Smooth is Fast

I actually got a pretty good deal on a Springfield Armory XD9 and I took it. It does not have the length that the 34 has, but the grip is sooooooo nice for small hands. It also serves dual purpose, being good for production as well as easy to conceal carry. I am very happy with it. Hell, Rob Leatham kicks butt with it. Thanks guys.

I actually had a chance to shoot a gun that I liked a whole lot for production. I shot the Glock 34, and wow, what a difference. 5.32 inch barrell, very positive feel, simple gun. I am pretty sure this is the gun I want to go with. I am actually trying to sell or trade the P7 off. I like the XD too, It just seems to me that the Glock is so proven, so flat, lots of parts and accessories for it, comes in 9mm with such a long barrell... PLEASE CHIME IN AND TELL ME YOUR OPINIONS And if anyone here wants a P7, I am looking for the Glock 34, and I am looking for a new limited gun, prefer SV...

Really? When will this happen?

Duane, I suspected that much. Not that the P7 is a bad gun, but just not the right gun for what I am trying to do. Okay, some more help then please. I like the Springfield XD series. I particularly like the small grips on them because I have VERY small hands. I know a lot of people use Glocks, and I know they are great guns, but even the 17 has a bulky grip, especially compared to the XD. I would like to go 9mm, but I also think it may be better to go with a 5 inch or longer barrell. But there is no XD 5 inch in 9mm, only 40 and 357. Damn! Please chime in on this. Perhaps the shorter XD would work fine, or maybe the long one in 40 would be flatter bgecause of it's length. Maybe there is a different option out there that I have not considered. Anything.....

Okay, now that I have shot the gun some more, I am noticing a few things. First, and not a surprise to anyone, this thing gets way too hot! I use slide glide to lube my guns. Now normally you can really apply quite a bit since it does not seep into parts of the gun that it doesn't belong like conventional lubes. It also really cushions the action, so much so that it helps to prevent hammer follow on competition guns with extremly light triggers. With slide glide applied liberally, I noticed that the slide speed was still so fast and relentless that my arm would get sprayed a little with boiling hot lube. Ouch! This thing really cycles. Now I know I can't do anything about the heat, so I lessened the amount of slide glide to prevent hot sprays in the future. My next order of business was to shoot the P7 side by side with my Limited 10 custimized (by me) 1911. I was impressed the first day with my P7, but when I shot it side by side with my 1911, I was a little dissapointed. Here is why. My .45 shoots a ton more flat than the P7. I really noticed the P7's recoil when compared to my 1911, and that dissapointed me. I figured, 9mm, high bore axis, gas retard system, fixed barrell... So why is this? Am I being unreasonable? So what do I do? I was thinking that I wanted to cushion the slide a bit. I was going to take a coil or 2 or 3 off the recoil spring, or buy a lighter one. Is this a bad idea? Does anyone have any experiance with this? I was also thinking that in competition, I would use as slack a load as I could make and still keep the thing cycling. Those were a few of my thoughts, tell me what you think, and any other things I might do, or that you've seen done. Like I said earlier, am I just asking too much?

Well guys, I finally picked up the P7M13 (13 round capacity). Very nice little gun. Basically no muzzle flip at all, due to such a high bore axis, and extremly easy to point. I was able to get 3 mags with it, so I can load 10 in each for production, making it 30 rounds. NOT ENOUGH! I figure 5 mags, maybe six so I'll have a spare, will be good. Now I've just got to find mags to buy. I won't be using it in competition too soon anyways because I am shooting Area 2 this week in Lim-10, but as soon as I do use it, I'll let you guys know how it went. P.S. Anyone have any M13 mags they want to sell?

I wouldn't be modifying them to shoot more than 10 really since it is an M10 .40 cal mag that will still hold 10 .40 cals. But I wouldn'tbe loading .40 init, I'd be loading 9mm, which would consequently fit 13, but still be considered a 10 round 40 mag. Did that make any sense? Now, I don't know if what I just said is still legal, seems like it would be a gray area. Now if I put the slightly different follower in, the M10 mag will not increase it's .40 capacity, nor will it increase the capacity of 9mm you can stuff in it. The change would only be to assist it in feeding. Would the change make it too similar to the M13 mag, making it illegal? Or would the fact that it is still technically a 10 round M10 mag make it within the boundries of the law? All of the above is meant as more of a question then a lecture. I am only speculating, and really would like you guys who have more experiance than me to tell me what the situation really is. The above was just my guess work. Thanks guys.

Yea, I hear you on the mag thing. I am thinking of ordering some P7 M10 mags and testing them out since their cheaper, easier to come by, and people say they'll work. If I have any problems, I might fit them with M13 springs and followers. We'll see. I'm still trying to close the deal on the P7 itself, lol. Do you have any experiance with the M10 mags in the M13? Thanks. Oh, and by the way, that was me on Park Cities.

I shoot mostly Lim-10, but also shoot open and Limited. I was thinking about getting a gun for production and the P7 is at the top of my list. I chose the M13 because it loads 13 rounds, although I would only load 10 according to production rules and regs I believe. It seems to me that the M8 is more available, I just wish I could some how stuff 10+1 in it so I would be on par with the other guys. Will this capacity issue be a problem if I go for the M8? Is there any fix? I'd also like to know if anyone is selling, and also any feedback you may have regarding my choice of this pistol for my purpose. Thank you