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Summary:
If you are looking for an excellent shooting pistol right out of the box, this will lead the pack. There are some things you can do to improve the performance of this fine weapon, but for out of the box performance and value, look no further. It will shoot a fine group direct from the factory and has plenty of options available for upgrade. Couple that with the Springfield Armory warranty, and you have a weapon that will not only last, but give you confidence in any extreme—from competition to a life and death situation.
Pistol Details:
The tested pistol is the Springfield Armory model XD in .40 S&W. Direct from the factory, this pistol comes with two 12-round magazines, a speed loader, holster, dual magazine pouch, a hard side pistol case, and cable lock. We are shooting the compact model which comes with a 4” barrel. With an empty magazine in the well, it weighs a scant 29ozs. unloaded. When carrying concealed, it certainly falls into the category of a “gun should feel comforting, not comfortable” if carried in the wrong holster/belt combination. Find a truly concealment holster like the Fobus to carry this weapon.
The ambidextrous magazine release is also a welcome addition as you never know when you may need to shoot from the weak hand.
Springfield offers the XD in five calibers; the 9mm Luger, .357 SIG, .40 S&W, .45 GAP, and .45 ACP. We talk about ballistics in other parts of the website, but the .45 GAP isn’t getting much press. Briefly, it is about as tall as the 9×19mm yet carries a .45 slug. It will have similar ballistics as it’s bigger brother, the .45 ACP. So what does this mean to you the shooter? If you have smaller hands, the .45 GAP will make the grip of your pistol proportionally slimmer, making it easier for you to get the gun you want, and still be able to wrap your hand around it. Beware though. The .45 GAP does not seem to have the vast selection of manufacturers available; i.e. If you want to hit the range last minute on a Saturday, you probably won’t be able to find the .45 GAP at your local Walmart.
The XD series is designed to be “on safe”. This means that until you grab the gun properly, it will not fire. There is a grip safety and trigger safety, and in the new XD^M, Springfield adds a slide safety as well as other enhancements. Springfield designs a blocking type safety which means the firing pin is blocked from striking the primer of a chambered cartridge by a piece of metal. This isn’t disengaged until the safety is properly “removed” by a firm grip. The only way to remove that, and shoot the gun properly, is to place the webbing of your hand in the curvature of the safety. I’ve had several newbies reach down to try my pistol at the range, get the sights lined up, pull the trigger, and only feel their own bodies recoil. You have to grip this gun properly or you only realize a shooters induced crappy shot!
The trigger is reminiscent of Glock’s trigger safety. Springfield introduces a little catch-bar that keeps you from firing unless direct rearward pressure is applied to the trigger. It does not interfere with normal trigger manipulation, but it could keep you from having an accident in the holster. What do I mean? Imagine wearing one of those snazzy windbreakers that we Austinites need to wear in the winter time. You’re at the range, and you holster your weapon to pull in your target. When you reach up to pull the target out of the clothes pins, you are quite surprised when the gun goes off in the holster! After checking yourself for a GSW (or getting medical attention for yourself or someone else), you realize the drawstring that wraps around the waist of your windbreaker has wedged itself into the trigger guard and the holster. The gun discharged as you reached for your target applying tension to the drawstring. The trigger safety and the grip safety have this kind of incident in mind.
The XD design also has a firing pin sticker indicator and a chamber indicator. At the back of the pistol is a pin that will protrude from the slide when the firing pin is cocked and ready to go. You can see it, or if the lights are off, run your finger up the backstrap toward the rear sight and you’ll feel it. Likewise, the chamber indicator will rise slightly above the slide if a round is loaded into the breech. You can either see it if lighting permits, or run your finger over it when it’s dark. In this case, Springfield uses two of the five senses to let you know when that weapon is ready to be deployed.