.40 vs 45acp for ipsc?

bondjames80

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Does anybody have any opinions in which calibre is better for ipsc .40S&W or .45acp. I'm thinking about getting a springfield xd in either of those calibres. Any advice would be grately appriciated
 
If you're going to get an XD, get one in 9mm and shoot it in Production Division.....


Or if you reload, downloaded 40SW can be competitive while still giving you the option for shooting standard power 40SW whenever else you might want/need to.

45acp XD ... you would be at a competitive disadvantage in IPSC. You can shoot it if you want (like if you ONLY shoot 45s or you have a source for free ammo or something) but I wouldnt shoot a 45 when a 9mm or downloaded 40SW is available. Less recoil is your friend here.

Factory ammo is also more costly for 45acp, which might affect how often you practice....
 
Is 9mm normally a minor calibre, and 40 a major. I heard something to the effect that 9mm outside of the 5 ring loses more points than a major calibre. That's why I was thinking 40 as opposed to 9mm. I had a cz 75 pre-b in 9mm and I shot awesome, but was told to get 9x21 or 40 or 10mm or something to shoot ipsc.
 
Is 9mm normally a minor calibre, and 40 a major. I heard something to the effect that 9mm outside of the 5 ring loses more points than a major calibre...

True, but in IPSC Production Division (which is where the XD is best suited), everything is scored 'Minor' regardless of calibre (as long as you make the Minor power factor floor of 125). Hence my advice in the post above.....
 
I, in fact, use a Glock in IPSC Production Division (and do quite well with it). But an XD works well for a lot of people in IPSC Production Division too......
 
Does anybody have any opinions in which calibre is better for ipsc .40S&W or .45acp. I'm thinking about getting a springfield xd in either of those calibres. Any advice would be grately appriciated

I went with .40 because I don't have to chase brass, but I have a revolver in 45ACP so I don't have to chase brass. Moonclips are the only way you can recover your brass at a lost brass/don't PU brass untill the end of the day match, because you are pcking up your clips.
 
Before you buy a Glock make sure you like the grip. Personally I think the grip on hte Glock sucks. One of our shooters at our IDPA matches shoots a M&P 9MM and does very well with it. If you like tupperware guns take a hard look at the M&P. I was impressed with the grip and how it manages recoil.

Take Care

Bob
 
45ACP ruled for years, but brass started getting scarce and expensive.

That's true. I started shooting 45 but once it cost me $100 per 1000 I switched to 40 ($20 - 25 per 1000)

45 is nice to shoot but the same gun in 40 will cycle faster.

But its your choice, buy what you want then come out in shoot. Most people after a few years of IPSC will change their gun. You could start in production and decide to shoot open or revolver down the road. So don't worry about what you start with just come out and play for now. :rolleyes:
 
I have shot this last year with an XD-40 in Production, the following are some of my thoughts of the XD and 40 S&W in production:

- I really like the XD pistols, but think that Springfield Armory is really shafting their customers by having company policy to not allow sales of parts, and requiring repair through a factory authorized shop. For us Canadians, this means sending back to S.A. through the Canadian rep. -R. Nichols. I would not recommend an XD on this fact alone. If they ever reconsider this policy, I would recommend one for sure.
- The slide is long and nose heavy, which is great for recoil control, but I felt I stalled on transitioning and sight alignment on courses of fire with alot of movement, and bobbing about.
- I think you can be competitive with 40 S&W, but you are far better off down-loading it as close as you can to 125 PF. The closest I have come is 140 - 145 before my XD chokes on the ammo. This can be the difference in mere split seconds, but as we all know, those tenths of a second add up. As long as my PF was up there, the gun ran well.

For this coming year I'm going to run a G17 with downloaded ammo and see how they compare.
 
I would never shoot a .45 anymore. The brass is more expensive, the bullets are more expensive and with the different kinds of .45 out there now, you can get totally screwed up reloading. (.45 GAP vs .45ACP vs .45ACP with small pistol primer pockets)
 
I have shot this last year with an XD-40 in Production, the following are some of my thoughts of the XD and 40 S&W in production:

- I think you can be competitive with 40 S&W, but you are far better off down-loading it as close as you can to 125 PF. The closest I have come is 140 - 145 before my XD chokes on the ammo. This can be the difference in mere split seconds, but as we all know, those tenths of a second add up. As long as my PF was up there, the gun ran well.

I have experienced the same when it comes to downloaded ammo in an XD-40. I shoot a Glock 22 and run a 132 PF without any problems. That same load in my wife's XD-40 won't cycle the action reliably. Part of that is her, I have run the 132 PF in her XD-40 before during practice without problems but you've got to be very very careful not to limp wrist it. If your grip isn't perfect then it won't run.

Everything else Beltfed said is also the same as my experience.
 
What's your goal in IPSC, to win, or to gain greater facility with your "service weapon"? If you want to gain greater facility with your favourite gun, use it.
If you want to win, get physically fit so you can run fast and be nimble, then get a gun, and ammo, "designed" for the rather esoteric and arcane "game".
 
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