You should see the Croatian I brought home last night. (What holster?)

[-Rooster-]

You should see the Croatian I brought home last night - Now with a short review

Picked this one up yesterday at Beech Grove Firearms. I've yet to shoot it, but I stripped it and cleaned it ASAP. I think it's quite a looker for a plastic pistol. It will replace my SR9c if all goes well and it shoots as well as it looks and feels.

The SR9c was in an Old Faithful hybrid. I liked it a lot, but I'm trying to go even thinner. Thinking about a LaTour, and I've got an email out that way. PJ Holsters' lead time has him out of the running. Anything else to look at?

EDIT: Holster ordered from Cook's Holsters.

EDIT #2. Thoughts after shooting added on 4/4.

 

[DFM914]

Very cool gun!

 

[8th SPS USAF]

Very nice. I have both 45/9mm XDs 3.3 Was going to buy the 4.0 9mm, but holding out for the 4.0 45, hopefully soon. Check out PRP parts for it. I have spring kit, very nice, X treme rubber grips. There are many good holsters out there for XDs's Good luck

 

[-Rooster-]

Looks like many are yet to receive a mold and/or blue gun for the 4". Old Faithful doesn't list one yet, and LaTour said his might be 2-3 weeks out. I think I'll probably convert my Old Faithful hybrid to fit the XDs with a new kydex mold once OFH has them in stock. $15 is cheaper than a new holster, and I don't see why it wouldn't work. I'll also likely get the thin, kydex-only version from LaTour (just like JP, only with adjustable cant) down the road.

 

[AlwaysVigilant]

The slide profile hasn't changed, so any maker worth their salt should be able to extend their existing mold to accommodate the length difference. I bet if you call any of them it would be no problem.

 

[-Rooster-]

Ordered a Pearce magazine extension for a pinky grip. Photos forthcoming. Might not stand quite as well with the extension as she does in the photos...

 

[nakinate]

I highly recommend Indy Holsters. They can custom make a kydex rig for you at a decent price.

 

[MemphisR32]

How does it shoot? My wife is looking at one in 3.3 but doesn't like the recoil as much as my G19. This could be the prefect fit.

 

[-Rooster-]

I've yet to get a chance to shoot it. I refuse to go to ITP's range on a Saturday. I'm hoping to get a couple hundred rounds through it in the next week or two. I'll post my thoughts here afterwards.


On another note, I just ordered an IWB kydex holster from Cook's Holsters in OD carbon-look Holstex. Adjustable retention and cant (0-25 degrees). I also added a matching magazine carrier and a kydex trigger guard, since I'm sure I'll use it for something. Paid for rush processing (guaranteed one week lead time). With shipping, $123. Can't wait to get it.

 

[-Rooster-]

4/4 Range Update:

The new XDs and I visited ITP early this afternoon for its first break-in session. We (the gun and I) were greeted by an empty indoor ange in emjoyed complete solitude with no other shooters for 20 minutes of our half-hour shoot. Working weekends at a hospital, and subsequently having the occasional weekday to myself, has its perks.

All shooting was done with the shorter 7-round magazine with a Pearce pinky extension installed.

I've read a lot, both before and since purchasing this gun, on the problems some folks are having with the XDs regarding light primer strikes and failures to return to battery. I have also read about how soft some folks' hands are when met with the friction-enhancing, diamond-cutting capable XDs grips. My experience was different. The XDs 4.0 9mm was an absolute pleasure to shoot. I experienced not a single hiccup or failure OF ANY KIND. 100 rounds of multiple brands and types of ammunition, including Federal Champion 115gr, Remington UMC 115gr, the last of my Federal XM9001, and a healthy helping of 124gr +P HSTs (what is typically what I carry). Prior to firing, I had disassembled the gun to the point of striker assembly removal in order to clean out the striker channel. The entire gun was cleaned with M-Pro 7 and lubed, per the manual, with plain ol' Hoppes No. 9. The gun was not lubed excessively, and the striker channel was left bone dry, again per the manual (ahem, it is NOT unmanly to read the manual, especially regarding a bullet slinging device which which one intends to entrust lives). The single, solitary issue that I had with the functionality of this gun is that I tend to ride the slide release, preventing lock-back on the last round. Paying close attention to my stong-hand thumb, the gun will lock open every time with 115gr plinking rounds, unlike my SR9c. With the more stiff recoil spring of the Ruger, the gun would fail to lock open with lightly loaded 115 gr rounds. I never experienced an issue with 124 gr and heavier projectiles.

Ergonomics is a fascinating bastard. I had read about how nicely the XDs shoots. Aside from the width, which is measurable, the reported ergonomic qualities of the XD line of pistols were part of the reasoning behind the purchase of this gun. I flat out did not shoot my SR9c well. I've not shot the Ruger from a rest, but I'm damn near certain the problem lies within myself and not the gun. I have absolutely zero professional firearms training. I'd be lucky if my versions of the modified isosceles and Leatham-Enos are actually reminiscent of a true modified isosceles and Leatham-Eons. That said, the Ruger simply wasn't as accurate IN MY HANDS. I could shoot it well with intense focus for only so many rounds at a time. The Springfield? 25 or so rounds at the end of the session from 5-6 yards resulted in about 6 shots where I failed to deliver and one jagged hole for the rest (slightly low and left, naturally - reference my training above). A photo of that target is below. I'm planning to fix my training dearth this spring/summer.

Extrapolating further on my musings above in reference to ergonomics brings me to the surprising level of comfort that I experienced shooting this gun. This gun handles recoil very well, and this allowed me (again - a relative novice) to shift my limited focus to the front sight and trigger pull. The trigger pull itself has what I perceived to be a lengthy take-up with a short, uniform pull followed by a clean break. Reset is obvious and tactile. I found that I wasn't anticipating the sharp recoil of +P loads, as I may have been with the Ruger. Rather, I was able to watch the casing eject from the gun and the sights fall back into place on target. Beyond that, I fired around 15 shots initiating from a compressed ready position. I was able to quickly acquire the sights and put a round fairly accurately on target. Another point worthy of note is that the gun did not wear on my hands, which is a complaint that I have read endlessly. I believe that I could have continued to shoot for hours without issue. Granted, I was shooting 9mm. It is possible that the majority of these complaints come from .45 XDs shooters.

Regarding further points of comparison between this new XDs and my SR9c, there are a few. The Ruger is very good in my opinion. I have trusted it with my life for nearly two years. With the introduction of the longer-barreled 9mm XDs, there was finally a pistol on the market that I though could overtake the Ruger as my go-to SD pistol. The new gun is measurably more thin by about 1/4". I shoot it more accurately. It is more fun to shoot, which is interesting. Until firing the XDs, I was concerned that it would be uncomfortable secondary to my medium-large hands and the previously-mentioned thinness of the XDs. Gripping it in the store and at home made me think that it was going to be a gun that was effective, but uncomfortable to shoot. Luckily, this did not turn out to be true. I was more comfortable after 100 round with the XDs than I ever was with the Ruger.

Hopefully my thoughts are helpful to those considering the XDs. I've not shot a 3.3" barreled version, regardless of caliber, so I've no comparison index to that weapon.


25 rounds, 5 to 6 yards, slow fire.

 

[paulh]

Rooster, I've got an XDm45. The more I shoot it the better I get. My first experience with the .45 at the range made me shake my head. Thought I bit off more than I could chew. The second time out it started to loosen up a little more as I was also getting more comfortable with it. Now, she's just a real pleasure to shoot. Smooth recoil and I got used to the take up on the trigger. I call it my "safety zone". ALso, very easy to break down and clean. Love my XDM