A carry gun for the 21st Century

J

Japle

New member
Well, my idea of one, anyway.

Several months ago, I replaced the gen II Glock 19 I’ve been packing for the last 6 years with a new XDm 3.8 with the full-size frame. I stuck with the 9mm, but bumped the capacity to 20 rounds. The interchangeable backstraps and ambi mag release were other factors and, face it; I just wanted a new gun.

I’d mounted a JPoint red dot sight on my CZ75 SA for steel shooting and liked it, so I ordered one for the XDm. Then they quit making mounts for the XD. Turns out, the SIG mount is the same size, so I got one.

After two range sessions and ten days of daily carry, I have to say I’m really happy with this setup.
I can’t tell the difference in the holster. It feels exactly the same. I know it sticks out more than the standard rear sight, but I don’t notice it at all.
On the range, it’s like night and day. There’s no potential sight alignment error. The bullets go exactly where the dot was when the primer lit off.
With my CZ, it took some time to get used to the JPoint. I had to consciously point the gun lower to find the dot. On the XDm, it’s right there. No searching. When the gun comes up, the dot is instantly visible. I guess that means that, for me at least, the XDm is more of a “natural” pointer than the CZ and that’s really saying something.

According to what I’ve read, the battery is good for 6-12 months. I’ll replace it every 6 months, just to be on the safe side.

I know people will tell me I shouldn’t depend on anything that uses batteries on a carry gun, or it’ll be too fragile. Maybe so. But I’ve been carrying a gun every day since 1988 and have never had anything happen that might damage my gun. If it gets broken in a fistfight, I won’t be using the sights anyway.

We’ll see how it goes.
XDmJPointandammo.jpg
 
XDm pistols; NRA magazine...

The Springfield Armory XD pistols look great. I read over my issue of the NRA magazine with a XDm 3.8 9x19mm on the cover.
I really like the XDm models but I'm not thrilled with the grip safety and hooked trigger guard design for compact/concealed carry sidearms. :(

XD pistols do shoot great though. I fired a re-qual score of 228/240 with a XD 9x19mm in 2008 for my security license(G).
The 3.8 barrel or compact looks like a great pistol. The full frame is a smart choice too.
 
Posted by BGutzman:
Nice Rig... Im not sure how you carry it with that sight but it looks great!
Click to expand...
I tried paddle holsters by Comp-Tac and BladeTec, but ended up with the XDGear holster that came with the gun. It's very comfortable and fast.

Any holster that's designed for the standard gun will work fine with the JPoint.
 
Nice, that's some black ops style pistol you got there. Changing the battery ever 6 months is a darn good idea.

Okay...I have an XD45.....What's the difference? Notice there is no "M" in my gun! :P just want some info..
 
Beautiful setup you have there. I'm entertaining the idea of a JPoint on my G-22. My only concern is the sight "beating itself to death'' if that makes any sense. Thoughts?
 
OK, three questions:

1. I have an XD45.....What's the difference? Notice there is no "M" in my gun!
They added interchangeable backstrap inserts to adjust the size of the grip, changed the grip design for better grip when wet and changed the cocking serrations. Maybe a few other things.
I have an XD .45, too. I have TFO sights on it and will probably leave it that way.

2. My only concern is the sight "beating itself to death'' if that makes any sense. Thoughts?
The things seem to be pretty much “bulletproof”. They’re rated up to 5,000 g. They weigh half an ounce.
I’ve put about 3,000 rounds through my CZ75 with this sight and it’s still shooting right where it was the day I sighted it in. When I changed the battery last December, the POI moved 2” left. It took 5 rounds to get it back to zero.

3. The battery will last six months with the dot on?
There’s no “off” switch. Dot brightness automatically adjusts depending on light levels. The dot is plenty bright in full sunlight and easy to see in dim light. You can even see it in total darkness, for all the good that’ll do you!
It comes with a snap-on hood that lets the sight power down to minimum brightness. I don’t use the hood on my XDm, because it’s a SD pistol. If I’m not wearing it, it sits in a closed, dark drawer.
 
What some people do is run an extra-tall front sight that just peeks up into the bottom of the "viewscreen" and then draw a vertical white line on the back of the rear sight body, so that in a full electronics failure you have an iron sight backup. Or they run a very tall conventional rear sight right behind (or sometimes in front of) the glass sight as a backup.

Problem is you're now into the realm of custom holsters.

RMR_3-526x391.jpg


fnp45tactical.jpg


(Note that the extra-tall sights in the tan FN gun above were originally intended to clear a suppressor tube, but also work well as a backup to a TV screen sight.)

Red dots have a huge advantage in that you're doing target-focused shooting. But there's a better way to get there:

http://www.goshen-hexsite.com/

It's an iron sight that's much smaller than these "TV screen" holo-sights, doesn't have any batteries/wires/glass yet is designed to work even when you're focused on the target and both the front and rear sights are blurry. I've shot these (actually a bunch of different variants now!) and red dots and the Hexsite concept is fundamentally better. It's faster, and there's no red dot to distract you. You look at what you want to shoot, the gun/eye alignment seems to happen automagically, and you decide to shoot if needed.

As a bonus, the Hexsite rear unit is a LOT smaller than any glass sight and fits in standard holsters. The profile is low enough that the front sight height is only fractionally taller than stock if it's taller at all, so the whole thing fits in a conventional holster with no mods.
 
Last edited:
I've read a lot about the Hex sight, but never actually heard from anyone who has used a set. I think I'm sold now. I've always loved the idea of target-focusing vs. sight focusing...and we all know sight focusing just doesn't happen in a gunfight. Just go play paintball one time. You need something where you are not to required to think; just act.

HOWEVER! The cool-factor of a Leopold/JP/Deltapoint is un-equaled. :cool:
 
The sight isn't my thing but I like the gun. I have the full length XDm in 9mm.

Constantine, the M means "Match" as in match grade barrel. Also magazine capacity is higher and grip backstraps can be changed out.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top