[nh10ring]

How do you all like the safety mechanism on the xd's? This type of system is new to me, which leaves me feeling skeptical. Should I have faith that it is safe to carry without any accidental discharges?

 

[orc4hire]

How do you all like the safety mechanism on the xd's? This type of system is new to me, which leaves me feeling skeptical. Should I have faith that it is safe to carry without any accidental discharges?

Carry, yes; it should be fine. Picking up a loaded XD and PLAYING WITH IT, well, it's not as safe as a pistol with a manual safety, but playing with any loaded gun is not particularly wise and you wouldn't be doing that, right?

 

[TomSwift]

Yes, it is absolutely safe. If you aren't initially comfortable carrying it with a chambered round, then carry it cocked without a round in the chamber for a few days. You will soon learn that it is a very safe weapon to carry. As with any firearm though YOU are the ultimate safety. With the addition of the additonal features of the XD I consider it much safer than a Glock as far as the mechanical safeties go.

 

[ReloaderFred]

The XD is a very safe pistol. The only way it can fire is if both the trigger bar is depressed and the grip safety is depressed. These have to be done at the same time. This pistol cannot fire when dropped, jarred or driven over. The only way it can fire is with both safeties depressed at the same time.

An external manual safety can fail, and I've seen them fail. The only true safety is between your ears.

Hope this helps.

Fred

 

[Captain Ray]

well, there is one problem with all pistols.. if it is loaded, and you point it something.. pull the trigger.. it will go "bang!" This could be a good thing or a bad thing depending on your circumstances...

As far as the XD goes, you have all the safeties built in to prevent it from going "bang!" if you don't want it to.

1. Cocked indicator (seen and felt)

2. Loaded chamber indicator (seen and felt)

3. Grip safety (cannot rack the slide or fire the pistol without a good grip)

4. Trigger safety

5. Firing Pin Block Safety

6. Out of battery safety

7. Slide rack safety for pistol maintenance

8. Fully supported chamber safety

9. Extended guide rod safety for contact shots

10. Safe ergonomic DA-like trigger (safe long pull compared to a finely tuned 1911 short-stroke Single Action trigger)


I found this article today too.. it's a pretty good read.

Inside The XD
The XD is a single-action design in that the trigger does not cock the striker. But the XD trigger does perform more than a single function, as do many other modern single-action designs. When the trigger is pressed, the trigger bar moves forward, and a lever in the frame pivots upward, disengaging the striker block. It's important to note that this disengagement occurs during the final stage of the trigger release. The striker-safety lever moves up in unison with the sear release. This means the long takeup of the trigger serves no mechanical function. The long pull does enhance safety, however, and performs much the same as a two-stage military-rifle trigger.

The safety lever on the trigger and the grip safety are simple and effective blocking devices. At rest, the nose of the trigger lever butts against a steel block in the frame, preventing the trigger from being depressed without first pressing the trigger safety. Likewise, the grip safety blocks the sear from moving downward and releasing the striker until the safety is depressed. The grip safety also prevents the slide from being racked.

Raymond

 

[slowpoke13]

I carry mine condition 1 (loaded, round in chamber). Every time I carry. I've never felt worried about an accidental discharge. As long as you keep your finger out of the trigger guard until you intend to shoot, you'll be fine.

 

[The Tegnu]

The XD will only fire if you pull the trigger.

 

[ken_mays]

Honestly the first time I picked up an XD and handled it I didn't like the way the grip safety kept me from racking the slide.

But now that I have had XDs for a few years, I don't even notice that anymore. In other words, for a new user it may feel like a problem but when you use one, it's not an issue.

Aside from that, I appreciate the margin of safety that the grip safety affords.

 

[sindiesel666]

XD is a very safe weapon to have regarding ND/ADs..... you can't even rack the slide, for chrissakes, without the proper grip....:shock:
I like that very much.

 

[masterofg3]

Try to remember that the only safety to trust is the one between your ears! The xd as well as the glock have only passive safeties, meaning simply that if youve chambered a round and picked up the gun AND put your finger inside the triggerguard,there should by all means be an intended target in the equation. Never trust a "safety", combat pistols are a serious piece of emergency equipment and should be treated as such.

 

[Verm]

Pistols are just metal mechanisms and as with all mechanisms, they can fail. I have seen a pistol go off on it's own as it was laying on the table at a range with no one near it. Found out that the hammer had a hairline crack and had just finally given way where it met the sear and bang.
Luckily the owner had set it down with the barrel pointing downrange.

The XD though has multiple safeties so that if a failure of one of it's parts were to happen from stress, it wouldn't go off (unless it's multiple parts failing at the same time)

No matter what type of pistol it is though, always be aware of what the barrel is pointing at. While the XD may have redundant safety systems, it too is still just a mechanism that deals with stress each time it's fired.

 

[Delija]

Pistols are just metal mechanisms and as with all mechanisms, they can fail. I have seen a pistol go off on it's own as it was laying on the table at a range with no one near it. Found out that the hammer had a hairline crack and had just finally given way where it met the sear and bang.
Luckily the owner had set it down with the barrel pointing downrange.

WOW!!!

I guess anything is possible. This is further proof.
But as you say, with a more modern firearm it would take several simultaneous failures, which makes something like the event you described as close to impossible as can be imagined.

Nonetheless, as gets repeated (rightly), safe gun handling counts far more than gun design.

I've been called an "anti-gun" person for expressing my belief that anyone who buys a gun should be required to know the basic "commandments" of gun safety.

I think people that say being required to know anything at all infringes on their constitutional rights to own a gun are reckless and hopeless.

It does encourage me to see guys like Verm and ReloaderFred and Manygunner and plenty of others here who have obvious great perspective and in cases like Verm and Fred many years of professional experience regularly expressing their concerns with safety and responsibility.

I do get nervous at the shooting range when I see people who are perfectly within their legal rights owning and shooting their guns (some even have carry permits) with no conception of the most basic safety practices.

The number of times I have seen people turn around to talk to their companions and sweep the gun off of being down range is just plain scary. Fingers on triggers at inappropriate times....I noticed some guy changing his magazine with his finger on the trigger just the other day. And what was he shooting? An FN SeveN...why? Because he could afford it. That was his only qualification. And legally that was enough.

Peace,
D.

 

[Ron xd357]

I know this answer is going to raise eye brows and some ARE YOU CRAZY replies but after researching all ways to keep the kids safe One 2years one 3years old they say let them see the gun dont make it a taboo
Kill the curiosity not the kid

So when every they aske I make sure it is not loaded ect and I let them hold it I do explain the danger they have watched movies ect....

With all that said neither one of them has been able to drop the hammer
the have both played with my xd alot they know about pulling triggers ect
So in my opinion it is the safest handgun I have quite a few this is the only one they can not fire.....

If you have kids contact NRA ask for the Eddie the eagle video kids actually enjoy watching it and it works......

 

[backstay]

I know this answer is going to raise eye brows and some ARE YOU CRAZY replies

Right on the mark, teach them gun safety, practice gun safety yourself. Showing them that you pratice it will naturally make them safe gun handlers.