Finally Got The XD9. It Made Me Flinch Like a Little Girl? NOW WITH PICS!

[rwb1500]

So I finally got my hands on the ported XD9 V10 I've had on law-away. I bought 300 rounds of White Box and took it to the range. I fired the first round and flinched like a 7 year old girl who had just been handed a 2 inch .44 magnum. I dropped the mag, cleared the round in the chamber and set the gun down. "Holy shit" I said aloud (I had the range to myself at this point). "What the hell was that??" I put the mag back in and fired the rest of it, flinching more or less through the last five rounds. (SGL range, 6 round max.) I have fired handguns of much larger caliber, and never had this problem. I didn't like it. I fired another mag and did a little better. I believe the pressure from gas escaping the ports is what initially made me snap my eyes closed. It's a strange sensation, something I've never experienced before. That and this gun is loud as hell. I was at the range for about 2 hours and everyone that came and left commented on how loud it was. After 300 rounds I was doing much better, but it kinda worried me, I'm not gonna lie. I traded a few mags with a guy who was shooting a beautiful SA black and stainless 1911, and the XD scared the shit out of him too. I shot the 1911 better than he did, and had zero flinch with it.

As soon as I flinched with the XD I started mixing in shooting my Ruger MKIII and then shooting the XD immediately after. That seemed to help a lot. I seem to have pretty much gotten over it, but would more than welcome any advice you guys have on avoiding future flinch. Not a habit I want to get into.

And yes, I'll post some gun porn for you when I get around to taking pics.

[Flash]

Seems like a lot of things in life are some sort of trade-off.

So it is with porting, too. You give up some recoil, you get some faster target acquisition. But in the process of venting all that gas, flame, and shock upward, you give up having that gas going forward (AWAY from your eyes, ears, and face). Some people refer to that as "The Law of Unintended Consequences". I've shot ported guns (not a lot of them, mind you), and I just call that a bitch.

The noise, heat, flame, concussion and such that you put up with is the price you pay for altering the direction and energy of recoil. Just that simple.

Oh, and it looks cool as all get-out at twilight, but then you get the free retinal after-image included in the price, at no extra charge.

Flash

[rwb1500]

Seems like a lot of things in life are some sort of trade-off.

So it is with porting, too. You give up some recoil, you get some faster target acquisition. But in the process of venting all that gas, flame, and shock upward, you give up having that gas going forward (AWAY from your eyes, ears, and face). Some people refer to that as "The Law of Unintended Consequences". I've shot ported guns (not a lot of them, mind you), and I just call that a bitch.

The noise, heat, flame, concussion and such that you put up with is the price you pay for altering the direction and energy of recoil. Just that simple.

Oh, and it looks cool as all get-out at twilight, but then you get the free retinal after-image included in the price, at no extra charge.

Flash

Word.


The good news is I can buy a non-ported barrel and still have spent less money than I would have on a new XD. And I think I'm gonna do that right quick. I'm starting to understand why this gun was so cheap and looked like it had never been fired...

[bert]

Interesting. What is the length of the barrel?

[Steve_NEPhila]

The XD did not make you flinch, you made you flinch. The handgun (whatever it is) does not control you, you control it. Do lots and lots of dry fire drills and buy a bunch of ammo. Proper control of your weapon will give you the results you want.

The compensator is not doing it. However, you could always get a replacement barrel for not too much cash that does not have the ports cut in it.

[God's Country]

What was the purpose for this purchase?


Competition?
Carry?

[jcabin]

What was the purpose for this purchase?


Competition?
Carry?

Isn't barrel porting a cheaper way to compensate recoil, and mainly for competition use?

I've always been told never to carry a ported gun, because if you have to use it at night the muzzle/porting flash will blind you.

[God's Country]

Isn't barrel porting a cheaper way to compensate recoil, and mainly for competition use?

That would be my guess.
I don't see the point of a ported 9mm other than comp.

I guess I'm wondering if the OP is into competion he would have known what to expect, at least on some level.

I've always been told never to carry a ported gun, because if you have to use it at night the muzzle/porting flash will blind you.

I can't think of any good reason to port a carry piece, much less a 9mm.

[Steve_NEPhila]

9mm being a high pressure round benefits greatly from porting to control recoil. I have shot both ported and un-ported handguns at night and there is no discernible difference. If the ammo is hot, there will be muzzle flash and it will impact your vision. There is nothing wrong with carrying a ported handgun from my experience.

If one has been "told" not to do something or that something is bad, consider the why and how and make your own decision. Try them out and see for yourself.

[jcabin]

9mm being a high pressure round benefits greatly from porting to control recoil. I have shot both ported and un-ported handguns at night and there is no discernible difference. If the ammo is hot, there will be muzzle flash and it will impact your vision. There is nothing wrong with carrying a ported handgun from my experience.

Imagine an 8 inch fire ball that encircles the muzzle of your gun every time you pull the trigger, vs a flash at the end of the mizzle. I think there is a considerable difference between ported and non-ported at night. Alot of it is dependent upon how your barrel is ported, but there is a difference none the less.

If one has been "told" not to do something or that something is bad, consider the why and how and make your own decision. Try them out and see for yourself.

I wouldn't buy a ported handgun just to see if it was worth carrying at night. If I had the opportunity to shoot one though, I would. They just aren't popular enough.