I've not seen used 9mm Glocks for less than 400 around here. Maybe that kid had a point if he had gotten his Taurus for half of that. When I started my journey in this country, I lived on a budget considerably well below a poverty level. I can easily relate to people having to settle for what they can afford, and not what they want to have.
That's actually funny, dude.
I ate microwave food 6 days a week during my first year and a half in US; Big Mac and fries were "eating out". Took a lot of focus and, frankly, fear for the future not to send it all to hell and return to the land of 4% milk, meat dumplings and borscht.
Sorry for hijack to all; the main point of my post remains: for some folks out there, even 200 bucks difference between POS and used Glock could be money they don't have.
YVK point taken. And lots of us had been there where you need to wangle whatever you need.
But probably more often I see the guy getting out of a brand new BMW wearing shoes that cost almost what my GLOCK did saying he's only willing to spend Taurus money.
Or ( and this mentatlity is not uncommon on our local forum) the guy with a collection of very expensive European hunting rifles with glass that costs almost as much saying they are GTG with a Brazilian snub.
The funny thing is, I did a rough calculation on how much I've spent through the years buying guns that were not up to snuff and then sold or traded at a serious loss, and discovered I could have bought a H&K P7*.
*Which I would, in all likelihood, trade or sell a year later for something else.
Yeah compared to the M&P's stellar launch and all the problems with the Glock gen4's (including TLG's), somehow it's the XD that has the poor track record? Sure thing, internet.
Whenever someone asks me what gun they should get, I recommend any of the modern polymer 9mm pistols: G19, XD9, or the M&P9, because they all work great. Pick the one that fits your hand the best.
The only place the XD is hated is online. But guess what, not everyone likes the Glock grip angle or the M&P trigger. Crazy, I know.
I've yet to meet a reputable firearms trainer that had anything nice to say regarding the XD series, and some of the ones I've encountered in classes have had sub optimal reliability.
It's a free country, and the end user is certainly entitled to spend his/her hard earned money on whatever platform they wish. I have been very well served by Gen 3 Glock 17's and M&P 9's during the course of my shooting career.
YMMV
It is my understanding that some police forces in the Former Yugoslavia have adopted the XD in one iteration or another, but I do not know of any North American agency that had adopted them en masse for issue. No doubt some US agencies have authorized the XD for individual officer purchase, though.
Of course, I could be wildly off the mark here.
Last edited by Kyle Reese; 03-26-2011 at 12:05 PM.