the one that fits you" and yet so many guys seem to think the better way to pick a gun for their wife/girlfriend/significant other is to pick it for her, based on what they like.

That said, the XDm's interchangeable backstraps may lend towards a better fit than the 92 if she has smaller hands, and switching the backstrap up for his hands if they're bigger will help both of them effectively shoot the same gun. And swapping backstraps in the heat of an HD situation - :shock: - won't be an issue, at HD ranges, IMO the difference in the sizes aren't that much of a difference. Results may vary, so trying out the different sizes would be wise.

Good luck, have fun helping your friends shoot a few!

 

[AZXD]

Mechanical accuracy of most mass produced guns are above the accuracy of the average shooter ... Obviously there will always be exceptions, but overall, you'll find few who can actually shoot at a level where mechanical accuracy becomes a negative for the shooter.

Yet,
You will find many who will tell you they shoot a particular firearm better, and thus believe the gun is more accurate.

In reality,
It's nothing more than human perception.

In a World where mass produced items can be held to tolerances of 2/10,000ths of an inch in a 24/7 environment ... The variables of design and acceptable deviation from mathematical perfect do exist.

But the average shooter will be well suited with most any well recognized brand.

 

[H3lpmedic]

"mechanical" accuracy? What's that?

I shoot my XDs better than I shot the M-9 when I was in the military.

Ditto. The M9 sucks big donkey...

 

[drysideshooter]

Have you friend go to a gun store. Pick a natural spot on the wall to aim at. Starting with the gun at a low ready position have him bring the gun up and see which one seems to be most natural for him to aim. For most home defense applications any quality modern firearm is going to be accurate enough.

 

[Mudinyeri]

"mechanical" accuracy? What's that?

I shoot my XDs better than I shot the M-9 when I was in the military.

Ditto. The M9 sucks big donkey...

As has been noted, "mechanical accuracy" - taken to mean the accuracy of a particular weapon without the input of a human shooter - is virtually irrelevant with modern weapons at common self-defense distances.

I have fired somewhere in the vicinity of 10,000 - 12,000 rounds through M9/92FS type pistols and consider myself quite accurate with one when shooting active engagements. (I don't bother much with non-active shooting.)

I've probably put close to 1000 rounds through my XDm 9mm and am similarly accurate with it given similar scenarios.

I do find, however, that it is somewhat difficult to transition immediately between the two weapons because of the significant differences in ergonomics and trigger action.

 

[SRD]

Well a model 92 beretta is known for being accurate. Its large though, i also think the trigger is better on the beretta. While i shoot Xds fine i think the trigger on them is less forgiving than many other firearms. Its long and little feel to when it breaks and the reset it kind of long compared to many other weapons.

 

[aldronus]

thank you all for your responses. I apologize for not defining mechanical accuracy, I haven't had any exp with a berretta but some with different xd. I was wondering if there was any real significant accuracy differences but with what has been stated, there shouldn't really be any when a human shoots. Should have figured that one but oh well. As to have him go from low ready and try to aim that is a good suggestion as I don't believe he has tried anything like that yet. He just checks the gun over and then tests the grip and feel in his hand. Thank you for the information, I do appreciate it!

 

[john_bud]

Don't feel bad. If you don't ask questions you won't get answers.

As others have said, nearly all guns are more accurate than nearly all shooters. The area to focus on is finding a gun that allows you to shoot it accurately.

 

[boltstop]

As has been noted, "mechanical accuracy" - taken to mean the accuracy of a particular weapon without the input of a human shooter - is virtually irrelevant with modern weapons at common self-defense distances.

snip

I do find, however, that it is somewhat difficult to transition immediately between the two weapons because of the significant differences in ergonomics and trigger action.

The big question with SA/DA guns is if anybody really ever gets the hang of "Oh yeah, I gotta pull THIS hard on the trigger because I'm cocking the gun. Pull much softer on the second round." I can do it, but I wouldn't want any surprise-recoil discharges on SA pulls under the stress of home defense.

And I've got what, 12000 rounds down range? 20000? I can't recall.

The friend ought to get a nice DAO gun and keep it loaded, and practice a little to get the hang of quick deployment and accurate discharge.

 

[Badmunky]

I would get the XDm. I own both, and in a self defense type situation the XDm is point and pull. No change in trigger feel after the first round when the gun gos to SA like the 92 and I think the XDm points better. And you don't have a manual safety to remember to disengage in the heat if a conflict.
XDm is my carry/ home defense gun, 92 is my range toy/ SHTF back up.

 

[Mudinyeri]

The big question with SA/DA guns is if anybody really ever gets the hang of "Oh yeah, I gotta pull THIS hard on the trigger because I'm cocking the gun. Pull much softer on the second round." I can do it, but I wouldn't want any surprise-recoil discharges on SA pulls under the stress of home defense.

And I've got what, 12000 rounds down range? 20000? I can't recall.

The friend ought to get a nice DAO gun and keep it loaded, and practice a little to get the hang of quick deployment and accurate discharge.

It was always a challenge to quickly and accurately transition from the DA to the SA of the M9/92FS.

That's why I now carry DAO or striker-fired guns.

 

[scooter123]

While on the surface it seems a reasonable question, it's actually not a very good measure of a handgun. The simple truth is that there are very very few shooters who can actually shoot to the accuracy potential of a particular handgun. Quite simply, does it really matter if a gun can shoot 2 inch groups from a ransom rest if the shooter can only shoot a 5 inch group at the same distance offhand? In addition, you won't find many examples for defenseive use of a handgun at 25 yards, these are close range weapons for Defense and are normally used at 30 feet or less.

I'm also not sold on the Ransom Rest for accuracy testing. When you get out to 25 yards, ANY error in that gun rest resetting consistently WILL result in groups that are larger than the gun is actually capable of shooting. To be blunt, a really good benchrest shooter can normally shoot tighter groups than the Ransom Rest is capable of. As for why, that benchrest shooter will be aligning the sights for each individual shot, something that is not normal procedure when using the Ransom Rest.

What I think are key factors in a Defensive Handgun are Reliability, Ease of Control, and Fit to the Shooter. Personally, I find the XDm to have superb Pointing characteristics in my hand and as a result I really don't have to pay close attention to the sights. For me that is a very good thing, because unless I am in full daylight I can't focus on iron sights on a handgun, all I see is a blur.

IMO the best thing you can do when thinking about a new handgun is to take it for a test drive. Fortunately in my area that's rather easy, I have several ranges in my area that offer a wide selection of rentals to try out. It's how I came to chose the XDm as my first semi and a Sig P239 for carry, they are the guns I shot the best with.

 

[Greg O]

Question on which would have a better mechanical accuracy, either an xdm 9 or a berretta 92a1 with rail? I ask as a friend is trying to figure which one he would like to have a home defense to go along with his 12ga and also for his wife to shoot with at the range. He has some exp with my xd 45c. any information is greatly appreciated, thank you.

Is three inch groups at 50 feet with an XDm compact accurate enough? One of the range officers shot my XDm and was this accurate and had never shot an XDm before.
Tell him to buy the gun he can shoot comfortably.