Xdm grip safety, why?

[Sauer Grapes]

Stumbled across a Xdm 5.25 used last week. Price was where I couldn't pass it up. I had just shot one at my club about a week ago, which proved to be quite accurate.
Often wondered why SA decided it needed a grip safety. Not like it has a 1911 trigger. Was this for the guys that don't like to carry a striker fired gun with no safety?
Picked it up Saturday and decided to shoot it in a steel match at the club Sunday. Big surprise when I found out the slide wouldn't rack unless the safety was depressed. I spent about 10 seconds trying to figure out why the slide was locked up. That pretty much blew my score for the match. The gun shoots great, just not sure I want to train myself to hold the gun different than I do. I have short stubby thumbs. Every gun except the smallest of pistols, I need to adjust my grip to work controls.

Actual purpose of this post. CAN THE GRIP SAFETY BE DISABLED!!

Yeah I know, it's pink...lol. Like I said the price was right. Trying to decide whether to get the slide redone or get silly and have the frame done in another outrageous color just for fun. Took a lot of teasing on Sunday.

 

[JTQ]

Often wondered why SA decided it needed a grip safety.

The usual explanation is the XD pistols have a fully cocked striker, while other guns, notably the Glock, have only partial cocked strikers.

Big surprise when I found out the slide wouldn't rack unless the safety was depressed. I spent about 10 seconds trying to figure out why the slide was locked up.

You aren't the only one I've seen make such a comment, and while I'm not an XD guy (I am a 1911 guy with grip safety experience), I don't know how I'd hold the gun in such a way to rack the slide where the grip safety wouldn't be depressed. It seems like it'd be a non-issue.

That pretty much blew my score for the match.

Sounds like "Sauer Grapes" to me. I couldn't resist. If you're going to tee them up, I'm going to hit 'em.

The gun shoots great, just not sure I want to train myself to hold the gun different than I do. I have short stubby thumbs.

I'm not sure how hand size or thumb length would have an impact on depressing the grip safety. I can't imagine what grip one would take to shoot the gun would not depress the grip safety. The web of your hand should be right on top of the grip safety when shooting.

 

[railroader]

You can also holster the gun with your thumb on the back of the slide so there isn't any way you can have a ND. I do this with my XDS45 when I carry it at 4 o'clock IWB. That way I can't shoot myself in the right cheek.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

Not to oversimplify but two words, California and Massachusetts. It seems a lot of "features" on today's guns go back to compliance in those two states.

 

[Shaq]

I wouldn't disable the grip safety on an XD. It's very well designed - better (in my opinion) than the 1911's grip safety. When I fired an XD, I liked the way the grip safety was immediately deactivated regardless of how I gripped the gun. In fact, I wouldn't mind the same type of grip safety on my Glocks.

 

[RX-79G]

SA didn't design the XD. It is an HS2000 designed in Croatia for the military and police who adopted it, and not with CA or MA or anywhere else in the US in mind.

I agree that it was probably prompted by the SA trigger. The HS2000 was the first Glock-like gun that caught on (the first was the Sigma).

 

[Walkalong]

You definitely need to do the grip in pink to match. It takes a real man to shoot a pink pistol. When you beat them with it, they won't make fun anymore.

 

[eldon519]

Maybe rather than disable it you could find an extended grip safety lever that might be more positvely pressed by your grip?

Personally, I have always thought grip safeties are a good idea. As mentioned, makes for safe holstering and can also ensure that the slide is not presses out of battery when holstering (though if you are pressing the back of the slide that will not happen anyway).

 

[tahunua001]

I've always been a big springfield fan, especially with the XDM line. a few points and possible answers.
1. the grip safety is there because that was a requirement for the Croatian military. the original XD was made by HS Produkt in Croatia for military contracts and was called the HS2000. Springfield liked the design so much they began importing them and later contracted HSP to remark them XD(supposedly for extreme duty) instead of HS for marketing purposes. they are still sold in europe as the HS9/40/45 respectively. the XDM however was never designed for the Croatian military that I'm aware of but is still based on the tried and true design of the XD so even though the XDM has a lot of advancements, things like action, and safety features remain the same, and the same is true of the XD-S line. CA and MS have nothing to with it and XDMS are not legal for sale in those states because they do not make 10 round mags and they do not have mag cut off safeties.

personally, I see absolutely no reason that you should be attempting to rack the slide of a handgun without maintaining positive control of the weapon. I heard so many people whining about the inability to rack the slide without the safety being depressed and I actually had to mentally attempt to take that action. perhaps it is my military training and mindset but there is no reason whatsoever that I can logically come up with, why I should be attempting to rack the slide without one hand on the grip, and the muzzle facing directly down range, or in a safe direction.

 

[RX-79G]

Springfield liked the design so much they began importing them and later contracted HSP to remark them XD(supposedly for extreme duty) instead of HS for marketing purposes.

Springfield never imported or sold the HS2000 marked guns. That was Intrac and HSAmerica.

 

[9mmepiphany]

I'm not sure how hand size or thumb length would have an impact on depressing the grip safety. I can't imagine what grip one would take to shoot the gun would not depress the grip safety. The web of your hand should be right on top of the grip safety when shooting.

This was my first thought also.

How would one grip the gun to rack the slide without depressing the grip safety...especially during a shooting competition

 

[jjones45]

Plus Springfield Armory is a 1911 company, so its no surprise that they would go with a gun that has a grip safety. I wonder if they designed the xds and mod 2 or did HS Produkt? I know Springfield doesn't make any of them but they do have some major influence on the xd since it's first introduction

 

[maxxhavoc]

You can also holster the gun with your thumb on the back of the slide so there isn't any way you can have a ND. I do this with my XDS45 when I carry it at 4 o'clock IWB. That way I can't shoot myself in the right cheek.

And this is why I like to use them as a carry gun. Even if something gets stuck in the trigger guard, no bang on holstering.

 

[Zaydok Allen]

It helps ensure safe holstering if you push on the slide, and I think it helps ensure you are properly (mostly) griping the gun before firing. That being said, I couldn't care less if the grip safety was absent. I don't mind it, but don't feel it produces enough real benefit to want it.

 

[9mmepiphany]

Plus Springfield Armory is a 1911 company, so its no surprise that they would go with a gun that has a grip safety. I wonder if they designed the xds and mod 2 or did HS Produkt? I know Springfield doesn't make any of them but they do have some major influence on the xd since it's first introduction

No, they didn't

The HS200 is a Croatian design and adopted by the Croatian military in 2000

Springfield didn't negotiated licensing rights to the US market until 2002 when they renamed it the XD-9 and raised the price. The XD(m), with feature changes requested by SA, wasn't introduced until 2009

 

[RX-79G]

No, they didn't

The HS200 is a Croatian design and adopted by the Croatian military in 2000

Springfield didn't negotiated licensing rights to the US market until 2002 when they renamed it the XD-9 and raised the price. The XD(m), with feature changes requested by SA, wasn't introduced until 2009

You misread his post. He's wondering if the post-2002 model changes - like the XDS - came from or were designed by Springfield.

I imagine Springfield requested many of them, but the actual engineering changes were made by HS. So more of a collaboration.

 

[zaitcev]

Actual purpose of this post. CAN THE GRIP SAFETY BE DISABLED!!

Wrap the grip with a tape.

What's funny though... I had an XD(m) for years, shot it in various circumstances (although not in combat), and not noticed until now that grip safety interferes with racking.

 

[RX-79G]

Wrap the grip with a tape.

What's funny though... I had an XD(m) for years, shot it in various circumstances (although not in combat), and not noticed until now that grip safety interferes with racking.

This seems like a good way to end up with the tape goo in the mechanism and the gun unable to fire.

The XD series is not perfect or unusual in its features. If you want a gun with no grip safety, buy one of the many similar weapons that doesn't have a grip safety.

Or, if the grip safety does not deactivate reliably from a standard firing grip - contact SA for warranty services.

 

[unclenunzie]

The grip safety on the XD/XDM line is functionally equivalent to the thumb safety on a 1911. Both lock the sear on a fully cocked single action pistol.

With the sear not blocked, it is possible to release the hammer on a 1911 or the striker on an XD/XDM without pressing the trigger. In the case of the XD/XDM there is a firing pin block, and with the 1911 there are half-cock notches and possibly a firing pin block.

So with regard to XD/XDM, I would not disable the grip safety, but in your position I'd look into a competition grip safety upgrade, one that would fit the hand better.

 

[bannockburn]

Sauer Grapes

Yeah I know, it's pink...lol.

Man, you aren't kidding! I wouldn't go so far as to say they would have to pay me to take it but it would have to be a mega sized discount to get me to even think about buying it! I don't know if my daughter would even want it and she likes a little splash of color with her guns.

As to the grip safety, it works decently enough for me. No problems using it and it's fairly unobtrusive and required no changes to how I grip the gun.

 

[tactikel]

I bought my XD-45 precisely because of the grip safety. It is a non issue. I have over 5K rounds thru her and forget about the grip safety EXCEPT when I holster it! IMHO striker fired autos with no other safety need lots of training and care to lessen the chance of "Glock leg".
Do not disable the grip safety! If you ever have a ND you are screwed!

 

[Zaydok Allen]

Not sure why but weird stuff was happening on my iphone. Couldn't post or edit anything. Still seems to be happening.

Post deleted.

 

[Sauer Grapes]

In the heat of the moment and not fully knowing the ins and outs of the gun, I guess I had a knee jerk reaction. It's not a normal situation at our matches. After some thought, I realized it might not be an issue at a normal match. Pretty hard to explain what I was doing. I was dropping a mag with a round in the chamber, then ejecting the live round and locking the slide open. No moving at our club with loaded guns. Someone fell once and the gun went off. These are strictly fun matches. Although they took most of the ''fun'' out of them. At least we get to ring some steel and knock down some bowling pins.

Not being able to rack the slide serves no practical safety purpose imo. I like the gun. Only bought it cause the guy was selling it cheap. Something my wife can shoot at the range.

 

[9mmepiphany]

Pretty hard to explain what I was doing. I was dropping a mag with a round in the chamber, then ejecting the live round and locking the slide open...

Not being able to rack the slide serves no practical safety purpose imo.

You still haven't explained how you hold the gun, to rack the slide, without depressing the grip safety

 

[jwalts27]

Not to oversimplify but two words, California and Massachusetts. It seems a lot of "features" on today's guns go back to compliance in those two states.

Except no Springfield Armory gun is MA Compliant