So i went to the range today to do a little comparison test. The guns i took with me were a Springfield XDS .45acp, Smith & Wesson M&P shield 9mm and a Springfield 1911 A1 Range officer.
the S&W Shield is the gun i carry 99% of the time, mostly based on ergonomics. As ive said before "the best carry gun is one you actually carry". The Shield is so comfortable to wear and feels great in my hand. I specifically chose the 9mm over the .40 because of a theory that placement>caliber. A 9mm has less recoil and in theory, it *should* be easier place shots. A 9mm to the heart is better than a .45 to the shoulder. With my XDS, i chose the 45 because i figured it would be more of a BUG.
I'm a pretty steady shot, my shots always drift north/south, i rarely shoot off to the side. I shot 100+ rounds through each gun today. Results as follows. Next time i go i'll take pictures, but for now i am judging accuracy based on how many shots were outside of the center circle.
Smith and Wesson M&P Shield 9mm - My accuracy with this gun @ 8 yards was about 55% with about 10% dead center shots. A few shots went stray enough to hit the human shaped target in the shoulder. The sight picture on this gun i would say it was 2nd place between the 3. The recoil was easily the least of the 3 guns. I dont feel the sight was true as i found myself doing a lot of experimenting with my aiming. It wasnt horrible, i'm confident i could hit center mass at close range, but it was frustrating me at the range.
Springfield XDS .45 - I shot this gun expecting it to be worse than the S&W and expecting the recoil to affect placement. The sight picture on this gun is excellent, it has the best sight picture of the 3 guns. I had no question that the sight was true. My accuracy @ 8 yards was about 80% with about 35% dead center. The recoil was a lot heavier than the S&W, even though Springfield claims their dual spring system reduces the recoil to that of a 9mm. That is not true, this gun kicks like a .45. The sight picture is so good that even with the recoil, it was a lot easier to place shots than with the S&W. I was pleasantly surprised with how good this gun is. I might look into also getting an XDS in 9mm... and i'm glad i didnt get the .40 S&W.
Springfield 1911 - This gun had the worst sight picture of the 3 guns. The recoil is surprisingly good. It's very friendly and very easy to place shots. I found myself having more trouble holding on to the sight picture than i did steadying the gun from recoil. Extremely accurate.... unbelievably accurate..... I was shooting the center of the target out with this gun. After doing my "test" i continued shooting this gun for another 100 or so rounds just for fun. Even with fatigue setting in, i was still accurate with this gun. Probably 95% inside center circle and the ones that were outside circle were close. I had no stray shots with this gun like i did with the 2 other guns. Probably 50% or more centers. I spent most of the day shooting through the hole in the center of the target with this gun.
I'm torn between the 3. Ergonomically, the S&W is my favorite gun. It is the easiest to carry and most comfortable with the least recoil. The accuracy is a bit troubling, especially for a 9mm.... granted, this could be based on me and how it fits in my hands, may not be fault of the gun. XDS was a pleasant surprise, i will probably start carrying this gun full time. It's not as comfortable as the S&W, but not far from it.
1911, unquestionably head and shoulders above either of these two inferior guns. The only fault is the size and comfort to carry. There's a reason these are the most popular handguns. No comparison. I'm confident with this gun even between 15-20 yards. With the S&W, i seriously doubt i would stand any realistic chance of placing a shot at 20 yards. Might get lucky with the XDS at 20 yards.
Before you ask, fuck Glocks.
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