TheSwampFox
Well-Known Fanatic
They were the best of pistols, they were the worst of pistols... Well maybe that's an exaggeration but as I set out to the range yesterday with two new and unfired 9mm pistols I certainly had my preconceived notions about each one.
First up is a Taurus PT709 Slim that I bought on impulse for what seemed like a great deal. Out the door for well under $300 and being in the market for a small 9mm I jumped on it. Buyers remorse set in by the time I got home and after a little online research I was really bummed. Lots of negative reviews made me think about selling it before even shooting it.
The second pistol is a Springfield XDs 9mm 4.0. I had spent hours reading reviews on this pistol and was confident this was the new carry pistol I had been looking for. None of my LGS had one in stock but one offered to order it for me. I paid a little more than what I could have gotten it for online but I try to support the local guy whenever possible. I was very excited about putting some rounds down range in this pistol.
So I headed out to the nearest range with a 200 rounds of 9mm in various weights and manufacturers both FMJ and JHP.
The Taurus had a soft and squishy trigger. One thing I did like was it had "second strike" capability. If I had a FTF I could pull the trigger again without having to tap and rack. Fortunately I never needed that feature because it ate up and spit out 100 rounds without a hiccup. Accuracy at 15 yards was spot on and if it was off it does have an adjustable rear sight for windage and elevation. I was very impressed with the function even though the trigger wasn't great.
The Springfield had a nice clean and crisp trigger. It did not have the second strike feature that the Taurus had and that is too bad because I could have used it. Out of 100 rounds I had 5 light strikes with different kinds of ammo. At 15 yards everything was about 3" low and no way adjust the sights. After more research into the XDs it appears I'm not the only one with a light strike issue or shooting low. The most common fix for the light strike is cleaning out the oil and dirt in the striker channel. Which makes sense because the light strikes didn't start until the end of my shooting. For the other issue I've read Springfield will ship you a higher rear sight.
I never thought I'd say this but as of today I trust my life to the Taurus over the Springfield. I'm going to give the XDs another 100 rounds to see if the cleaning did the trick on the light strikes.
First up is a Taurus PT709 Slim that I bought on impulse for what seemed like a great deal. Out the door for well under $300 and being in the market for a small 9mm I jumped on it. Buyers remorse set in by the time I got home and after a little online research I was really bummed. Lots of negative reviews made me think about selling it before even shooting it.
The second pistol is a Springfield XDs 9mm 4.0. I had spent hours reading reviews on this pistol and was confident this was the new carry pistol I had been looking for. None of my LGS had one in stock but one offered to order it for me. I paid a little more than what I could have gotten it for online but I try to support the local guy whenever possible. I was very excited about putting some rounds down range in this pistol.
So I headed out to the nearest range with a 200 rounds of 9mm in various weights and manufacturers both FMJ and JHP.
The Taurus had a soft and squishy trigger. One thing I did like was it had "second strike" capability. If I had a FTF I could pull the trigger again without having to tap and rack. Fortunately I never needed that feature because it ate up and spit out 100 rounds without a hiccup. Accuracy at 15 yards was spot on and if it was off it does have an adjustable rear sight for windage and elevation. I was very impressed with the function even though the trigger wasn't great.
The Springfield had a nice clean and crisp trigger. It did not have the second strike feature that the Taurus had and that is too bad because I could have used it. Out of 100 rounds I had 5 light strikes with different kinds of ammo. At 15 yards everything was about 3" low and no way adjust the sights. After more research into the XDs it appears I'm not the only one with a light strike issue or shooting low. The most common fix for the light strike is cleaning out the oil and dirt in the striker channel. Which makes sense because the light strikes didn't start until the end of my shooting. For the other issue I've read Springfield will ship you a higher rear sight.
I never thought I'd say this but as of today I trust my life to the Taurus over the Springfield. I'm going to give the XDs another 100 rounds to see if the cleaning did the trick on the light strikes.
