Why I carry a Springfield XD-45 Tactical

Why I carry a Springfield XD-45 Tactical

You can go to ANY gun page and start a hell of an argument by asking, “Which is best, a 9mm, a .40 or a .45?” and damn if it doesn’t get worse when you as *which brand*.

Most folks know that in addition to political blogging I also do articles on the Second Amendment and firearms. I’m not trying to start a *brand* or caliber war, this is just my opinion and observations from years of carrying a gun. I am not trying to start a 1911 vs every other type of .45 thread here and I am NOT trying to change anyones mind in regards to what they carry and why, and I hope my readers don’t either. If you have preferences, and we ALL do, use the comments section to voice those preferences and opinions, but please, no *flame wars*, comments of that nature WILL be deleted by me, regardless of WHO makes them. Let’s keep this one fair, honest and SANE.

Preferences my friends, not a tirade about which caliber has the most this or that, which gun will shoot underwater, unless you do a lot of underwater shooting, just tell us what you prefer and why. The balance, the fit, a comfort factor and so forth.

I have carried a .45 for 42 years now, most of that time I carried a Colt m1911 Mark IV Series 70 and I dearly love that pistol, but today I carry a Springfield XD-45 Tactical and for me, in MY opinion, for my wants and needs, the XD does everything I want to do.

Is it better than any other new style .45? Who really knows, for me it’s all about personal preference anyway, that’s why there are so many different brands on the shelves.

I will say this; I have seen more than a few 1911 guys get really *pissy* about people carrying a high capacity .45, telling the owners of said Hi-Cap guns to *Stop carrying that *tactical Tupperware*, all you need is a 1911 and you need to learn how to shoot it* and I can tell you right now, those guys, and their *learn to shoot* thing, are just about as full of BULLSHIT as a body can be.  

I dearly love a 1911 but I don’t care how well you shoot, if you’ve ever been a part of a real gunfight, if you actually TRAIN for the eventuality of a REAL gunfight, you’ll know, more is better, more ammo in the weapon and ease of reloading that is.

When I began carrying a 1911 most of my contemporaries were carrying .357 and in some cases, a .41 or .44 magnum, 6 shooters, revolvers, and by carrying the 1911 I had 2 more rounds than they did and reloading was so much faster. Speedloaders were great but not as fast as a magazine change. 

And take my word for it, 8 rounds was great and I could shoot quite well but once I had the opportunity to carry a 13+1 XD-45 I jumped all over it, not because I necessarily needed 14 rounds, but because I was convinced then, as I am to this very day, it’s better to have it, more ammo, and not need it than it is to need it and not have it.

I suppose I’ll carry a .45 until I can’t carry anything any longer but make no mistake, I carry a .45 because they don’t make a .46 and I carry a 13+1 High Capacity XD because Springfield doesn’t make a 14+1 or 15+1 capacity on a .45 frame.

Is a .45 the perfect handgun? Maybe, maybe not, as I said, it’s all about what YOU like, a  personal preference thing, but as far as I am concerned a .45 has been my utterly reliable *friend* for 42 years now, and as my wife is fond of saying, “Dance with the one that brung you…”