Stephen A. Camp
Moderator In Memoriam
- Joined
- Dec 24, 2002
- Messages
- 2,430
Hello. Like many traditionalists, I was wrong in thinking that "plastic guns" would break quickly and not last the test of time. Though I steel prefer blued steel and old, "out of date" Hi Powers and 1911s, there are many who rather like these "modern" pistols using polymer in place of the traditional steel or aluminum alloy frame. Though there were such pistols before Glock, it was the design that entrenched polymer in handguns likely from now on.
Of late I've been reading and hearing about a newcomer to this field, Springfield's XD. The pistol's available in a compact version, the service version, and a longer, tactical version and is chambered in 9mm, .357 SIG, and .40 S&W at present.
Some opine that's it's a superior pistol to the Glock, which it obvious emulates while others firmly disagree. Me, I don't know, but decided to add one to my collection and find out. Understand that while I will make observations and give opinions, such are frequently subjective and might not be true for you. This report is a bit more detailed than others I've done as not all of us are so familiar with the XD as we might be other guns. I'm well-satisfied that some are considering buying as well.
The Pistol: I traded off a gun that I've not shot in years and came home with the XD9 Service version of the gun. I suspect that this will be the most common version of the XD in use.
I find the XD to be comfortable in handling...
Specs from Springfield Armory:
Barrel Length: 4.05"
Weight: 25 oz.
Length: 7"
Trigger Pull: 5.5 to 7.7 lbs. (They have the Glock-like safety lever mounted in the trigger, but refer to it in combination with the grip safety as "Ultra Safety Assurance" (USA) action trigger system.
Magazines: 10 round stainless steel "Easy Glide"
Finish: Bruniral
I also took some measurements that might be of interest:
Slide Thickness: 1.04" (Glock 26 measures: 1.003" for comparison.)
Frame Thickness: 1.18"
(Both are at the widest points.)
Barrel Diameter at Muzzle: 0.53" (It holds this diameter rearward for 0.36".)
Barrel Diameter Beyond Above: 0.52:
Vertical Bbl Movement w/Grip Safety Depressed: 0.01"* (Gun not cocked.)
Vertical Bbl Movement w/Grip Safety Not Depressed: Same (Gun not cocked.)
Vertical Bbl Movement w/Grip Safety Depressed: 0.015" (Gun cocked.)
Vertical Bbl Movement w/Grip Safety Not Depressed: 0.02" (Gun cocked.)
Distance from Middle of Fully Depressed Grip Safety to Middle of Trigger w/o
Depressing Trigger Safety: 2.598"
*When released, the bbl moved back upward as do the Glock bbls when pressed in the same manner.
Unlike the Glock pistol which is close kin to a DAO auto in that pressing the trigger fully cocks and releases the partially-cocked striker, when a round's chambered in the XD the striker's fully cocked and blocked by a sear and also has an internal firing pin safety that allows the pistol to fire only when the trigger's in the rearmost position. In this instance, I DO like the internal firing pin safety as there is no half-cock notch should something go wrong.
The polymer frame around the magazine well, which is beveled on the sides and rear does not flex as do the Glocks, not that this really matters in terms of function. The front and rear gripstraps are coarsely checkered and do provide for a secure grip. The thumb rests are more like thumb depressions and are actually very comfortable to me. I find the grip angle and grip "feel" more comfortable than any Glock. There is a slight relief cut under the rear of the triggerguard.
The recoil spring system consists of two springs and the dual guide rods are steel. I don't have any idea what strength these amount to, but am guessing about 18 lbs. This system closely resembles the two-piece system sold by Wolff Gunsprings for the Glock 26. Unlike the Wolff, however, these springs are captive, something I don't like as it makes it more difficult to change out recoil springs. Also, the forward end of the guide rod consists of a flat disc, which protrudes from the front of the slide by 0.06". I'm sure that this prevents any problems or damage to the part, but this does not look all that great to me. Like most pistols these days, Springfield managed to squeeze in three front cocking serrations so as not to be out of style.
Here's the front of the steel spring guide in it's normal position. Looks kind of "wierd" to me.
Underside of the XD & Glock 26 slides. XD's on the left.
Here you can see the XD's recoil spring system, which is similar to the Wolff two-piece unit installed on the Glock 26 on the right.
With the slides removed, you can see the similarities and differences between the XD (top) compared to the Glock
The grooved trigger is steel with the safety being polymer. The trigger pull is long, but with a very minimal amount of overtravel. Despite this weapon's firing from a fully "cocked" pistol, the trigger pull feels about the same as that of the standard factory Glock, but maybe not quite as smooth. Whether or not this smooths up with use, I do not yet know. Trigger reset is considerably longer than the Glock; it proved no problem for me as I'm an old double-action revolver shooter and currently shoot Browning Hi Powers quite a lot. Those who are really quick and welded to the 1911's exceptional trigger and short reset might have a problem with this pistol during speed shooting strings. The XD trigger is approximately 0.373" wide, centered in a triggerguard that's about 0.603" wide. This means the trigger's about 0.115" narrower than the triggerguard on each side. For comparison, I measured my Glock 26 for these dimensions. The trigger measured 0.385" in width, centered in a triggerguard that's 0.625" wide. Thus, the trigger is protected by 0.12" of triggerguard on each side. I see no particular "threat" from either being too wide for the triggerguard.
Here you can see the steel XD trigger and the disassembly lever in the "up" postion for removal of the slide. Note that the pin in the trigger is peened and is so on both sides.
The grooves in the frame allow for the use of a proprietary light source for those interested.
The ambidextrous magazine release is mounted behind the triggerguard ala 1911, SIG-Sauer, Browning HP, et al. Depressing the steel mag release retracts the catch from the notch located in the front of the magazine body. The stainless steel body is very highly polished and smooth as a mirror. It does drop free w/o hesitation. The follower is black polymer as is the magazine's floorplate. It loaded smoothly and w/o undue effort. Rounds stripped by hand did so very smoothly and the follower/spring/lips set up is such that loaded rounds are angled upward for slick feeding. Don't worry about losing this magazine at night. Just shine a flashlight in the general area and it should reflect like a diamond! Nothing bright shows while in the pistol. There is a hollow area behind the magazine well as is the case with the Glock.
A nice feature is the way the frame is recessed a bit in the area of the magazine release so that it's not so likely to accidentally be depressed. The grip safety is also visible.
The slide release lever looks very similar to the Glock, but is larger and operates the same way.
Continued...
Of late I've been reading and hearing about a newcomer to this field, Springfield's XD. The pistol's available in a compact version, the service version, and a longer, tactical version and is chambered in 9mm, .357 SIG, and .40 S&W at present.
Some opine that's it's a superior pistol to the Glock, which it obvious emulates while others firmly disagree. Me, I don't know, but decided to add one to my collection and find out. Understand that while I will make observations and give opinions, such are frequently subjective and might not be true for you. This report is a bit more detailed than others I've done as not all of us are so familiar with the XD as we might be other guns. I'm well-satisfied that some are considering buying as well.
The Pistol: I traded off a gun that I've not shot in years and came home with the XD9 Service version of the gun. I suspect that this will be the most common version of the XD in use.
I find the XD to be comfortable in handling...
Specs from Springfield Armory:
Barrel Length: 4.05"
Weight: 25 oz.
Length: 7"
Trigger Pull: 5.5 to 7.7 lbs. (They have the Glock-like safety lever mounted in the trigger, but refer to it in combination with the grip safety as "Ultra Safety Assurance" (USA) action trigger system.
Magazines: 10 round stainless steel "Easy Glide"
Finish: Bruniral
I also took some measurements that might be of interest:
Slide Thickness: 1.04" (Glock 26 measures: 1.003" for comparison.)
Frame Thickness: 1.18"
(Both are at the widest points.)
Barrel Diameter at Muzzle: 0.53" (It holds this diameter rearward for 0.36".)
Barrel Diameter Beyond Above: 0.52:
Vertical Bbl Movement w/Grip Safety Depressed: 0.01"* (Gun not cocked.)
Vertical Bbl Movement w/Grip Safety Not Depressed: Same (Gun not cocked.)
Vertical Bbl Movement w/Grip Safety Depressed: 0.015" (Gun cocked.)
Vertical Bbl Movement w/Grip Safety Not Depressed: 0.02" (Gun cocked.)
Distance from Middle of Fully Depressed Grip Safety to Middle of Trigger w/o
Depressing Trigger Safety: 2.598"
*When released, the bbl moved back upward as do the Glock bbls when pressed in the same manner.
Unlike the Glock pistol which is close kin to a DAO auto in that pressing the trigger fully cocks and releases the partially-cocked striker, when a round's chambered in the XD the striker's fully cocked and blocked by a sear and also has an internal firing pin safety that allows the pistol to fire only when the trigger's in the rearmost position. In this instance, I DO like the internal firing pin safety as there is no half-cock notch should something go wrong.
The polymer frame around the magazine well, which is beveled on the sides and rear does not flex as do the Glocks, not that this really matters in terms of function. The front and rear gripstraps are coarsely checkered and do provide for a secure grip. The thumb rests are more like thumb depressions and are actually very comfortable to me. I find the grip angle and grip "feel" more comfortable than any Glock. There is a slight relief cut under the rear of the triggerguard.
The recoil spring system consists of two springs and the dual guide rods are steel. I don't have any idea what strength these amount to, but am guessing about 18 lbs. This system closely resembles the two-piece system sold by Wolff Gunsprings for the Glock 26. Unlike the Wolff, however, these springs are captive, something I don't like as it makes it more difficult to change out recoil springs. Also, the forward end of the guide rod consists of a flat disc, which protrudes from the front of the slide by 0.06". I'm sure that this prevents any problems or damage to the part, but this does not look all that great to me. Like most pistols these days, Springfield managed to squeeze in three front cocking serrations so as not to be out of style.
Here's the front of the steel spring guide in it's normal position. Looks kind of "wierd" to me.
Underside of the XD & Glock 26 slides. XD's on the left.
Here you can see the XD's recoil spring system, which is similar to the Wolff two-piece unit installed on the Glock 26 on the right.
With the slides removed, you can see the similarities and differences between the XD (top) compared to the Glock
The grooved trigger is steel with the safety being polymer. The trigger pull is long, but with a very minimal amount of overtravel. Despite this weapon's firing from a fully "cocked" pistol, the trigger pull feels about the same as that of the standard factory Glock, but maybe not quite as smooth. Whether or not this smooths up with use, I do not yet know. Trigger reset is considerably longer than the Glock; it proved no problem for me as I'm an old double-action revolver shooter and currently shoot Browning Hi Powers quite a lot. Those who are really quick and welded to the 1911's exceptional trigger and short reset might have a problem with this pistol during speed shooting strings. The XD trigger is approximately 0.373" wide, centered in a triggerguard that's about 0.603" wide. This means the trigger's about 0.115" narrower than the triggerguard on each side. For comparison, I measured my Glock 26 for these dimensions. The trigger measured 0.385" in width, centered in a triggerguard that's 0.625" wide. Thus, the trigger is protected by 0.12" of triggerguard on each side. I see no particular "threat" from either being too wide for the triggerguard.
Here you can see the steel XD trigger and the disassembly lever in the "up" postion for removal of the slide. Note that the pin in the trigger is peened and is so on both sides.
The grooves in the frame allow for the use of a proprietary light source for those interested.
The ambidextrous magazine release is mounted behind the triggerguard ala 1911, SIG-Sauer, Browning HP, et al. Depressing the steel mag release retracts the catch from the notch located in the front of the magazine body. The stainless steel body is very highly polished and smooth as a mirror. It does drop free w/o hesitation. The follower is black polymer as is the magazine's floorplate. It loaded smoothly and w/o undue effort. Rounds stripped by hand did so very smoothly and the follower/spring/lips set up is such that loaded rounds are angled upward for slick feeding. Don't worry about losing this magazine at night. Just shine a flashlight in the general area and it should reflect like a diamond! Nothing bright shows while in the pistol. There is a hollow area behind the magazine well as is the case with the Glock.
A nice feature is the way the frame is recessed a bit in the area of the magazine release so that it's not so likely to accidentally be depressed. The grip safety is also visible.
The slide release lever looks very similar to the Glock, but is larger and operates the same way.
Continued...