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G34, M&P Pro, XD/m, how do I decide?


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Rented all three. Looking for things I might have missed or what to look for next time I rent them again. Also anything else I didn't consider when trying decide which one is better for me?

Looking to buy a gun to get into USPSA/IDPA. I haven't been shooting for a long time and I'm not that great at it. Just another hobby that I got into cause of some friends. Anyway I need some help deciding on these three. I've rented all three but not all at the same time but I rented the G34 more than the rest cause it tends to be the better choice. I rented the G34 and the M&P together then the G34 and the XD together. I can't find an XDm to rent so I figure the XD is pretty close as far as feel and performance? Every time I rented them I put 100 rounds through them on a Hill-23 target. 10 rounds per circle. I'm pretty new so my results pretty much don't tell me anything. Sometimes I'll have a nice tight group then I'll be all over the circle and even outside the circle. So on to how they feel in my hand. The Glock is too big for me, at least the Gen 3 is. Actually I wouldn't say it feels too big, just noticeable bigger than the M&P and XD. I have small hands. I can't find a place with a Gen4 in stock at the moment so I can't tell how much better the Gen4 would be in my hands. The M&P and XD feel about the same and a lot better than the Glock. The problem with the M&P and XD is I can't reach the Mag release with my thumb easily. The Glock I can reach it easily . Because I haven't had much time with any of them I don't have a problem with the "Glock Angle" that a lot of people mention.

I live in California so I would have to go through SSE to get all three. G34 Gen4, M&P Pro, and the XDm.

I could save money by buying a on-roster gun like a G34 Gen3, but I rather pay more for a better fitting gun in my hand. There is also the XD Tactical but it's hard to find.

So how do I decide? I'm going to rent them some more. What else should I keep in mind while trying to decide on these?

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Its hard to tell you which one is better for you only you can answer that one. When I got started in USPSA I didnt try before I bought and went through a few guns before finding what I liked and wasted alot of money in the process. I liked the look and feel of the XDM but I couldnt shoot that thing that well it wasnt for me. Then bought a G34 which was ugly and wasnt very comfortable but I shot it well, then sold it (why) but then got a CZ Shadow form the CZ Custom Shop and loved it. I just bought another G34 because I missed my old one and again its not comfortable at all in my hand but I can shoot it well. The CZ Shadow is the most comfortable gun I have held and I shoot it great and it being all metal the recoil is light. The moral of my story is try different guns and it will click when you find the right one. I rented a M&P and liked it but I already have two production guns well three if I convert my G35 back to production from limited. I forgot to mention that I just bought a G35 that Iam not shooting well but only put 150 rounds through it, I have to get use to the .40 in the G35 or there is something wrong with it because Iam not doing well with it right now. Sorry so long and all over the place but I had the same problem as you and bought ever gun under the sun. Also look into a CZ Shadow AWESOME gun just ask around here about it!

One more thing to add, what ever gun you pick you will benefit more from practice practice practice with it than anything else. There is no magic gun out there so pick one you shoot well and run with it.

Edited by G34 CORDY
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If you can find a G17 4th gen to rent that will give you an idea of the G34 4th gen feel since they use the same frame. Glock has to by far have the most aftermarket parts out there if you dicide to change anything on it. The m&p has changable back straps so you can change the feel of the gun and is the only one of the three made in America. If you decide to get a XDm get the 5.25 for the extra sight radius.

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G34 CORDY: I waste a ton of money on my other hobbies by buying whatever then selling the ones I don't like then buy a different one. I agree it gets expensive fast so I try not to do that anymore either.

bigfish: I can't find any Gen4's locally instock at the moment and yes I'm only interested in the 5.25 XDm.

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I've had an XD and a couple of M&P's (just bought another one yesterday) Pretty much same experience as you, Glock is too big and the XD's and M&P's are great for small hands. I like the M&P's and the trigger kits better. I had the PRP Ultimate trigger put in the XD and the FSS in the M&P (the best for each). Long story short, sold the XD immediately.

As for the mag release, I just put a sheet metal screw in my M&P release. Extends it out a little and it's rounded, If I'm sitting there looking at it and pushing on it I'll notice it feels a little off. Actual firing and reloading and matches, no idea it's in there, and I don't have to break grip.

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Do you you have 10 round mags? I assume the higher capacity mags are easier to load?

Loading it the first few times weren't that bad. But loading one mag with with 10 rounds then repeat that again and again 10-20 times started hurting my hands.

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Do you you have 10 round mags? I assume the higher capacity mags are easier to load?

Loading it the first few times weren't that bad. But loading one mag with with 10 rounds then repeat that again and again 10-20 times started hurting my hands.

No mine are all high cap. I haven't loaded 10 rounders I will have to check that out

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Not to confuse you anymore, but have you had a chance to shoot a CZ custom shadow as well? It just might be that "fell in love at first (picture) sight".

Damn you! lo, jk

I know my local range has a CZ 75 for rent but I'm not sure if it's a shadow. I'll find out this weekend.

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  • 3 months later...

I asked Hilton Yam on Facebook why he chose the M&P over the XDm, and his reply was that it had four metal frame lugs (the XDm has two metal, two polymer), that the magazines were more reliable, that they were (at the time) easier to tweak, and that the lower bore made for quicker recovery.

Which is a bummer, because I prefer the stock XDm trigger to the stock M&P trigger, and from what I've seen, the custom XDm triggers to the custom M&P triggers. Neither is a 1911, in terms of trigger, however.

BTW, have you tried putting the magazine release on the strong side, and using a finger (as opposed to a thumb) to press it?

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I have tried all three and my humble opininn is that they are pretty much te same. One more thing to consider is magazine availability and price. Glock and m&p are tough to find. I have seen some m&p magazines go for $100. Nuts... The xdm magazines seem to be the easiest to find and the prices are not too bad.

Edited by Eyefly
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I came to this discussion late and am assuming the issue of loading a Glock pistol magazine rapidly/easily has been addressed. But in the off-chance that it has not, see this:

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  • 2 weeks later...

A little update. I put a down payment on a Glock 34 Gen4. Now I'm just waiting for the shop to get one in.

I fired a Gen4 vs Gen3 and noticed everything I didn't like about the Glock grip had disappeared on the Gen4.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Good for you. Individual tastes are.....well, individual. Find something that you like the feel of then start shooting it. You may find your tastes change but it is valuable experience and the journey is a big part of the fun.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I think you did a good job in doing your assessment work. Springfield, Smith and Wesson, and Glock all very fine options, but it's very much a function of individual requirements and comfort that will dictate the final outcome.

For what it's worth, I went with the Glock 34 Gen 4 also and that was mostly a function of me being already familiar with the Glock product line. I figured I'd have enough trouble getting my walnut-sized brain to figure how to properly do USPSA shooting without injecting a new type of gun into the mix.

The price I have to pay for that decision is that I will end up spending money swapping out the stock sights for some DP front and rear sights. A nice thing about the Smith and Wesson and Springfield product line is that they both have pistols oriented towards competition shooting that come complete with fiber optic sights.

Edited by ericjhuber
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I've had several (many!) Glocks over the years. They shot well for me, but the M&P just fits better and is a more natural shooter. I don't need to work as hard to shoot them well. I have 4 M&Ps now.

Shoot the Glock, then try out the M&P. You'll see what I mean! :cheers:

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