Tupperware Party

[7x57]

I am thinking of buying a compact plastic 9mm, so a friend and I went to the range a couple of days ago and shot four rented 9mms alongside my .45 and his brand new .44 Desert Eagle (the king of muzzle blast! =8-O ).

Oddly enough, the XD shot *much* better than the others (Glock 19, M&P, Sig 226) and almost as good as my .45. The question is, is that a typical experience, or just the condition of the range guns? My best groups with the .45 were something like 1-1.5", and I could do almost that well with the XD. With the other pistols I was shooting more like 3" groups, and this was consistent throughout about three boxes of 9mm and a box of .45 so I don't think it was a fluke. I usually assume that guns shoot more accurately than I do, but that doesn't seem to have been the case here (good thing I brought the .45 to test myself). I was starting to get fairly confident that I'd hit at least in the 9-ring every time with the XD, and likely at least nick the bullseye.

Either it was pure accident because of the condition the rental guns happened to be in (maybe the Glock, M&P, and Sig were hard used and the XD was newer), or the XD is inherently more accurate, or I simply shoot better personally with the XD, and that's why I'm asking if others saw a similar effect comparing guns in good condition. I realize "is plastic pistol X better than plastic pistol Y" is not exactly a new thread topic, but I'm asking specifically about accuracy. I have seen slightly more comments about their XD being accurate when I googled, but not enough to argue that it is more than chance.

The funny thing is I think I liked the trigger a bit better on the M&P, the XD was smooth but had more travel and I'm used to triggers with little travel. I'd have guessed based on feel that I'd shoot the M&P slightly better, but I never managed a tight group with it at all.

I started a full range report, including my distinct lack of appreciation for the Glock, but it was late and night and I write kind of funny late at night, so I'm not sure if I should post that or not. :-)


7x57

[goathead]

my glock 19 was the best out of the box i had to work with my xds to get better with them

[nick]

I think it was the condition of the range guns. That being said, I have an XD9 Subcompact, and it's a very good shooter. Then again, so're my Glocks and M&P, but I take good care of them. Which leads me to believe it was the condition of the range guns, which is usually pretty sad.

[G17GUY]

get a glock

[BamBam-31]

How far out were your targets? Most people really don't shoot well enough to say "Brand X is more accurate than Brand Y." What they're really saying is, "I shoot better with Brand X than Brand Y."

Typically, most modern pistols in good condition can shoot inside 3" at 25 yds. If not, something's wrong w/ the pistol, ammo, or both. That's speaking only to a pistol's inherent accuracy. How a particular model shoots for you depends on how well you and the pistol fit.

If your targets were at 7 yds., a Glock/XD/Sig/M&P in good condition should be able to shoot coin-sized groups. Glocks in particular are unjustly labelled "combat accurate." All I know is, I can ring ASR's 100 yd. gong at will with my G17. Indian vs. arrow, eh?

[Powersauce]

I'd have to say it was the condition of the range guns.
I think the general public have heard of Glocks more than XD's...so when a new shooter walks in the door they probably just say..."I want to shoot a Glock."
I like shooting my XD but the trigger could be better. I like the grip on the M&P. I use a Glock for IPSC. I like Glocks. ymmv
I'd say try out some newer glocks first...then get what you feel makes you shoot better.
my $0.02

[mike100]

I rented a 9mm M&P and it shot very well from the first magazine. The groupings were very tight for me. The pistol was still new enough to not be worn out and it seemed to be compatible with the range reloads.

Despite that, I'd pick a glock or an older design that I have std cap magazines for. If I lived in another state, then maybe I'd be more objective about which is 'best'.

[Oldnoob]

I had a similar experience a while back. I when down the range and rented glock, xd, m&p, Hk usp all full size 9mm(I only into full size pistol). But my resolve came up Glock>HK>M&P>XD. I guess different pistol for different hands. Condition of rental should be a effector as well but my range's poly gun were pretty new/clean (the dirtiest and most used was the Glock).
Now, I'm a happy Glock owner. Glock still is my favor pistol(even more so than my new found beauty Sig 226).

[goathead]

again i always go with buy them all!!!!!!!!!

[xxxx]

get a glock

you speak the truth and by your user name I assume no bias.

[7x57]

get a glock

That isn't going to happen unless my wife ends up liking them. The Glock felt most like holding a stick of wood (keep in mind that I *love* the 1911 grip, so I wasn't crazy about the feel of any of them--when I went back to the Kimber I realized just how much I like it), but most importantly it actually started hurting my fingers. That has nothing to do with condition and tells me that my hand just doesn't fit the Glock. If I had whatever hands they are designed for, I might love it.

7x57

[jlh95811]

http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/showthread.php?p=1822827#post1822827

We shall see

[ewxlt66]

I rented an XD last week, along with an HK and 8 other guns. To me, none feel as good as a Glock.

[pklin1297]

That isn't going to happen unless my wife ends up liking them. The Glock felt most like holding a stick of wood (keep in mind that I *love* the 1911 grip, so I wasn't crazy about the feel of any of them--when I went back to the Kimber I realized just how much I like it), but most importantly it actually started hurting my fingers. That has nothing to do with condition and tells me that my hand just doesn't fit the Glock. If I had whatever hands they are designed for, I might love it.

7x57

I personally believe that what you commented here was the reason why you shot the XD better... It simply "fit" you better than the other polymers did, so you shot better with it as you said. The conditions of the rental guns are terrible at best at my local ranges so I don't expect the best results from them. I've always heard praises of Sig pistols but I could never shoot them well to even get to "combat accuracy", as compared to my Kimber, so I never liked them. This is until I got the P225/P6 after holding one at Ade's and discovered I am very accurate with single-stacked Sigs. Now I am hooked and looking for a P220 next.

If it feels good to you, you will typically shoot it well. My opinion of course.

With that said, I'd get a Glock having owned a G17 and G35.

[7x57]

I personally believe that what you commented here was the reason why you shot the XD better... It simply "fit" you better than the other polymers did, so you shot better with it as you said.

Well, I suspected that at the time and tried to convince myelf, but if so my perceptions weren't an accurate judge. I thought the Glock grip the worst of the bunch, and if I had to choose between them I'd say the M&P felt a shade better than the XD. I didn't like any of the triggers, but thought the M&P was better than the XD (less travel, principally). I don't have much memory of the Glock trigger, but it was certainly not better than the XD. Somehow the Sig was just too unremarkable, or I was getting tired as I added it to the mix last, or perhaps I was too distracted by the double-action trigger.

All that would suggest I would shoot the M&P best and the Glock worst, right? In fact, my groups were about the same with the M&P, Glock, and Sig, while the XD was much better. There was a point where I started bonding with the XD, but that was when I began to become confident that it was going to shoot where I wanted. I started liking it because it made me look good, not because it felt good. The point at which my buddy pronounced a few curses on me because I got a bit lucky and shot out the red center was probably the point at which I really started appreciating it. :-)

I expected to dislike the Glock because of the grip angle, and it's quite possible that this was part of why I shot the XD better, but I didn't notice the difference while shooting. The M&P looked to have the same grip angle as the XD and yet I didn't shot it any better than the Glock.

BTW, all felt a bit flimsy. That could be because they're not the hunk o' steel I seem to like, because they've been hard used, or just because they're half the price of the Kimber. I'll have to shoot someone's baby sometime to know if they feel better when cared for.

I wonder how long range guns last? Most of us can't wear a decent gun out, so I suppose we'd never see the wear and trouble a range gun can suffer. I rented a Redhawk there a while back and the trigger had this bizzare habit of decocking the hammer if you just barely pressed it and then released. It turns out I actually do that, but didn't know it until I picked up that gun and suddenly could hardly fire it single-action because it would just up and decock on me. Apparently I'm a subconscious trigger fiddler. I had to think about it for a bit to convince myself the gun probably wasn't dangerous.

7x57