Finally some trigger time on the XDM (or all the gun related things I learned today)

[Warpt762x39]

Well today I finally got to shoot my XDM. I've had it just shy of a month and didn't get a chance to shoot it until Shooter357 invited me over to shoot.

Now I didn't just get to shoot my XDM, which would have been a good day on its own. I got to try out a few other things too.

Jeff gave me a basic lesson on handloading and let me load up 49 (it would have been 50 if I hadn't made an oops with the first round and I do have a picture of it lol ) rounds of 9mm 124gr FMJs.

Reload oops.jpg

After I loaded the rounds into my previously empty XDM mags we headed out to shoot. Nothing fancy or really formal but still it was fun.

Total I shot 205 rounds through my XDM. 100 rounds of WWB, 50 of the Federal, the 49 handloads and 6 Critical Defense. (Sad that I remember the exact count huh?)

After a bit I decided to take out the ballistics gel blocks I made. So we lined them up on the backstop (we didn't have a table to set them up on) one in front of the other. I stepped back maybe 5 or 6 yards and fired a round into it. It hit high and left and took a chunk out of it.

Gel_chunked.jpg

So I reset the blocks and fired again from about the same distance. The bullet hit ok, it just curved once it was in and came out the side of the block. Only thing I recovered from that round was the little plastic filler from inside the bullet cavity.

Line them up yet again and fire a 3rd round into it. Good hit right in the middle of the end of the block and straight through to the second block where it stopped. I'd guess penetration was about 13"-14" with full expansion of the bullet.

Fired a 4th round into it with the same results, maybe and inch difference in penetration but with some yawing of the 2nd recovered round.

For comparison, Jeff fired a .45acp JHP into the block and it ended up right in with the 9mm rounds I put in with about an inch and a half, maybe 2 inches less penetration but with a lot more expansion. (The .45 round is on the right)

Gel_45 on the right.jpg
Gel bullets recovered.jpg

I also got to try out the Surefire Earpro earplugs. I must say I much prefer them to the standard foam ones. I could still talk relatively normal and not have any problems with the muzzle reports from either gun. Another fantastic advantage is that my ears don't hurt from the pressure of the foam earplugs expanding to block the sound.

They are absolutely keepers in my book.

I got to shoot Jeffs 1911 and must say I must have one now. I did try and see how fast I could empty the 8 round magazine with a 9th round in the chamber. After the first shot, I pulled the trigger again but nothing happened. I check the chamber only to find it empty. Something wasn't working the way it was supposed to.

Turns out it was me. I either didn't seat the magazine all the way after topping it off or I hit the mag release button with my first shot of the string.

Either way we had a good laugh at my expense .

I seated the magazine, loaded a round into the chamber and pulled the trigger as soon as I saw the front sight dip down past the targets and start rising again. I wasn't shooting for accuracy, just wanted to see if I could empty a 1911 as fast as I had been able to empty a .22lr Colt Woodsman.

Not quite as fast but still faster than expected.

(The audio sucks because I was using a digital camera and was probably 15ft away from it)



Back to the XDM. I only put a little over 200 rounds through it but I didn't have a single malfunction to speak of. No failures to fire, extract or eject. I do need to move the front sight over as point of impact is a bit to the left of point of aim.

The most surprising, and actually kinda funny, thing I noticed is that it ejects the spent cases into a fairly small area. Maybe a foot wide and 2ft long about 6ft to the right of where I was shooting.

So all in all it was a fun and educational day and I owe Jeff a big thanks for inviting me over and giving me a short class on reloading ammo.

*I haven't had a chance to clean my XDM yet so I can't comment on the Otis Tactical cleaning kit I have. I'll have to stop by Little Cesar's Pizza tomorrow and pick up a $5 cheese pizza first. I'll update the thread after I scrub my XDM clean.

[Asmodeus6]

Do some more shooting before you move that sight.

"A bit left of point of aim" is a pretty typical occurance if you are a right handed shooter new to a pistol and not really used to the trigger yet. What usually happens is that part of your squeeze ends up slightly shifting you off target to the left. Although it's usually "low and left" that is commonly reported as being the problem.

Could be the weapon but it is more likely you if you are new to it. (No offense.)

[Warpt762x39]

Do some more shooting before you move that sight.

"A bit left of point of aim" is a pretty typical occurance if you are a right handed shooter new to a pistol and not really used to the trigger yet. What usually happens is that part of your squeeze ends up slightly shifting you off target to the left. Although it's usually "low and left" that is commonly reported as being the problem.

Could be the weapon but it is more likely you if you are new to it. (No offense.)

I've shot pistols before. Not a lot but I have shot them before. All my shots hit about the same distance to the left everytime, even from an improvised rest.

[buster]

What was the diagnosis for the oops round? Tilted bullet seat? Never saw that before.

[Mtbkski]

Lets talk about the important stuff.

Those ear plugs. They really that good? I hate wearing muffs and thought about getting a pair of them, but was leary.

How about a report on those things????

[PAfarmboy]

Poor trees!!! LOL

I have always heard that ballistic gel is expensive to do. How bad did it set you back? Would be REAL nice to do my own real world testing with gel. I use wet newspaper now.

Love the first day on the range with a new piece. Hopefully its soon for me. been drooling over about 12 new pistols and 4 or 5 new rifles. cant wait for Uncle Sam to get my check here.

Still about a foot of snow on my club's pistol range. And I'm a cheap SOB so I like to keep my brass. So I will wait a lil longer til the big thaw finally clears the lanes.

Looks like a good day was had by all

[ddefazio]

try bringing your pointer finger more to the tip when you pull the trigger. Might help you with shooting to the left. If you finger the trigger too much it tends to go left.

[Warpt762x39]

Lets talk about the important stuff.

Those ear plugs. They really that good? I hate wearing muffs and thought about getting a pair of them, but was leary.

How about a report on those things????

The Surefire ear plugs were awesome. Wore them for about three hours with no problems at all. Usually when I wear the foam plugs, my ears tend to get sore from the pressure of them expanding.

But the silicone plugs fit my ears without any pressure and still block out plenty of noise from the 9mm and the .45 we were shooting. Normal conversation was definitely easier than with foam plugs or ear muffs. Volume for normal conversation was almost like someone talking from the other side of the room but facing away. Still able to hear easily.

The outside helix is great because it keeps the plugs from coming out at all and once you have them in for a few minutes, you don't even notice they are there.

I still have yet to use them with a rifle or shotgun around but can honestly say they are worth every penny for a day of pistol shooting.

Poor trees!!! LOL

I have always heard that ballistic gel is expensive to do. How bad did it set you back? Would be REAL nice to do my own real world testing with gel. I use wet newspaper now.

Love the first day on the range with a new piece. Hopefully its soon for me. been drooling over about 12 new pistols and 4 or 5 new rifles. cant wait for Uncle Sam to get my check here.

Still about a foot of snow on my club's pistol range. And I'm a cheap SOB so I like to keep my brass. So I will wait a lil longer til the big thaw finally clears the lanes.

Looks like a good day was had by all

My ballistics gel cost me less than $20 including the price of two half gallon cartons of OJ. Stop at Walmart and go into the baking section. Pick up 13 boxes of Knox unflavored gelatin powder. It's a bit more than $1 a box. Then pick up a gallon of distilled water.

You can use tap water but the distilled is cleaner to begin with so your gel comes out a bit clearer.

Heat the water in a big metal pot to about 105 degrees (+/- a couple degrees) and SLOWLY mix in the gelatin powder. Sprinkle it in over a 7-10 minute period and when it's mixed in, keep mixing for another 5-7 minutes.

Make sure you don't have any clumps of powder left, if there's lumps, make sure you break them up and mix them in.

Scrape the foam off the top because it's not used or even useful. Pour it into whatever container you chose (I alread tried OJ containers and I want to try either 2 or 3 liter plastic bottles next) and stick it in the fridge overnight.

When you're ready to use it, just take it out of the container (the cardboard OJ containers were great because they transport great and are easy to peel off) and set them out to shoot.

With the OJ containers, you have to line them up front to back so you have enough gel to stop the bullets for recovery. The OJ container method gets you two blocks about 5.5"x5.5"x8". Two in a row works great for stopping hollow points.

Mine stopped two 9mm Critical Defense HPs and one .45 JHP about 2/3 of the way through the second block. Rifle calibers will probably need bigger blocks overall. Length is a big part but also how big around. The shock from a rifle round will probably demolish the first block entirely.

It's a lot cheaper and easier than you'd think unless you spend the $300+ to buy the 25lb minimum most professional ballistics gel manufacturers cost.

try bringing your pointer finger more to the tip when you pull the trigger. Might help you with shooting to the left. If you finger the trigger too much it tends to go left.

I'll have to try that but I wasn't having too much trouble hitting just about point of aim with Jeff's 1911.

[1911shooter]

See I told you, you needed a 1911 not that plastic toy of yours.

You young guy's never listen...........

Any how good on you for finally getting out to shoot the damn thing.....

[Warpt762x39]

See I told you, you needed a 1911 not that plastic toy of yours.

You young guy's never listen...........

Any how good on you for finally getting out to shoot the damn thing.....

A 1911 is the next on my list of pistols to buy. I will however need a rifle to play with as mine are all too far away to use. I'm trying to decide if I want to go with a CMP M1 Garand or a Stag Model 2 AR.

Decisions, decisions.