XD advantages

[alfsauve]

I'm not really a fanatic for any particular brand.  Though there are some brands I avoid due to politics or quality.

Anyway, I got a pair of XDs cause they felt good, and they came with a holster, 2 mags, a mag holster and a reloading tool.  Plus SA gave me two extra mags and another holster as a bonus.   Now I've discovered another reason why my XDs were good buys.

The magazines are interchangeable....at least between 9mm and .40.   Tried them out at the range this past week.   That means I now have 15 mags that can be used in either gun.   I think the .38super also is the same size.  The only difference appears to be the witness holes on the back.   No big deal.  When the .40 says "8" there are really "10" 9mm.   The BIG DRAWBACK, is making sure I don't mix up ammo with gun.   Or mixing ammo within one mag.   It's okay though, I'm willing to live with it for the advantage of having so many mags.

WARNING:  THIS IS MY EXPERIENCE.   I"M NOT RECOMMENDING ANYONE ELSE TRY IT NOR THAT Springfield Armory APPROVES IT.  NOR THAT  IT'S A SAFE THING TO DO..

[billt]

I'm not fanatical torward any given brand myself, and I'm not knocking Springfield or S&W from a mechnical standpoint. With that said I have a major bone to pick with both of them in regards to their metal finish methods. 

My biggest issue with both the Smith & Wesson M&P line of pistols, as well as the Springfield Armory XD line is the constant slide rusting issues that come up all the time with these guns. The Smith & Wesson M&P Models are having severe rusting issues with the slide, and have been for some time now. Google "Smith & Wesson M&P slide rusting issues", and you'll get the phone book.

 Smith & Wesson M&P slide rusting issues - Google Search
Smith & Wesson M&P slide rusting issues - Google Search

 This is being caused by the inferior Melonite treatment process to the slide itself. Springfield Armory went through much the same thing with their XD line of pistols a while back. That process did not involve Melonite, but the result was much the same. The slides themselves rusted like an old railroad track, especially when carried in a cold climate. When going from the cold outdoors into a warm building the in / out condensation rusted the slides on these guns in no time.

 The reason for this is Melonite, and all of the other trade names this process is sold under, are far inferior to the Tenifer process that is used by Glock. I know someone will argue that, but it is a fact. Melonite, along with the other processes like Tufftride and Nitride, (both gas and liquid), are sold as being, "Just as good". The fact of the matter is they are not. Certainly not from a rust and or corrosion standpoint. The best proof of this over the years is both companies, (Smith & Wesson and Springfield Armory), who have used the Melonite process, or ones similar to it including the forms of different Phosphate treatments, have all experienced rusting issues, while a Tenifer treated Glock is all but impossible to acquire any rust on in most any environment. This has been proven over and over in torture treatment after torture treatment involving everything from ocean immersion for months on end to storage in rock salt. Tenifer beats all other anti rust metal treatments hands down. It also reduces the coefficient of friction of the surface itself substantially. It is one of the reasons Glock treats the inside of the barrel itself with it. The Tenifer process is .005 M.M. thick, and is close to the hardness of Diamond. This is why it wears so well. It literally takes years of daily carry for a Glock pistol to develop any kind of holster wear on the slide because of this process.

 The reason S&W and Springfield Armory don't use it is because the Tenifer process is banned in this country because it cannot be made to meet EPA environmental standards. This is why the Glock pistol is made in Austria, but assembled in this country in Georgia. Glock applies the Tenifer in Austria where the slide and barrel itself is manufactured. The parts are then shipped here, and the pistol assembled, boxed, and shipped to various distributors.

 The Springfield Armory XD line of pistols are made in Croatia, but are shipped as completed guns. There really is no reason they could not use the Tenifer process on their XD line unless there is a logistics problem in getting it done, or else there may be a cost issue. I don't know, but I do know that Glock has it, and Springfield does not. Because of that an XD is far more likely to acquire rusting issues than any Glock ever will.

 There is in fact zero reason for a modern defensive carry pistol to be prone to rust in today's manufacturing era. These metal treatments are out there. Glock has proven for over 25 years they do in fact work. A Glock has proven to be one of the most, if not THE most weather resistant handgun manufactured to date. You should not have to keep a modern defensive pistol soaked with oil to prevent it from rusting. That is total nonsense. It isn't the 1950's anymore. The other manufacturers tout their metal treatment processes like Melonite as "Just as good", when in fact it has been proven they are not. S&W needs to step up to the plate here. It is 2010 and they are having trouble matching manufacturing standards Glock has set the bar at in the early 80's. To me that is totally unacceptable in today's day and age. Bill T.

[bafsu92]

You can add the Sig "Nitron" finish to the list of finishes that are crap compared to Tennifer. I have Glocks that are 3 time older and have been carried 10 times more often than my Sigs that still look new yet both my Sigs now have Cerakote/Duracoat finishes to cover the bare metal spots of wear. I just got an XDm so only time will tell on the finish, I haven't put it into my carry rotation yet. I don't know much about the others but will agree completely you really have to try to wear the finish off a Glock. My 1st 17 is over 20 years old, has been around the world a couple times including a couple years on a boat with salt air exposure daily. It's been carried in freezing conditions, jungle / rain forest conditions, years in Florida humidity etc. and other than being a little more polished looking in certain spots you'd never know it's as old as it is. It does have a stainless barrel now that I changed out a couple years ago around the 150k-200k rd mark. It really hadn't lost any accuracy but there was no finish left on any of the flat surfaces on the barrel so I replaced it for preventative measures.

[kmbrman]

  bafsu92, I'm also really mad at Sig. about my Sig226. After paying $700.00 for a new 226, it rusted severly after only one exposure to a humid room .  I refinished it with cold blue and got rid of it quickly. BTW , I've owned 3 Glocks and none has ever rusted in any way. At the time I bought the 226 ,.Sig was advertising in all the gun magazines about their Nitron finish ! Also as a new never fired pistol, the fixed sights were way off in elevation. At 25' distance the 226 in 9mm. would impact about 2" high over the front sight, not good for such an expensive pistol. I finally had to replace the sights with MMC sights front and rear to correct this.

[Dakotaranger]

I had the rust problem with only my 9 MM.  SA took care of it with no consternation.  I had an issue with one of my XD .45 and they fixed it without whining or trying to make me jump through hoops.  The customer service alone made me loyal to their brand.  That been said I'm still drooling over the Remington 1911

[Sponsor]

[kilopaparomeo]

I have an XD 45 Tactical that I really like.  The grip is comfortable, grip angle is 1911-ish, it is accurate enough and it never fails to feed/fire/eject.  Even crappy reloads that make my other guns puke...it eats like candy.  I have replaced the sights with tritium night sights made for the side (dovetails are the same)

Other than the fact that the finish scratches a little easier than I would like, I have nothing but good things to say.  I'd like to get a XD9 sub-compact and a new XD(m) also.

[twyacht]

FWIW, I bought my M+P .40, in Jan. 08, in Coastal NC, serial prefix MPZ.  Than moved to the wonderful swamp back here in S. Florida, in Sept. 08. Shoot it often, regularly, and carry it in my BOB.  Odd, the slide is stainless, not familiar with the "rust" issue.

I clean it, (even when I haven't shot it, maint. lube it, and have ZERO rust issues anywhere in it or on it. I get condensation issues from a nice air conditioned house,  to an outdoor swamp and range time. I intensely look for rust or "spots", I just can find it.

I worry my few "blued" pistols (and rifles), would rust first. Even though I pack and rotate fresh desiccant in the safe, and keep a light coat of Breakfree on everything. Pull them out, and wipe them down regularly. (Gun Fondler Extraordinaire)

I think the the XD is a fine pistol. The grip "stipple" just didn't do it for me, with wet sweaty hands it would be even worse (for me),...




Dakota: I'm still drooling over the Remington 1911

+1   

[alfsauve]

...........With that said I have a major bone to pick with both of them in regards to their metal finish methods. 
............... Bill T.

Wow.  At a least you did warned us before you launched.

I'll give Glock the trophy as the hands down winner in durability.  That and after market parts are why many people buy them.   And those are good reasons.