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The Definitive Intro To The Springfield XD-45ACP

robomanroboman Member Posts: 6,436
edited May 2006 in General Discussion
In the spirit of helpful posts to the forum, I'd like to post a photo introduction to the Springfield XD (Xtreme Duty) handgun chambered in the lovely .45ACP round.

As some of you may or may not know, the XD is imported and distributed by Springfield Armory, the same folks who churn out M1As, M6s, and the 1911s we've come to know and love. The gun itself is manufactured in Croatia and was originally called the HS2000 (I believe).

The XD is available in 9MM, .40S&W, .357SIG, and most recently .45ACP. The .45 model which I am demonstrating won the Guns And Ammo (or was it American Rifleman? I honestly can't remember which) handgun of the year award for its ability to carry 13+1 rounds of .45 in a very nice package.

I recently purchased this handgun and am absolutely in love with it. To be honest, when I first saw the XD line, I brushed it off as a cheesy Glock imitation. Some of you may feel the same way, but I've been converted.

Without further adieu, let's begin.

The handgun itself comes in a very nice, durable case. Springfield has slapped their logo on the top and overall the case is very good. Solid snapping shut and handy to tote around.

Case.jpg

Once you get into the box, you're met with a variety of brochures and safety manuals. All are easy to read and you even get an XD poster of sorts. As you may see, there's a bunch of accessories in the foam padding of the top side of the case (more on these later).

Manuals.jpg
Case2.jpg

Once you remove the layer of foam, you're met by the handgun itself.

Case3.jpg

You also get a groovy gun lock as well [:E]

Lock.jpg

Before delving into the gun itself, let's check out the accessories that come with it. From left to right, they are as follows: Holster, Magazine Holder, and Magazine Loader. The Holster and Magazine Holder have adjustable tension for your tastes.

Accessories.jpg

Here's a picture of the magazine holder in action:

MagHolder.jpg

As well as the magazine loader:

Loader.jpg

And also the holster:

XDInHolster.jpg

All these accessories are included in the gun package itself, which is an awesome bonus!

The gun also comes with two full-capacity magazines, which hold 13 rounds of .45ACP each.

Mags.jpg

Now, enough of the accessories. Let's look at the gun itself!

As you can see, it shares similarities to a Glock.

XD.jpg

The best analogy I've heard is that the XD has a Glock "lower", a SIG "upper" (as you can see from the front takedown lever) and a 1911-grip safety.

XD2.jpg

There are many handy and unintrusive safety features on the XD. First is the 1911-style grip safety. The gun will not fire unless you have a firm grip on it.

GripSafety.jpg

The trigger has the same second lever as a Glock. The magazine release buttons are on both sides, making the gun nicely ambidexterous.

Side.jpg

There is also an accessory rail:

Rail.jpg

As for other safety features, there is a cocked indicator on the back of the gun (also note how slender the grip is for a double-stacked .45ACP handgun.

In this shot the cocked indicator is off.

Rear.jpg

In this shot it is on. You can also see the rear sight:

Cocked.jpg

Lastly, there is a loaded chamber indicator. If there is a round in the pipe, it slightly sticks out. It is not sticking out in this shot. The indicator itself is right behind the ejection port on the top of the handgun slide. You can also see the front sight in this shot.

Front.jpg

The sights are standard 3-dots and are very easy to acquire.

There you have it. Hope y'all enjoyed this brief tour of a fine handgun. I've shot it multiple times with no problems of any kind and am sold on the XD concept.

Here are some pictures of my most recent range trip with it. Here ya go.

First, an action shot. Note the brass flying all about:

ActionShot.jpg

Here's an uber-high-speed low-drag mag change [BD]:

HSLDMC.jpg

And a thumbs up [:E]:

thumbs.jpg

Hell, I'll also throw in a shot of shooting the AR-15.

ar.jpg

I also have some pictures of the slide removed and some rail shots.

First, a shot of the bottom half of the handgun:

Bottom.jpg

Then we have a shot of the top half:

Top.jpg

Here's some pictures of the rails inside the gun.

First, the top half rails:

TopRail.jpg

Next, the bottom rails looking left to right:

BottomRailLeft.jpg

And then looking right to left:

BottomRailRight.jpg

Enjoy!

Comments

  • WarbirdsWarbirds Member Posts: 16,933 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Cool, but hey man, all your pics aren't showing up!
  • robomanroboman Member Posts: 6,436
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by Dave W.
    Cool, but hey man, all your pics aren't showing up!


    Fixed. [B)]
  • Red223Red223 Member Posts: 7,946
    edited November -1
    Holycrap,

    Welcome back Roboman.
  • PATBUZZARDPATBUZZARD Member Posts: 3,556
    edited November -1
    That was a pretty thorough review!
  • William81William81 Member Posts: 25,469 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Nice review there Roboman...I think Springfield should put you on the payroll....[:D]
  • MVPMVP Member Posts: 23,453 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Nice review robo.
    Don't forget to add 45 GAP to the available chambering list. Atleast it available for the time being but who knows about down the road.[;)]
  • hawkeye6020hawkeye6020 Member Posts: 2,517 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Good post roboman, welcome back
  • KSUmarksmanKSUmarksman Member Posts: 10,705 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Very nice review sir [:D]

    on the similarity to Glocks,
    I don't know if I have a subconsious bias against Glocks or what, but when I shot the XD it felt much nicer in my hands than the Glock 21.
    Anyone have the same experience?

    I understand that the XDs have a slightly slimmer frame, so that could be part of it.
  • Young Ns GirlYoung Ns Girl Member Posts: 348 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Y&D's XD40 didn't come with all of the accecories (purchased before the new XD 45ACP was available), just gun, 2 mags, and the pamphlets[V]

    I could really use that spiffy mag loader.
    Y&D is proficient with loading the mags w/o the mag loader, but I must be a weakling because after about the 8th it is a fight for me.
  • gbeggrowgbeggrow Member Posts: 5,499
    edited November -1
    The XD's all seem to be a bit top heavy to me. I'd still like to have one in 45 though.[8D]
  • willdallas2006willdallas2006 Member Posts: 285 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I really enjoyed this review, Thanks for posting it.
  • victorlvlbvictorlvlb Member Posts: 5,004
    edited November -1
    I have one in .40 cal. It fits my hands just right.Its close to being a tack driver.
  • mateomasfeomateomasfeo Member Posts: 27,143
    edited November -1
    Do they sell a man's version?
  • KSUmarksmanKSUmarksman Member Posts: 10,705 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by mateomasfeo


    Do they sell a man's version?



    yeah, the hi-cap 1911


    stir stir [8D]
  • cruzie27cruzie27 Member Posts: 1,267 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    great picture review!

    the XD is a great pistol,.i had the XD-40 Tactical (5in. model) and i just recently sold it to make room for the XD-45 Tactical model but sadly i keep getting * around (store owner says all he gets is the 4in. model)

    so if any of you dealers can get ahold of a 5in. tactical model please let me know,. there is a empty spot in my safe for that .45

    any yeah when i got back last year i looked at the Glock and XD in .40S&W,.. the XD felt alot better in my hands that the Glock. and after i decided on the XD i was plesently supprised to find it about 100 bucks cheaper than the Glock.
  • dustyholdustyhol Member Posts: 282 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Is the grip angle on the XD more like the 1911 than the Glock?
  • wizard78wizard78 Member Posts: 3,144
    edited November -1
    Watch out Robo. You keep giving gun info out to the forum members and they might start
    calling you, "obnoxious, worthless loser, fat bald and unattractive, dog <excretement>,
    or several names involving the F-word," . I wouldn't want you to follow in the
    footsteps of others who used to give out info, on this forum.. [}:)]
  • 11BravoCrunchie11BravoCrunchie Member Posts: 33,423 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Sounds like an awesome pistol. Now I've been convinced to buy one. I'm still not going to forget the 1911 though...no real replacement for that, but I do need to get my hands on an XD.

    Robo, keep up the good coverage of your reviews, and you'll get no obnoxious-calls from me.
  • robomanroboman Member Posts: 6,436
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by mateomasfeo


    Do they sell a man's version?



    13+1 of .45ACP in a nice package is the epitome of a man's gun! [^]
  • KrisWKrisW Member Posts: 633 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I have the XD .40, I also bought the Xtreme Duty gear package for it. It came with the holster, 3 mags, case, brush, and lock. I also like the feel of the XD compared to the glock. I looked at both when i bought it. I am thinking its time to go get a .45 now too.
  • temblortemblor Member Posts: 2,153 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Nice piece. -- Now try to keep that Wolf ammo out of it......[:D]
  • SperrySperry Member Posts: 5,006 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    It looks solid and comfortable. Great pictures. New camera?

    S.A.'s yellow sticker advising the packaging of "high capacity" magazines might better read
    "Standard Capacity, 10+" magazines, to placate purists and help the wholesale/retail sellers keep track of inventory. A red "Reduced Capacity" sticker for the "10-round maximum" states might help remove the media/politician's moniker of "high caps" as being evil. Starting at the manufacturer is a good start to delegitimizing shrill, hysterical terminology introduced by the anti-gun crowd.

    High capacity, to me, brings up a mental image of magazines that extend below the grip, like a 1911 10-round single-stack magazine [or a 30-round single stack 1911 mag, for that matter].
  • robomanroboman Member Posts: 6,436
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by temblor
    Nice piece. -- Now try to keep that Wolf ammo out of it......[:D]


    [:p]
  • KSUmarksmanKSUmarksman Member Posts: 10,705 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by temblor
    Nice piece. -- Now try to keep that Wolf ammo out of it......[:D]


    we have a guy at the range that puts Wolf through one, no problems so far. I'll keep everyone posted if his gun suddenly stops appearing at the range.
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