Sort of a long post....

Made the plunge today. I had it narrowed down to the Glock 22 and XD40 and bought the XD-40 Tactical today.

Haven't fired it yet, but I plan on it and can't wait. Ended up going with the XD in the end as I slightly preferred the ergonomics over the glock and I really liked the loaded chamber/cocked pin indicators. Also, the trigger pull on the XD that I demo'd on the range seemed to have a smoother action that the Glock.

The model I bought is the Tactical model and has the longer 5" barrel (vs. 4" for the standard). I don't plan to carry, so I'm not concerned about the larger size, plus the longer sight radius should improve accuracy a little.

My next plan is to set aside a few dollars to purchase a rail mountable tac light.

Now a couple questions for you experienced owners....how do you guys typically store your home-defense firearm in your home? Do you change its location while you are out of town?

I plan to keep a magazine loaded but not in the gun, have both the loaded magazine and gun in the case and probably put it under my bed. When I'm away on trips/out of town I'll lock the case and hide it to prevent any burglars from finding it. I have only myself and my girlfriend here, and no children ever visit, so no concern with regards to that issue.

Next, my owners manual didn't specifically say how often the gun should be cleaned. The pro-shop rep that I worked with today says that for his personal XD, that he'll clean it after about every 500 rounds. Does that sound typical?

I want to make sure I'm doing everything right from the beginning so as to develop proper care and maintenance habits from the get go.

Here is a pic: