I agree with the advice above. I carry an XD and almost never dry fire when unloading. Just leave it "cocked". The great thing about the XD is that there is a loaded chamber indicator to aid in clearing. I too would not be comfortable in the habit of pulling the trigger in public. Just drop the mag, cycle out the round in the pipe (with your booger-hook off the bang-switch), do it again a couple more times to be sure, visual check, then lock it up or whatever you intend. It won't hurt it at all to leave it this way. The XD is a robust platform.