Free: Contests & Raffles.
Now here is a great debate. The XD is great weapon I have shot several of them. They are very smooth guns. The added mag. capacity with the XDm and interchangeable grips is great addition to an otherwise good gun. That being said my next gun purchase will be a 40 cal XDm.JoshT - I agree with everything you have stated about shot placement, but..... Shot placement in a life or death situation is not an easy task. When you’re in that kind of situation fine motor skills go out the door and you must rely on muscle memory. Muscle memory requires several thousand reps on a regular basis before they can be second nature. Shot placement requires target identification, sight alignment, and a smooth and steady trigger pull. That is a lot to think about when your life is on the line. That is why you should be practicing until those steps become muscle memory. Anyone who has been in the military or a combat situation will tell you, you always revert back to your training when confronted with such a situation. Sadly most people who own handguns do not practice nearly enough to have muscle memory. That being said, knock down power does come into play. A 9mm does not have the knock down power that a 45 has and that is a fact. A 45 cal is going to be a little more forgiving with those poorly placed shots. I believe someone already stated, you should have gun your comfortable with, as you will practice more. If a 9mm fits your hands the best, that is fine, just practice and practice some more until it becomes second nature. Bottom line is if your going to carry a weapon for personal defense, make sure you shoot the gun on a regular basis and know your gun inside and out.
Quote from: Straight Shooter on September 30, 2009, 07:07:11 PMQuote from: JoshT on September 30, 2009, 04:49:10 PMThe only true "stopping power"... is shot placement. Get the one you think you'll shoot the best... and practice with most.I respectfully disagree. Shot placement is obviously important, but its not the "only" true stopping power. Velocity, bullet weight and sectional density are also huge contributing factors. I do agree that what ever you shoot... practice, practice, practice. If we're still talking about the XD (in which I was referring to), there were three calibers mentioned... 9mm, .40 S&W, and .45 ACP. Of those three, I recommended the .40 S&W because of the reasons I stated earlier.Caliber doesn't mean dick-all when it comes to stopping a fight... same as it really doesn't mean much in big game hunting. Good bullets in proper places end schitt in a hurry... anything less than that, and all bets are off. The best "caliber" for self-defense... or hunting... is the one you're most comfortable with... and can put where it needs to be... period. Shootability and capacity are big factors in selecting a defense weapon... and the 9mm will always trump both the .40 and the .45 in those two areas for most shooters, especially novice shooters.All that being said... the 7mm Rem still kicks the .270's ass up and down the block.
Quote from: JoshT on September 30, 2009, 04:49:10 PMThe only true "stopping power"... is shot placement. Get the one you think you'll shoot the best... and practice with most.I respectfully disagree. Shot placement is obviously important, but its not the "only" true stopping power. Velocity, bullet weight and sectional density are also huge contributing factors. I do agree that what ever you shoot... practice, practice, practice. If we're still talking about the XD (in which I was referring to), there were three calibers mentioned... 9mm, .40 S&W, and .45 ACP. Of those three, I recommended the .40 S&W because of the reasons I stated earlier.
The only true "stopping power"... is shot placement. Get the one you think you'll shoot the best... and practice with most.
SS and Deerharvester... I agree... to an extent.Both of you addressed the accuracy issues when under duress... this is 100% true... and makes an excellent case for capacity. None of the addressed calibers offer enough over the other to compensate for poor placement... one may be a bit more "forgiving" of placement... but another is much more "forgiving" to shoot. Like I've stated many times before... unless you've drawn and fired your weapon, from your CC rig... in a "real life" type situation... fired from cover, on the move, and engaged multiple targets... several times... you have no idea how you'll shoot said weapon. I have no problem with the .40... or the .45... but I have seen it time and time again, hand a new shooter a 4" XD in 9mm, .40, and .45... and see which one they shoot well. We took the ladies from our church out to shoot... few had ever shot a pistol before... by the end of the night all had shot and enjoyed (and fired it with pretty good accuracy) the 9mm... most shot and were scared schittless by the .40... in the same gun.No matter which one you choose... take it out, in your carry rig... and shoot an IDPA match, or take a "training" course where you get to do some live fire situation shooting.
Sounds like we can all agree on practicing if your going to carry a weapon for personal safety. Hey josht where would one get further info on IDPA matchs?
