JWard79

The type of bullet & OAL you plan on running can make a difference in which magazine will work best in your gun. I have two complete sets (Wilson & Tripp) in 10mm to load long. Both brands required a little tuning to work, but the Wilson mags are more reliable with my current load. I'd recommend purchasing one of each before going all in.

For simplicity I'd recommend developing a load that will make a minimum 130pf in the shorter or the two barrels (if this is the case). Generally speaking the OAL will not have a significant affect on accuracy, but may cause issues with engaging the rifling early if too long. If you do not already own a chrono, I would highly suggest making the investment. Once a load is determined suitable for both guns, then it may be necessary to adjust the recoil spring weight to your preference.

Are you planning on shooting a particular competition (bullseye, USPSA, IDPA, steel challenge, Bianchi) or a combination? Based on your preference list I assume you are looking for a DA/SA production gun. One thing to keep in mind besides the rules for the division you would like to shoot is the availability of aftermarket parts and gunsmith support. Sigs are easier to find, but have fewer aftermarket options; Berettas are similar in availability and parts to Sig. CZs, depending on the model, may involve a wait list to purchase, but have significantly more aftermarket parts available. Also included in the category of guns are Tangfolios, but they are difficult to acquire and parts can be hard to find. Bruce Gray would be able to answer the Sig related questions in detail.

The 90 degree mount may limit your available grip options, but the addittion of a thumb shield should help with reducing slide contact. I run a Swenson safety, thumb rest, and verical offset mount on my Cheely.

All friction bearing surfaces will be degraded with use (finish, slide to frame fit, rifling). The accuracy check you mentioned above should be a good indicator for when the wear is outside of your personal tolerances. Any issues I've had with my Xdm were self induced in search of the perfect trigger and load. I've come to realize that if it will only run on federal primers, it's too light. A hotter load that goes bang every time is better than a power floor load that doesn't (back to the primers & trigger springs). And finally, just because it isn't a 3K race gun doesn't mean I should treat the mags like its a torture test every time I go to a match (clean them if they drop). My range bag includes a PRP spring pack, extra recoil springs, precut grip tape, fiber, punches, mag brush, & a hammer. Never had anything on the gun fail, but it gives me a few option instead of pulling out the backup gun. Since its a factory gun you may consider reaching out to customer service & seeing if there is any warranty coverage or reduced cost fixes when you cross that bridge.

If you need a better understanding or clarification of the rule, pull an RO/CRO aside after a match and pick their brains. I've met very few shooters that are not willing to help someone else out. On a side note, the majority of the product descriptions on the Springer Precision, Powder River Precision, and Canyon Creek webpages will specify if the part is production legal. All three are Benos listed vendors, and will take care of you.

PRP components are legal due to SA offering the trigger in the custom shop (USPSA not IPSC legal). There should be a few detailed threads within the Benos forum explaining this, when the integral over-travel stop was introduced the subject was also addressed in the rule book (although it may be hard to decipher). Mag releases can be extended, but no oversized paddles/buttons (since it is not OFM or custom shop available through SA). Due to major/minor scoring the XDM9 is suited for production & XDM40 for limited (unless you reload 40 minor). If you want to shoot production change the mag-release back to OFM, but if shooting limited you have a number of additional items you can improve (overall weight & magazine capacity). Pulled from current rulebook: D4-21.6: A factory/OFM magazine release which extends only the length of the magazine release may be used. A magazine release which provides a larger surface area (paddles, buttons) may only be used if it is an OFM part available on an approved model of gun. D4-21.6: Externally-visible parts from “custom shop” guns will only be considered “OFM parts” if the custom-shop gun is on the NROI list of approved Production guns.

One point that hasn't been mentioned yet is that if you go the 40 route with trip magazines & reload you can shoot major (8 rounds) and minor (10 rounds) with the same gun in single stack & shoot L10 as well. Youtube will answer most of your questions concerning modifications except trigger job. A proper trigger job requires tools & training, and unless you plan on investing the time and money it will be cheaper to have a competent gunsmith perform this job for you. Everything else can be taken care of with a few files, a little research, and patience. The biggest issue you will have to overcome if you get a 1911 is the different grip angle from a glock. Training will help to alleviate this, but at some point you will notice that you have a grip angle preference & gravitate towards one or the other. Best practices say to stick with one gun and you will see improvement, but that doesn't mean that you can't improve while shooting both. If you are looking to improve your results stick with one gun, if you are looking to improve enjoyment whatever gets you to the range will work.

My trick for working through hectic work hours, lack of sleep, exercise, and dry-fire was to combine dry-fire with the workout. At the time I was working a rotating shift (day/day/night/night/3 days off) and was able to invest in workout equipment for the house. My exercise schedule was 6 days a week, after shift, and it just made sense to include dry-fire into the workout. Depending on my motivation & workout duration for the day I'd dry fire 15-30 minutes prior to working out. After about 3 weeks it became part of the routine, and it didn't feel natural to run without a little trigger time first. Habits, good or bad, take time to develop so you must determine what is your level of desire to improve.

I'm in the same boat with a 9 year old daughter shooting USPSA. I decided to outfit her with an M&P CORE 9mm with a leupold delta point, shooting open minor. My approach is to take all of the distractions away (sight alignment, reloading, stage strategy) and let her enjoy shooting first. If she decides she would like to dedicate more time to training, then I'll move her to production. My way of getting her interested in shooting without pushing her too hard, or making it more difficult than it has to be. I think that striking a balance between our children's personal interests & our passion for the sport is the key. All I have to say is "wow". Looks like she's really into improving her shooting, perfection is related to passion. I just hope that I can keep my little girls interest for another few years until she decides to pursue the sport on her own accord. The only thing more intimidating than cleaning a gun while your girls out on a date is for her to be cleaning her gun when the boy arrives.

The trick is to build the proper grip into the subconscious, the best way to do this is through dry-fire. Keep working on increasing grip strength through CoC exercises, but make sure the gains are transferred to your grip. Elbow position may be a factor in the recoil management as well. Videoing your recoil control while testing out different grip/elbow combinations will provide a clear picture of what works best for you.

I wouldn't consider the E2 grip into the equation, since it is a low cost easily convertible option. The increased weight of a stainless steel model will help to reduce the felt recoil, but the question you must answer is the cost difference worth it to you. I had purchased the E2 grip for my 226, but switched it back to the factory configuration tonight. Personal reference is the original grip with the short reach trigger (less gap in the grip with the original).

For a fast draw in USPSA/Steel Challenge I'd go with a kydex holster & BOSS hanger. The holster that comes with the XDM should be sufficient to play in IDPA until you decide it is worth purchasing a dedicated holster for that as well.

If this is your first go at USPSA, I'd recommend shooting it stock for the first few matches and avoid the compulsion to drop cash on parts (production division is not an arms race). More than likely there will be someone at your local club that has an XDM, seek them out and ask them for their advice. The question you should ask them is why they chose to modify/improve x,y,z. If the answer makes sense to you & is in line with your preferences then you should go ahead with the modification. In the end it boils down to your personal preferences and practice. The easy answer would be to send it to Springer Precision, Powder River, or Canyon Creek and have them perform their magic. This will result in a great trigger and other modifications to improve function while staying within the production rules listed in appendix D4 of the USPSA rule book. The other option would be to purchase the parts and perform the upgrades yourself (or by a local gunsmith). Standard production modifications include: trigger modification (weight, pre/over-travel), .100 front sight, extended mag release, stainless steel guide rod (or weight insert for existing guide rod), grip stippling/tape, and base pads (preference). 125PF is the minimum load, but most recommend at least 130PF to ensure the ammo does not go sub-minor (not for score) at a big match. The lighter the load, the lighter the recoil spring required. No external modifications, increase of weight in excess of 2 ounces over the listed factory weight on the approved production gun list (combined weight of guide rod & base pads can increase weight), and must fit in the box (applicable to base pads).

You may want to periodically check your magazine springs as well. After a year of use as my primary gun, the springs took a set & were significantly shorter than stock. Make sure you check the spring type before you order replacements, two basic variations that secure the base pad differently.

Generally speaking the price difference between a factory/semi-custom/full-cutom open gun are related to fit and finish, wait time, & build options. From what I've seen the DVC has a new comp design, 2lb trigger, stippled grip, slide racker, & lightened slide in comparison to the Trubor. Best bet would be to contact the vendors/builders you are interested in & get the info from the source.

Easy way to adjust the delta point brightness is to use a flashlight. I have one mounted on my daughter's CORE, and use my iPhone to turn up the dot for indoor matches.

If you plan on dry firing a lot you may want to get additional mags for that as well. I run 5 on the belt, 1 in my pocket, and 4 dedicated dry fire mags at the house (with dummy rounds loaded). Saves wear and tear on your match mags, saves time in prepping for dry fire, and with 6 at the start position doesn't limit your stage strategy.

DAA racer/race master is the way to go. I have a racer setup for production, single stack, and race master for open. In my opinion there is no need to drop the extra cash on the race masters unless you "need" the added adjustability. I also have a cr speed rig, but unless you are running one of their firearm shim types you'll probably end up modifying the inserts to get a proper fit. An added advantage for the DAA is the tension adjustment, that can be easily adjusted from nearly falling out to tight with the spin of a dial. If you combine the DAA pouches with the DAA belt, you can lock them in position better than CR as well (a little play with DAA pouches & CR belt). The BOSS hanger is a great addition as well, rock solid, infinite adjustment, & production legal.

I'm a fan of thumb rests, but you may want to consider your hand placement before buying one. There are a number of different angles (ranging from horizontal to vertical) and offsets (near the frame or near the optic) available on the market. If possible try out a buddies setup to see if it feels right. I wouldn't be too concerned about the manufacturer as long as it fits your grip.

Best recommendation would be to try everything you are interested in that fits your budget. If you are focused on competitive shooting, you may want to determine what division & sport you plan on shooting. Generally speaking the plastic guns are competitive in 9mm, and the XDM fits well into production, SSP, & ESP. The only drawback for the XDM against similar competitors (Glock / M&P) is the size of the factory magwell, beyond that everything else is personal preference. The XDM won't make you a better shooter, but it won't hold you back either.

Talk with Ernesto or Russell at the next match. I'm sure between the two of them you can figure out the unspoken truth about the unicorn guns. At the very least you should be able to run two of the guns on your list to see if you prefer the whole package over your Glock. If you're dead set on the CZ/Tangfo option J&L Gunsmithing might be able to help out with the technical advantages/disadvantages. Just remember you'll be at least one position higher on the overall because of me, don't say I never did anything for you.

I've heard that you can use a brush in place of a comb in a pinch.

The majority of 3Gun action in the area is down around Raleigh, NC. TARHEEL 3-GUN has a website with a comprehensive 3Gun calendar. Peacemaker National Training Center in WV has an occasional match as well. The area is great for USPSA shooting, would recommend taking a look at the USPSA Area 8 webpage.

Mec-gar makes 15 round magazines for about $20 less than factory, or you could choose to modify your current magazines with Mec-gar +2 base pads . Either way depending on the magwell you choose might dictate the rest of the equipment. Take a look at topgunsupply.com, shop.taylorfreelance.com, and trt-tac.com for products to help answer the question.