Puzzling choices - same old ones

**djm3801** · December 29th, 2012, 11:17 AM

First post. I am in the same boat as many ' Ruger SR9C or M&P9C. That one is basically a coin toss decision after firing both. Got to admit the Springfield XD has my attention and I like the grip safety. The down side is it is made in Croatia and, while I agree that most companies are so diversified, MADE IN AMERICA has become very blurry. The CZ75-c is interesting as well, but not even an America company.

The puzzle for me - Springfield probably offshored to gain lower labor costs and yet their price points seem to be a tad more that the 2 made in US handguns. My question, to those who know the internals of firearms better that I - is the quality of the Springfield better that S&W or Ruger?

I am leaning toward the M&P because i feel the quality may be a bit more than the Ruger, but was curious about the Springfield. This is more a quality question than a shoot-ability one.

Thanks.

**PA1936MN** · December 29th, 2012, 11:47 AM

I owned a Springfield XDm9. Great gun, great company. Zero complaints. The craftsmanship and quality of the firearm were excellent. Just because it isn't "made in the U.S." doesn't mean it's crap people.

**djm3801** · December 29th, 2012, 12:02 PM

Totally agree NOT Made in USA does not mean poor people or service. Just so many out of work here... XDm very nice indeed. A little more expensive even than the regular XD. good point,, my made in USA is not a quality comment but an employment one,

**medsteele** · December 29th, 2012, 12:31 PM

The Springfield is definitely NOT better than the M&P in terms of parts quality. Todd Green at pistol-training.com ran an M&P, HARD, for over 50,000 rounds in less than a year. The guns are quite capable.

Check out the logs he kept, it really speaks to the quality of the pistols. He did the same thing, logs kept and all, for an HK45, an HK P30, and a Gen4 G17.

**Beardog** · December 29th, 2012, 12:48 PM

I understand your US employment concern as I lost my job to just what you said cheap offshore labor (China).

But this is not the case with XD's They always were/are a Croatian designed and built guns. Originally called the HS2000. Springfield just imported and marketed them.

I have the XDM 40 4.5 and it is a very well made gun of high quality.It runs 100%. Is it better then a S&W or Ruger? That's endlessly debatable... For me I liked the guns feel and features best, so the extra cost was worth it to me.

**harold63** · December 29th, 2012, 01:06 PM

Dude, all the guns you ask about are quality guns, inside and out. It's impossible to say which is better. You should look at what options you want on it and what kind of manual controls you like.

If our companies here weren't taxed so heavily, they'd probably stay put building on home soil.

**Dave_n** · December 29th, 2012, 02:34 PM

Let's just state that CZ have been making weapons in what was Czechoslovakia and before that, part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire for at least a 150 years. Similarly, Croatia was also part of the A-H E and have been making weapons for roughly the same amount of time. Aside from Colt in the 1830s and SW and Remington a few years later, all other US manufacturers are "newbies" in comparison. FN has been operating in Belgium for well over 130 years so even Browning has a European flavor!! Dave_n

**djm3801** · December 29th, 2012, 02:45 PM

Thanks for these comments.

**WVneighbor** · December 29th, 2012, 02:54 PM

Since the firearms you asked about are all about par on quality and reliability, I suggest you take a good, HARD look at aftermarket support for things like holsters, sights, trigger upgrades, etc.

I purchased an SR9 shortly after they were introduced and has to wait months for a good quality aftermarket holster to be produced. Same with low-light sights.

Remember the firearm is the tool, but the accessories, and their availability can make the tool more usable and user friendly.

And get a good belt whichever pistol you choose.

**littlefitz** · December 29th, 2012, 02:54 PM

Like it was said before, all three are good choices. Personally, I would put the Ruger at the bottom of the list. Go for the one that 1) feels the best in your hand (comfort, grip angle, position of controls), and 2) you like the looks of the best. You want to have a firearm that you just like to look at. I think the M&Ps look way better than the XDs but that's just me.