How many less guns would Springfield have sold if...

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they had taken the XD to market as the HS2000? I always marvel at the the marketing behind the gun as there is really no evidence that it is any more reliable or robust than any other mid-range polymer.

I am not bashing them as I own one, but I always chuckle at how many people buy the whole "extreme duty" concept hook, line and sinker.
 
I bought the XDm not because it was the "Extreme Duty - Match", but because it had all of the features I wanted. That being a DAO or Striker-Fired trigger mechanism, loaded chamber indicator, trigger safety, no manual safety, no requirement to pull the trigger when disassembling, high capacity magazine (16 in .40, compared with a lot of weapons which have 10-12, or even Glocks which have 15), accurate enough for SD work, reliable enough for SD work, and safe enough to carry loaded on a regular basis.

The name didn't play into it, although I will admit "XDM" is much more fun to say than "HS2000". Model numbers in the 4-digits are only cool if they have the "Binford" brand name and are being described by Tim Allen.
 
I don't think it's so much buying into the "eXtreme Duty" concept. I'm not sure I even knew what XD even stood for before reading your post. I think "XD" is just a lot catchier and easier to remember than "HS2000." And even that isn't a huge deal.

The Springfield Armory name, advertising, and product support are the big factors.

If you buy a BUL or a Caracal today, will there be parts (avail in the US) tomorrow? Will you be able to find a holster for it? You know the XD parts, service, and accessories will be around when SA has invested so much money into it, already.
 
I'll echo another poster and say that I had no idea that's what "XD" stood for. Of course, I don't own one, so what does that mean?
 
Its not the "XD" vs "HS2000" that affected sales as much as the words "Springfield Armory".

No one bought the HS2000 because they didn't want a Croation made handgun.....they wanted AMERICAN by golly!

So they bought a Springfield Armory XD thinking it's more American.
 
I have vehicles assembled in Canada and Mexico, TVs from Japan, shotguns from Taiwan, and who knows what else. Fact is the XD is made in Croatia, to very exacting Springfield standards, and they function flawlessly.

I have never slept in a Holiday Inn Express, but I DO own four XDs.
 
I wasn't keen on the XD until I shot an XDm 9... now I want one. I could care less what they call it; I also didn't know that XD stood for XTREEEEEEM21@! DOODY!@!!

they are good pistols, though.

Springfield's rep for good service and lifetime warranty probably helps a lot also.
 
I just bought my 2 XD's because I like how they feel, shoot and because they had a grip safety. I like 'em.
 
I also had no idea XD meant "Extreme duty" when I bought the gun, in fact I've never heard anyone refer to it as such. It's the XD, plain and simple.

I agree 110% with what had already been said. The only reason people buy the XD over the HS2000 even though it's the same gun is the words SPRINGFIELD ARMORY stamped on the gun. A well known American company with their marketing skills beats an unknown Croatian company everyday.
 
I bought mine (3.8 Compact in .40 cal) based on how well it fit my hand along with the saftey/awareness features Skribs described above. It seemed to be the best fit for the purpose I was buying it for, conceal carry with a punch. Good reputation, no exposed hammer or beavertail to potentially snag, fairly smooth and rounded edges, no saftey to remember to disengage, high capacity, relatively compact yet large enough to get a good grip, all that came into play. I would have bought it even if it was called a JingleHeimerSchmidt, but I would have shortened that to JHS. The Sig 239 was a close contender and even though I prefer a hammer and SA/DA the Sig lost the race due to the weight difference, capacity and price.
 
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I think the SA logo is what sells them. I own 2 xd's and an xdm. Seeing SA stamped on it makes me feel like I'm getting a quality product just like if I see Glock or Sig stamped on it.
If they would of come to market and sold them as the Springfield Armorey hs2000 they would have sold just as many I think. I don't think what they put behind the SA would of mattered.
Another reason I bought it over the hs2000 is because well....I've never seen an hs2000 for sale. Ther're all xd's.
 
I bought a HS 2000 10 years ago and I have a xd9. Both had a lifetime warranty. The difference is with the hs 2000 importer folded pretty quickly and my warranty from them was worthless. With springfield I am much more comfortable that they will still around for awhile. Price wise I just got a great deal on the xd and with the 3 free mag promotion I am very happy. Mark
 
Skribs said:
I bought the XDm not because it was the "Extreme Duty - Match", but because it had all of the features I wanted. That being a DAO or Striker-Fired trigger mechanism, loaded chamber indicator, trigger safety, no manual safety, no requirement to pull the trigger when disassembling, high capacity magazine (16 in .40, compared with a lot of weapons which have 10-12, or even Glocks which have 15), accurate enough for SD work, reliable enough for SD work, and safe enough to carry loaded on a regular basis.

The name didn't play into it, although I will admit "XDM" is much more fun to say than "HS2000". Model numbers in the 4-digits are only cool if they have the "Binford" brand name and are being described by Tim Allen.
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Bad news bro -- the XD line is SAO ;)
 
I always marvel at the the marketing behind the gun as there is really no evidence that it is any more reliable or robust than any other mid-range polymer.
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I still can't come around to thinking about it as a "mid-range polymer." Remember, when the first generation HS2K hit the shelves it was a $260 pistol that no one had heard of. Now that it has some extra cocking serrations and crossed cannons on the slide it is a $500 pistol? I had a 2ng Gen. HS and it was an okay gun, but there was a design flaw in the locking block that led me to get rid of it and never look back.

Since "Extreme" is a played out Marketing fad, maybe they will assign it another acronym and jack up the price another $200?
 
I am not bashing them as I own one, but I always chuckle at how many people buy the whole "extreme duty" concept hook, line and sinker.
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Interesting. I didn't know that's what "XD" meant until this thread. I bought the gun based on reviews of them.

And the M is for match? Didn't know that either.
 
I didn't know the HS2000 existed until Springfield Armory brought them in as XDs. Considering all the ads in the gun mags back then, I truly thought the XD was a new and innovative American design from an American gun company. That is what got me interested in them.

Not until I saw one in person that I wondered why it had Croatia marked on the side, yet the slide had the Springfield Armory logo on top.

I gotta say that in my case, I would have put off buying a HS2000 back then just because of unfamiliarity with Croatian built guns. Springfield Armory's marketing appealed to the American gun buying people. It was a job well done, IMO.
 
Springfield Armory is the sole US importer of the XD/XDM series of pistols.

In places other than the USA, they are sold as the HS-2000 series of pistols.

Springfield Armory had nothing to do with the design and development of the HS-2000. They are just the sole US importer.

Interesting to note that as part of the "XD" marketing that Springfield Armory did, they also raised the price by $300.
Something able Americans not trusting/buying unknown inexpensive foreign made pistols, but they would buy it if it was offered by an American company at a higher price point ("if it's more expensive, then it's quality item").
 
"Extreme duty', "Glock perfection", "new and improved", "large economy size", "it's the real thing" and all the rest are marketing slogans written by the marketing department to grab your attention and hopefully convenience you to part with your hard earned money.
 
Quiet said:
Springfield Armory is the sole US importer of the XD/XDM series of pistols.

In places other than the USA, they are sold as the HS-2000 series of pistols.

Springfield Armory had nothing to do with the design and development of the HS-2000. They are just the sole US importer.

Interesting to note that as part of the "XD" marketing that Springfield Armory did, they also raised the price by $300.
Something able Americans not trusting/buying unknown inexpensive foreign made pistols, but they would buy it if it was offered by an American company at a higher price point ("if it's more expensive, then it's quality item").
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Raised by $300? I bought my hs2000 from CDNN 10 years ago for around $290 or $300 shipped. I bought my new xd9 for $399 with 5 mags, two mag pouches and a holster last month. This was locally to me in california. Mark
 
According to some independent people who have done torture tests on the XD, including a year-long test that included such things as throwing it off cliffs onto rocks, submerging it and filling it with mud, and more, Xtreme Duty really is accurate. The gun survived and functioned flawlessly, and is now his nightstand gun. It's definitely an insanely durable firearm and, in my opinion, far superior to a Glock.

In all honesty, I don't think the name matters so much, although XD is definitely catchy. XS2000 is a pretty good-sounding name as well, although things with the "2000" logo are kind of dated-sounding now, after Y2k. But a good gun and a good name make for great marketing. It's definitely one of the, if not *the*, finest polymer pistols ever.
 
dogtown tom said:
Its not the "XD" vs "HS2000" that affected sales as much as the words "Springfield Armory".

No one bought the HS2000 because they didn't want a Croation made handgun.....they wanted AMERICAN by golly!

So they bought a Springfield Armory XD thinking it's more American.
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DING DING DING DING DING WE HAVE A WINNER!

Springfield XDs are like my Chrysler PT Cruiser ... lots of folk have bought them so they can "Buy 'Merican!" (note that the PT Cruiser is Hencho en Mexico).

And the M is for match?
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According to Springfield the M is for "More" (at least that's what they ran in some of the ads when it came out).
 
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