cslinger
Member
Well here I am with other range report for the perusal of all of you gentle readers. Today we have the Springfield Armory XD45 Compact. That 45 stands for .45 God Bless America ACP.
As some of you may know my last foray into the realm of tactical tupperwear didn't turn out so well with the purchase of an HK P2000 with LEM module. Not a bad gun but certainly not one for me. If anybody is interested that report can be found here. http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=226513&highlight=p2000
With that being said it is on to the XD45....
A little history before we begin. I owned one of the very first HS2000s in 9mm back in the day. Bought it new for $260 bucks and found it to be a fantastic firearm that just about out Glocked ole' my gun is perfect Gaston. Although I loved the ole' Croatian Sensation or Holy Sh%@ 2K it had one big flaw. It was 9mm and only had 10 round magazines at the time. My thoughts at the time were this would make a great .45. Fast forward to today.
The XD45 Compact is an interesting gun. The grip is abbreviated to take a standard flush fitting 10 round magazine or a 13 round magazine that comes standard with a grip extender. Effectively you are buying two guns in one. This makes this gun rather versitile in my opinion.
The gun itself came with Trijicon night sights and sold for $599 locally. Not cheap, not a deal per say but not too bad either.
Upon receipt of the gun you will notice that it comes in a very nice case, opening the case shows a very well thought out ready to go out of the box setup. Included are the gun, 10 round compact magazine, 13 round full size magazine with grip extension, cable lock, cleaning brush, kydex holster, double magazine pouch, magazine loader, allen wrench and paper work. This gun is ready to work and all one needs to do is just add water....ahh ammo.
The gun feels great. It is a double stack .45 holding 13+1 rounds but feels as small as say a Glock .22. Very nice for those of use with girly hands and a hankering for .45 goodness. The polymer is not as robust as some others such as SIGS polymer guns but nothing to scoff at either. Fit and finish is good and the rollmarks are tastefully applied. There is no lawyer lock nor is their a magazine disconnect (big extra points from me.) The gun holds and point naturally. The 1911 style grip safety is unobtrusive and works as advised. The trigger has a Glock style active safety where one has to deliberately push it but that is where the similarity ends. The trigger is a steel component with a very very nice smooth pull. Not too light, not too heavy just right for a defensive firearm IMO. This trigger is easily the best of the plastic guns in my opinion. Ooops sorry, did I say plastic, I meant high tech, space age, molecular bonded, light weight, polymer material. It makes it easier to justify that $500 you just spent. 
On to the range. I ran both ball target ammo and plus P hollow point ammo and had nothing but smooth sailing. Everything fed and extracted just fine. I did my normal limp wristing, right hand, left hand, sideways etc. test to attempt to induce a malfunction. There were none. Well technically there were none..........
You see there was a small error between user and keyboard so to speak. I had two instances where the slide failed to lock back on empty. I found out quickly, my thumb was pushing the slide release down. Strictly an idiot behind the gun error.
All in all accuracy was very good, the gun fit my girly hands well and it was great fun to shoot. Basically the complete opposite of my P2000. So on to my findings.
As always all rating are out of 10 rounds with 10 being the best and 1 being the worst.
FIT AND FINISH 7 ROUNDS
Fit and finish was excellent easily as good as the Glocks I have owned or handled. I feel that HKs and Walthers are better finished and the gun ain't no SIG or high end gun. Just a good quality working gun easily the equal of its competition.
RELIABILITY 10 ROUNDS
What can I say, she fed and extracted everything I threw at her and did so in a variety of awkward shooting positions designed to induce a failure. This is what you want in a defensive gun folks.
ACCURACY 8 ROUNDS
The gun seemed very accurate when I did my part. I usually don't wring a new gun out with accuracy in mind as reliability is my first test. That being said the trigger is very good and when I worked on accuracy it easy put rounds close enough to make clover leafs and eventually bigger fist sized holes. It ain't no match gun but it is more then accurate enough for the tast. I will say the Glock 30 seemed more accurate in my hands but it could be a familiarity thing.
RECOIL (1 BEING A CHERRY BOMB GOING OFF IN YOUR HAND, 10 BEING A MARSHMELLO BEING CRUSHED IN YOUR HAND) 6 ROUNDS
I don't find .45 to have a harsh recoil impuse but it does push. This being a light polymer gun the gun does have a tendency to muzzle rise. The higher bore axis makes it a little harsher then a comparable Glock but not much. It is by NO MEANS A HARSH RECOILING FIREARM.
TRIGGER 8 ROUNDS
The best of all the tactical tupperwear guns IMHO. No grit, nice weight for a definsive gun, very nice in general. Reset is a little long but that is my only complaint. It isn't a target gun or super crisp 1911 but it is a very nice trigger for the style of gun we are discussing.
SIGHTS 9 ROUNDS
Steel Trijicon night sights. Not much more to say, darn good three dot defensive gun sights. Proven and solid.
ERGONOMICS 10 ROUNDS
This gun feels good in the hand. 14 rounds of .45 ACP yet still reasonably good feeling in the hand. The controls are all placed in just the right place, ambi magazine release is wonderful, takedown lever is well thought out, loaded chamber indicated by sight and feel, cocked striker indicator by touch and sight etc. About the only nitpick I could have is the slide release is a bit small.
FIELD STRIPPING 9 ROUNDS
The only thing holding it back from 10 rounds is the fact that you have to pull the trigger to field strip which is generally a pet peeve of mine. In this case it is not as bad because your are forced, like a SIG, to lock the slide back to activate the takedown lever. I feel takedown is easier and safer then with a Glock.
BANG FOR YOUR BUCK 10 ROUNDS
Sure this gun cost right what a new Glock would cost but take into consideration it comes ready to go out of the box with holsters, mag holders, cleaning gear, two magazines that effectively make it two different guns, night sights etc. These XDs are very nice package, especially for a new shooter just getting into the sport.
So is it a keeper? You are damn right it is a keeper. I am thrilled with this gun and where I expected so much by the P2000 and was a little let down, I didn't expect a lot with the XD and was very pleasantly surprised. These are good guns for the money and a great value for shooters new or old. I prefer the HS/XD to the comparible Glocks.
Here are a few pictures to finish things up.
The gun comes in a very nice plastic, lockable case.
As shown the gun comes stocked with accessories and is ready to go. Just add ammo. This is a nice touch. Sure the accessories aren't super great but they work and will do you just fine.
Here is a beauty shot.
Of course I had to buy an accessory, The Streamlight TLR 1 which is a fantastic, well priced tactical LED light. Another review for another time though. All configured for house gun duty.
Hope you enjoyed.
Shoot safe,
Chris
As some of you may know my last foray into the realm of tactical tupperwear didn't turn out so well with the purchase of an HK P2000 with LEM module. Not a bad gun but certainly not one for me. If anybody is interested that report can be found here. http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=226513&highlight=p2000
With that being said it is on to the XD45....
A little history before we begin. I owned one of the very first HS2000s in 9mm back in the day. Bought it new for $260 bucks and found it to be a fantastic firearm that just about out Glocked ole' my gun is perfect Gaston. Although I loved the ole' Croatian Sensation or Holy Sh%@ 2K it had one big flaw. It was 9mm and only had 10 round magazines at the time. My thoughts at the time were this would make a great .45. Fast forward to today.
The XD45 Compact is an interesting gun. The grip is abbreviated to take a standard flush fitting 10 round magazine or a 13 round magazine that comes standard with a grip extender. Effectively you are buying two guns in one. This makes this gun rather versitile in my opinion.
The gun itself came with Trijicon night sights and sold for $599 locally. Not cheap, not a deal per say but not too bad either.
Upon receipt of the gun you will notice that it comes in a very nice case, opening the case shows a very well thought out ready to go out of the box setup. Included are the gun, 10 round compact magazine, 13 round full size magazine with grip extension, cable lock, cleaning brush, kydex holster, double magazine pouch, magazine loader, allen wrench and paper work. This gun is ready to work and all one needs to do is just add water....ahh ammo.
The gun feels great. It is a double stack .45 holding 13+1 rounds but feels as small as say a Glock .22. Very nice for those of use with girly hands and a hankering for .45 goodness. The polymer is not as robust as some others such as SIGS polymer guns but nothing to scoff at either. Fit and finish is good and the rollmarks are tastefully applied. There is no lawyer lock nor is their a magazine disconnect (big extra points from me.
) The gun holds and point naturally. The 1911 style grip safety is unobtrusive and works as advised. The trigger has a Glock style active safety where one has to deliberately push it but that is where the similarity ends. The trigger is a steel component with a very very nice smooth pull. Not too light, not too heavy just right for a defensive firearm IMO. This trigger is easily the best of the plastic guns in my opinion. Ooops sorry, did I say plastic, I meant high tech, space age, molecular bonded, light weight, polymer material. It makes it easier to justify that $500 you just spent. On to the range. I ran both ball target ammo and plus P hollow point ammo and had nothing but smooth sailing. Everything fed and extracted just fine. I did my normal limp wristing, right hand, left hand, sideways etc. test to attempt to induce a malfunction. There were none. Well technically there were none..........
You see there was a small error between user and keyboard so to speak. I had two instances where the slide failed to lock back on empty. I found out quickly, my thumb was pushing the slide release down. Strictly an idiot behind the gun error.
All in all accuracy was very good, the gun fit my girly hands well and it was great fun to shoot. Basically the complete opposite of my P2000. So on to my findings.
As always all rating are out of 10 rounds with 10 being the best and 1 being the worst.
FIT AND FINISH 7 ROUNDS
Fit and finish was excellent easily as good as the Glocks I have owned or handled. I feel that HKs and Walthers are better finished and the gun ain't no SIG or high end gun. Just a good quality working gun easily the equal of its competition.
RELIABILITY 10 ROUNDS
What can I say, she fed and extracted everything I threw at her and did so in a variety of awkward shooting positions designed to induce a failure. This is what you want in a defensive gun folks.
ACCURACY 8 ROUNDS
The gun seemed very accurate when I did my part. I usually don't wring a new gun out with accuracy in mind as reliability is my first test. That being said the trigger is very good and when I worked on accuracy it easy put rounds close enough to make clover leafs and eventually bigger fist sized holes. It ain't no match gun but it is more then accurate enough for the tast. I will say the Glock 30 seemed more accurate in my hands but it could be a familiarity thing.
RECOIL (1 BEING A CHERRY BOMB GOING OFF IN YOUR HAND, 10 BEING A MARSHMELLO BEING CRUSHED IN YOUR HAND) 6 ROUNDS
I don't find .45 to have a harsh recoil impuse but it does push. This being a light polymer gun the gun does have a tendency to muzzle rise. The higher bore axis makes it a little harsher then a comparable Glock but not much. It is by NO MEANS A HARSH RECOILING FIREARM.
TRIGGER 8 ROUNDS
The best of all the tactical tupperwear guns IMHO. No grit, nice weight for a definsive gun, very nice in general. Reset is a little long but that is my only complaint. It isn't a target gun or super crisp 1911 but it is a very nice trigger for the style of gun we are discussing.
SIGHTS 9 ROUNDS
Steel Trijicon night sights. Not much more to say, darn good three dot defensive gun sights. Proven and solid.
ERGONOMICS 10 ROUNDS
This gun feels good in the hand. 14 rounds of .45 ACP yet still reasonably good feeling in the hand. The controls are all placed in just the right place, ambi magazine release is wonderful, takedown lever is well thought out, loaded chamber indicated by sight and feel, cocked striker indicator by touch and sight etc. About the only nitpick I could have is the slide release is a bit small.
FIELD STRIPPING 9 ROUNDS
The only thing holding it back from 10 rounds is the fact that you have to pull the trigger to field strip which is generally a pet peeve of mine. In this case it is not as bad because your are forced, like a SIG, to lock the slide back to activate the takedown lever. I feel takedown is easier and safer then with a Glock.
BANG FOR YOUR BUCK 10 ROUNDS
Sure this gun cost right what a new Glock would cost but take into consideration it comes ready to go out of the box with holsters, mag holders, cleaning gear, two magazines that effectively make it two different guns, night sights etc. These XDs are very nice package, especially for a new shooter just getting into the sport.
So is it a keeper? You are damn right it is a keeper. I am thrilled with this gun and where I expected so much by the P2000 and was a little let down, I didn't expect a lot with the XD and was very pleasantly surprised. These are good guns for the money and a great value for shooters new or old. I prefer the HS/XD to the comparible Glocks.
Here are a few pictures to finish things up.
The gun comes in a very nice plastic, lockable case.
As shown the gun comes stocked with accessories and is ready to go. Just add ammo. This is a nice touch. Sure the accessories aren't super great but they work and will do you just fine.
Here is a beauty shot.
Of course I had to buy an accessory, The Streamlight TLR 1 which is a fantastic, well priced tactical LED light. Another review for another time though. All configured for house gun duty.
Hope you enjoyed.
Shoot safe,
Chris
