I almost bought an XD, and it looks like a great gun. However, the slide serations don't offer as good a gripping surface as some other pistols, and Mrs. Leverfan had trouble working the slide. That disqualified it, for me. If I buy a defensive gun, every responsible member of my household needs to be able to use it easily. Other guns give a better surface to hold on to, so we went with a CZ 85.