Did I buy the wrong gun???

[xdm4540]

Hey guys, I'm new to shooting. I had a .38 revolver years ago that I got rid of when my son was born. Well now we have 2 kids and with some of the stuff going on around my area thought I should get something to protect the family with.

Enter the XDM 4.5 .40. The reason I chose this gun is because it feels really good, I like the looks and a buddy at work convinced me that if the LEO carry .40 caliber weapons, it has to be a good choice (I agree). He said the 9mm doesn't penetrate as much as it should and that the .40 is a nice "in between". I respect his opinion since he has several guns, but I don't want to have a gun that in 5 years will be impossible or really expensive to get ammo for because the .40 was a phase. Again I'm new to all this so I have no idea how long .40's have been around, etc.

From my understanding the .40 is more prone to KB incidents, is more expensive to shoot, and is harder to shoot and hit your target in succession.

Am I off base here?

I don't have a lot of experience shooting, probably shot the .38 3 times over the 6-7 years I owned it, but now I'd like to hit the range once every couple weeks with this gun because it seems like a fun gun to shoot.

Thanks for any advice you can give.

Tim

 

[Derek1320]

I would suggest clearing your mind and taking a trip to the range to see how you personally feel about shooting the gun. I certainly wouldn't worry about 40 S&W supplies drying up (in fact, when I regularly couldn't find 9mm ammo at Wally World a few years back, I cursed .40 owners because a box of that could always be had.)

You'll get a million differing opinions/sentiments on the caliber debate. What's important is that you're comfortable with the gun, and that you enjoy shooting it on a regular basis. That's more important than any armchair ballistics analyses.

 

[Threeband]

You made a great choice.

There is a running joke around here about .40 being "gay", but it's just a joke. (Besides, "there's nothing wrong with that.") 9mm is a little cheaper to shoot.

You have a fine pistol in a great caliber. That XDm does feel great in the hand. I was sorely tempted by them when they came out. .40 Ammo will be readily available into the distant future.

Keep an eye out for a chance to get some training, and then some more training.

And welcome to MDS.

 

[ProShooter]

Did I buy the wrong gun???

Well, it ain't a Glock....but it'll do.

Welcome aboard!

 

[rj1974]

Its a tool to protect you and your family . Get familiar with and proficiant . I would suggest signing up for a class at a local range .

 

[livefast1]

To be honest, yes. The xd already has a higher bore spacing as a deficit and add the extra snap of the .40....... I can't stand a .40 xd.

 

[Vision]

Congrats on the new purchase

I won't be one to say you bought the wrong gun as I just picked up the exact same thing a few weeks ago, and I LOVE mine.

As with anything, the biggest factor to going with anything should be what you're looking to use the object for primarily. As you stated above, if self defense is the goal then either a 9, .40, or .45 will do the job.

I've fired the 9 and I really didn't notice a huge difference between that and the .40. the retail ammo is a bit more expensive however if you go to a range that reloads their own, often times the 9 is all sold out while the .40 is somewhat more readily available. Walmart also has Federal .40 S&W for $15 so it's not that bad.

The biggest factor with a home defense gun is knowing how to use it. If you don't know how it shoots, it won't matter if you miss with a 9 or a .40 or a .45. So the best advice is to get to the range as much as possible and put as many rounds through as you can. Practice will also help with the multiple shots on target.

As for stopping power I would argue that is somewhat of a moot point as all of them will put down a home invader. Now granted if the invader is all drugged out and oblivious to being shot in the first place, the .40 will produce more blunt force trauma than a .9 but I'm seriously doubting anyone in the receiving end of either will argue one is better to be hit with than the other.

As I am new to shooting as well, I would highly recommend getting a "lesson" from someone, weather it's a friend or an official range sponsored lesson. the first couple of times out, I was all over the place with my target shooting, however I talked to a friend who really knows his stuff and he gave me some pointers one day, and that night I went to the range and was drilling out 2" targets at 7, 10, and 15 yards and it really helped me not only zero in, but gave me the confidence to know that I can reliably hit what I'm aiming at.

Good luck with your new purchase and get out there and put some rounds through it

 

[rrrrrrkevin]

Reguardless of what people think of it or how it performs it is widely used and is definately not a phase and I bet it will be around for quite a while.

 

[clandestine]

You already made the plunge but sadly your friend is just perputating a falsehood that .40 penetrates better than a 9mm. Do some research and you will find that the 9mm, .40 and .45 with good defensive ammo all perform similarly. Ballistics Gel Tests, FBI findings, and real world shootings all reflect this data. Sad news is all 3 of these calibers are poor manstoppers, pretty much ALL handguns are poor stoppers.

You should just practice with the gun and later on trade it in for a different caliber or model if you have the funds and want to get way from the .40.

 

[Ethan83]

.40s&w is fine. I wouldn't recommend the caliber personally cuz I'm not a fan, but hey, what do I know, I'm just a dude on the Internet. The notoriety for KBs I believe comes pretty much exclusively from Glocks, which have an unsupported chamber, and the .40 is a pretty high pressure round. I could be completely wrong about that, but that's my understanding. You should be just fine with an XDM. An XD45 lives under my pillow, it's a great series of pistols.

 

[GNLaFrance]

If you learn the piece, practice and get good with it, and can effectively use it to protect your family, then whatever you've chosen will be fine.

Having said that, from where does your friend get his opinion that the .45 is "too powerful"? If my family's safety is on the line, a .50 BMG wouldn't be too powerful for me to use.

 

[xdm4540]

Thanks everyone.

I'm gonna hit the range and shoot the hell out of this. After I get comfortable with it, I'll grab a buddy with a 9 and a .45 and shoot them just to compare and go from there.

GN, maybe too powerful wasn't the correct wording. I really didn't discuss the .45 with him because his other gun is a 9mm (along with some shotguns) and he doesn't have a .45 from what I recall.

Tim

 

[Lou45]

If you've researched this forum in the "not too distant past", you've noticed how alot of us (some more than others) bash and make fun of the .40 S&W (short and wimpy, sorry, just had to do that). The .40 is not a bad cartridge as it is used vastly by LE throughout the nation. I don't think you'll see it fade out of circulation anytime soon as it is here to stay for a LOOONG time. As far as the KABOOM KING you mentioned, as long as you use factory fresh ammo, there shouldn't be any problem. It's when one get's into reloading that the problem (if it does) begins. I've shot a fair amount of .40 in many different makes and model guns with factory ammo in the past and have not experienced any problems what so ever. Yea, my preference is .45 as this has been in my blood long before the .40S&W/10mm was ever conceived. If you DO research the "handgun" section, you'll see some major bashing of the .40 by a number of members, including myself as this is an ongoing "pick on" caliber of choice (actually we've had a lotta' fun with it). If there's any doubt in your mind, ask yourself this question: Would I wanna' be shot at 25 feet in the chest with this caliber without level 3 body armour? I know I most certainly wouldn't.

Hope this helps to answer your questions. BTW, welcome to the forum.

 

[fivepointstar]

Welcome

don't worry what others say. if you're happy thats all that matters

 

[Lou45]

Damned, too many people are being nice to the noob, even Chad . Usually before now, someone has started the ".40 is ghey" thing and the games begin.

 

[Threeband]

We're being gentle with him because he's gay.

 

[clandestine]

Damned, too many people are being nice to the noob, even Chad . Usually before now, someone has started the ".40 is ghey" thing and the games begin.

We're being gentle with him because he's gay.

 

[Lou45]

GAME ON

 

[Elite84]

As much 40 bashing gos on here, it is an effective round or else it would not be picked up by all the LE and gun owners. I have all 3 rounds:

9mm cheap to shoot, low recoil, less kinetic energy transfer/knock down power.

40 sw more expensive and jerkier recoil, in return more engergy from a bigger bullet transfers to the target, considerablely faster than the 45 acp so less drop over distance (on paper)

45 acp a bit more expensive than ther 40, more of a dull push recoil, slower heavier bullet delivers massive knock down power close range.

At the end of the day all 3 have their place in the world, the important thing is getting to know your gun and you will do just fine protecting your family.

 

[Splitter]

If you shoot it well, it's a good choice for you. Good advice already in this thread (just let me reiterate that nothing beats a .45, but I am biased lol).

Shoot it, love it.

Splitter