Kimber .45 vs Springfield 9mm

[corrado33]

Hey guys, new here. You probably get these questions a ton.

(I'm reposting this from another site that I didn't get any answers from, plus I have some PA related questions anyway)

I've shot handguns before, but never owned one. I'm in the market to buy my first gun and originally I was looking at .22 Rimfire pistols, some sort of Ruger Mk3 to be exact.

Then, I figured, while yes this would be cheap to shoot, I'll never be useful for anything but plinking. I might as well buy a gun that would actually be useful in some sort of emergency situation (let's not have a discussion on whether or not to use a gun in an emergency situation here).

So I started looking at 9mm. Cheap to shoot, good in all situations. First I looked at glocks. The Glock 19 to be exact. I didn't want a full size, hence why I didn't look at the 17. Then I went to a couple stores and was told that many people prefer the Springfield Armory XD series (specifically the XDm 9mm) over the glocks.

I know there are glock people and there are springfield people, again, let's not start a discussion on that.

I really liked the XDm, and it felt better in my hand. I can get it for $600 bucks at a local store. First off, is that a decent price?

However, here's the wrench in the plan. My brother wants to sell me a .45 Kimber (it's all silver with black grips he said), for $600 bucks.

The kimber is obviously a much more expensive gun. A quick search on bobs guns shows they go for $1000 bucks or more.

So, in your guy's opinions, should I go with the 9mm XDm, or the Kimber (whatever it is)?

My only qualm is... .45 are more expensive to shoot than 9mm, about $5 more per box of what... 20? Something like that? Being my first gun, I'm probably going to want to shoot a lot.

EDIT: Yes, I know you can have multiple calibers in the same gun. Glock 19 and 23 are the same frame, just different barrels and ejectors and stuff. That was originally an option too, but this kimber is throwing me off.

[cephas]

May wanna check out which model Kimber he has. Some of their lineup may be over a grand. Bought a new Custom II last summer, which is the start of their line up, out the door, for round $700.

[corrado33]

May wanna check out which model Kimber he has. Some of their lineup may be over a grand. Bought a new Custom II last summer, which is the start of their line up, out the door, for round $700.

He's in maryland, so I can't just look at it. I asked him but he hasn't answered.

I think I'm going to go down on a weekend and shoot his 9mm, his friends XDm, the kimber, his .50, and whatever else they feel like bringing.

[corrado33]

May wanna check out which model Kimber he has. Some of their lineup may be over a grand.

Sorry, double post...

It's a Pro Carry HD II.

Retail is $1000 (who knows what that means at a real store)

[DonM55]

He's in maryland, so I can't just look at it. I asked him but he hasn't answered.

I think I'm going to go down on a weekend and shoot his 9mm, his friends XDm, the kimber, his .50, and whatever else they feel like bringing.

This is the way to go. Try both/several and go with the one you like best. I have the XDM 3.8 9mm. If the above doesn't work out I'd consider hooking up and let you try mine if you have a place to shoot.

[LeadHead]

Get the Kimber.

[harold63]

Why would you consider a Kimber (I assume it is a full size 1911) if you would not consider a G17, and whoever is telling you more people prefer XD's over Glocks, well, they probably don't sell Glock. If you want a smaller 9mm that you can actually use (big enough to handle, long enough to aim, high capacity) and you like the XD's, take a look at the XDM 3.8 compact. Get the Kimber and you may end up with a $600 dollar gun you end up not wanting, will have to resell, will have to accumulate, and still end up popping another $600 on the XDM. 100rds. of WWB 9mm is $23 at WM. 100rds. of .45 WWB is $35 at WM. $12 more for .45 over 9mm for 100rds., and 100 rds. is just getting warmed up at the range.

[harold63]

Sorry, double post...

It's a Pro Carry HD II.

Retail is $1000 (who knows what that means at a real store)

We had like 3 or 4 posts going at once and did not see that it was a Carry II.
My opinion stays the same, anyhow. The XDM is lighter, has more rds., already discussed ammo $$$, pistol has some pretty cool features, and SA has excellent customer service. I just read a test on this pistol (nothing to do with my opinion) and it is rated pretty high (American Rifleman).

[1quikmf]

If you plan on becoming proficient with your weapon, you will need to practice with it. Lots of practice means lots of ammo, and 9mm is very cheap. For me, the difference in price between 9mm and .45 means I get shoot that much more, which translates into better proficiency.

Bigger is not always better, although the Kimber is a fine piece. If you think you can get $1000 for the Kimber, then buy it for $600, sell it for $1000 and put the $400 profit towards the XD. There, I just saved you even more money by choosing a 9mm.

[corrado33]

and whoever is telling you more people prefer XD's over Glocks, well, they probably don't sell Glock..

First off, thanks everybody for the advice. The store I was at DID sell glocks, and had both a 19 and a XDm, they just said they sold a lot more XDms than glocks. (And I don't know the truthfulness of this or not, but I was told by a friend that the XDm was some kind of gun of the year or something?)

I understand the kimber is bigger than the XDm. Well, longer yet shorter. But the kimber is also all steel right? And the XDm is poly.

I'm honestly leaning toward the XDm, but I figure that I'll eventually want a .45, so maybe I'll buy the kimber and bite the bullet (pun intended) and buy the XDm as well?

I looked at the XDm 3.8 compact, but A. I couldn't find one locally. and B. if the XDm is 600, how much am I going to get charged to have the bottom of the grip chopped off and an extender to make it seem like it was there anyway? From what I can tell, that's basically what the compact is.


I WANT the 9mm, but I don't want to pass up a great gun that I'll most likely want in the future and miss out on an opportunity... Know what I mean?

EDIT: The thought of buying the kimber and selling it for a profit crossed my mind, but I think my brother might be pissed at me cause he'd be selling it to me cheap cause I'm his brother. All in all, I'm going to go down and fire them all, and see which one I like the best. One thing though, how think are they compared to each other? I actually like the thickness of the XDm (well, compared to a MkIII ruger .22 that is)