[Cougar]

I just became the proud owner of my first handgun, for which I selected the XD-9 to accompany me. Although I used to be an avid rifle shooter, the handgun life will be new to me. I am here to learn from those who know, and probably also take advice from those who think they know.

A couple of first-time questions:

1. What is this "limpwrist" I keep reading about that affects the slide?

2. I'm wondering, even though it is a 9mm, is there a specific type of ammunition that would fair better in home defense? I heard of a round that hits with a lot of energy, then dissipates within the attacker... Was told of it during my handgun safety course, but forgot the name.

 

[Keltyke]

Limpwristing is when you let the recoil snap your wrist backwards. This lets the muzzle rise a lot and can slow down follow up shots. It also takes away some of the energy of the slide racking and can cause misfeeds and failures to eject. Your arm and shoulder should absorb the recoil, not the wrist.

Impact energy is not the criteria used to choose a SD ammo. There's no such thing as "knockdown power" from a handgun. You want penetration and reliable expansion. There are several really good SD ammos out there, among which are Corbon, Speer, Hornady, Winchester and others. Check online ballistics testing for some good examples. Use what you shoot best, and be sure to run a couple hundred of your chosen ammo through your carry weapon at the range to ensure its reliability with that ammo. Practice with that ammo enough so you know the POA and are used to the recoil from that round.

You say "even though it is a 9...". Don't sell the 9mm short, it's been used in SD for many years. NO caliber can be considered that much better than another. Shot placement is KING. I'd rather put a .32 ACP in the BG's eye than a .45 ACP in his arm.

FWIW - My daily carry is a Springfield XD9SC loaded with 14 Speer Gold Dot 124 gr. +p JHP.

 

[Kaboom]

Only thing I can add to Kel's post is that you don't really want a loose grip but you don't want a death-grip on it either.
There are some really good videos on gun handling, check 'em all out and see what works best for you. Practice is a better friend than the latest accessory, save you money and buy ammo, it's money well spent.
Welcome to the XD fams.

 

[1lowlife]

Welcome to the forum..

 

[PimpStick]

I doubt you'll limp wrist the 9mm, especially if you watch some quality videos on technique.

I do prefer higher energy rounds all things being equal, which is why I typically carry an XD 40 SC or my SA Micro Compact 1911 (just personal preference, was raised on 1911's and the .45ACP). But Keltyke is correct, you need a high quality JHP that expands reliably, penetrates adequately and retains bullet weight (i.e. no core separation, etc). I'd suggest the 124 gr. +P Gold Dot or the 127 gr. +P+ Winchester Ranger T. Double Tap also has a good 147 +P (Winchester SXT). They will all function perfectly in the XD!

 

[Spydered]

Welcome to the forum...

 

[KDSComp]

I, like you, came from an avid rifle shooting background. My experience was strictly competition shooting with an Anshutz .22 rifle. My one claim to fame was being invited to try out for the 1980 Olympic shooting team. I was far from making the team, but it didn't matter since the US boycotted the Olympics that year. I digress . . .

Until two years ago, I could count the number of times I shot a handgun on, well, one hand. Having decided rifle shooting was waaay too expensive, and I wanted to be able to defend myself from crazy people, I jumped into the handgun world.

If you search this forum for "pistol correction chart," you'll find a tool that I found very helpful. It's a .pdf file that indicates what the problem is if the shots are not going where you aim. There's a right hand version, and a left hand one as well.

Hope that helps a little. Be safe!

 

[JBarbaresi]

welcome.

 

[tialloydragon]

From our friends at Springer Pecision:

 

[TeXJ]

shooting chart thread:

http://www.xdtalk.com/forums/sa-xd-...-training-aid-those-new-handgun-shooting.html

 

[boltstop]

Have I mentioned how much I love this forum? Nice responses, guys, and very helpful info to a new shooter. I saw the Todd Jarrett video about 2 years ago and inspite of me being a 25-year pistol guy, I learned something new and tuned up my shooting something fierce.

I outshot a police officer @ 25 yards on Saturday, LOLZ! Way to welcome a new guy with solid, helpful information.

 

[ConCon40]

Thanks for that video 1lowlife. I learn something new every time I visit. Welcome to the forum Cougar. This is a place that will give you many lessons on becoming proficient with your hand gun.... The most important thing is to get out and practice the lessons learned as often as time and money allow.

I have found that my SD ammo of choice has become the Ranger TA by Winchester. Great stuff.... There are a ton of ballistic test videos on youtube as well.

 

[szhttm]

Knowing how tight to grip the pistol with each hand has always been difficult for me to understand and comprehend. I forgot where I saw it recently, but it stated that your primary shooting hand should hold the pistol tight enough where the pistol is not shaking in your hand. I tried this and did notice that after a certain amount of pressure with the primary hand that the pistol will begin to shake. So I am practicing with holding with just enough pressure to not make it shake in my hand.

I still consider myself new to pistols so I am trying to find ways to better comprehend the appropriate techniques using different analogies.

The support hand is still difficult for me to find the appropriate amount of pressure.


Good Luck And Be Safe!!!;

 

[john_bud]

Cougar,

Is that the car you drive? I have a couple, what you got?

 

[Cougar]

I accidentally posted this in two different locations and have been looking at the other location. However, I'm glad I came back to this one. I watched the videos and also took some advice on the Pistol Correction Charts. What a great pile of info you guys gave me. It helped a lot!

If there is one thing I would love to do is be proficient with my XD to the point where people shudder at the very thought of me holding it...hahaha