Springfield XD Noob Question

[Mallory]

I'm new to guns and even newer here so I hope these questions won't be painfully silly. Any help is appreciated.

I was gifted an XD-9 about a year ago. It's my first and only hand gun and I THINK I like it quite a bit and want to get very good at it. I think I'm a passable shot although my speed isn't super great. So two questions:

What mods may you recommend that will help with speed and accuracy?

Are there any cool ways I could personalize it a bit? Is it possible to just paint a gun?

[RollingCode3]

Training and more ammo

[K001]

I have installed the Powder River Precision trigger upgrade as well as installed Talon grip tape on my XD9 & XD45 and love both mods.

[omarsalah78]

Trigger time trigger time trigger time and sry fire practice as often as humanely possible

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[splaturn]

All the upgrades in the world won't mean **** if you don't get in practice. I also vote for more ammo and professional training if you haven't any.

[CoopsDad]

X4 on the training and ammo.

[CoopsDad]

Yes, you can paint it but there are better options such as Cerakote.

[DDM4556]

Congrats on getting into shooting, and welcome to CG.

As said above, the best thing you can do is train. When you're finished training, train some more. Safety, proper sight alignment, trigger control, should all become second nature to you. This takes time and muscle memory.

You can train at home too. Buy some snap caps and practice dry firing. You can always put a penny on top of the slide, just behind your front sight. Make sure you can pull the trigger without jerking the gun and knocking the penny off.

Another good practice is to close your eyes, point your gun in a safe direction (know which direction is safe first), then open your eyes. Your sights should be perfectly aligned with your dominant eye. If not, keep practicing.

These things, and range time will improve your speed and accuracy.

I would try to get as used to the factory trigger as possible. The only caveat to modifying the trigger is that if you use your gun for HD, any trigger mods could land you in some hot water.

In terms of upgrades, I'd consider adding night sights and getting a light or light/laser combo. Extra mags and ammo are always good ideas too.

Just my two cents.

[beanz2]

The best mod you can do is to take a professional training. If you practice on your own watching, YouTube vids, etc. you may ingrain the wrong habits as you receive no feedback.

[stevemac]

All I added to my xd9 was a rubberized talon grip. That's all it needed. Trigger and sights are still stock because I have no complaints with them. It's a great starter gun and can do well in training at the range. Someone above mentioned the penny behind the front sight on the slide. I put the coin on top of the front sight. You'll just have to reset the action after each dry fire...just a small pull, not a full rack. Congrats, and welcome!

[XDJYo]

Hi and welcome to the Calguns community!

I will echo much of what has already been said.

First and foremost is safety. If you haven't taken one yet, I would suggest an NRA First Steps pistol class. It will take you thru safety and basics of good marksmanship. I took one before I ever handled a real pistol and I have no regrets.

Secondly, about practice. Buy some snap caps and dry fire. But, before you start, make sure you don't have ANY live ammo with you in the room. Don't be that guy with a hole in his wall or something more important.

Get professional training. One on one is best, but classroom instruction can be just as good too. This way, your instructor can give you hands on and personalized instruction for any weaknesses you may have. This way, it doesn't become a bad habit.

Range time: Spend the money on ammo. Be realistic on what you want to accomplish. Concentrate on one or two things each session and focus. Ammo these days is pretty inexpensive. Check out Target USA and SG Ammo for online deals. When I first started, ammo was about twice the price (2012/2013).

As far as videos are concerned, there are a ton of videos out there to watch. But, be careful since there are as many opinions on the 'right' way to shoot a gun as there are Youtube channels. That being said, check out Hickok45. He's easy to watch and gets his point across.

Post up where you're located. I'm sure a local Calgunner will be more than willing to spend a little time with some helpful hints at the range.

Happy shooting and be safe!

[waveslayer]

For now, just buy the PRP drop in trigger and dry fire practice. Go to a 4 day Front Sight Course and follow up with more training

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[XDJYo]

For now, just buy the PRP drop in trigger and dry fire practice. Go to a 4 day Front Sight Course and follow up with more training

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I will 100% agree with the Front Sight course. It's one heck of a way to spend 4 days!!! Find a buddy to go with and the hotel stay gets real cheap. Check out the Best Western and Saddle West for special Front Sight deals.

Happy shooting and be safe.

[Cokebottle]

What mods may you recommend that will help with speed and accuracy?

Training and practice.

Please, seek professional training so you do not develop and reinforce bad or dangerous habits.

Are there any cool ways I could personalize it a bit? Is it possible to just paint a gun?

Not really... most home-applied paints would be attacked by cleaning solvents, or wear quickly.
You really can't apply a baked-on finish to a polymer pistol, at least not at home. There are some shops that can do a decent job with the proper equipment.

But for the most part, mods that improve your shooting would generally be limited to upgraded sights, and possibly grip-tape.
The XD trigger really is pretty nice and the XD9 is a great shooting gun.
The XD9 was one of my first handguns, and most of the "mods" that I did when I was a newbie were later removed.

Mods are not going to make you a better shooter... only time spent putting rounds through the barrel will do that. Mods might improve your score by a couple of points for competition, but they won't replace range time.

[lordmorgul]

Lauer Weaponry Duracoat offers spray can coatings for firearms in many colors. Coating my wife's XD is on my todo list. You do have to disassemble it and do some prep work because you want to mask off certain areas, so check some videos and instructions that Duracoat has on their website. $50 or so to do this yourself, or take it to a gunshop that offers Cerakote service (needs oven curing).

https://www.lauerweaponry.com/

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