Really, i always thought i was a decent shot... qualified expert first time in the army on both rifle and handgun, also at4 and t.o.w. missile launcher, a shot good with my taurus pt111 9mm, Also shoot good shooting a verity of different guns at the range from XD9 to some glocks and a couple sig's... but when i finally got to the range to shoot my XDm 40 i did horrible. I was anxious, even shaky a bit, and im not really sure why... Ive replaced the backstap for the small one to fit my hand better since then but here are some pics of my first box
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn239/gixxersixxerman/100_1117.jpg
and after talking to the guy behind the counter he gave me some pointers about anticapating the recoil and stuff which i never really though i did.. here is the second box
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn239/gixxersixxerman/100_1118.jpg

These are all at 25 ft. the second is better but still not very good at all, i know its not the guns fault it really is a nice piece, but i left a little more than disappointed... so to fix this the only thing i guess you can do is fire some more ammo :engel-big:
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn239/gixxersixxerman/100_1120.jpg

1000 rnds should be a good starting point :aufkopfhauen-big:

You might check the angle of the grip and your ammo. I've found that ammo makes a huge difference. Using fine powdered, full metal rounds usually gives me better results than the cheap loaded, non-jacketed lead shots. I've also found that the closer the grip is to 90 degrees, the less consistant my aim is.

Pops is right. I've never shot a gun more susceptible to cheap ammo than my XD. Stick to fully jacketed rounds; I generally shoot Federal unless I can find a good deal on Lake City Ammo. Those are the two I shoot the most consistently with.

I was an excellent shot with the XD40 just picking it up and shooting, but I had to relearn my grip and control with my XDM. The local shootin' alley owner showed me a couple of pointers on proper grip and I was worlds better. I only have the dexterirty to go through about 300 rounds before my arms give out with his style though.

this is the link of the range ammo i use... 4 of the local stores recommend it for range practice.. i use federal hi-shok hollow point for my carry ammo

http://www.magtechammunition.com/sitepages/pid103.php?productId=454&ltemplate=details&templateId=14&pageId=103&search=details

If you did that bad with 180 grain full jacket, then you DO need more practice. - j/k :D

Seriously though, you might see if you have any different results with pointed tips instead of flat tips. I do think you're better off practicing with flat tips because they are more similar to hollow point. I'm just thinking that you might try experimenting with different ammos to see which gives you better results with that gun then figure out how you want your defense ammo to be. Big holes are nice but shooting accurately is much nicer IMO, especially when you have a 12-15 round mag to shoot in a couple extra holes with. Or even better, just trade the gun for one that's designed to not be so picky.