Jesse Jaymes
WKR
Been a ton of "Bear Gun" threads this past spring. Some posts on frustration with firearms, but a ton of debate. I own several Glock firearms. Just bought a new Gen 5 G34 MOS that Glock better be sending me a return label for, as the accuracy is not nearly acceptable.
The venerable Glock 20! The Penultimate Backcountry Bear Gun....Meh......my knock against it are size and shape. I have a legit size Large hand. And I simply could not warm up to it. I honestly wanted to. Actually borrowed a very fresh Gen 4 G20 this week. Accuracy was acceptable. No ambi slide stop/release was a bummer, but the XDm does not have one either.
Having just moved into a home that I can shoot handguns daily from the deck, I have been doing a lot of shooting, loading and testing...rather than making a Range Trip one day off a week. Additionally, I am a Lefty. So the world of Firearms isn't nearly my oyster as it is for the general public.
My experience is 22+ years as a backcountry law enforcement officer. Competitive shooter also. I do own several handguns, but don't consider myself a handgun nerd. I'm much more a fan of the Precision Rifle.
10mm....Be All, End All? Not nearly. I don't think it's Magical, or offers too much more than cannot be done with another cartridge. I've squashed the numbers over and over vs the 45ACP loaded hot, and other than round count/capacity, not sure there is a Winner. Probably much closer to Equal than myself and others think.
The XDm gets ZERO love. Not sure why? The ergos, in my opinion are far superior. The adjustable rear target sight is amazing. Another poster mentioned that a 10mm firearm with a fixed sight was a huge shortcoming due to the huge variance in factory ammo performance levels. I'd have to agree. I've watched many shooters with fixed sight hitting 8-10" in one direction or another. Coming from the LRish Rifle game, that is not nearly good enough for my use. Some have argued that the fixed sights can be drifted, which they can, but are you really gonna get the results you want trying to dial it to exact POI/POA? Doubtful.
Shot the 5.25 bone stock for a bit. Ran some groups. Tested different powders and loads. Then upgraded a few parts. The other knock the XD seems to get is the grip safety. Fan Boys of the other flavor (insert 1911 Freaks) don't seem to poopoo the grip safety of those models. The grip safety was actually one of the main selling points to try the Springfield. Carried in a chest rig....the muzzle is flagging your arm with every other step. Or flagging a buddy. And after several years of training and range time....it weirds me out a little bit. So a second safety makes me feel more at ease. Added the Powder River Extended Bump Safety and the cheapest drop in trigger them make. And a set of $16 rubberized grips. All very huge upgrades well worth the money. Holster is by KT Mech in Nampa, ID. Had the internals micro suede and exterior Cordura wrapped. But $15 options I think. Both great upgrades. Exterior cloth really dampens the sound of brush scrapping against the Kydex. Light is very reasonably priced at $130ish. 800 Lumens.
The entire chasing of my tail with this gun was for the light rail. Was a mandatory box check for a backpacking rig. And wanting to stay 10mm....I wasn't willing to dump $1500 on a TRP, Bruin, etc.
I've taken two deer with the 10mm in the last few years. Both one shot stops. Having a handgun for protection that also has the ability to turn into an Offensive weapon is a huge plus in my book!
The venerable Glock 20! The Penultimate Backcountry Bear Gun....Meh......my knock against it are size and shape. I have a legit size Large hand. And I simply could not warm up to it. I honestly wanted to. Actually borrowed a very fresh Gen 4 G20 this week. Accuracy was acceptable. No ambi slide stop/release was a bummer, but the XDm does not have one either.
Having just moved into a home that I can shoot handguns daily from the deck, I have been doing a lot of shooting, loading and testing...rather than making a Range Trip one day off a week. Additionally, I am a Lefty. So the world of Firearms isn't nearly my oyster as it is for the general public.
My experience is 22+ years as a backcountry law enforcement officer. Competitive shooter also. I do own several handguns, but don't consider myself a handgun nerd. I'm much more a fan of the Precision Rifle.
10mm....Be All, End All? Not nearly. I don't think it's Magical, or offers too much more than cannot be done with another cartridge. I've squashed the numbers over and over vs the 45ACP loaded hot, and other than round count/capacity, not sure there is a Winner. Probably much closer to Equal than myself and others think.
The XDm gets ZERO love. Not sure why? The ergos, in my opinion are far superior. The adjustable rear target sight is amazing. Another poster mentioned that a 10mm firearm with a fixed sight was a huge shortcoming due to the huge variance in factory ammo performance levels. I'd have to agree. I've watched many shooters with fixed sight hitting 8-10" in one direction or another. Coming from the LRish Rifle game, that is not nearly good enough for my use. Some have argued that the fixed sights can be drifted, which they can, but are you really gonna get the results you want trying to dial it to exact POI/POA? Doubtful.
Shot the 5.25 bone stock for a bit. Ran some groups. Tested different powders and loads. Then upgraded a few parts. The other knock the XD seems to get is the grip safety. Fan Boys of the other flavor (insert 1911 Freaks) don't seem to poopoo the grip safety of those models. The grip safety was actually one of the main selling points to try the Springfield. Carried in a chest rig....the muzzle is flagging your arm with every other step. Or flagging a buddy. And after several years of training and range time....it weirds me out a little bit. So a second safety makes me feel more at ease. Added the Powder River Extended Bump Safety and the cheapest drop in trigger them make. And a set of $16 rubberized grips. All very huge upgrades well worth the money. Holster is by KT Mech in Nampa, ID. Had the internals micro suede and exterior Cordura wrapped. But $15 options I think. Both great upgrades. Exterior cloth really dampens the sound of brush scrapping against the Kydex. Light is very reasonably priced at $130ish. 800 Lumens.
The entire chasing of my tail with this gun was for the light rail. Was a mandatory box check for a backpacking rig. And wanting to stay 10mm....I wasn't willing to dump $1500 on a TRP, Bruin, etc.
I've taken two deer with the 10mm in the last few years. Both one shot stops. Having a handgun for protection that also has the ability to turn into an Offensive weapon is a huge plus in my book!
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