Springfield XD-E or suggestions

P

Pennypacker

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Hi all,


Brand new to guns as I am looking for a home defense weapon. I'm not looking at CC at this point.

Based on what I've fired and researched, I'm looking for a gun with a thumb safety, single stack and a fairly easy rack-able slide. (My wife will be using the gun as well)

One gun I've hit upon is the Springfield XD-E. I'd love to hear opinions as to it's suitability for home defense and any other guns that I should be looking at checking out.

Thanks for the help.
 
Why single stack? That will really limit ammo capacity and you say you're not looking for conceal-ability.

I'm sure you'll get lots of suggestions, I like my Beretta PX4 compact. I've never fired a XD-E but I did own a XDs and could never shoot it near as accurately as my PX4.

When you get your choices narrowed down if your not able to fire them at least take your wife to the gun store and see if she is able to work the slides.
 
Have you and your wife had any training in shooting pistols yet? If not I would highly recommend checking the local gun store/range as many offer such for very reasonable cost which will give you the basics of gun handling and shooting including safety and advantages and disadvantages of various trigger actions in a pistol such as striker fired versus hammer fired. Such classes often offer a variety of pistols to handle and try out which will put you in a better position to choose a pistol that works well for you and meets your needs. There are a lot of terrific pistols available and what works for me may not be the best for you.

A DA/SA hammer fired pistol will have a long and heavy first trigger pull with the hammer down as one would CCW it. If one is OK with that then great but many find difficulty being accurate with that. Almost all striker fired pistols will have the same trigger action for each shot which will be lighter and shorter. There are striker fired pistols that have a safety too such as the Smith and Wesson M&P 2.0 line which has models with and without external thumb safety. The single stack S&W Shield can also be purchased with an external user operated safety.


https://www.smith-wesson.com/firearms/mp-9-m20-1

As far as "fairly easy rack-able slide" there are techniques you can learn to make it easier to rack the slide of any pistol.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Al2rMXpw6c0
 
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Thanks for the advice and videos. I've had some training, but plan to take more. My wife hasn't yet.

The reason for single stack was hand size. That said, my favorite gun that I've shot so far was the Beretta PX4 compact.
 
Brand new to guns as I am looking for a home defense weapon. I'm not looking at CC at this point.
Click to expand...

Have you considered a long gun? How about a pistol caliber carbine like the Beretta CX-4? Much easier to shoot than a pistol, light recoil, and good capacity.
 
I really think you are heading the wrong way for hd.....just my opinion.

For hd, you really need 3 things:
1) adequate caliber....38spcl/9mm or above that you can shoot fast. Stick with these 2 until you gain experience.
2) capacity....I find in the home, I am likely to grab gun only or gun plus mag. A 33 rd stick beats 6 rds every time you need more than 6! 13+ is the std.
3) shootability....I put this third, only because a new shooter will likely have no way to judge this. Buy a popular gun and you should be close enough to develop some skill, take some classes, etc. Glock, M&P, XD, CZ75B, etc Get a 4.5" or 5" full size grip gun....much more shootable.

DA/SA is a std action type, but only because of its historical significance. I would look strongly at striker fired and SAO/safety guns.....you want a consistent trigger shot to shot.
 
Since it's for home defense and you aren't worried about concealing it, I'd go with a nice shotgun instead. Something in 20 guage so it's easier for your wife to shoot. Mossberg 500 with a shoulder stock(no pistol grip).
 
The suitability of a firearm for home defense depends upon the person(s) who will be using it as much as anything else. What I mean is that a shotgun ( for example) may be a great choice for you while being terrible choice for your wife.

The ONLY way that you will know what will work well for you and your wife will be to find a range that rents and get some trigger time in with a variety of firearms. We can throw suggestions at you all day long, but in the end, there're all rather irrelevant if they don't work for you/your wife.
 
Thanks for all the suggestions. Having read them, I agree that we need to spend some time at the range working with a professional to come up with the best solution.
 
Welcome to TFL, Pennypacker!

As others have said, your best bet is for you and your wife to get to the range and try a few handguns out. As far as guns go, we live in an age of plenty, and have an astonishing array of quality guns from which to choose. You mentioned your "favorite gun that [you've] shot so far." If you'll tell us (TFL members) which guns you've shot and what you liked or didn't like about them, we may be able to help you develop a better idea of what all is out there, and what is or is not worth your time and $ to rent and shoot.
 
Thanks for the welcome Spats! So far, I've shot the Beretta PX Storm, Sig 226 and Glock 17. Of those, I liked the Beretta by far.

Edited to say that...I think I'm going to focus on finding a gun that works for me first and then get my wife her own gun.
 
If your question is if a XDE is a good gun then yes. I have one an it works fine, I do like my striker fired XD's better, but there is nothing wrong with the XDE.
 
I have an XDe and like it a lot. I got it for concealed carry but I also keep it right next to my easy chair that I spend lot of time in. I like the fiber optic front sight because I find it easier to pick up. Even if there is no light you are no worse off with the fiber optic than other front sights. And the slide is easier to rack than any other semi-auto that I have owned. I'm partial to hammer fired pistols. The XDe is a keeper for me.
 
The most important thing in my opinion is that you get something that interests you. If you don't love the gun and just get what everyone tells you to get you won't spend much time training with it.

Shotguns are a great HD tool but if you want a handgun, get a handgun!

Since you are not worried about CC, I would stick with something full size as long as it fits both you and the wife comfortably. I would recommend a double stack since you're not worried about concealment but if you fall in love with a single stack, a revolver, or anything else, go for it and train with it!
 
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