XD's and why they suck

[Jkwas]

My 3 XD's suck so badly that I only carry ONE of them 24/7!

So you're saying you carry one with a Taurus 24/7 as a backup?      (confused)

[Sig Snob]

Eric,

I loved the show.  I wish more people would realize the points you made and stop fighting over which gun is better. (Except Hi-Points cuz they really do suck  ) As you pointed out, everyones needs and desires are different so no one gun is going to work for everyone.  It makes  me laugh reading the comments on here of people getting upset over someones preference.  I'd love to hear a show about why SIG sucks.  Not many people talking about them these days with the advent of Glocks, XD's and M&P's.  Keep up the good work.

[kahrberator]

Sigs are ok as long as they don't jam. Once they do they are marked for life, right Culldog (lol)

[RJB3 USMC]

Ok, here is my 2 cents….

I loved the show, Eric, and I got the point right away. YOU were just trying to show that every gun has critics, and although the critics may have facts right, they cannot understand your personal preference.

On that note, after months of looking for a pistol that fit me just right, I ended up buying an XDm. I actually went to the gun show that day to buy a Sig, or maybe order a Glock after handling it again. (I really wanted to buy a Glock because I am cheap and they offer a military discount.) After getting there, I decided to look at the M&P and the XD. I held the XD first. I loved it right away. I checked the M&P, Glock, and the Sig in that order, and went right back to the XDm.

I would say I am an owner as I have only put 50 rounds through it so far. I shot them at about 20 or 25 yards, and will include a picture (if I can figure it out). The picture does not include the three I put in the head for fun.

I plan to test fire the Glock later this month, just to see how it feels when I shoot. (The frugal side of me is taking control, and I still want a quality compact pistol.)

Rich

[Christopher Burg]

You know I'm going to be flat out honest in this thread.  When it comes to a good carry and self defense gun neither the Glock nor XD get my vote.  I find them to be both under powered.  When it comes to the ultimate in concealed carry I reach for this:



Now THAT'S a respectable combat pistol!

[TMUSCLE1]

You know I'm going to be flat out honest in this thread.  When it comes to a good carry and self defense gun neither the Glock nor XD get my vote.  I find them to be both under powered.  When it comes to the ultimate in concealed carry I reach for this:



Now THAT'S a respectable combat pistol!

Amen, to that!  If I could I'd carry my 870!!!   

Because I can't carry my 870...I carry my full size XD40!!!  Take that Eric!!!  LOL

[tacmedic45]

I think Eric was on the right track with his thoughts of certain idividuals like certain guns better than others, but some of the reasoning is flawed.  For example, if a LEO agency uses it or not.  Come on that is lowest bidder area right there i can attest to this as i have been on the acquisition comitte for our dept. twice.   and also if that is the case that we are going to argue then we should be carrying berreta 92f's because there are more of them carried by military or LEO than any others.   And why does glock say they have a service life and won't warranty past a certain round count?  check with Billings, MT p.d. on this they had some real issues a few years back.  That said my wife caries a Glock 19 and i carry a SIG p220 or XD45 depending on my mood.  WIth all that said I liked the episode.

[RangeRat]

Well, I fell a little bit closer to the dark side today.  Just got my G32.  I'm going to try to get out and play with it tomorrow evening.  Ammo is a little expensive but I just couldn't resist.

[oldwardog177]

  Eric

          I'll keep my XDM-9 it work without any flaws. Never had any feeding issues, nor ever any jams. It just feels better in my hand I like the feel better than a Glock 17 or 19. Its like the never 1911 vs. the  92 , I now carry a XD-45 Tactical also , I guesse it just depemds on my mood what I carry. But this is American and every ones is allowed there opinions, that's why this is the land land of the free ( for now ).....

                                                                                              Ken

[stickhauler]

You just really hate me don't you, first a Hi Point sucks fiasco, now you're dissing my XD? Is your next plan to kick my dog, or are you planning to insult my wife instead? LOL! But somehow, it brought the Hi Point haters out of the woodwork again. You know which guns I really think suck? The ones I can't find ammo for!

Just to reassure you, I did get my first Glock, a G-22, and I guess it works OK, it's still not my favorite shooting gun though. I started shooting handguns with a 1911, whatever bag of parts Uncle Sugar handed me in a particular unit, and qualified on the range shooting at best 25 feet, and if you hit the target consecutively you were considered a decent shot with it. The Metro Arms I picked up for less than $400.00 shoots better than any Colt I used in the service. I loved the XD from the start, likely because the grip (and the grip safety) is angled exactly like a 1911. It felt natural in my hand from the first time I picked it up.

And yes, the prices of them are higher than what they sold for back before they re-named it the XD, I still got mine for less than $400.00 last fall, actually out the door for $360.00 plus tax. That XD-9 is now listed most places I've seen them for around a hundred more. And it was the XDm that got the gun of the year deal, more for the adjustable backstrap than anything else as far as I know, maybe a small increase in magazine capacity.

I guess I'm kind of different in my shooting, I take a lot of stuff to the range and run at least some ammo through everything I bring, usually 3 or 4 different semi-autos, a couple of revolvers, a few rifles. I might even be tempted to load up the shotgun occasionally.

BTW, if you're planning to kick my dog, you'll have to dig him up first, he died several years ago.

[xxdabroxx]

(from episode 79)anyone who prefers an xd while I am never going to agree with them, it doesn't mean they are wrong.  It's personal preference.  I may think they are foolish in the back of my mind and walk away all heheheheheh, ya know, but how egocentric is it of me to assume that i am automatically right and they are automatically wrong because of my preferences?  See what i am saying here?  The XD, when fully assembled, is just as good a gun as a glock if we are talking about terms of functional performance, reliability, stuff like that.  It's when we start getting into the mechanical details where i think the glock has the clear edge, but that is not everybody's concern.

 

OK, i don't care how many times you try and cover your butt, explain to me/ the world exactly why a glock is better than an xd.  Quit beating around the bush, apparently you have an "axe to grind" because you won't leave it as an xd is a good gun, there is always something at the end discrediting it.  Would you say the same about a sig or an M&P, etc.  Or is it just the XD that you have a problem with and why?

Is it bore axis?
Something about the extractor?
The grip safety?
Takedown?
Manufacturing process, eg MIM parts, etc?
Points of contact between the barrel and the frame?
Trigger?

[Eric R Shelton]

Well, gosh xxdabroxx, I think you just covered it all right there.  Yes, it is the XD that I have a problem with.  For all the reasons you just listed, all the reasons I listed in the episode...  I mean, you asked me to explain why I thought the Glock was a better gun, while you freakin' highlighted one reason in your quote.  So at this point, it's like you're not even listening anyway, so why should I bother repeating myself over and over?

I think Sigs and M&Ps are much better built, more soundly engineered, have better armorer level support, etc.

Having said all of that, the entire point of the podcast was that different shooters are after things, and prioritize accordingly.  It's not trying to "cover my butt" when I say an XD fully assembled functions just fine for 99.99% of civilian firearms owners- it's the truth.  It would function just fine for me as well, I'm not trying to insinuate that I'm in some kind of elite group of shooters or anything.  But it doesn't mean I have to laud praises upon it for what I truly believe is a $200 Springfield Armory rollmark on a $300 HS2000.  Personally, I think the XD is a triumph of marketing more than anything else.

For the record, I don't like Sigmas, either.  But they still work reliably and I'd trust one.  Just like I'd trust an XD, though I would choose something else.

Why does everybody make the mistake of thinking personal preference for Brand "A" somehow makes Brand "B" bad?  I prefer Remington 870s, based on the guts and internal mechanics/construction.  I believe it is a better built firearm than a Mossberg 500.  Based on numbers of broken guns brought in for repairs at places I've worked, people I've known who've shared their stories with me, and personal experience I believe 100% that I am correct.  But did you notice what I never said?  I never said "Mossberg 500s are bad guns."  Because they're not.  It's simply preference and which one I believe is the better gun of the two.  But that's based on my requirements, biases, etc.

You want me to say the XD is a good gun and leave it at that because you're a fan of it.  I unapologetically refuse to.  While it is a good gun for the majority of firearms owners, right alongside the Sigma, the fact is there are things that could be improved.  Pointing this out is no more of an "axe to grind" than it would be to point out that a Noveske barrel on an AR-15 is superior to a DPMS.  Am I slighting DPMS?  No!  But if you want all "rainbows and unicorns", then you should go back to a gun magazine that has to sell advertising and can't risk offending any manufacturers with their reviews.

[xxdabroxx]

Ok, i came off like a dick, well i am a dick.  I apologize.  I really want to know what particularly makes them better/worse. I am not very familiar with glock at all, and i have very limited experience with an xd.  (to be quite honest i have not listed to the xd hate episode in a while, maybe i will listen again)

Is it bore axis? How much different is it?  How is it measureable
Something about the extractor? Pain in the butt to take out?
The grip safety?  Just not necessary?
Takedown? 
Manufacturing process, eg MIM parts, etc? 
Points of contact between the barrel and the frame?  heard something about that once, dunno?
Trigger?  XD has longer reset no?

Again, sorry for the bitchy post, thanks for the show.

[Eric R Shelton]

First, the XD trigger is probably better.  There, I said it.  LOL.  It's a true single action, and though I haven't fired an XD in quite some time it's a good general bet that a single action trigger will be nicer than a double action.

My "problems" with the XD really aren't with the guns, so much as with it's fans, who have nothing better to do than claim a Glock is overrated.  The XD:
*fails to do anything better than a Glock, but needlessly (imho) complicates things mechanically.
*claims to be "safer" due to grip safety, but NDs just as easily because of boogerhooks on bang switches.
*has a known condition that requires beating the slide off the frame with a hammer.

Truly, as far as my concerns, that's about it.  And three of those are more just about my irritation with it or it's fans, rather than it's function!  That's why I say when it's fully assembled and ready to rock it's just as serviceable as a Glock- because it truly is.  You have to keep in mind that I'm a tinkerer, so the internals matter a lot more to me than your average (more sane?) end user.

I don't listen to people who complain about grip angle.  The Ruger "Mk" series .22s have always had aggressive grip angles.  Hell, a single action cowboy gun is an exercise in hand contortions!  The guys who gripe about a Glock's grip angle are just looking for something to bitch about and refuse to put in the time to get used it.  Now length of pull issues are different, and I can totally understand that- there's a reason grip mods to Glocks have become a cottage industry.  But if grip angle is the complaint?  I'd go pick up an FN FNP-9, DA/SA with the safety/decock- it's $399.  More than a hundred bucks cheaper than either a civilian (non-GSSF) Glock or XD, and with an outstanding trigger!

[xxdabroxx]

Is a glock a true double action?  I thought they were basically the same.  Will it fire the hammer again without racking the slide? 

I wonder if there is a youtube video showing the internal workings of both xd's and glocks like the one of the 1911.  <a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/E6SmlOEzNBs&rel=0" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/E6SmlOEzNBs&rel=0</a> 

[CPTSarcastic]

No, not per se.

Glock uses a Pre-set striker, which means that during the loading of a round into the chamber the striker rests in a partially cocked position. the trigger then serves to complete the cocking and release of the striker. while it is technically two actions the trigger is not a true double action because it is not capable of fully cocking the striker. Glock actually pioneered this trigger, which can now be found being used by many other manufacturers: i.e. Kel-Tec and Ruger.

FYI I hope it helps.

Slats/Ovaltine/Methusalah

Ray

[ZEBRA NINER]

I think we can all agree that Hi Points are better than both the Glock and the XD. They are just as accurate, reliable and less than half the cost! 

I kid, I kid... don't light me on fire.

[Eric R Shelton]

Ray is mostly right.  While it is a set double action, it is also truly double action.  The cruciform section of the trigger bar pulls on the firing pin lug a great distance before releasing.  I wouldn't say it's partially cocked, though.  It's more accurate to say the cycling of the slide is required for the engagement surfaces to catch again.

Does that make more sense?

[Daeglan]

Having recently watched a video where an XD armorer showed how to take an XD apart completely the extractor is easy to remove. It is just press fit in. all you do is use a pick to gently work it out of the hole. took him less than 3 seconds.

[Fire Tracer]

I've never used an XD before but the reason i like Glocks better is because XD's are just plane ugly. hahaha xD