New Springfield XD-M!!

A single stack slim gripped subcompact would be neat!

BTW, anyone else get the feeling that SA didn't want to be caught behind the curve like Glock?

Nothing wrong with the Glock, but to have just come out with SF gripped pistols after years of others setting their sights on Glock's market share by offering reduced dimensioned grips and exchangeable backstraps, let alone other companies marketing grip reductions for Glocks...just sounds a little less concerned with introducing what the customer might find more appealing than keeping the status quo, as good as that might be. It appears that SA is seeing the interest in the M&P and doesn't what to be stymied by not offering what its competitors have.

Could be wrong, but I am curious to note the quick and multitudenous offerings of the XD in its various incarnations after SA took over the U.S. marketing of the Croat pistol.

Butter:

Here in the US, unless you're part of an agency where one size fits all, there seems to be a huge variation in "what I like" v.s. "what you like". A large series of options only helps sell more guns. If you look at the XD, in 9mm, there are two or three grip frame lengths, and two or three barrel lengths.

(Oddly, Glock is doing the same thing ....)

It means that if you like the XD, and want a small one, the XD-9 SC is a good choice. It's an ever better choice if you already have one of the larger ones. Even if nothing fits, they work about the same until you start talking about thumb safeties.

Some of it is pure marketing - the "gear", a simple kit of holster, magazine holders, and a magazine loader, can get the first-time purchaser started. (The holster and mag carrier are not particularly concealment friendly, but it's a start, and I'm one of those guys who believes in a holster on the range.)

S&W was doing the same "gear" deal with the M&P, but apparently decided to discontinue it. I don't care much for Kydex, but the "gear" with the M&P 40 I just picked up is much better than Springfield provided.

Another bit of fun is sights - night, fiber optic, etc., or "furniture" - slide stop and thumb safety colors at Para, for example, on their basic 745 series gun.

Most of these are generally just cosmetic, and while they do complicate the inventory issues a bit (your dealer may not have the exact model you want), they usually can be found, or you may find your dealer willing to drop his price a bit to compensate....

I'm a nibbler, I guess. Not quite "gun of the month", but willing to try something else. My only rule, besides trying to save a few bucks, is to avoid stuff that has controls that are too far opposite from what I'm used to.

YMMV, of course....

Regards,

Looks like the M&P!

Of course, people really seem to like the handling on the M&P, so this change is likely a good thing. Seems like "hands on" evaluation is in order!

Or as I like to refer to it as: XD for Dummies.

Beagle-zebub said:

Looks like the M&P!

Click to expand...

Mmm, I'm not seeing the resemblance.

Maybe post the one next to the other for comparison?

Here's a try:





Sure look similar....

Regards,

A manual safety is a good thing on a duty pistol. That's something Glock missed the boat on. I carried a Glock on duty for years, always wished it had the manual safety. The trend of late has been to the "point and click" models. Manual safeties on duty weapons have saved many officer's lives. A lot of agencies choose to ignore this fact, and continue to procure the "Dumbed Down" pistols under the assumption that trainees can't be trained to operate a safety lever! As far as looks go, I think all the striker fired polymer wonder pistols are ugly. I learned to get past that, and accept them for what they are, an efficient fighting tool. I now own nine of the ugly suckers, and shoot them frequently. None of mine inspire pride of ownership, they just do the job intended.
str1

I kinda like the more pronounced ridges on the front of the grip, the XD has always seemed a bit overly smooth. I also like the capacity increase. The question I have is, are they basically using the XD-45s grip instead of the classic HS2000 grip? 13rds of .45 ACP vs 9rds of .45 GAP is the difference between those two grips. The four round difference in capacity seems to be the norm. If thats going to be the rule of thumb, will be be seeing a 20rd 9mm mag? All the xd will need is a carbine version. Something I'd like to see at that.

SMMAssociates said:

Here's a try:

Click to expand...

Between the two: The grip serrations/undercut/profile are different, slide serrations/angles/cut outs are different, the control locations are different, the trigger guard is different, the beaver-tail is different, the trigger safety is different, the shape around the rail is different, the thumb rest is different, etc. etc. etc. The only similarity I can see is the semi-circular thumbnail cutout on the slide.

Well, I guess they are both polymer-framed and black.

SuperNaut:

Although I own an XD and an M&P, they're both essentially the same - the differences are mostly cosmetic, IMHO, although some of the little things may make a difference to some people.

(The XD has a rather pretty young woman behind it. I wonder if she comes with the gun? )

Functionally, although my XD has a grip safety, I find 'em pretty similar on the range.

The new XD is, of course, a little different, but....

Regards,

Well, after getting a look at some further (and rather clear) pictures posted ...

http://www.xdtalk.com/forums/hs2000-sa-xd-range-reports/70222-springfield-armory-xd-m-warn-56k.html

It appears significantly revised from the 'new-for-2008' XD with the ambidextrous manual safety.

I'd like to see how it balanced and felt in the hand during live-fire sometime. The last couple of standard service size XD's (9mm & .40 S&W) I tried weren't bad as far as grip angle, but were a bit blocky and tall in the hand. The 'M' version at least gives the appearance of being slimmer in both frame & slide contours.

Can't blame them for trying their hand at refinement.

Cosmetics & aesthetics? That's in the eye of the beholder. Somebody could certainly design an uglier one on their computer. Be glad this design is the one that was produced ... although people being people, and generally resistant to change, there will probably be folks who are prepared to instantly dislike it.

Wonder if they'll offer it with a manual safety like the 'new' original style .45 ACP?

My recently purchased MP45 w/thumb safeties and night sights will probably be my last .45 pistol for a long while. Nine pistols chambered in .45 ACP ought to be enough, I'd think ...

I'll keep an eye out for one passing through our range, though, just out of curiosity.

Manual safeties on duty weapons have saved many officer's lives.

Click to expand...

Do you have any sources proving that?

It's kind of like saying airbags save lives when really it's people not crashing into stuff that does that.

If you keep your fingers off the trigger the gun doesn't go bang

my take...

I think im gong to sound a bit antagonistic, but it is only to make a point.

"I'm never going to buy that screwdrive because it is soooooo ugly!. Who cares if it may be stronger, screw better, or possibly be the best screwdriver ever!"

I see this in relation to this gun....
Do we buy guns for their asthetics? And if so, why isnt anybody buying those "awesome" gold desert eagles with the tiger stripes
Anyway, flame on!

I think im gong to sound a bit antagonistic

Click to expand...

Just a bit.

One could apply your argument to cars or houses as well.

Why buy a BMW when a fiatt will get you around the same.

Why live in a four bedroom house when a trailer will keep the rain off your stuff just as well.

Why give anything a pleasing shape when all we really need it to do is function?

Anyway, flame on!

Click to expand...

Do you like fat chicks?

Hahahaha!

I don't care who you are, that was funny.

see this in relation to this gun....
Do we buy guns for their asthetics? And if so, why isnt anybody buying those "awesome" gold desert eagles with the tiger stripes
Anyway, flame on!

Click to expand...

Well, are we to assume you think the blinging gold dessert eagles with the tiger strips are aesthetically pleasing? The most aesthetically pleasing to me, are the guns with clean lines, nice bluing or a good stainless finish that are tastefully done. A Browning Hi Power, a Colt 1911/1991, a clean Model 19 S&W are a few that come to mind. But if it's as you put it, buy "functional only" or buy "Bling", I'll agree with you and take the functional, non-aesthetically pleasing guns every time.

Back to the XD-M. I will admit, the stainless slide version of the XD-M looks better in the picture on the XD forum than the black version posted in the first pic in this thread.

I still don't like the looks of grip.

I love my two XDs but I will probably get one of these too. I have small hands, and while my XDs fit me well, a smaller backstrap might just make it the perfect pistol for me. I'm not super crazy about the serrations on the grip, I like the current XD checkering, but I could get over that. I also really like this gun in bitone. The on on the SA website looks really nice.

TX1911,

I'll echo what you just said and say I really like the XDs but if the grip was just a shade slimmer for more control, it would be really ideal fpr me. Slimmer profile would be nice too. I like the XD subcompact, but if it had a single stack and was slimmer to copy the EMP more...that would be sweet!

The back strap on this M version, though, reminds me a bit of the Beretta Storm, which honestly didn't do anything for me as far as better gripping ability. On the other hand, the way S&W created their backstrap for the M&P is almost ideal in comfort and control.

I guess we'll all just have to see, but kind of neat if you can obtain some beneficially subtle differences and still keep all the reliability and similarity in the manual of arms for the XD. Just neat to have options.

walking arsenal - Massad Ayoob has about 40 -45 years of incidents where officers who had their service pistol on-safe in a disarmarment situation by otherwise unarmed perpetrators survived, and prevailed (usually thanks to a backup pistol or a fellow officer killing the perpetrator while he was delayed by the safety catch).

Meanwhile, Ayoob has noted the drastic increase of police killed with their own firearms in the "point and pull" era of the Glock.

That kind of math tends to favor the thumb safety. And, if you can't handle the thumb safety as SA put it on the ONLY MODEL OF XD TO POSSESS SUCH A LEVER, do you wear loafers because it's too difficult to tie shoes?

XDKingslayer - Like 'em. I LOVE one.

I'll be honest... the grip looks like some sort of funky yet sadistic [in, as somebody mentioned earlier, a AvP sort of way] prophylactic. Aesthetics matter too much to me... I don't see myself having one of those any time soon.

Massad Ayoob has about 40 -45 years of incidents where officers who had their service pistol on-safe in a disarmarment situation by otherwise unarmed perpetrators survived, and prevailed (usually thanks to a backup pistol or a fellow officer killing the perpetrator while he was delayed by the safety catch).

Meanwhile, Ayoob has noted the drastic increase of police killed with their own firearms in the "point and pull" era of the Glock.

I think that is just one more example of why civilian and LEO's have different gun requirements and therefore shouldn't necessarily use the same guns. It is one thing to have a gun on your hip for anyone to see and another to have it hidden from view. Similarly, it makes sense for an LEO to carry a backup and extra mags...both of very little value for 99.999% civilian/BG encounters.

I currently have an XD9 sub, but I was looking at the 5" XD45 as my next purchase - lights, lasers, the whole works! I decided on the XD45 after learning I could buy it for HALF the price of the HK45 I really wanted.

Likewise, I'd love to buy a HK P30, but now that I see this ........? Then you throw the M&P from Smith and I'm all confused. At least it's a good problem to have, right? I doubt I could go wrong with either of these guns.

Anyone have the expertise to put pics of the new XD-M, the M&P, and the P30 all on the same page? Bet they'd look like kissing cousins .........