I am an active duty Air Force member who recently returned from several months in Baghdad. One of my goals was to purchase a new pistol when I returned from deployment. After much research and comparison study on various autoloaders; I bit the bullet and bought a new SA XD-9 tactical model. I picked it up from a local gun shop today. I cannot wait to shoot it! I wanted a versatile pistol which would be primarily for target shooting; but perhaps could also be used as a back up in hunting small game. I chose the 9 MM due to the accuracy factor and the ammo being much cheaper than the 45 ACP. (even at Wal-mart it is 9 dollars or more less than the .45 ACP) I have shot both the .45 and 9 MM side by side; and the 9 seems easier to keep on target. I trust that I made a good decision and have purchased a great product. I look forward to dialogue with this group.