TomJ
Contributing Member
I purchased the XDS .45 3.3 over a year ago to use as a concealed piece. It took a number of trips to Springfield and my local gun smith to get it to feed reliably, but once it did it was an excellent choice. The issue I ran into, however, was the recoil. Over the years I broke my right wrist once and the hand twice, and those injuries have started to take their toll. At most, I was able to put 200 rounds through it before my wrist was throbbing and I had to stop. I really liked the gun, wanted to keep it and wanted to be able to shoot it enough to be proficient with it, with the understanding that it was never meant to be a range gun.
Enter the 4.0. I heard that the increased barrel length reduced it's recoil and made it more accurate. I was skeptical that an increase of .7 inches could make much of a difference, but took a chance on it when Bud's had one with the essential option at a price I couldn't turn down. The difference has been considerable. I was at the range with it last week and put almost 400 rounds through it with no pain in my wrist. Had I brought more ammo, I could have kept going. I won't tell you it's gentle, as it's still a 23.5 ounce gun shooting .45's, but the difference in recoil from the 3.3 is noticeable. In addition to the reduced recoil, it seems to be more accurate than the 3.3, as my groupings were much tighter.
With a width of less than an inch and at 23.5 ounces, it's easy to carry all day. The 5 round magazine makes it easy to conceal when necessary, with the option of 7 + 1 in what's still a concealable gun. Springfield recently released a 6 round magazine, which seems to strike the perfect balance between capacity and conceal-ability. The magazines are thin, so it's easy to carry a couple of them, giving you 22 rounds of .45 if you're concerned about capacity. If you've been holding off on one due to the recoil of the 3.3, which a few of my friends are, I'd recommend renting one if possible and giving the 4.0 a try.
Enter the 4.0. I heard that the increased barrel length reduced it's recoil and made it more accurate. I was skeptical that an increase of .7 inches could make much of a difference, but took a chance on it when Bud's had one with the essential option at a price I couldn't turn down. The difference has been considerable. I was at the range with it last week and put almost 400 rounds through it with no pain in my wrist. Had I brought more ammo, I could have kept going. I won't tell you it's gentle, as it's still a 23.5 ounce gun shooting .45's, but the difference in recoil from the 3.3 is noticeable. In addition to the reduced recoil, it seems to be more accurate than the 3.3, as my groupings were much tighter.
With a width of less than an inch and at 23.5 ounces, it's easy to carry all day. The 5 round magazine makes it easy to conceal when necessary, with the option of 7 + 1 in what's still a concealable gun. Springfield recently released a 6 round magazine, which seems to strike the perfect balance between capacity and conceal-ability. The magazines are thin, so it's easy to carry a couple of them, giving you 22 rounds of .45 if you're concerned about capacity. If you've been holding off on one due to the recoil of the 3.3, which a few of my friends are, I'd recommend renting one if possible and giving the 4.0 a try.
