Defensive Carry banner

New XD Range Report or, The Family that Shoots Together...

3K views 30 replies 24 participants last post by  boricua 
#1 ·
I took the new XD .40 Bi-Tone service to the range to ring it out and see how reliable she is. And did I ever have fun!

When I told my wife and kids I was going to the range last night at dinner, all the kids almost in unison asked if they could go to. It was enough to melt your heart I'll tell you.:yup: So what could I say? Of course I said we could all go! We made it a family range outing. Fun was had by all!

We took along the following guns:
Ruger 22/45 .22lr pistol
My new XD .40
Wife's carry gun, XD .40 sub compact
Oldest son's Marlin Model 60 .22lr rifle

500 rounds of .40 cal Blazer Brass practice ammo
500 rounds of .22lr ammo

First the XD Range Report:

I LOVE THIS GUN! It fits my hand much better than my beloved Glock 23 (sorry Gaston but pull your head out and modify your design to make it more ergonomic to a wider customer base and you wouldn't be losing market share like a New Orleans neighborhood being swept away) and despite having a higher bore axis, it doesn't have the muzzle flip that the Glock has. Recoil is much more manageable with the XD than the Glock. I am sure that at least part of that is the fact that I have a better grip on the gun because of the better ergonomics in the grip area.

I started out firing slow and steady, just getting used to how the trigger breaks. The trigger for the XD is a bit lighter than the Glock as well. And I like the reset better. I do however like the sights on the Glock better still. I am a real fan of the stock Glock sights.

My first 2 magazines full went into the "X" ring with 2 fliers and I felt them when they happened. The target was set at a distance of 25 feet away.

I did some rapid fire shooting with the target set at a distance of 15 feet and found the XD to be easier to fire quickly than I thought. Obviously, the .40 cal round is not as easy to get back on target for follow up rapid fire shots as a 9mm, but it wasn't as bad as I though. My groups were a little larger when firing rapid fire, but still acceptable to me. My smallest group was 3 inches, my largest was 5 1/2 inches. I am not expert target shooter but that will get the job done in a fire fight.

I put 350 rounds through the new XD with no failures of any kind. The last 50 rounds were the rounds I will be carrying in the gun, Hornaday FPD TAP rounds. They performed flawlessly. The XD is now my primary carry gin. The G23 has now been re-assigned to the role of back up carry gun.

My wife shot the new XD and says she likes it but still prefers her XD sub compact. She is very good with that little gun. I shot hers as well and was struck by the difference in recoil between the XD service (4 inch barrel) and her XD sub Compact (3 inch barrel). The sub compact obviously has more recoil but I was surprised by how much more it was. She loves that little gun though.

All 5 of the kids shot. My oldest son Ryan shot his Marlin Model 60 .22lr rifle and he ran a few mags through the new XD. This is a shot of him shooting the new XD.



Ryan is scary good with that Marlin. With the target set all the way at the end of the range (100 feet I think) he tore the center out of several small bore target bulls eyes. He'd make a great infantry rifleman but he wants to go in the Air Force. He's also a computer nerd.


My daughter April shot the Ruger 22/45, my new XD and her Mother's XD sub compact. She really did very well with the new XD! Her first magazine all but one round went into the "X" ring! She now has that target hanging in her room and has already shown a couple of her friends! This is her shooting Mom's XD sub compact:


Notice, she is a lefty....the only one in the family.

And my middle child, son Chance shot the Ruger 22/45 only. He really loves that little pistol. And he is getting good with it. He put almost 250 rounds down range in the 22/45 by himself. Here is a shot of him shooting:



The Twins, Scott and Brandon also shot the 22/45, 4 mags each. They are 6 years old. I did not get any shots of them as I was helping them with their grip and sighting and remaining very close so as to prevent any safety issues. But they are doing very well for 6 year old little guys. They had a ton of fun and have already asked when we can go again, just like they do every time we go to the range!

It was a fantastic family fun day, I proved my new carry gun reliable, my wife got some practice with her carry gun and made me remember that she is a great shot and one of the reasons I love her so much and my kids all had a great time! I could not have asked for a better day!
 
See less See more
3
#2 ·
Mike'
That's a great post. I can't think of a better way to spend some time with the family. Your a lucky guy and your family is lucky to have a great Dad.
 
#3 ·
Sounds like you had the quality family time that used to be enjoyed in this country - family fun. It is great that the whole family shoots. I can't wait till my son (2 years old) is ready to come to the range with me and the wife. Nice gun by the way!
 
#5 ·
Looks like you had a good time, what a great family night out. I'll be at Range USA Thursday with a couple of co-workers.

I too have a set of twins, 25 yr old daughters. I don't see how you can you afford to buy ammo with 5 kids??? We raised 3 daughters and I never seemed to have a spare dime while they were growing up!!!
 
#19 ·
I was taking the pictures. But rest assured, I was in fact grinning from ear to ear.

Here's a quick little story from the range that night.
I rand 4 mags through the new XD and after the 4th one, my daughter, who had been shooting the Ruger .22 asked if she could give the new XD a try. So we started loading up the mags for her.

In the lane to our right was a couple of "good 'ol boys" who were shooting some pistols they had. One of them looked at my daughter and asker if maybe that XD wasn't too much gun for her. She said "You think so?" then seated a mag, aimed and tore one ragged hole in the center of the target (about 20 feet away) and when the slide locked back on an empty gun, she dropped the mag, set the XD down and looked at Mr. ******* and said "Seems OK to me." She then looked at his target that looked like it had been shot by a shot gun with a real wide choke and asked him, with a sly smile, "What are you shooting over there?"

Mr. ******** buddy bust a gut laughing and so did I. He didn't mouth off anymore the rest of the time we were there. I guess getting out shot by a 14 year old girl will do that to you.:image035:


entire family at the range is just plain neat.. sundays me and my youngest daughter(17) go when they open.. this looks like range usa??
Yep, it's RangeUSA alright. By the way, if you go on Monday nights, it's half price range lane rental night. Save some $$$.
 
#21 ·
That is one hot red head who can shoot like mad!!

She is a very nice person too. I used to be an Instructors Assistant there at RangeUSA, last year in fact. Got to know everyone very well. They are all real nice people.
 
#22 ·
Most definitely. She taught the carry class my wife and I took - she does know her stuff.

Everyone there is very nice. I am very impressed with that place.
 
#27 ·
Good for you man!! Beautiful example of familiarzation over fear, knowledge trumps Barbara Streisand any day.
 
#30 ·
Good job, teach them well and soon they will be teaching their own kids. Then you will have to post pics of you shooting with the grandkids.
God Bless
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top