Sig X-5, STI Tactical, Para P16-40 Limited, Spfld XDm40 5.25", EAA

[JGus]

Just an FYI and thought I'd share.

Today I went to the range to compare five of my guns that could all be used for Limited Division in USPSA, and all are .40s&w. Of course I've shot all five on regular occasion (the X-5 more than the others as it's the gun I use in Limited) but never all five at the same time to compare against each other. The five guns I shot today are:

1)Sig X-5 Competition

2)STI Tactical 5.0

3)Para P16-40 Limited

4)EAA Witness Elite Match

5)Springfield XDm 5.25"

This was FAR FROM anything scientific and is not meant to be anything conclusive. And, I'm an average shooter at best in terms of shooting for accuracy. With each gun, I shot 2 full mags from 20 yards, and 1 full mag from 25 yards. Why 20 and 25 yards? No particular reason. I guess I just wanted to test my accuracy with each gun from these distances. The shooting was done off hand, and performed slow and steady. For all the guns I shot the same ammo, Ultramax .40s&w 180 grain fmj 930 fps.

There wasn't a major difference in groupings from one gun to the other. The groupings were all pretty good (for me). But, the tightest grouping was with my Sig X-5 Competition. I shoot this gun in competition so it only makes sense that I shoot best with it as I have the most trigger time with it.

But, simply by eyeballing the targets, the best grouping came from my Sig X-5, followed by the Para P16-40 Limited, EAA Witness Elite Match, STI Tactical 5.0, and the least tight grouping came from my Springfield XDM40 5.25". But again, let me stress that the difference from my best grouping (X-5) to my worst (XDM) was very minor. They all shot excellent groupings.

After shooting all five and comparing the results, I concluded these are all outstanding guns that will give the shooter outstanding accuracy if they do their part. And not one of these guns will hold me back in attempting to move up through the classification ranks. But, the X-5 definitely handles recoil the best, as it is the heaviest of all the guns. And I definitely prefer the overall feel of my X-5 which is why I shoot it in competition. The STI Tactical (which I bought used and was tuned by Dawson Precision) has the best trigger, which was expected. None of the other guns have had trigger work. Because of its lighter weight, the XDm had the most muzzle flip which would cause me the most problems reacquiring the target (yet I've got a neighbor that consistently beats me in Limited with his XDm40 5.25" with no trigger job, no magwell, and no extended basepads).

So, I'll keep using my X-5 as my primary gun, and use any of the other four as a potential back up should something happen. I know that if I have mechanical problems with my X-5 during a match and have to go to a back up, I have every bit of confidence the back up won't hold me back.