Springfield XDM 3.8 vs Smith & Wesson MP

[Sin-ster]

For clarification, the Burwell custom trigger is the best striker fired pull on the market. Just good luck getting one these days...

Caliber is going to have to be your decision. Personally, I wouldn't even consider the .40-- but that's true for every last pistol I'd ever own. What I will say is that the M&P .45 with any respectable trigger is VERY easy to shoot well-- in terms of accuracy and speed alike. Provided your mechanics are sound (as I'm sure Hitman's are), the pistol makes itself a breeze to shoot. Low bore axis, excellent grip angle for strong AND support hand, well shaped frontstrap and adjustable backstrap widths and depths, well cut trigger guard to avoid frame drag... The list goes on and on.

Oh, and BTW-- I don't know how you could be getting a "match grade barrel" if it'll still chamber the entire gamut of ammunition that the Glock/M&P/XD line will eat. AFAIK, "match grade accuracy" and "utter reliability" are typically not congruent concepts...

 

[Hitman]

I actually have never owned a Polymer .45 and have only shot one. 9mm's and .40's quite a bit though.

The XDM has more weight than your average polymer so it handles the .40 with ease, especially with a full MAG.

I hear that .45 polymers have less snap than .40's.

Guess I'll make a trip to the Ft. Polk Range and bug some folks

 

[Sin-ster]

My only experience with .40 is in polymer frames, and I can vouch that the .45 doesn't have as much snap. Comparing a G22 with a full mag (34.38 ounces) with the M&P .45 4.5" with only 5 rounds (a bit over 29.6 ounces), the M&P gives a mild push and the Glock is muzzle flip city. As I said before, the M&P offers (for me at least) better recovery between shots, but based on the perceived recoil alone, I'm very partial to the .45 in a polymer frame.

To be fair, the XDm has the capacity advantage over the competitors. In 9mm, 2 rounds isn't many when you're looking at 17 as the minimum. In .45, 3 extra rounds over the M&P's 10 is a pretty big deal. It was the one thing that had me hung up when I was making my own purchase decision, but the minute I held the guns side-by-side, the answer was clear. And I don't regret my choice at all-- although I probably would have had I gone the other direction. YMMV.

 

[Swami]

As far as accuracy... this is 32 rounds (2 mags), unsupported, at 10 yards with my XDm .40- I don't think it's snappy or inaccurate at ALL; in fact I shoot it as well as my 9mm:

 

[Hitman]

No one said the XDM was snappy

 

[Sin-ster]

As far as accuracy... this is 32 rounds (2 mags), unsupported, at 10 yards with my XDm .40- I don't think it's snappy or inaccurate at ALL; in fact I shoot it as well as my 9mm:

Good shooting.

Flip/snap should have no bearing on accuracy, unless it induces flinch in the shooter. The handful of full house .44 mag loads I've shot were incredibly accurate; so too was the grizzly bear .500 SW. They are used as hunting calibers, after all.

It's more a matter of follow up shots and speedy splits. Many shooters have the tendency to fight a snappier recoil, which is a bad thing all around. Those that know to just "wait" for the blade to fall back into the notch still have a hair longer before they can break the next shot. Still others find the blade more prone to to deviate from a straight up-and-down path when the muzzle jumps violently. It's not idle speculation or perception, either-- or people wouldn't bother loading for competition to the lowest feasible PF in all but comp'd Open guns.

Now, that said-- it's going to be different for everyone, based on biological factors (hand size and strength, wrist tension, etc.) and the interaction these factors have with the particular pistol. For example, some folks prefer a little extra snap from a 124 grain 9mm loaded to 130 PF, over the more gentle push of a 147 making the same figure. The slide cycles faster, the quick jump of the muzzle suits their biology better than the slow rise-- basically, it just "feels" better. While 9mm vs .40 vs .45 is a bit more drastic of an example, I have no problem believing that this phenomenon will apply for certain people. But they are almost certainly a rarity.

 

[ebabineaux]

Looks NEW

 

[Hitman]

BTW Still thinking of getting the .40 with 9mm Conversion barrel.

 

[Hitman]

BTW Still thinking of getting the .40 with 9mm Conversion barrel.

Anyone have any experience with Storm Lake Barrels?
http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/2SLBSWMP9C425-1.html