I made it to the local (Post Falls, ID) commercial range today. I had already joined the Coeur d’Alene gun club for $60/yr. Rifle/Pistol from 10 yds to 200, and indoor small bore to 50’, though it has limited hours.
The mission was to test fire the Glock 20 (MSRP $599), Sig Sauer XTEN P320 (MSRP $799), S&W MP m2.0 (MSRP $679), and Springfield Armory XDM Elite (MSRP $653), all in 10mm. I could rent all for $10, and with unlimited range time and a box of their S&B ammo the experiment only cost about $45. Sweet!
My impressions are as follows:
I was surprised that the grip, and circumference of the grips were all just about right for me. I’d expected some of the double stack guns to be too bulky. Proper grip fit is when the second flat of your gripping fingers can lay flat across the front strap. If the grip is too big or small, your finger flats are too far to one side or the other of the front strap, and then any inconsistencies in how tightly you grip the gun will cock it to one side or the other. Watch the sights while increasing or decreasing your grip…the sights shouldn’t skew to either side if the grip fits. Anyway, these were all good, though the grips were a little short for me on the Sig and the S&W. With my little finger only partly on the grip, these two climbed more in recoil. Also, the SA was the only gun on which I could reach the mag release without shifting my grip.
The standard-capacity mag for the Springfield holds 16 rounds, the other three guns hold 15.
The sights were decent on all of the guns; only the Glock had adjustable sights. All were optics-ready, though none had optics installed.
All are striker-fired polymer framed pistols, though the Sig is unique in that it has a flat trigger–no trigger safety bar, or manual safety. Only the S&W had a manual safety. It was unobtrusive, but was easily manipulated with the thumb, and had nice, positive detents in both positions. The S&W is also available without the safety. Only the SA comes with a grip safety. I like it; I’m a 1911 guy.
The Sig had a very nice trigger pull…fewer moving parts. The SA was also quite good. The Glock had a Glock trigger pull, but there are a lot of aftermarket parts out there to improve it. The S&W was weird…you could really feel the internal safeties disengaging at different times in the pull.
Three of the guns had tactile loaded chamber indicators, which I’ve come to like. The S&W has a visual indicator, a small cutout in the top of the frame through which you can see brass, but I found the light had to be pretty bright for it be useful. The SA also has an indicator on the back of the slide to indicate the gun is cocked. A nice feature.
The Sig shot over 3" low at 33 feet, with no way to adjust for elevation. Heavier bullets would help, but the range ammo was 180 gr, and it’s hard to find 10mm ammo heavier than that. The S&W also shot a bit low, in my hands. The SA was almost shooting to point of aim, and the Glock was dead on, but with adjustable sights that one wouldn’t have been a problem if it wasn’t.
I shot two-six shot groups at 33’ with each gun. Two hands, about a bullseye timed fire cadence, but setting the gun down after each 3 shot string. Not enough, really, to definitively say which gun was more accurate. The Springfield, Glock, and Sig all averaged about 2" groups. The S&W a little over 3".
I think for my purposes, I’m going to chose the Springfield Armory XDM Elite. I’d love to test out a RIA Tac Ultra 2011 in 10mm, a double stack 1911 platform with a magazine capacity of 16, but I’ve been unable to find one to shoot.
