Which one would you....

[kw5kw]

I have two XD's; a 9mm and a .45 ACP, both the 4" service model.

I'm very comfortable with both, and both use the same holster, lucky there!

I'm just a bit more profecient with the 9mm although (90% of rounds in a pistol target is in the black at 15 yards, with 97% in the 8 circle and the remaining 3% in the 7 circle.) However, I shot a 249 with the .45 on my last requal (had one just 1/2 inch low). I do practice more with the 9mm because of cost of ammo, but both shoot equally well. (I'm closing in on the 2k count in the 9mm while the .45 only has 150 rounds thru it, including the requal. That was the last time I've actually fired it.) I practice at least once a month with the 9mm and usually 100~150 rounds per session.

I'd prefer to keep the .45 at home and carry the 9mm, however I like the .45 over the 9mm for stopping power.

The .45 has 13+1 the 9mm has 16+1 and I have extra mags for each, above and beyond the two that come with the weapon.

Reason I'm asking: I'm looking to get night sights put on one of them... the one I'm keeping at home for home security, and I can't afford two sets right now.

Which one would you prefer at home, the .45 or the 9mm?

Russ

[Cosmo 9]

I use my XD9 for a night stand gun since my wife may be the one who needs it. It has XS big dot sights and a Surefire light. I told my wife to use the light like a laser, just shine the light on their chest and shoot!

[gene]

Neither

[jimlongley]

My night stand gun is one of my carry guns, a 1911 fitted out for night fighting; night sights and a laser grip.

I have a XD9, that my wife has decided is hers since she fired a perfect score on her CHL requalification with it.

So, being a .45 fan, one of my next gun purchases will be a XD.45ACP.

[propellerhead]

I have the same two pistols you have. :) My XD9 has been pretty much 100% range duty. The XD45 has been the night stand gun. I attach a laser/light thing to it. All things equal, I chose the XD45 for home defense due to the caliber. <shrug>

[kauboy]

I'd go with the 9mm staying at home. The .45 is a little large for some women and the 9 is more manageable. Your wife will probably feel more comfortable controlling a 9mm in a stressful situation. But why do you need nightsights on you home gun? I would get the NS on your carry weapon and get a Surefire for the nightstand. Its much better to blind a relative than to shoot them using pretty green sights while they're sleep-walking through the house. And if it turns out to be a perp, he won't be able to see anything and you can take them down however you see fit, non-lethal or otherwise. Always keep in mind the safety of innocents.

[cyphur]

My Kimber sits next to my bed every night, in 45ACP.

However, I'll be getting a Moss 500 SP with a light on it for HD sometime after the new year.

[Texasdoc]

It has to be 45 as the 9 mm are to small for my taste.

Doc

[KinnyLee]

I usually like to make big holes so I'll pick the .45 before the 9mm. Although I like 9mm for their cost effectiveness.

[txinvestigator]

I have two XD's; a 9mm and a .45 ACP, both the 4" service model.

I'm very comfortable with both, and both use the same holster, lucky there!

I'm just a bit more profecient with the 9mm although (90% of rounds in a pistol target is in the black at 15 yards, with 97% in the 8 circle and the remaining 3% in the 7 circle.) However, I shot a 249 with the .45 on my last requal (had one just 1/2 inch low). I do practice more with the 9mm because of cost of ammo, but both shoot equally well. (I'm closing in on the 2k count in the 9mm while the .45 only has 150 rounds thru it, including the requal. That was the last time I've actually fired it.) I practice at least once a month with the 9mm and usually 100~150 rounds per session.

I'd prefer to keep the .45 at home and carry the 9mm, however I like the .45 over the 9mm for stopping power.

The .45 has 13+1 the 9mm has 16+1 and I have extra mags for each, above and beyond the two that come with the weapon.

Reason I'm asking: I'm looking to get night sights put on one of them... the one I'm keeping at home for home security, and I can't afford two sets right now.

Which one would you prefer at home, the .45 or the 9mm?

Russ

Is there a reason your primary carry gun cannot be be your home protection gun?

[jbirds1210]

Is there a reason your primary carry gun cannot be be your home protection gun?

I could not come up with a better question! Why can't the one that you carry be the one that you use for home protection. It does not sound to me like you have enough rounds through the 45 to know how dependable it is. I would not think of having a stranger sleeping in my nightstand

Actions like this could make your carry/match gun jeleous and create a bad mojo
Jason

[kw5kw]

I'd go with the 9mm staying at home. The .45 is a little large for some women and the 9 is more manageable. Your wife will probably feel more comfortable controlling a 9mm in a stressful situation. But why do you need nightsights on you home gun? I would get the NS on your carry weapon and get a Surefire for the nightstand. Its much better to blind a relative than to shoot them using pretty green sights while they're sleep-walking through the house. And if it turns out to be a perp, he won't be able to see anything and you can take them down however you see fit, non-lethal or otherwise. Always keep in mind the safety of innocents.

True, the wife (who does not have a CHL) does spend more time at home alone, so maybe the 9mm would be better at home for this reason.

I don't want a light mounted on my gun!

Lesson from Gunsite:

A. Bad guy will shoot what he can see... he can see the light
B. I don't have body armor
C. Bad guy shoots at light
D. Bad guy hits me behind light.

or:

A. Bad guy will shoot what he can see... he can see the light
B. Since I don't have body armor, I hold the light up in the air with my weak hand, this gives the illusion of much larger (light comming down from at least 7 feet) adversary, plus now the light would only target my hand/arm, much smaller target for the bad guy.
C. I'm able to see him with light and using night sights, I have him pegged.

Cops can use tatical light cause they have body armor, me as a joe citizen do not.

I know my house and it is only me, the wife and the dog.

I leave no lights on that would allow the Bad guy to have knowledge of my floor plans.

I have a very bright ---can't remember the brand name--- 5-LED tatical light that uses two #123 batteries.

Russ

[txinvestigator]

I'd go with the 9mm staying at home. The .45 is a little large for some women and the 9 is more manageable. Your wife will probably feel more comfortable controlling a 9mm in a stressful situation. But why do you need nightsights on you home gun? I would get the NS on your carry weapon and get a Surefire for the nightstand. Its much better to blind a relative than to shoot them using pretty green sights while they're sleep-walking through the house. And if it turns out to be a perp, he won't be able to see anything and you can take them down however you see fit, non-lethal or otherwise. Always keep in mind the safety of innocents.

True, the wife (who does not have a CHL) does spend more time at home alone, so maybe the 9mm would be better at home for this reason.

I don't want a light mounted on my gun!

Lesson from Gunsite:

A. Bad guy will shoot what he can see... he can see the light
B. I don't have body armor
C. Bad guy shoots at light
D. Bad guy hits me behind light.

or:

A. Bad guy will shoot what he can see... he can see the light
B. Since I don't have body armor, I hold the light up in the air with my weak hand, this gives the illusion of much larger (light comming down from at least 7 feet) adversary, plus now the light would only target my hand/arm, much smaller target for the bad guy.
C. I'm able to see him with light and using night sights, I have him pegged.

Cops can use tatical light cause they have body armor, me as a joe citizen do not.

I know my house and it is only me, the wife and the dog.

I leave no lights on that would allow the Bad guy to have knowledge of my floor plans.

I have a very bright ---can't remember the brand name--- 5-LED tatical light that uses two #123 batteries.

Russ

I have done force on force training. I disagree about the weapon mounted light. I can see the shooter plain enough to shoot him when he holds his light out and away from his body. Also, stand in a hallway and see if you can hold the light up AND away from your body.

You also train to shoot two-handed. How many rounds have you put thru your weapon one handed, under stress while holding a light on a target? I assure you that is a skill you will lose quickly under stress. It is too easy to make a mistake and press the trigger rather than push the light-on switch when under stress. I am not talking theory either, but from participating in and observing training.

If you need your off hand to do something like open a door, engage a person, etc., you will lose your light.

With a weapon mounted light you shoot two handed like you train. You never lose your light if you need your off hand to do something. You can still have your other light to illuminate things you do not want to cover with your weapon.


I can tell you that as a former cop, my tactics were not based on the fact that I was wearing armor. My tactics were based on not being shot at all, as if I were not wearing armor. Any tactic that you would engage in with body armor that you would not engage in without it is not a sound tactic.

I say this not to try to impress you, but so you know I have training and experience in this issue. I am a former LEO. I am currently the training director for a Firearms Training Center in Dallas. We train CHL's, Armed Guards, armed Body Guards and local, state and Federal LEO's. I am a CHL instructor, DPS Private Security Board combined firearms instructor, and I have attended MANY advanced tactical schools.

I keep a Kimber Warrior with a Surefire X200 mounted on it for my immediate action gun at night. If I did not have access to a weapon mounted light, the procedure I would use is this;





This technique gives a more stable shooting platform than the "hand over your head" method, allows to move the light to illuminate something you would not wish to cover, allows for tighter spaces, and is less likely to cause confusion when trying to manipulate either the weapon or the light.

In fact, I carry the CDP you see in the picture along with that light: always. Away from home those are the tactics I would use in the dark

I don't know of ANY LEO's or other units using the "hand over the head" method any more.

And please don't think I am criticizing you or your tactics. This is just from my experience. ;)

Good luck to you.

[KBCraig]

Let me add that a Surefire, or any of the modern super-bright lights, will illuminate everything in the room. Including you. You can't rely on blinding an intruder while the light is on. If you house is truly dark, and you hit him full in the face with the beam, then turn it off, he's going to be blind and seeing spots -- just like you are!

"The blind shooting the blind" is not a house-clearing exercise I'd choose willingly.

I sometimes count inmates in very dark conditions -- no lights in the room, and dark skin and charcoal gray blankets can be hard to distinguish. I use a Surefire clone, but shining it directly at an inmate will blind him and hurt my night vision.

Instead, I hold it against my shirt (our uniform shirts are white), perhaps a quarter inch away, and angled down slightly. That actually illuminates the room better than a direct beam. The soft, very white light reflecting into the room is enough to count by, and if it's not, I angle it down a little more, so that more light spills into the room. (Side benefit: they know it's an officer, and not Bubba creeping in.)

That's not a recommendation for illuminating while you're house-clearing! It's just an example of how much light those little rascals put out, and how your vision will be just as compromised as the target's. The reflected light (from the walls, ceiling, etc.) will light up the whole room. Try it some night. Don't be fooled into thinking he can't see you just because you're not behind the light.

Although I haven't yet installed this system, I'm a believer in X10 remotes. You can hit a bedside remote, and every exterior and interior light in the house will go on, except where you are. Anyone approaching you will be in bright light, while you're comfortably in the dark.

Kevin

[flintknapper]

I'd go with the 9mm staying at home. The .45 is a little large for some women and the 9 is more manageable. Your wife will probably feel more comfortable controlling a 9mm in a stressful situation. But why do you need nightsights on you home gun? I would get the NS on your carry weapon and get a Surefire for the nightstand. Its much better to blind a relative than to shoot them using pretty green sights while they're sleep-walking through the house. And if it turns out to be a perp, he won't be able to see anything and you can take them down however you see fit, non-lethal or otherwise. Always keep in mind the safety of innocents.

True, the wife (who does not have a CHL) does spend more time at home alone, so maybe the 9mm would be better at home for this reason.

I don't want a light mounted on my gun!

Lesson from Gunsite:

A. Bad guy will shoot what he can see... he can see the light
B. I don't have body armor
C. Bad guy shoots at light
D. Bad guy hits me behind light.

or:

A. Bad guy will shoot what he can see... he can see the light
B. Since I don't have body armor, I hold the light up in the air with my weak hand, this gives the illusion of much larger (light comming down from at least 7 feet) adversary, plus now the light would only target my hand/arm, much smaller target for the bad guy.
C. I'm able to see him with light and using night sights, I have him pegged.

Cops can use tatical light cause they have body armor, me as a joe citizen do not.

I know my house and it is only me, the wife and the dog.

I leave no lights on that would allow the Bad guy to have knowledge of my floor plans.

I have a very bright ---can't remember the brand name--- 5-LED tatical light that uses two #123 batteries.

Russ

I have done force on force training. I disagree about the weapon mounted light. I can see the shooter plain enough to shoot him when he holds his light out and away from his body. Also, stand in a hallway and see if you can hold the light up AND away from your body.

You also train to shoot two-handed. How many rounds have you put thru your weapon one handed, under stress while holding a light on a target? I assure you that is a skill you will lose quickly under stress. It is too easy to make a mistake and press the trigger rather than push the light-on switch when under stress. I am not talking theory either, but from participating in and observing training.

If you need your off hand to do something like open a door, engage a person, etc., you will lose your light.

With a weapon mounted light you shoot two handed like you train. You never lose your light if you need your off hand to do something. You can still have your other light to illuminate things you do not want to cover with your weapon.


I can tell you that as a former cop, my tactics were not based on the fact that I was wearing armor. My tactics were based on not being shot at all, as if I were not wearing armor. Any tactic that you would engage in with body armor that you would not engage in without it is not a sound tactic.

I say this not to try to impress you, but so you know I have training and experience in this issue. I am a former LEO. I am currently the training director for a Firearms Training Center in Dallas. We train CHL's, Armed Guards, armed Body Guards and local, state and Federal LEO's. I am a CHL instructor, DPS Private Security Board combined firearms instructor, and I have attended MANY advanced tactical schools.

I keep a Kimber Warrior with a Surefire X200 mounted on it for my immediate action gun at night. If I did not have access to a weapon mounted light, the procedure I would use is this;





This technique gives a more stable shooting platform than the "hand over your head" method, allows to move the light to illuminate something you would not wish to cover, allows for tighter spaces, and is less likely to cause confusion when trying to manipulate either the weapon or the light.

In fact, I carry the CDP you see in the picture along with that light: always. Away from home those are the tactics I would use in the dark

I don't know of ANY LEO's or other units using the "hand over the head" method any more.

And please don't think I am criticizing you or your tactics. This is just from my experience. ;)

Good luck to you.

YUP!! to all of the above.



For those not familiar with the "Harries technique"... please note how TX's arm (with flashlight) is properly positioned. The hands are back to back and the elbow of the arm with the light is pulled down to create isometric tension.


Just right.