need some Xd advice please

[ThatFishGuy]

from what i have seen....yes and no. I see just as many used glocks for sale as i do XD's, if not more. Of course that could simply be because of the sheer numbers of them out there. And i could be completely guessing on this part, but dont PD's already have contracts with S&W? so wouldnt that make it easier for them to get M&P's than say another manufacturers gun? i also havent seen them drop too much in price from their retail...but thats just my experience. YMMV

[tziggs]

The Glock has proven reliability over the decades in service all around the world.
The M&P has been out only about 2 years and already has contracts with many law enforcement departments throughout the US.
The XD has been out for 10 years and is used by some Croatian police and military forces and very few domestic law enforcement agencies.

All three pistols are within $100 of each other in price.
In police work, we call that a "clue".

Ummm...the purchasing habits of the government (remember the DOD's $640 toilet seat, $436 hammer and the National Park Service's $797,400 outhouse) is rarely a good benchmark by which to purchase anything...including firearms.

[roc]

from what i have seen....yes and no. I see just as many used glocks for sale as i do XD's, if not more. Of course that could simply be because of the sheer numbers of them out there. And i could be completely guessing on this part, but dont PD's already have contracts with S&W? so wouldnt that make it easier for them to get M&P's than say another manufacturers gun? i also havent seen them drop too much in price from their retail...but thats just my experience. YMMV

that is my experience as well. When I was looking for a used XD, i saw tons of Glocks than the XD and at lower prices. At my local shop, they have been sold out of XDs and SW MPs for months but have a display case full of Glocks of all models and similar prices. I think the grip safety is a big liability issue for a lot of departments when it comes to the XD. They can't risk the gun to not go bang when it needs to because some one couldn't get a solid grip on it. And if the decision to buy SW MP or XD was a toss up, MP always wins because its made in the US.

I have shot and handled them both extensively and I don't really think one is superior than another. They both feel great in the hand and shoot accurately. For the recreational shooter thought, the XD has a lot more accessories than the SW MP.

I'm leaving the Glock out of the equation because the grip angle is a deal breaker for me. i need my polymer gun to have a 1911 grip angle as it feels the best.

[Pryde]

Ummm...the purchasing habits of the government (remember the DOD's $640 toilet seat, $436 hammer and the National Park Service's $797,400 outhouse) is rarely a good benchmark by which to purchase anything...including firearms.

Except when you take into account the fact that in order to meet Federal agency selection requirements, the guns require rigorous testing and the ones that usually pass are Glocks, Sigs and HKs. The Glock is commonly issued because they are the most affordable of the three.

You also have to take into account that due to liability reasons as mentioned in the previous post, the purchasing agency wants to have the most reliable gun they can afford. When its your life on the line and you have a risk of having to employ your handgun while on duty, very few people choose the XD.

[Gryff]

You also have to take into account that due to liability reasons as mentioned in the previous post, the purchasing agency wants to have the most reliable gun they can afford. When its your life on the line and you have a risk of having to employ your handgun while on duty, very few people choose the XD.

The XDs are not chosen because they are not chosen. This is due more to Glock and Sig's early acceptance by the LEA markets, and is not a general reflection of the XD's quality or reliability.

And in terms of reliability, I respect the Glock design immensely, but I've never seen anyone limp-wrist an XD into malfunctioning.

[roc]

The XDs are not chosen because they are not chosen. This is due more to Glock and Sig's early acceptance by the LEA markets, and is not a general reflection of the XD's quality or reliability.

And in terms of reliability, I respect the Glock design immensely, but I've never seen anyone limp-wrist an XD into malfunctioning.

i think the issue is less about limp wristing but rather not enough grip pressure into activating the grip safety. particularly under stress with a 2 handed grip. the strong hand can often come off of the grip safety too far to make room for the support hand and it will prevent the trigger from being pulled to cause a FTF. limp wristing usually is associated with a FTE.

I personally dont think it is a strong enough reason to not choose the XD as I own one and think it is a great weapon and would trust my life with it.

[Pryde]

The XDs are not chosen because they are not chosen. This is due more to Glock and Sig's early acceptance by the LEA markets, and is not a general reflection of the XD's quality or reliability.

Then explain how Smith and Wesson, which has been blackballed from the LE market for over a decade due to really crappy QC and poorly thought out autoloader designs, was able to take a significant market share away from Glock in the two years since their M&P pistol was introduced.

If it just damn works and is affordable, LE agencies will purchase it. I know for a fact that many LE agencies have tested out the XD alongside other competitors and did not choose it. This alone makes me think twice about the design.

[roc]

Then explain how Smith and Wesson, which has been blackballed from the LE market for over a decade due to really crappy QC and poorly thought out autoloader designs, was able to take a significant market share away from Glock in the two years since their M&P pistol was introduced.

If it just damn works and is affordable, LE agencies will purchase it. I know for a fact that many LE agencies have tested out the XD alongside other competitors and did not choose it. This alone makes me think twice about the design.

S&W have a long history with LE agencies with the revolvers and also they are American made. Those are enough reasons to chose it over the XD. Even though the sigma and other series semi-auto pistols in the past had been crappy designs, the M&P has proven to be quite good. On the other hand, I have yet to see anything about the M&P that tells me its a superior weapon as compared to the XD whether LE agencies adopt it or not. After all, these are government bureaucracies. There are much more to their decision making than choosing the best gun.

[Gryff]

i think the issue is less about limp wristing but rather not enough grip pressure into activating the grip safety. particularly under stress with a 2 handed grip. the strong hand can often come off of the grip safety too far to make room for the support hand and it will prevent the trigger from being pulled to cause a FTF. limp wristing usually is associated with a FTE.

Actually, I've never seen anyone ever have any malfunction with an XD due to a grip issue. Personally, I can't shoot a stock 1911 because my thumbs-forward, high grip won't deactivate the grip safety. But I've put thousands of rounds downrange with my XDs (including with both strong-hand-only and support-hand-only holds), and have never had the slightest problem.

But I've seen lots of Glock malfunctions due to the way the shooter gripped it. There's even a YouTube video of exactly this happening to a cop during a fight that could have cost him his life.

Then explain how Smith and Wesson, which has been blackballed from the LE market for over a decade due to really crappy QC and poorly thought out autoloader designs, was able to take a significant market share away from Glock in the two years since their M&P pistol was introduced.

Because S&W is a) a storied name in firearms for law enforcement, b) created an innovative design with the M&P, c) is made in America, and d) throws an insane amount of money at the LE market. Springfield has never spent these kinds of dollars on the market.

If it just damn works and is affordable, LE agencies will purchase it. I know for a fact that many LE agencies have tested out the XD alongside other competitors and did not choose it. This alone makes me think twice about the design.

Very few LE agencies truly put guns through their paces. Most rely on a combination light testing, word-of-mouth, and financial incentives/pricing from the manufacturer. I've seen lots of reports of the XD being tested and abused, and the gun comes out with flying colors. I won't say it's superior to the Glock for ruggedness, since the Glock is a fantastically reliable design. But the XD definitely has proved itself to be non-problematic in reliability.

[AEC1]

I love my XD45, my wife loves her USP45. I love her USP, she loves my XD. We both HATE the glock...

Remember the XD and Glocks are not the only Plastic guns out there...

[Gryff]

Remember the XD and Glocks are not the only Plastic guns out there...

Agreed. My carry gun is a Smith & Wesson M&P40 Compact. The new CZ SP01 Phantom looks pretty cool, too.