It is rough, but in a good way. No need for skate tape or anything like that. In my opinion, the best of the plastic guns, and I've owned almost all of them.
That's odd. My recently acquired Gen4 G31 pleasantly surprised me with how accurate it is. My Gen4 17 was a touch more accurate than my Gen3 17 was too.
A bad batch, maybe? Or maybe a bad batch of recruits that need more practice to learn the Glock trigger? It isn't the easiest to get proficient with.
New shooters, learning to shoot and inaccuracy is being blamed by the department on the gun not the shooters and the OP is wondering why Glock won't step up to the plate and admit the problem. Did I miss the purple?
If I didn't miss the purple I'll offer myself and my Gen3 G17 as a control group, they can have a cadet and shoot my Gen3 G17 and I'll shoot his Gen4 G17 on the state firearms qualification course, then we'll switch back to our own, repeat and compare scores.
My G22 Gen.4 purchased on 08/27/2010. Test fire date 04/14/2010. Serial # PLS***. As of last week 04/20/2012 I have put 5,438 rounds of various JHP and FMJ downrange. Mostly Fed.Champ 180gr from Wal-Mart but also quite a few WWB and UMC and about 100 rounds of Gold Dot 180gr JHP. Never a single glitch of any kind. Not one FTF or FTE, no brass to the face or any of the other issues that others have reported. It is also just as accurate as any pistol I have ever shot. Maybe I just got lucky and bought one of a kind, but I don't think so.
Interesting to hear this, TLHelmer!
Knowing which department you work for makes it even MORE interesting!
A few reasons I can think of to NOT go with the XD platform:
A) aftermarket support, while growing, is still no where compared to Glock. As far as I know, they don't even give out parts and stuff for department armorers to fix and keep guns running. They want everything shipped back to them.
B) The XD is a true single-action pistol. Many LEO agencies simply don't like the liability (perceived or real) of issuing a single action pistol
C) Grip safety CAN cause issues in certain & limited shooting positions, such as close body contact that pushes the slide out of battery. If you have to use your thumb to push the slide back in, you can't fire the weapon because your hand won't contact the grip safety.
Personally, I hope that your agency does NOT go with the XD...but looks at the S&W M&P line of pistols.
-J-
With all the new guns on the market why shouldn't departments shop around.