Bought a new handgun last week

Jerry Bransford

Jerry Bransford

Too many arguments and personal attacks, I'm done.
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Springfield XD .45 4" barrel automatic. I hadn't bought any new guns in the last 10 years so I figured it was time.

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At only $469, this one was pretty inexpensive for a semi-automatic pistol plus it has pretty much all rave reviews. I don't get to pick it up until Tuesday & I can't wait. I was convinced I was going to buy a 1911 .45 or perhaps a .40 or 10mm before a few friends mentioned how expensive that ammo is. Not to mention everyone carries .45 but not always 10mm (that's a cannon!) or .40.

Anyway, I'm happy the wife suggested I buy myself a new pistol after she discovered I was "borrowing" her Ruger .357 when I went wheeling on long weekends, leaving her gunless. What's funny is that Ruger .357 was pretty much her wedding gift. Hey, it's what she wanted.

I have plenty of other rifles, shotguns, and other pistols but this is my first automatic pistol so I'm jonesing to shoot it! :D
 
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Rob5589 said:
XD is a great pistol. Under rated and over shadowed by the Glock. Nice choice, enjoy and stock up on ammo before the ammo reg hits.
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Thanks. Yes for sure we'll be stocking up. I looked at the Glock 21 first but it didn't 'grab' me like the Springfield did immediately. I believe Glock would not be nearly as popular as it is if the Springfield had come out first.

Not to mention that Springfield rates the XD for +P, +P+, and BMT APLP rounds, the Glock 21 is not rated for even +P. That is partly because the Glock has an unsupported breach vs. the XD's supported breech.
 
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Palehorse said:
Those are real nice, very accurate shooting . I was surprised when I shot my friend's , it shot as accurate as my Springfield 1911A1.
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I actually wanted and went in to buy a 1911 frame .45. However, both gun shops I visited plus a firearms expert buddy all talked me into the type of .45 I ended up with.
 
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Jerry Bransford said:
Nice! 1911's are definitely cool, it was a very tough decision for me not to go that way Chris.
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I've always wanted a 1911 so I figured it was time. I would love to have a USMC 1911 that saw time in the pacific theatre or something, that would be awesome. But, I bought a brand new one in the stainless steel color and it really looks great.

It's not as reliable as a Glock, but what I always tell people is that a Glock is like a Toyota Corolla. It's reliable and it will never let you down. However, a 1911 is like that old American muscle car. It might take some maintenance from time-to-time, but holding it, firing it, and owning it make it worth it!
 
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Gun nut - check! VW mechanic - check! Jeep TJ owner - check! Yeah, we're all so unique :rolleyes:

I miss my old Redhawk 44. Last loads I put together were 300gr Sierra's, magnum primers, and an obscene amount of W296. Out of the 7-1/2" bbl, was getting just over 1600fps. :shocked:

Always wanted a .45! An elderly neighbour was offering up a GP100 in 357 and a Glock 17 - 9mm, both unfired, and for 1/2 of what her departed husband paid for them two years prior. My inner voice said ... meh... pass! If there had been a .45, done!
 
Carried a 1911 in RVN. Between my crew chief and I we fired many thousands of rounds thru that weapon. We got bored sitting around in rice fields waiting to be called into action so we took a CASE of ammo out with us every time we flew and never brought any home. I had to have the armorer replace the barrel a couple of times. I absolutely knew that if I had to fire that thing at some one it would hit what I wanted. I shot a water buffalo right between the eyes from a hover and a range of about 4 feet. Really pissed him off!!

When I went thru the Utah police academy in 1991 there were about 35 in my class. We spent 3 weeks or so on the range. I carried -and still do carry, a Sig Sauer P226. Of my classmates from several different agencies there were many different types of weapons:Glocks, H&Ps, Colts, Smiths....... During our time on the range there were two weapons that never had a jam or mis action of any kind. One was a 6 shot wheel gun and the other was my Sig.
Why did I buy a Sig? Well when the department said they would issue me a wheel or I could buy my own from their approved list I opted for my own. When shopping I held all the popular stuff out there. Nothing "fit my hand" except the Sig. It just felt good. Now 25 years later I may have to rebarrel. It's getting a bit sloppy in the shot groups.

I like your choice Jerry. Very nice!
 
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RaymondT said:
I miss my old Redhawk 44. Last loads I put together were 300gr Sierra's, magnum primers!
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Ruger Redhawks are cool, I still have my single-action Ruger Bisley .44 magnum I reloaded for. My hand would be bruised and hurt for days with some if its loads.

Loved your post too Stinger, your experiences were really educational. My aircrew pistol was an ordinary .38 S&W, Combat Masterpiece if I recall correctly. What' funny now is how bad of a pistol shot I was when I had to qualify on it. I had scored Expert on the M-16 but I couldn't hit a barn with that .38. The old Master Sergeant assigned to qualify me with the .38 in RVN finally gave up and signed me off, warning me to just hide if I ever found my self needing to actually use .38 lol. :D
 
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Springfield XD's are really nice utility pistols. If I didn't carry a revolver in the woods, I would carry an XD. I wonder if you can do the 460 Rowland upgrade to an XD? Now that would be the best of both worlds right there.

Congratulations on a good purchase Jerry.

Edited to add: Yup, 460 Rowland upgrades are available for the XD. And it will still shoot the 45 ACP just fine as well.
 
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That kind of reminds me of the .357 Maximum (not magnum) my Thompson Center Contender shoots. But I think I'll stick with the standard .45 rounds, there are some hot loads the XD can handle without problem. Plus I've had enough bruised palms from shooting my heavy reloads of .44 magnums and .357 Maximum rounds lol... I'll shoot standard .45 FMJ rounds at the range and keep it loaded with +P JHPs at home or when camped in the desert.

And thanks for the congrats, I knew nothing about current .45 automatics a month or two ago so I had to do a lot of research which I think paid off. :)
 
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You're wecome! Like in most things, research pays off in spades. Enjoy it and let us all know how it turns out.

That .357 Maximum has called my name for awhile. What a pinker in a rolling block or in Ruger #1.
 
I haven't had the new .45 automatic home more than an hour and I've already managed to draw blood on one of my knuckles lol. DAMMIT it got me good once. :D Getting the hang of it now, this thing is totally different from any of my other pistols. Driving the wife crazy with all the mechanical snaps, bangs, and noises as I figure it out.
 
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I have a SEAL friend, no doubt he has one of those, and one of these, and one of those over there too. Been with them 19 years, now a mustang officer.
 
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I have carried a Colt Combat Commander .45 since my Navy aircrew days in the '70's and '80's. Fits like an old glove and shoots right where I'm looking. On the other hand I have to say that I wouldn't mind seeing what I could do with a DA auto. Be kind of hard to defend my old school attitude if I'm not willing to give it a, umm, shot.
 
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