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Those with XD's in .45 with 4" barrel, how do they compare in terms of felt recoil to a 1911 with similar barrel length?

The reason I ask... is that I'm still wrestling with what weapon to get my daughter for concealed carry this spring/summer. She shoots my commander length 1911 fine, but the XD may be different.

I don't want to get her a .40 because I have yet to shoot one (any make) that didn't feel pretty "snappy" in recoil. That leaves 9mm (manageable recoil, high capacity) but I'd rather see her with a .45 if the chips are down.

She is an experienced shooter (started her at 9) although she hasn't shot recently. I am not worried about her being able to handle an XD-45 if it compares favorably to a 1911.

I know recoil perception is a subjective thing, but what are your thoughts anyway.

Thanks,

Flint.

flintknapper wrote:Those with XD's in .45 with 4" barrel, how do they compare in terms of felt recoil to a 1911 with similar barrel length?

The reason I ask... is that I'm still wrestling with what weapon to get my daughter for concealed carry this spring/summer. She shoots my commander length 1911 fine, but the XD may be different.

I don't want to get her a .40 because I have yet to shoot one (any make) that didn't feel pretty "snappy" in recoil. That leaves 9mm (manageable recoil, high capacity) but I'd rather see her with a .45 if the chips are down.

She is an experienced shooter (started her at 9) although she hasn't shot recently. I am not worried about her being able to handle an XD-45 if it compares favorably to a 1911.

I know recoil perception is a subjective thing, but what are your thoughts anyway.

Thanks,

Flint.

I'm a dyed-in-the-wool 1911 fan. I have several and thats the best platform I know. That said, I broke down and bought an XD45 a couple of months ago, and I have to say that if I didn't already have a thing for 1911's, I'd probably think the XD was the greatest thing since sliced bread. My perception is that there is vitually no difference in felt recoil.

I doubt she would have any problem with one, from what you said.

Perceived recoil from the xd may be softer because of the very slight flexing of the polymer frame. The shape of the grip in the xd is more rounded at the back; also the xd's tang area lacks the grip safety and is more gentle than the 1911's. Thus, there's no biting of the web of the hand.

Which gun will be the safer one for her--in terms of having an accidental discharge? Will the pistol be carried on her person or in a vehicle? Will she carry it with a round in the chamber?

loosecannon wrote: Which gun will be the safer one for her--in terms of having an accidental discharge? Will the pistol be carried on her person or in a vehicle? Will she carry it with a round in the chamber?

Definitely with a round in the chamber.

She will be forced to carry a variety of ways.

Most often... the weapon will be in her purse or secured in her vehicle.

Now, before you guys go off on a (she needs to have it on her person) rant, let me explain that she is a college student, and after this year she will be moving to Houston to start her residency. Between school and the hospital...there will be very little time that she will actually be able to carry on her person.

Of course, she already has O.C., a S&W HRT sheath knife, and a brown belt in Shen Chuan (I did raise her right), but I am worried about her adjusting to life in the big city. She was born and raised in little old Nacogdoches...and has NO "street smarts".

The handgun will primarily be for home defense and travel to and from school/work.

In the next few years she will have little time to practice, so I don't want her to carry anything that requires her to thumb off a safety, just point and shoot.

Flint, My son shoots an XD. I have shot his & the percieved recoil is going to compare to you 1911. He really likes it. You know where I am concerning 1911s & I like his OK. For point & shoot you will not make a better choice. Maybe a different preference but not better.
See you in print my friend.

Flintknapper, maybe the Marshall will respond as he owns two Kimbers and just shot my 4" XD-45 on Friday. I shot one of his Kimbers, a smaller version, but I really don't recall the recoil that much. I can say the XD is a smooth shooting gun. Yes, it does have some snap to it, but not any more than the Marshal's Kimber and maybe somewhat less.

Flintknapper,
as one that owns a 4" & 5" Kimber, and the 3" XD.

Please Get your daughter the .45 XD!

Me & S&W6946 had the privledge of running & gunning on some targets on Friday. We shot my Kimber 4" and his XD .45 4"

The Kimber had issues on him and me. A failure to feed for me, and and a FTE for him. The XD was flawless. As has been my XD -SC9mm
My XD-SC jammed 2 rounds initially, and none since. It rocks!
Promise, from one East Texan to another, I would go with the XD.
It has WAY more safety features than the Glock, and goes bang when you pull the trigger. Only issue is that looooong trigger pull. Get used to it, and you can eat out the X ring. (it IS an issue shooting my Kimbers and then the XD...!!)

I CARRY the XD-SC9. Full confidence in it. Awesome weapon.

I got to shoot S&W6946's XD.45, and it is a solid, stable platform.
It had no more recoil than my Kimber Pro Tactical, or my Kimber Warrior.
My NEXT purchase will probably be a XD Service or Tactical model, in 9mm, to shoot at the range. She will NOT be disappointed.

++ 1911 for conceal carry
+++ XD for always going bang.

~Bill

I can't comment on the recoil part of the XD45, but I can comment on the reliability of the XD. In over 3000 rounds I have never had one single problem with my XD9. I know several others that can say the same with their XD45.

Awesome gun and as others have said, it will go bang every single time. I don't clean mine that often anymore and that hasn't made a difference. Drop of oil here and there after every couple hundred rounds, decent cleaning after a few range trips.

Houston can be a very dangerous place for someone without "street smarts". An XD would be an excellent choise for protection, but more importantly she needs to be taught what to look out for. My mom used to carry when she was going to UofH many years ago and had several close calls. Nowadays it's even more dangerous, especially after dark. Something really needs to happen to allow college students to carry on school grounds, not just in the parking lot.

I have several 's and my last toy was the XD45.

Ther is no difference in the recoil that I can tell. My oldest daughter has also shot both of them and loves the XD.

I think that either way you go she can't lose.

Thank You (everyone) for your replies and suggestions.

This has helped me immensely.

We will definitely add the XD to the list of firearms to look at.

I have an XD-40 4" and XD-40SC and find them to be reliable machines. I think I will continue to use them for a while, but I tried an HK P2000 and a S&W M&P recently - Very nice! While the .40 is snappy, it is very manageable, compared to full-house .357 Magnum. The XD-45 was just a rumor when I bought my XDs.

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to shoot an XD-45 and it was very nice, a good push-type kick. I may be in trouble, because now I want one.

The trigger travel and reset on XD is much longer than a 1911. The grip safety on the XD is not a problem for comfort - a correct grip is all you need. The grip frames are different: The 1911 grip is narrow, but also longer. The XD-45 is wider than the XD-40, in order to get those 13 big rounds in there.

The XD-45's owner is a died-in-the-wool .45 man and did not like the .40 and he has 3 nice 1911s and a new XD-45. However, his wife was having some control and comfort issues with the XD-45, but she performed much better with the XD-40 (bull's eye on the first shot!), despite the snappy report. Hopefully, you can manage to get your daughter a chance to shoot several different pistols before you buy.

Speaking of grip shape, these polymer framed pistols may have advantage. A shooting partner of mine is a small-statured man and he recently had the grip of his Glock 19 reshaped and stippled by Robar. It changed the character of the pistol, in a good way.

loosecannon wrote:Perceived recoil from the xd may be softer because of the very slight flexing of the polymer frame. The shape of the grip in the xd is more rounded at the back; also the xd's tang area lacks the grip safety and is more gentle than the 1911's. Thus, there's no biting of the web of the hand.

Which gun will be the safer one for her--in terms of having an accidental discharge? Will the pistol be carried on her person or in a vehicle? Will she carry it with a round in the chamber?

All the XD's I've seen and the one I have has a grip safety. Is it an option?

cgxd9sc wrote: All the XD's I've seen and the one I have has a grip safety. Is it an option?

A simple one word answer: "No!"

Russ

All the XD's I've seen and the one I have has a grip safety. Is it an option?

It's a feature! And us old 1911 die-hards are happy it's there. I own a Glock, but have never been happy with safety if a round is in the pipe. Some Glock fans will hate me for that, but even clothing caught inside the trigger guard offers the potential for an AD.

I like the grip safety. 'Course, I'm used to it with 1911s. But I think it subtracts nothing from functionality and adds just a bit more safety.

She will love the XD-45. It shoots and handles very well and the recoil certainly isn't any more than the 1911.