So I'm a small handed shooter. I been carrying concealed for over 20 years and most of that time I ran with a J-frame with open back-strap grips. About 5 years ago I thought I finally found a suitable semi-auto when I got into the 3.8 XDms. I have two of these and with the smallest back-strap it works "OK". When I pick up my XDm (in the "cocked/charged state") my grip pretty much matches the third hand in the drawing here:
Like a Glove: Picking a Handgun to Fit Your Grip - Handguns
And sure enough when I shoot my XDm the first 8-9 rounds of the first mag certainly do go left of target....then after I start correcting things settle down and get a lot more centered. I figured until the industry (I'm looking at you GLOCK) really got serious with the back-strap situation and offered 4-5 sizes instead of 2 or 3 this was probably as good as it would get for me. But now that the single-stack 9mms by Glock and SA have been out for a while (and hopefully are done with recall corrections!) maybe I can do better? Maybe it's time for me to sell my XDms and buy a G43 or XDs. On paper the XDs 4 inch looks like it was MADE to be my carry gun! It addresses all the grievances I have with my 3.8:
1) 4 inch barrel (I carry OWB with FBI cant and I have always hated that the barrel was so short!)
2) High visibility front site (stock)
3) single-stack (should have closer trigger reach)
4) Lighter weight (XDm wants to drag my pants down sometimes even with my fantastic Wilderness Instructor belt)
So I checked out an XDs at a local Gander Mt. - to my horror and astonishment the trigger fell EXACTLY IN THE SAME PLACE near the tip of my trigger finger! Sooooooooooo SA made the trigger reach match the existing XDMs. Now my XDM wears the small strap and I understand the XDS ships with the large installed and a small in the case. Is this correct? Can someone who owns one of these give me some insight as to how much (if any) the small back-strap improves the trigger reach? My buddy says to keep visiting gun-shops until one agrees to install the small strap for me to try it out. I can't imagine too many places busting out a punch and hammer for this bearded hobbit! I have been all over SA's website and measurements for this just aint there. I been searching all over countless boards for this info as well and no one seems to have it. I guess adult male shooters with very short fingers are an extreme minority? Hmmmm...perhaps I should start a club?
While I was at a local (Evansville) Academy Sports I was able to try my hand on a G43....it felt GREAT! My trigger finger reached the middle of the pad! This is about as close to perfection as I have felt since I carried a J-Frame with boot grips! So I am considering drinking that kool-aid and going Glock. But it will cost me more as I will have to replace those AWFUL plastic sites with that terrible U thing on the rear - YUCK. Below are some quick pics of my hobbit-hand for reference.
View attachment 48457 View attachment 48458
Opinions? Thoughts?
Like a Glove: Picking a Handgun to Fit Your Grip - Handguns
And sure enough when I shoot my XDm the first 8-9 rounds of the first mag certainly do go left of target....then after I start correcting things settle down and get a lot more centered. I figured until the industry (I'm looking at you GLOCK) really got serious with the back-strap situation and offered 4-5 sizes instead of 2 or 3 this was probably as good as it would get for me. But now that the single-stack 9mms by Glock and SA have been out for a while (and hopefully are done with recall corrections!) maybe I can do better? Maybe it's time for me to sell my XDms and buy a G43 or XDs. On paper the XDs 4 inch looks like it was MADE to be my carry gun! It addresses all the grievances I have with my 3.8:
1) 4 inch barrel (I carry OWB with FBI cant and I have always hated that the barrel was so short!)
2) High visibility front site (stock)
3) single-stack (should have closer trigger reach)
4) Lighter weight (XDm wants to drag my pants down sometimes even with my fantastic Wilderness Instructor belt)
So I checked out an XDs at a local Gander Mt. - to my horror and astonishment the trigger fell EXACTLY IN THE SAME PLACE near the tip of my trigger finger! Sooooooooooo SA made the trigger reach match the existing XDMs. Now my XDM wears the small strap and I understand the XDS ships with the large installed and a small in the case. Is this correct? Can someone who owns one of these give me some insight as to how much (if any) the small back-strap improves the trigger reach? My buddy says to keep visiting gun-shops until one agrees to install the small strap for me to try it out. I can't imagine too many places busting out a punch and hammer for this bearded hobbit! I have been all over SA's website and measurements for this just aint there. I been searching all over countless boards for this info as well and no one seems to have it. I guess adult male shooters with very short fingers are an extreme minority? Hmmmm...perhaps I should start a club?
While I was at a local (Evansville) Academy Sports I was able to try my hand on a G43....it felt GREAT! My trigger finger reached the middle of the pad! This is about as close to perfection as I have felt since I carried a J-Frame with boot grips! So I am considering drinking that kool-aid and going Glock. But it will cost me more as I will have to replace those AWFUL plastic sites with that terrible U thing on the rear - YUCK. Below are some quick pics of my hobbit-hand for reference.
View attachment 48457 View attachment 48458
Opinions? Thoughts?
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