Service Vs. Tactical for IDPA

[DT Guy]

Title sums it up, I suppose. Looking for pros and cons of the 5" vs. the 4" XD's in IDPA.

A bit of background-I'm struggling with aging eyes, 'grew up' on 1911's and currently shoot a 4" gun with only minimal success. Am I missing out on a lot by not shooting a tactical?

Larry

[cali shot doc]

Title sums it up, I suppose. Looking for pros and cons of the 5" vs. the 4" XD's in IDPA.

A bit of background-I'm struggling with aging eyes, 'grew up' on 1911's and currently shoot a 4" gun with only minimal success. Am I missing out on a lot by not shooting a tactical?

Larry

i am 22 and shoot the xd9 tactical. I love it. I'm able to control the recoil great and transition btwn targets very easily. I'm not a huge fan of the sights so I would definitely get some Dawson Sights or some other kind of after market sights on it no matter which one you decide to go with. I decided to buy the tactical because this gun is strictly for competition. I like the longer barrel so thats why I went with the tactical. I personally think it depends on what you are more comfortable with. I don't think there is a HUGE advantage of the Service over the Tactical or vice versa. I think the best thing to do is shoot both guns and see what better suits you.

I can shoot the compact just as well as the service or tactical. If i had to shoot it in competition I would feel just as comfortable with the 3 in. barrel as i would the 5 in. Find out what suits you the best!!!!!! Either way the XD is an EXCELLENT Gun

[GForceLizard]

First, it does not matter. If you buy a 3 or 4" gun be happy and shoot the heck out of it. A 5" gun has advantages in theory. A little more weight up front, a longer sight radius, easier to get velocity out of the cartridge, ... I don't think the barrel length will help or hurt your ability to see with aging eyes.

[ETexPops]

I've tried the XD9 tactical and the XD9sc in IDPA. Either works equally well with good sights. 9sc has TFO's and when shooting the monthly indoor matches seems to work better than the tactical with DP fiber optic front sight. The 4" service would work well but us older guys have to find sights we can live with in order for any gun to run well in competition. Good luck in deciding what is right for you.

[Loves2Shoot]

or the XDm...

Pick the one that feels best for you.

[ClutchUSMC]

I have both, but I find that I'm better with the 5in, now it does have better sights (bomars) but I think it points a little better too. I have run the 4in upper on the lower I have that has been textured, trigger done, etc, and still find I like the longer barrel. Try both and see what feels best to you.

[Gryff]

Tactical. The killer aspect of the model is that it uses 1911 recoil springs, so you can change weights very easily. The Service model uses a captured guide rod.

[Justsomeguy]

I dunno... For example, the last time I chrono'd a 4.5" XDm, a 4" Service, and the 3.5" subcompact with the same load the power factors in .40 S&W were 176.5, 171.5, and 162.5 respectively. That is only a difference of 1/2 inch of barrel length between each example or a total of 1 inch from longest to shortest. The difference between 5" and 4.5" is not that great. To be sure, the XDm in .40 at least, is very close to the/my XD Tactical as far as velocity goes, generally being only about 1 power factor different. As the barrels shorten up, the power factor differences become much greater. So if you are trying to make power factor, it is much easier in a 5" barrel than a 4" with the same load. In fact, for 1 inch barrel difference, one load I had that made 171pf in the Tactical, only made 157pf in the 4" Service Model, but that was with a somewhat slower powder.

Sight radius IS a factor. On targets that are farther away, I can shoot faster with the 5" and place the shots better than the 4" at that speed. I can still shoot the 4" well at those distances, but it takes longer. They both have Dawson FO sights front and rear and similar trigger jobs from the same parts. I am in my mid sixties as far as age, and so small things matter to me sight wise.

They are all great guns! I like them all and am glad to own them, but to compete with, the Tactical or XDm seem superior to me. I carry the Service model though! Oh... and you can change the Service Model over to a non-captured recoil spring and guide, but you can only get factory strength springs so far for that combination. For the Tactical, there are many spring options should you require them..

I hope this helps.

[Red River]

I own the a 9mm subcompact and a 9mm tactical. I have also shot the Service model extensively. I like them all, but the tactical is my favorite. They all point and shoot about the same, except I can shoot lighter loads and still make minimum power in the tactical. I am in the ammo business, so I chronograph a lot of different loads and it may surprise you how much difference an inch can make sometimes.

ETA: The one drawback is that the heavier slide of the tactical may not lock back as easily if you are shooting a really light recoiling round and/or you gun gets a little gunky.

Edited November 7, 2010 by Red River