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I own the XD-45 compact and an XD-9 service. The 45 is my daily carry and has about 4000 rounds through it now. It has not had a single failure. Not one round.

My XD-9 service has about 5000 rounds through it and during the initial 2000 rounds I had about 9 or 10 failures to extract. Since it was my first semi-auto, and since it seems to have gone away after I got more familiar with the gun, I am guessing that it was either my technique (limp wristing) or improper maintenance (Hadn't figured out exactly what and how much to lube).

I am sure that there are people who have had less satisfactory experiences, but I am very happy with my XDs.

On the other hand, my wife hates the trigger on them and is not a fan of the grip safety - so it's definitely an individual thing.

If I was carrying out in the open like you will be, I would get the tactical model. An extra inch of barrel can't hurt.

If possible, rent or borrow one and shoot it, along with some of the other contenders. How it feels in your hand is a subjective thing, and there's no better way to know that to shoot it for yourself.

And congrats!