$400 Handguns

[Joshuadavis9]

My dad called me a few days ago and told me that he wanted to finally buy a handgun and that he wanted to spend roughly $400.  I had purchased a Springfield 1911 Operator (.45 cal) in 2007 that he really liked and he's had this bug ever since.  For the price I suggested he go with a Springfield XD of some sort.  In my opinion, the XD is the Remington 870 series of handguns...fairly priced and pretty durable.    I had fired a friends a while back and it seemed to work flawlessly.  Just looking for thoughts and feedback on not only the XD, but other comparable brands I could offer my dad.

[carpsniperg2]

Get the xdm, the xd is o.k. but i like the trigger in the xdm better.

[raekmike]

really like the xd's but the smith and wesson m&p fits my hand like a glove! 
narrow it down to a handfull of guns and then have him go handle them and see what feels best...

[Jburke]

The taurus 24/7 line are also pretty good guns.  Right about 400 new

[FC]

Get the xdm, the xd is o.k. but i like the trigger in the xdm better.

XD(m) is a great gun but it uses the same trigger as the XD, thanks for the mention though as I had been meaning to order a new striker for mine . Not likely to find an XD(m) for $400 but you should be able to find a used XD in that range, I would take a used XD with 20,000 down the pipe over any new Taurus myself. Comparing an XD to an Remington 870 sounds mighty generous to me! I wouldn't rate the 870 that high!

[Joshuadavis9]

I GROSSLY abused the 870 over the course of a month my first duck hunting season and it laughed in the face of danger   It was submerged in the Puget Sound for roughly 10 minutes when the tide was low due to the face that I tried to smack a maimed duck with a kayak paddle (in a kayak) and it went in.  I eventually found it and when the next group of ducks flew by, it fired and extracted the shell beautifully.  Remington has my respect.

[D-Rock425]

I GROSSLY abused the 870 over the course of a month my first duck hunting season and it laughed in the face of danger   It was submerged in the Puget Sound for roughly 10 minutes when the tide was low due to the face that I tried to smack a maimed duck with a kayak paddle (in a kayak) and it went in.  I eventually found it and when the next group of ducks flew by, it fired and extracted the shell beautifully.  Remington has my respect.

why didn't you shoot the duck in the kayak?

[Joshuadavis9]

I had shot the duck from the kayak, but it landed about 10 feet from me in the water.  I had shot a duck at close range in the past and it doesn't pan out   So to save a shell and a the duck (meat), I was going to smack it on the head to finish it off.  I went right beside it, set the gun in the kayak, and decided to smack it with the paddle like I was splitting a log of wood.  That darned ole kayak shifted more than I anticipated so I went in as did the gun.  Let me tell you, that Puget Sound is mighty cold in December!

[Mossy]

I like my XD.  Kind of wish I waited to get the xdm but I got my .40/compact for $469 brand new.  Got the kit with it for an extra $20 instead of $100 or whatever it usually is.  3 friends at work have the sub compact, they are happy too.

[MP123]

I had shot the duck from the kayak, but it landed about 10 feet from me in the water.  I had shot a duck at close range in the past and it doesn't pan out   So to save a shell and a the duck (meat), I was going to smack it on the head to finish it off.  I went right beside it, set the gun in the kayak, and decided to smack it with the paddle like I was splitting a log of wood.  That darned ole kayak shifted more than I anticipated so I went in as did the gun.  Let me tell you, that Puget Sound is mighty cold in December!

That would make a good youtube video!

I hear ya about those close shots though, nothing left of the duck...

[SquirrelHunter]

Im on my 3rd XD, love em all. 2 XD 9mm subcompacts, and 1 XD 40 subcampact. never had a jam or any other problems

[DOUBLELUNG]

I'll put in another vote for the XD.  I bought a new XD40 on gunbroker.com last year for $355, with shipping and FFL receiving total was $391. 

[woodywsu]

Another vote for the xd. I purchased a .45 xd compact for under $500 new with 3 high capacity magazines from an FFL dealer. I thought about the 1911, but clip sizes sold me for the xd. High capacity clips can hold 13 rounds compared to 7 in the 1911s.

[huntandjeep]

ive never shot the xd my dad has one though and likes it. Ive got a m&p and works for me

[xd2005]

The taurus 24/7 line are also pretty good guns.  Right about 400 new

Buds Gun Shop has them sub-$300!